Water Technology Expert Panel
“The panel they put together was awesome,” he says. “they were engaging and insightful.” - Adam Doran, Co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing, Aclarus Ozone
“It was a very good cross-section of experienced and knowledgeable people,” he says. “It helped us to determine where it is that our next steps were going to be taking place.” - David Ohayon, Canadian Market Development Manager, IPEX
Overview
Ontario Water Consortium’s Expert Panel will enable an opportunity for water technology companies that are commercializing new technologies to meet with a panel of water and wastewater experts (from technology, innovation, and municipal end-user perspectives) for a discussion to receive feedback on their value-proposition, technology design and operating considerations, features and benefits, business model, or go-to-market strategy, etc.
Format
A panel consisting of 4 to 6 experts will be selected by the participating company. Ontario Water Consortium will try to ensure that the company’s top panelist selection will be honoured, however in some cases this will not be possible, and alternatives will be proposed. This may occur if, for example, a particular panelist is being selected too frequently, declares a conflict of interest, or requests to be temporarily removed from consideration. OWC may also invite certain “Emerging Experts” to join panel discussions, in addition to the chosen panelists. The panelists should try to remain agnostic of technology type or application.
Current participants include a mixture of technology innovation and commercialization experts, consulting engineers, and municipal end-users.
Discussion Topics
The participating company will work with OWC to refine the areas of focus for the panel discussion. These areas of discussion will primarily consist of up to three pre-written specific questions that the company will provide ahead of time. Participating companies may be developing technologies at varying stages of commercialization, and the discussion question topics may range from technology development to commercialization and adoption. Some examples include, but are not limited to:
- Market/Sector Knowledge and Understanding
- Research, Product Development, and Demonstration Considerations
- Business Model Considerations
- Market Launch/Go-To-Market Strategy
- Business Development Strategy
- Value to Municipalities and Municipal Engagement
- Export Strategy
Benefits of Program
- Choice of expert panelists offers the flexibility to have a panel consisting of experienced technology developers, municipal experts, even some from each!
- Panels of experts in water technology development and adoption would allow participating companies to present discussion questions focused on their technology development and adoption challenges which forms the basis of discussion.
- Panels of municipal experts could act as a focus group to provide insightful feedback to a company on a particular technology (or technologies) which could include areas such product value proposition, features/benefits, market need, technology piloting and demonstration considerations, and even the company’s presentation format and style.
- Any combination of water technology and municipal experts is possible based on the needs and objectives of the participating companies.
Typical Agenda
| Allocated Time (min) | Activity |
|---|---|
| 20 | Company technology presentation |
| 10 | Clarification questions on presentation |
| 15 | General initial or “off the cuff” feedback captured using the Feedback Matrix categories (e.g., what is liked, what might be changed, what questions come to mind, what ideas come to mind) |
| 30-60 | Discussion of prepared company questions |
| 10 | Final thoughts and wrap-up |
Expert Panelists
Experts represent a cross-section of background and experience from a technology development and commercialization perspective and a municipal perspective. These experts have a wealth of knowledge from years of experience and success that could be leveraged by your company to enhance your own success.
OWC will work to provide the best panel (4 - 6 panelists) based on the needs of the company.
Intake Forms
If your company is interested in participating in an expert panel, download and complete the Water Technology Expert Panel Intake Form.