2024 TechAdvantage in San Antonio, Texas, will offer electric cooperative decision-makers opportunities to delve into the latest technologies, solutions and best practices to serve their members more effectively and solve the industry’s most pressing challenges.

The March 3-6 event at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, which runs concurrently with NRECA PowerXchange, will feature more than 70 breakout sessions designed to arm attendees with technology, tools, insights and real-world solutions they need to help ensure reliability, resiliency and affordability for members.

General sessions will focus on operational and management challenges, including the expectations and development of younger employees who represent the future of co-op operations.

Speaker and Topic Details

In the opening general session on March 4, Phil Gwoke from the personnel consulting firm Bridgeworks will discuss the goals and expectations of millennial and Generation Z employees and offer insights into communications techniques, leadership and management styles.

In the March 6 combined closing general session with PowerXchange, futurist Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow consultancy, will help take some of the uncertainty out of artificial intelligence and its applications in today’s workplace.

“His focus will help today’s managers understand new and emerging technologies and how they can be harnessed to help maximize human potential,” said Alison Kent, NRECA education program manager.

Once again, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is partnering with TechAdvantage, and several of the top presenters from IEEE’s 2023 Rural Electric Power Conference in Cleveland will be featured on the TechAdvantage stage.

"Our industry is constantly evolving, presenting new challenges and opportunities for electric cooperatives," said Kent. "Our dozens of breakout sessions—along with pre-conference workshops—arm attendees with the tools and information to adapt and plan to meet these challenges head-on."

During those breakout sessions, attendees will also gain immediately applicable understanding of the roles that broadband, cybersecurity and electric vehicles are now playing in co-op operations, and they’ll learn about new and emerging technologies that can help control costs, predict system risks during weather events and improve restoration.

In addition to a number of networking opportunities, 2024 TechAdvantage features peer-to-peer discussions where ideas, questions and challenges can be shared in an unfiltered environment.

“Open discussions among engineers, operations professionals, IT professionals and supply chain managers provide opportunities to share ideas and learn fresh approaches to the issues co-ops are dealing with in real-time,” said Kent.

The Expo

The popular Expo at PowerXchange and TechAdvantage will feature more than 440 vendors filling some 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. Many of the products and services on display offer solutions designed to work within the co-ops’ operational structures and enhance and extend the value of their existing processes and assets.

“Senior co-op staff and technical professionals will get a lot of valuable information at Expo,” said Eric Commodore, NRECA’s director of meetings and events. “As co-ops are called upon to provide new services and members gain more direct control of how they use electricity and new digital technologies, knowing what will work best for your members is crucial to our future success. The Expo at PowerXchange and TechAdvantage is a great place to get started.”

Hotel Reservations and Event Registration

The deadline to secure the NRECA negotiated hotel room rate is 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 10. Online conference registration is available until March 4, and participants can sign up on-site through March 6.

Read NRECA's PowerXchange preview article for more details on the collaborative experiences between PowerXchange and TechAdvantage this year, and visit the TechAdvantage conference webpage for the full conference schedule and registration information.