IFCEE 2018 – Bigger Than Ever The largest geo-specialty conference and equipment exposition in North America, IFCEE 2018, was held at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Fla., from March 5 to 10. A record-breaking 3,400 contractors, consultants, manufacturers/ suppliers, service professionals, government agencies, owners, professors and students attended this triennial event, which was hosted by DFI, ADSC-The International Association of Foundation Drilling, ASCE Geo-Institute and PDCA (Pile Driving Contractors Association). This six-day event provided something for every attendee — from committee and board meetings to attending technical sessions and networking to ogling big rigs and tooling. IFCEE 2018 was a huge success thanks to Conference Chair Robert Thompson of Dan Brown and Associates, host organizations, conference committees, paper reviewers and volunteers. Service Providers; joint DFI/ADSC Micropile Committee; Soil Mixing; Seepage Control; Slurry Wall; Subsurface Characterization for Deep Foundations; Sustainability; Testing and Evaluation; Tiebacks and Soil Nailing; and Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF). During IFCEE, the WiDF Committee also partnered with ADSC, Geo-Institute and PDCA to present a joint professional skills workshop for women in the geotechnical engineering and foundations industry. Read more in the Technical Activities Update on page 117. Scott Kress, keynote lecturer organizations were introduced. The key- note address, “Learn- ing in Thin Air,” was delivered by Scott Kress, president of Summit Team Building. He shared insights gained while climbing and leading high-altitude expeditions for more than 25 years. Questions Kress posed included: “What is it that separates success from failure?” And “What allows some Workshop for women Conference Activities The technical program featured more than fifty 90-minute technical sessions, five short courses, prestigious lectures in- cluding the E. A. L. Smith, Karl Terzaghi, Jorj O. Osterberg, Michael W. O’Neill, Ben C. Gerwick, H. Bolton Seed Medal and Ralph B. Peck Medal, as well as more than 125,000 sq ft (11,600 sq m) of the latest equipment and supplies and more. The official conference welcome took place on Wednesday morning, March 7, and all of the directors and presidents of the host Outdoor exhibits In addition to co-hosting IFCEE, DFI demonstrated a large presence at the event. DFI Technical Committees meetings were held throughout the week, including: Augered Cast-in-Place Pile; Codes and Standards; Deep Foundat ions for Landslides/Slope Stabilization; Drilled Shaft; Driven Pile; Electric Power Systems; Energy Foundations; Helical Piles and Tiebacks; Manufacturers, Suppliers and leaders and teams to achieve greatness where others stumble?” Great success comes from the synergy of great leadership, teamwork, and personal focus. The lecture was a fitting opening for such a large-scale, diverse and dynamic event. Technical sessions were held during three days of the Congress and were filled with presentations on peer-reviewed papers that comprise the event pro- ceedings. DFI members served as session chairs, track chairs, peer reviewers, authors, moderators and oral session Conference Chair Robert Thompson (front center) with directors, conference committee and proceeding editors
