The THEME of the convention is:

IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE CUSTOMER CENTRIC ELECTRICITY UTILITIES IN THE 4th AND 5th INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 

with the following SUB-THEMES:

• Defining our New-technology Needs: Scoping Smarter Systems and Maturity Indicators
• Re-skilling - How to Re-Skill our Work Force to Work in a 4IR Environment
• EDI Restructuring: New Business Models, Municipal Roles, and Stances of the AMEU (panel discussion)
• Cyber Security: In New-Technology (Procurements) and in Legacy Systems
• Asset Management: New Innovations and Trends
• Revenue Protection Innovations: Using Business Intelligence and Smart Technologies
• Electrification and self-generation: Funding of Electrification, Self-Generation Alternatives, Tariff Signals
• Policy Failure and the Policy-Implementation Gap in Local Government: (Ideally it would be nice to have a debate on this)
•    - How to keep the Lights on Under a Very Unfriendly MFMA and SCM Environment
•    - Procurement Processes: Localisation, Interoperability, Specifications, Better value
• Innovation topics:  Solving Old Business Problems with Different and Newer Solutions (Marketing, Customer Service, Planning, Construction, Maintenance)
• Renewable Energy:  Technology, Progress Updates and Case Studies

For the Best Paper Award there will be awards for the following three (3) categories:

• Academic Category:  Presenters/authors (all age groups) from tertiary academic institutions or professionals undertaking further studies at such institutions
• Emerging Professional Category:  Non-academic category  presenters/authors up to and including 30 years of age
• Experienced Professional Category:  Non-academic category  presenters/authors older than 30 years of age or subject matter specialists