Can time really go by that quickly? It seems like it was just yesterday when my boss at Itron in the year 2000 had a conflict and asked me if I would step in to join the DistribuTECH steering committee’s planning meeting in Florida that year. Of course, I said. I’ve now served on the DTECH steering committee for 26 years and it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career in the utility and energy space.

Now the electric power industry’s premier T&D event in North America, DTECH started out with humbler beginnings. Here’s a short history: When it started in the early 1990s, it was called DA/DSM (short for distribution automation and demand side management), and the Pennwell event attracted a few hundred attendees primarily from utility distribution operations teams.

In the mid 1990s, Penwell changed the name to DistribuTECH and, fueled by new technologies such as advanced metering infrastructure and increasing digitization of the power grid, the conference began attracting thousands of attendees, hundreds of utilities and exhibitors, and the power industry’s thought leaders. Under the leadership of Teresa Hansen and her team at Pennwell, DistribuTECH grew both in size and influence, also serving as a timely annual forum to unpack the key trends and developments shaping the utility industry and grid modernization.

These included the California Energy Crisis of 2000-2001 in which energy supply constraints, high prices and gaming of the wholesale energy markets led to rolling blackouts and utility bankruptcies. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the new appreciation about the vulnerabilities of our energy infrastructure. The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and a new wave of investment in grid modernization and clean energy technologies through the ARRA stimulus package. And, of course, the whiplash of energy policy and investment priorities through the Trump and Biden administrations from “drill baby drill” to decarbonization and back again. It’s been a ride.

Clarion Events, which bought Pennwell in 2018, has taken DTECH to a new level. DTECH in Dallas last year attracted more that 18,000 attendees and 700 exhibiting companies. DTECH is now the largest, most influential transmission and distribution event in North America, offering a wealth of education, connections, and solutions to drive the industry forward. The event has also extended its education and content to include broad menu of topics — from clean energy to smart cities — all related to the energy transition.

When I attend DTECH 2026 in San Diego in a couple of weeks, I’ll be launching my own consultancy, Wolf Narrative, providing storytelling, copywriting and content marketing services to organizations leading the energy transition. I can’t think of a better place or event to launch my new business than DTECH 2026!