Can the Sewer Fair break a record and send the chairman on a wild ride?

When the Sewage Fair 2026 opens its doors in Fredericia on January 29-30, it will have a record-breaking exhibition area of ​​approximately 15.000 square meters, more than 160 exhibitors and lots of professional activity. 

Whether the previous visitor record of 4.300 guests is also set to fall, Verner H. Kristiansen, chairman of the Danish Sewerage Association, will be following with great interest. Partly because he naturally hopes for buzzing activity everywhere on the exhibition grounds, and partly because he has made a somewhat unusual promise:

- If we get over 5.000 visitors, I have promised to sail across Mariager Fjord in a sedimentation tank, declares the North Jutland industry chairman.

He has not yet decided where the sailing will take place, if any.

"I might take the narrowest place, which is a few hundred meters long, or I might go all the way from Hobro to Mariager to get a ride out of it," the chairman laughs. He adds that he is considering taking the hopefully seaworthy sedimentation tank to the trade fair so that everyone can see the 'vessel'."

Regardless, Verner H. Kristiansen is looking forward to some fantastic fair days in Fredericia.

- For us in the industry, this is like Christmas Eve. Walking around and experiencing the atmosphere, professionals talking to each other in a cross-cultural way, performances on stage, demonstrations of equipment, the Danish championship in sewer work and so on, it's really wonderful, states the chairman.

There's money in the dirt.

In the 2026 edition, a little extra attention will be paid to TV inspection and sludge suction, as well as the opportunity to see large, impressive sludge suction machines inside the hall. There is good reason to lean towards this particular discipline within the sewage industry - according to Berlingske, some of the larger players in the field have increased their gross profits almost explosively over the past ten years.

Another focus will be on safety and working environment, says Verner H. Kristiansen.

- Unfortunately, we sometimes experience that the working environment is a competitive parameter. If we have to go down a well, for example, we need three people, and we need to have some special safety equipment. If you do it alone, you might be able to do it cheaper - but what if you don't come back up, asks the chairman, who also hopes to draw even more colleagues into the industry community, so that you can stay updated on the latest knowledge and the newest solutions and products.

- For example, there is currently a lot of focus on cleaning rainwater from parking lots and high groundwater. We would like to help train more people to solve the tasks efficiently and safely, says Verner H. Kristiansen, who is "very much" looking forward to the fair - and to his possible boat trip in Mariager Fjord.