The 2021 Northern Inland Regional Forum, presented by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia NSW & ACT, will bring together a range of public works experts who will collaborate on upcoming projects, share ideas and network.

The forum has been running for over a decade, aiming to steer innovative conversation across the engineering industry, and in 2021 will be held in 12 different towns across NSW and the ACT.

Guest speakers will present topical case studies, demonstrate the latest products and technologies, share their experiences and discuss emerging challenges and provide innovative solutions for ongoing projects.

This year's theme is 'Unlocking Local Government Potential' and Gunnedah Shire Council mayor Jamie Chaffey will open proceedings on Friday, March 12 at the Gunnedah Town Hall.

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IPWEA NSW's Louise Taplin said the one day seminars are a great networking opportunity which also provide a lot of information on upcoming projects within the local area.

"The reason that people would attend is to find out a little bit about what's going on in the area in terms of what council works are coming up or what council have done already," she said.

"And then other people from businesses will talk to people that work within the council and let them know about innovative projects that they have coming up that could help them with their work."

Topics to be discussed include 'Using Artificial Intelligence to Detect Road Defects' and 'Minimising and Controlling Sediment from Entering Waterways using Flexible Concrete Mats' to name a few.

The forum is open to the general public and is of particular interest to engineers, public works managers, supervisors, consulting engineers, technical staff councillors, group managers and contractors.