More than 1,800 people gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 45th Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique, setting an attendance record for the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE) event.
The conference featured technical and poster sessions, workshops, industry socials and more than 180 exhibits showcasing the latest technologies. Keynote presenter and futurist David Houle began the event with a discussion on emerging global trends and how they might affect the future of the explosives industry.
Ronald Elliott of International Blasting Consultants won the Distinguished Service Award at the conference. Paul Downing of Lancer Insurance Co. and David True of Austin Powder Co., meanwhile, were honored with the Industry Service Award.
Other awards given at the conference were the President’s Award, which went to Mark Dean of Texcel, Melvin Fletcher of Dyno Nobel and Cristian Rodriguez of Split Engineering. Donald McNeil of PDK was awarded the Blaster’s Leadership Award, and Donald Thompson of Thunderbird Mining Systems earned the Driller’s Leadership Award. Gonzalo Marias of Austin Powder Argentina won the Paper of the Year Award.
Photos courtesy of ISEE
