Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Aqua Netherlands 2026 opens on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 10:00 am at Evenementenhal Gorinchem with an official opening and vision keynote by Alex Hekman, business director of Water at Sweco and director of NL2120. Aqua Netherlands will take place on March 17, 18 and 19, 2026.
Hekman shows what hybrid water system design in practice means: design choices in which engineering and natural processes be developed together, with immediate actionable perspectives for projects at water boards, engineering firms, municipalities and implementing parties.
Hekman has been in the media a lot recently around sea level rise and the ‘Growing with it’ report commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management. In Gorinchem, he emphatically places that subject in a broader context: why Nature-based Solutions should be structurally included in water policy and project design. He links this to several pressing tasks, including climate-proof housing, river widening and restoration of natural river dynamics as part of flood risk reduction.
Alex Hekman (Sweco, NL2120): “The water tasks require trend breaks. We must design for multiple value: water safety, nature, housing, agriculture and energy in conjunction. In the opening of Aqua Netherlands I make concrete what choices you can already make today in design, management and implementation.”
Bas van Gent, Business Unit Director at Easyfairs Netherlands: “We open with a keynote that brings design and execution together. That's exactly what Aqua Netherlands stands for: bringing professionals together around choices that need to be made now in projects and assets.”
Aqua Netherlands is the year-round platform for wastewater, drinking water, process water and urban water & sewerage management. The event combines the Water Marketplace (solutions, technology, suppliers) with Next Level (knowledge sharing, policy, innovation and collaboration) and connects professionals from across the water chain.
About Alex Hekman:
Alex Hekman is business director Water at Sweco and director of NL2120. Within NL2120, he leads one of the world's largest collaborations around Nature-based Solutions, in which government, science, business and nature organizations work to scale up natural solutions for a climate-resistant Netherlands.
He studied Soil, Water and Atmosphere at Wageningen University & Research and has more than 25 years of experience in the water sector. From that base, Hekman drives innovation at the intersection of water management and climate adaptation, with a clear focus on what is already feasible today.
Hekman is known for his ability to connect policy, science and implementation. In his keynote he offers concrete action perspectives: what does nature-based working mean in design, decision-making and implementation for water boards, engineering firms and implementing partners. He was also closely involved in recent studies on sea level rise and the future of the Dutch water system.
