One hotel, one walk, one rail pass
WaterSmart Innovations runs 21-23 October 2026 at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland. AWWA stages it. Registration stays open online through the week, and the onsite desk sits in the Lobby of Exhibit Hall A.
AWWA names the DoubleTree by Hilton Portland as the event hotel. The organiser puts it half a mile from the hall, on a walk of 5 to 10 minutes through the Lloyd District. A delegation that books there needs no shuttle.
The walk, the streetcar and the bus
The walk crosses the Lloyd District. The venue names the neighbourhood as the home of its hotels, transit, shopping, the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
MAX Light Rail makes the same trip in about 5 minutes across one or two stops. Trains arrive every 15 minutes or less, and the venue counts 300 MAX stops a day at its front door.
Portland Streetcar's A Loop stops at NE MLK and Hoyt/Convention Center every 15 minutes, outside the main entrances. TriMet Bus 6 stops at NE MLK and Holladay and at NE MLK and Hoyt.
The pass covers the airport
DoubleTree guests receive complimentary MAX passes. The organiser attaches three uses to the pass: the hotel-to-hall leg, travel across Portland during the stay, and the Red Line to Portland International Airport at no cost.
The venue publishes eight miles between the building and PDX. One plan then covers the whole delegation: land, ride the Red Line on the pass, walk the last half mile.
A delegate outside the block pays the adult fare of $2.80 for 2.5 hours. The day cap is $5.60, and a calendar month costs $100. Payment is a tap of a contactless bank card or a phone on the green Hop reader. The adult fare needs no Hop card.
Group dinner leaves the building
Two meals sit in the programme. Lunch runs 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the exhibit hall on Thursday and 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Thursday closes with a cocktail reception in the hall from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m.
The venue's Eat Now page lists every outlet in the building closed on Friday 23 October except Portland Coffee Roasters, which runs 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A group dinner moves outside.
Bistro Elysium at 787 NE Holladay St serves lunch 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. The address sits about 0.3 mile from the hall in a straight line. The walking route is longer.
Coaches, cars and the garage
The venue publishes drop-off and pick-up zones on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and on Holladay Street. Both sit on the accessible route to an accessible entrance.
The underground garage holds 800 spaces and charges $15 for up to 18 hours with no in and out privilege. Event entry runs a dynamic $15 to $25. The garage opens at 6 a.m., prohibits overnight parking and refuses RVs, campers and trucks with trailers.
566 metered spaces sit within three blocks. The building is cashless, and the booths take cards and touchless payment only.
What a seat costs
Full conference registration is $595 for members and $695 for non-members through 21 September at 11:59 p.m. ET. From 22 September the rates are $695 and $795. The fee covers sessions, the exposition, the reception and the lunches.
Workshops and tours cost $90 to $180 on top of the conference fee. Exhibits-only entry is $70 early and $100 regular, and it excludes sessions, workshops and tours.
AWWA takes cancellations in writing. A cancellation dated by the early-bird deadline is refunded less a 25 percent administrative fee. After that deadline AWWA refunds nothing and accepts a substitute registrant.