Olympios Group participated at SWAN 15th Annual Conference, Berlin
Olympios Group participated in the SWAN 15th Annual Conference, held from May 27–29, 2025, in Berlin. Organized by the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), this global event brings together industry leaders, utilities, and innovators to accelerate the adoption of smart, data-driven solutions in the water sector. The theme of this year’s conference was “Scaling Smart Water“, with a focus on driving practical implementation of digital water technologies at scale. Through interactive workshops, technical sessions, and strategic roundtables, the event explored cutting-edge approaches to improving water and wastewater management.
As part of the SWAN 15th Annual Conference, Anna Makri, Chief Digital Officer at Olympios Group, was invited to co-facilitate Interactive Roundtables: Round 1 on March 27, titled “Small Town Mindset – Getting the Basics Down.” This session was jointly hosted by the SWAN Digital Twins Group and the AI Community of Practice, reflecting the growing industry focus on next-generation digital technologies.
The workshop tackled a core challenge faced by smaller utilities: how to approach the digital journey from the ground up, particularly around water efficiency. While Digital Twins and AI are generating strong interest across the water sector, most utilities remain in early exploration or pilot stages. The roundtable encouraged participants to role-play as small utilities encountering these technologies for the first time—focusing on key questions like: What are the basics to understand? How do we move from exploration to consideration? And how is success measured and validated?
Through this interactive format, participants zeroed in on a single, practical challenge—improving water efficiency through digital innovation—and explored how digital twins and both generative and non-generative AI can reduce costs, speed up implementation, and deliver tangible value. Anna Makri, alongside co-facilitator Susana Garcia (Water Supply Engineer, Águas e Energia do Porto), guided the discussion with real-world insights, emphasizing scalable strategies and lessons learned from actual deployments.
Beyond the formal sessions, the conference provided a valuable platform for networking and collaboration. Olympios Group engaged with global peers, solution providers, and utility leaders to exchange ideas, explore emerging technologies, and forge new partnerships. The event reinforced the importance of cross-sector dialogue in scaling smart water solutions and highlighted Olympios Group’s commitment to driving innovation and efficiency in the water industry.s
