Smart Rivers 2025 Overview

From 8-12 September in Memphis, Tennessee, the Smart Rivers 2025 conference brought together a global community of professionals, researchers, stakeholders, and decision-makers to celebrate the world’s navigable rivers. Through engaging discussions and collaborative exchanges, participants addressed key themes such as sustainability, innovation, resilience, and system integration. While the next Smart Rivers conference won’t take place until 2028, we are confident that this gathering will sustain innovative and productive conversations in the inland navigation transportation community for years to come!

By the numbers: Smart Rivers 2025 welcomed 350 attending guests, including 150 non-US registrants from 20 countries on 6 continents, who participated in 180 presentations in 38 technical sessions, as well as 5 plenary sessions and 4 official tours.

THANK YOU to all the attendees, presenters, speakers, partners, sponsors, exhibitors, and hosts—including the Port of Memphis and the Memphis River Parks Partnership—for making Smart Rivers 2025 such a memorable and impactful event. Your insights brought depth and energy to every session, sparking meaningful conversations about the future of our waterways. We are especially grateful to our sponsors for their generous support in helping bring this global gathering to life.

View photos from the event, learn about the available Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for attendees, and more at the Smart Rivers 2025 website.