Launched on short notice in October 2009, the world plumbing community did well to galvanise the industries in their respective regions to celebrate this new and important day.

“There are international days for all sorts of causes and their purpose is always about awareness raising,” WPC chairman, Robert Burgon says. “World Plumbing Day is no different and we simply want to make more and more people realise that plumbing is a significant industry and a major contributor to public health and the environment. This year we chose the theme Plumbing-Vital to Global Health with the intention being that we highlight just how much our industry contributes to both the health of our people and the health of our planet.”

The aim of WPD is to involve local communities to spread the word about the importance of plumbing and Robert feels this is the only way to bring about the required results.

“Our idea is that WPC members, and indeed any organisation or individual in the global plumbing industry, takes the opportunity to do something in their country or even their city as a way of alerting their fellow citizens to our industry. The more local activity there is, the more chance we have of the message being seen and understood.”

To bring awareness to the day, Robert listed a range of solutions that organisations could undertake to help fix the ongoing marketing and branding problems that the plumbing industry must deal with.

“Our dedicated website www.worldplumbingday.org listed some suggested activities which range from conferences, motions in Parliaments, letters to newspaper editors and talks in schools.”

Plans were developed and executed in countries including Australia, China and South Africa. In Robert’s home country, two prominent Scottish plumbers stood in a busy shopping street in Glasgow (Scotland’s largest city) with placards proclaiming the importance of plumbing. A motion was laid in the Scottish Parliament where a reception also took place addressed by prominent speakers including Professor John Swaffield.

Robert launched the first World Plumbing Day at a press conference in Beijing, China in conjunction with the ISH China exhibition, organised by WPC’s special industry partner Messe Frankfurt.

Dr Michael Peters, who is a member of the board of management of Messe Frankfurt, said of the initiative: “I can only congratulate the initiators of their idea of holding a World Plumbing Day and, therefore, of emphasising the importance of the plumbing industry in terms of health care and environmental protection. After all, ensuring an adequate supply of drinking water and hygienic conditions through suitable installations is a subject of worldwide relevance.