The conference is a gathering of plumbing researchers from around the world and was held at Heriot-Watt University.

Ballanco had been invited as a presenter by Prof. John Swaffield, head of the deptartment of building engineering at Heriot-Watt University and one of the foremost plumbing researchers in the world.

According to one conference attendee, "Julius was the only American invited to present a paper at the conference. There was a great deal of interest in his topic and his presentation was exceptionally well received."