Available conventional resources are not enough in many places of the world to supply forecasted, or just current, demands. A variety of options can be considered to reach a reliable supply; those options that look for a certain sustainable demand-resources balance are often called Alternative Resources. Technology development and new techniques to manage supply and resources systems are providing new opportunities to reach efficient reliable supply systems for short and long term scenarios. IWA is focused on this topic as one of its strategic lines and that is why a cluster denominated Alternative Resources was constituted in 2013. One of the aims of this IWA Alternative Water Resources Cluster is promoting diffusion of knowledge and experiences around this topic. This conference to be held in Nanjing China in 2014 is one of those activities. The conference will be the first to be organized since the cluster was constituted and it will be the first opportunity to analyze the state of the art on technologies and options likewise good practices, case studies and research initiatives around this issue. Advanced treatment processes, reuse, desalination, unitary demand reduction or global consumption wit specific new technologies or just change in consumption behavior contribute to the supply demand balance will be discussed. All those alternatives will be considered with a clear focused on planning and operational decision making to provide an efficient and reliable service. Come to Nanjing and you will have the opportunity to be updated on the advanced alternatives to meet the appropriate supply service.