If you’re not yet registered to attend the UK’s largest construction event, here are seven things that might convince you to head to the NEC on 8-10 October.
1. Products
New products are always being developed to meet different and emerging needs. Staying up to date with all the latest technology is essential to find the right product for the job.
So, if you need to source a new heat pump, find a new sustainable material, discover new roofing products or even new BIM software, then look no further than UKCW.
With over 10,000 products being showcased at the event, UKCW is the ideal marketplace to source your new product, and with eight different sections ranging from build to timber and from surfaces to civils, everything you need is right there under one roof.
2. That lucky encounter
Year after year, visitors at UKCW say they won new work as a result of a planned meeting or a chance encounter at the show. People do business with people – and with 35,000 visitors set to attend UKCW, that is a lot of potential leads.
Meeting face to face is the most engaging way to do business, and UKCW can facilitate that. If you have spotted a business that you want to connect with, contact them through the exhibitors’ portal and arrange the meeting in advance. 4,000 business meetings were booked by UKCW visitors prior to the show last year, and exhibitors reported that they had generated 70,000 new business leads at the event. To help with meetings, there’s also a new business and networking lounge with free WIFI.
3. Genuine innovation
You could leave the future of the industry as a surprise. But where’s the business sense in that? Disruptors are now present in many different markets, so this year UKCW is shining a spotlight on the serious change-makers in construction. To aid the search, a new Innovation Zone has been established in partnership with the Construction Innovation Hub (the Hub).
4. Your own personal industry MBA
Condense your strategic business learning into one, two or three days of insights. UKCW brings together more than 300 expert speakers including Mark Farmer, who is spearheading policy initiatives on modern methods of construction (MMC), Victoria Hills, chief executive of the RTPI, Nick Walkley, chief executive of Homes England, Chandru Dissanayeke, director of building safety reforms at MHCLG, and Keith Waller, programme director at the Hub. The UKCW main stage is the place to head to. It offers a programme of keynote talks and panel discussions on many of the big issues of the day.
And if that’s all a bit too high level, get stuck into the details at a wide range of workshops. This year there will be more than 150 hours of CPD content available. The programme will take on a different theme for each day of the show, tackling fire safety, health and wellbeing and sustainability. There are mini-theatres covering regeneration, MMC, digital construction, energy and HVAC, surfaces and materials, timber and the workplace.
5. Myth busting MMC
Everyone knows that modern methods of construction (MMC) are back in vogue, but what is the reality this time? MMC is a strong theme at this year’s UKCW.
Full-scale builds will be erected onsite with live demos of MMC technology in action, and head to the MMC Hub for other digital demos and simulations too.
Examples of the pre-manufactured structures at the show range from a modular care annex for the healthcare sector and a SIPS panel residential building, to a factory-finished modular bathroom pod for the high end hotel sector, and offsite solutions for the education sector.
6. Health & wellbeing
Launching at UKCW this year, the Mind Your Head campaign is designed to promote mental wellbeing for those working in the construction industry, with particular focus on men who are at greater risk of suicide. It is a straight-talking, no-nonsense and accessible way to reach this target audience.
As part of the campaign, Carwyn Lloyd Jones, the creator of the Tiny House at last year’s UKCW will be using his talents to create an artistic installation of swings which has a mental health focus.
7. Celebrations and a beer festival
Everyone enjoys a good awards night and UKCW is no exception. The show hosts the UKCW Role Model of the year, the new Building Trades Awards with Fix Radio and the new UKCW Construction Awards. Plus, to encourage young people into construction the iBuiltThis competition is back and the winners will be announced at UKCW. And if you’re not involved in the celebrations, just unwind each day with a beer, some street food and a spot of music.
UKCW is one event with many sections, including Build sponsored by Easy-Trim, Building Tech, Civils, Energy and HVAC, Surface and Materials, and Timber. It also features Concrete Expo (8-9 October only) and Grand Designs Live (9-10 October only).
Single registration gives access to all areas of the show. For further information follow @UK_CW or search for the hashtag #UKCW2019.