Showing Off the Best in UK Building

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21 October 2015 | Updated 01 January 1970

Last week’s UK Construction Week made its debut at the NEC last week and appeared to exceed expectations.

The format of having nine shows under one roof has paid off for what was the UK’s biggest building event since the demise of Interbuild as more than 85,000 visitors and over 1,000 exhibitors went to UK Construction Week at the Birmingham NEC.

This inaugural six-day event, organised by Media 10, spanned five halls of the exhibition centre and attracted visitors from across a wide spectrum of construction – from architects, interior designers and infrastructure engineers, to self-builders and home renovators.

Trumpeted as an event for everyone in the construction industry, UK Construction Week began on Tuesday 6 October with eight strictly trade events – the Build Show incorporating Civils Expo, Timber Expo, HVAC 2015, Smart Buildings 2015, Energy 2015, Kitchens and Bathrooms Live, Plant & Machinery Live and the Surface and Materials Show.

Grand Designs Live then opened on Thursday 8 October, providing a crossover with the trade element of UK Construction Week. The trade shows closed on Thursday 8 October, leaving Grand Designs Live to run until Sunday 11 October.

Visitors attended the numerous seminar theatres where well-known television personalities and industry celebrities Kevin McCloud, George Clarke and Craig Phillips were among the names taking to the stage to debate the most topical issues facing construction sector currently. Hosted by well-known journalists like John Humphrys from Radio 4’s Today programme, Steph McGovern (BBC Breakfast) and Krishnan Guru-Murthy (Channel 4 News), the UKCW main stage saw lively discussions.

Exhibitors happy

With a combined purchasing power of around £8.5 billion, the 25,000 plus trade attendees included more than 60% of the UK’s biggest names in construction, e.g. Wilmott Dixon, Travis Perkins, Redrow Homes, Balfour Beatty, Galliford Try and Saint Gobain as well as over 7,000 individual companies, all discussing current and future projects, with reportedly numerous high value orders being placed at the show.

Feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike has been positive with a high number of re-bookings for the 2016 show already received. Some of the companies confirmed so far for next year include Easytrim, Bryson, Swiftec group, Johnson Tiles, Ranger Equipment, Airflow, VPS UK Ltd, Genpower / Hyundai, HDL UK and Home of Technologies, Rotho Blass, Cellecta, Vudlande and Just Swiss.

HVAC 2015 exhibitor Alan Siggins, MD, Airflow Developments, commented: “The event has enabled us to reach key specifiers, contractors and installers in the field. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many customers face to face at the event.” 

Richard Morey, Group Events Director at Media 10 believed that with construction growth continuing to play a major part in the UK’s economic recovery and with more than 2.2 million people employed in the sector, output and productivity could only increase. “We recognised that there is a very real desire for an event like this that brings the whole industry spectrum together, providing a much needed opportunity to network, learn and do business as well as simply celebrating the industry at a time of renewed optimism,” he commented.

UK Construction Week 2016 has been confirmed for 18-20 October next year and Media 10 have booked the venue until 2019.

Picture: With 85,000 visitors and 1,000 plus exhibitors, UK Construction Week pulled it off as an industry event

Article written by Mike Gannon | Published 21 October 2015

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