Featuring nine shows under one roof, the UK’s biggest construction event in decades arrived with a bang last week, as more than 85,000 vi...
Featuring nine shows under one roof, the UK’s biggest construction event in decades arrived with a bang last week, as more than 85,000 visitors and over 1,000 exhibitors flocked to UK Construction Week at the Birmingham NEC.
Organised by Media 10, the inaugural six-day event spanned five halls of the exhibition centre and attracted visitors from across the entire spectrum of construction – from high-end architects, interior designers and infrastructure engineers, to self-builders and home renovators.
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The inaugural six-day event spanned five halls of the exhibition centre and attracted visitors from across the entire spectrum of construction.[/caption]
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 unique crossover experience 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 TV personalities and industry stalwarts Kevin McCloud, George Clarke and Craig Phillips were among the names taking to the stage to debate the hottest issues facing construction today. Hosted by journalists John Humphrys, Steph McGovern and Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the UKCW Main Stage in particular saw some lively and thought-provoking discussions.
Meanwhile, with a combined purchasing power of around £8.5 billion, the 25,000+ trade attendees included more than 60% of the UK’s biggest names in construction, such as 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 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.
UK Construction Week 2016 has been confirmed for October next year.
www.ukconstructionweek.com