Constructionshows
Drawing on a wealth of industry expertise, the Build Show, part of UK Construction Week, has revealed details of its wide-ranging seminar programme for the event, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC in October.
Taking place during the first three days of UK Construction Week (6 – 8 October) the seminar programme is split into the Homebuilding and Site Zones, with a varied schedule of industry leading speakers in each. Visitors will also be able access additional content such as the Careers Centre in association with the House Builders Federation, a commercial vehicle test drive zone and a dedicated section for civil engineering.
Richard Morey, Group Events Director at Media 10, the event company producing UK Construction Week, commented: “Throughout the planning process we have kept our visitors’ business needs firmly in mind and have developed the seminar content accordingly. Each of the sessions has been designed to help answer the burning questions: what is happening in the industry that I need to know about, how can this help me win more work and how can I increase my profits. I genuinely think we’ve created a useful programme that will deliver real insight to these issues and add value to visitors and exhibitors alike.”
Aimed at professionals in all areas of residential construction, the Homebuilding theatre will feature high-level debates, discussions and presentations across a broad range of topics. Led by representatives from the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technicians and the Federation of Master Builders, the keynote session will kick things off with a lively panel discussion about the state of house building in the UK – looking at issues such as housing prices, shortages and possible solutions to the current crisis.
The emphasis will then shift to the future of the market, with a session led by Allan Wilén from Glenigan looking at mortgage availability, household incomes, consumer confidence and other key indicators of market buoyancy. Other topics under discussion on the first day include opportunities in the build-to-rent and affordable housing market, land supply, the future of Garden Cities and green belt land development.
Training is the focus of the second morning, with sessions looking at overcoming the skills shortage and the best practice approach to apprenticeships. The afternoon sessions are dedicated to BIM, off-site construction and financing issues for house builders and home-buyers alike.
Energy efficiency is the focus of the final day, with the opening debate posing the though provoking challenge: is the energy crisis worse than politicians care to admit? Subsequent sessions will look at the reality of zero carbon homes, the performance gap in UK properties, the Passivhaus model and an update on the many government schemes designed to improve the energy efficiency of UK housing stock.
Focused on helping builders and contractors ‘Learn to Earn’, the Site Zone will offer a hands-on interactive experience with training, workshops and demonstrations about competing for and winning work, managing costs and cash flow and practical ways to save time and money on site. Sessions on the first day will focus on issues such as identifying high street lenders that will support builders, making the most of government funding and tracking down alternative financing sources.
On the second day, the workshops will look at winning business with a bidding workshop in the morning, followed by sessions on the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market and a communications master class to give SME builders the lowdown on PR, marketing and social media.
The final day kicks off with a workshop about winning work in the public sector, before moving the focus to BIM and the impact and opportunities it can offer SME builders. The seminar programme comes to an end with a roundup of legislation changes including the Consumer Rights Bill and the CDM regulations.
Another key attraction at the show will be the Infrastructure Hub, which will host the hottest topics for civil engineers, including the expansion of England’s motorways and main A roads, the high speed railway system and the potential construction of new nuclear power stations. Experts from across the field will discuss these burning issues and how the industry will cope with the challenges ahead.
Bringing together nine shows under one roof, UK Construction Week will be the biggest construction trade event the UK has seen in years. Taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 6 – 11 October (with the trade only days from 6 – 8 October) the event will unite 1,000 exhibitors with an expected audience of 55,000 visitors.
Visitors will be able to attend Grand Designs Live, the Build Show, Timber Expo, the Surface and Materials Show, Energy 2015, Kitchens & Bathroom Live, Plant & Machinery Live, HVAC 2015 and Smart Buildings 2015.
For more information please visit www.ukconstructionweek.com or follow @UK_CW on Twitter.
