UK’S LARGEST BUILT ENVIRONMENT EVENT MAKES WELCOME RETURN WITH HOST OF NEW FEATURES

The organisers of the UK’s largest event for the built environment, UK Construction Week (UKCW), have announced a host of new features including: a stronger focus on skills, careers and training; interactive demos; international pavilions from across the globe; and a charity Gumball Rally across the country.

The multi award-winning show, which returns to London’s ExCeL from 7-9 May, attracts building design and construction professionals from across the UK and beyond.

UKCW London will see the debut of a new Live Demo Theatre; Skills and Training Hub; a construction-specific Recruitment Zone; new C-Suite Summits; a ‘Gumball Rally’ which finishes at the ExCeL; a host of international exhibitors housed in pavilions from India, China, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany and France.

UK Construction Week London is once again co-located with Concrete Expo and The Offsite Show, as well as the UK’s premier event for the self-build sector, Grand Designs Live.

New features at UKCW London include:

• Live Demo Theatre – a showcase of the latest construction products, techniques and innovations from across the world, the Demo Theatre will bring them to life in front of a live audience of industry professionals looking to be ahead of the curve.
• C-suite Summits – an exclusive new area for the sector’s top decision makers, the C-suite Summits will see top execs offering their invaluable insights and forecasts to their peers. The new zone will also be a top-level networking forum for dialogue and debate.
• The new Skills and Training Hub at UKCW London is a first-time collaboration with the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), which will address the Skills Shortage head-on with a three-day programme featuring a myriad of talks and workshops to support skills development within the industry and ultimately, build better. While Days 1 and 2 will have a skills/training focus, Day 3 will focus on careers and be aimed predominantly at students. Events and workshops will cover a myriad topics including:
  • Future-proofing skills
  • The Human influence on Sustainable Organisations
  • Innovation and creativity in construction culture
  • Apprenticeships and vocational training
  • Diversity and inclusion in construction
  • Future trends in construction careers
• Another new area at UKCW London will be the Careers and Recruitment Zone – created in response to exhibitor and visitor feedback, this will not only be a focal point for all those working in recruitment, or simply looking for that next new role. Visitors will have face to face access to specialist recruiters from the construction sector, with discreet interview rooms allowing candidates to have onsite consultations. Confirmed exhibitors include national accreditation body UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), Government of Western Australia, Anglia Ruskin University and UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
• The WorldSkills BIM challenge will run across all three days of UKCW London (7-9 May 2024 at ExCeL) and feature Isabelle Barron – who won gold at last year’s EuroSkills competition in Gdańsk, Poland – alongside competitors from China, Korea, Hong Kong, France and Ireland, many of whom will be competing in the WorldSkills World Finals in Lyon in September.
• Construction Sport Gumball Rally – spearheaded by UKCW regulars Construction Sport, a charity which supports construction workers’ mental and physical health through sport, the ‘white van’ Gumball Rally will see teams of drivers navigate their way across the UK, stopping off at famous infrastructure projects along the way – raising funds along the way. Two rallies will take place in 2024, each in the week prior to the UK Construction Week shows in London (May) and Birmingham (October). More details will follow in the coming months.
• International Pavilions – the largest international representation of manufacturers to date at any UK construction event. Businesses from India, China, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany and France will take centre stage at UK Construction Week London, bringing together a myriad of innovations from across the world.

Sam Patel, UKCW event director, commented: “Skills development, training and recruitment are all fundamental to the future of the construction sector – and that includes changing perceptions and highlighting the breadth of opportunities available.

“Our increased focus on these areas at UKCW London reflects the need for career advice, training and development that are so vital to both those already working in the sector and those who are looking to begin their careers.”

Registration for UKCW London is now live (and free) through the new-look website.

The London show is complemented by its sister event, UKCW Birmingham, which takes place at the NEC from October 1-3.

The NEC was the birthplace of UK Construction Week in 2015 and the trade show has grown to become the UK’s largest built environment event. Details on the Birmingham programme of events and speakers will be announced in due course, but exhibition space is already filling up – to enquire for your business, contact  Info@ukconstructionweek.com

To find out more about both shows and to register for UKCW London for free, visit https://ukcw-london-2024.reg.buzz/cab-pr