As the doors opened on the 10th anniversary edition of UK Construction Week Birmingham (UKCW), the UK’s biggest event for the built environment (NEC, September 30th to October 2nd), planning had never been more important.
To help visitors navigate the wealth of talks, demonstrations and exhibitors, here was an essential guide on what to see, do and explore across the show’s three days:
Talk talk – with over 150 hours of CPD accredited content, visitors heard from key construction business leaders and those driving the industry forward, including Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands; Sandeep Shingadia, Director of Development & Delivery, Transport for West Midlands; Rachael Owens, Co-Director, National Retrofit Hub; George Clarke, Architect, TV presenter, and advocate for better housing and design; and Emma Whigham, Markets & Supply Chain Director, New Hospital Programme.
App-y Hour – to help attendees get the most out of the show, UK Construction Week launched its handy web-based app. Visitors quickly built personalised itineraries of talks, booked meetings and navigated the floorplan all from the palm of their hand.
Setting the agenda – UKCW’s seminar programme was shaped by the key topics and challenges facing the industry, with a focus on building safety, climate resilience, women in construction, policy and legislation, Net Zero, mental health, digital construction and retrofit.
Meet and mingle – networking was front and centre at UKCW, where visitors attended daily sessions including Build Connect Lounge, a dedicated, informal networking space for industry professionals; round table discussions (open to all delegates and bookable on the new show app on a first come, first served basis); and the Opening Night Party, where attendees met with industry experts and professionals.
Show stoppers – UKCW Birmingham boasted eight stages and hubs covering the key construction sectors: Housing Action, Net Zero, Roofing, Cladding & Insulation, Culture Change & Skills, Digital Construction, Influence Zone and the Main Stage.
Take to the trail – after its successful debut in 2024, the Net Zero Trail returned to guide visitors through a curated selection of green champions shaping the future of sustainable construction.
Explore your future – whether studying construction, architecture, engineering or design, UKCW Birmingham was packed with cutting-edge tech, expert talks, live demos and career-shaping insights.
Raising the roof – also making a welcome return at UKCW was the Roofing, Cladding and Insulation (RCI) Expo, backed by the UK’s leading roofing association, the NFRC (The National Federation of Roofing Contractors), and The Rooflight Association, with an array of exhibitors including Rock Roofing Products, Don & Low, Idelco Insulation, Impervious Waterproofing, Harvey Roofing Products, Rubberseal, Licata, Cure-it Composites, G&B Northwest and Stiga.
Go VIP – UKCW Birmingham offered a VIP ticket, which gave visitors not only VIP parking close to the show halls, but entry into the VIP lounge with complimentary refreshments – ideal for networking and meetings away from the busy show floor. The one-day passes were available for a limited-time price of £99.
One ticket, four shows – the free entry pass gave visitors access to a wealth of shows covering all areas of construction including Roofing Cladding and Insulation Expo (RCI Expo), Build X, Net Zero and Digital Construction.
Neil Gaisford, Divisional Director, Construction, commented:
“Our 10th anniversary show was packed with incredible talks and brilliant networking opportunities, so it was essential to plan your visit – hence why our new app was so important. It proved to be an incredible three days.”