The U.K.’s largest built environment event makes a return to the capital with record visitors.
submitted by UK Construction Week
photos by Kevin Moran
The U.K.’s largest event for the built environment, UK Construction Week (UKCW) London made a welcome return to ExCeL in May with visitor numbers up 6% from last year.
The show included a star-studded lineup of high-profile names including Lord Callanan, Mark Thurston (HS2), Architect and Channel 4 presenter George Clarke, BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire and BBC journalist and presenter Simon Jack.
Co-located with Concrete Expo and The Offsite Show, UKCW London celebrated culture change in construction with three days of debate and discussion from top speakers across seven stages, with issues covered including net zero, sustainability, offsite manufacturing, mental health and improving diversity and inclusion.
With more than 10,000 products on display from more than 300 exhibitors, including Rointe, Kingspan, Google, Sevadis, HP, Celsa UK, Houzz Pro, Hanson Plywood and many more, the multi-award-winning show attracted a wealth of overseas exhibitors from as far afield as Australia, China, India, Norway, Türkiye and the UAE.
Show highlights included:
- Construction Sport’s pre-show sustainability “regatta” at Royal Victoria Dock, featuring vessels built using only construction waste materials, to demonstrate the power of teamwork to promote mental well-being
- An array of high-profile speakers, including government ministers Lord Callanan and Nusrat Ghani, and MP Caroline Nokes
- A myriad of exclusives and showcases, including the U.K. launch of HP SitePrint — a robotic layout solution for quick, accurate and easy construction site layouts.
Shining a spotlight on the unsung heroes and talented professionals in the construction industry, the Role Models Campaign, now in its sixth year, saw Barbara Akinkunmi, founder, Girls Under Construction; Alan Dalton, lead mentor, Volunteer It Yourself CIC; and Mariola Vieggas-Trimble, Design & Technical lead, Southwark Council, announced as the 2023 shortlist.
The winning exhibitors of this year’s Stand Awards included:
- Fischer Fixings UK Ltd — best space only stand under 50 m
- @Home-MMC — best space only stand over 50 m
- WowNow Hire — most interactive stand
- ABC+ Warranty — best marketing campaign
- Eco Foundry — best shell scheme stand
- MyCircle — best start-up exhibitor
- IPG Energy — most sustainable exhibitor
Nathan Garnett, UKCW event director, said after the show:
“The extent to which the London show has grown since its debut last year is testament to not only the appetite for construction professionals to meet and interact in real life, but it shows how the industry has really bounced back since the pandemic. See you all in Birmingham in October!”
Other Comments From Attendees
Richard Robinson, CEO, U.K. and Europe, Atkins, said:
“There’s so much breadth and depth at UK Construction Week London — you can see technology and change right in front of you, from electrical vehicles to construction safety to AI-driven project tools. It’s totally different every year; reading a website is one thing, but seeing something in real life is another thing.”
Xavier Juarez, global director, HP, said:
“It’s the first time we’ve been involved in this industry, and we’ve chosen UKCW for our U.K. launch of HP SitePrint — only the second market after the U.S. We’ve had very good engagement when we’ve held the demos which have been really full. We’re really pleased.”
Paul Cashman, Business Development manager, British Offsite Construction, said:
“We’re here because we feel it’s the best way to present our advanced light gauge steel panel system, and the best way to hit the numbers. The first day was extremely busy with some great enquiries, and the second is proving just as busy — we’re excited. UKCW have been very helpful with such a big feature build.”
Jordan Wright, social media and marketing, Metrotile, said:
“This year’s UK Construction Week has been brilliant for Metrotile. We’ve got a new product on display, which has been a great draw for people to come and chat about. It’s allowed it to have a great introduction to the market and also differentiate us from competitors. A lot of the visitors to the show are decision makers, which has meant the conversations we’ve been having are incredibly positive. The use of the smart scan app has been really popular; it’s been so helpful for us. The position of our stand is great, and we’re really happy with everything so far overall!”
Dates for the next two UKCW shows have already been announced: UKCW Birmingham will take place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on 3-5 October with registration now availabe online. UKCW London returns to ExCeL on 7-9 May 2024.
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