UK Construction Week: A guide to the Main Stage seminar programme

With just weeks to go before the industry gathers at the Birmingham NEC for UK Construction Week, Buildingtalk offers a guide to the comprehensive Main Stage seminar programme.

Delivering high-level insights into the key issues facing the construction industry, the Main Stage will feature a whole host of recognisable names and TV personalities.

Each seminar will consist of an hour-long panel discussion covering a key topic.

Day one: Industrial policy, the economy and capitalism

Journalist and Mastermind presenter John Humphrys will begin proceedings on day one, as the government’s chief construction advisor Dr Peter Hansford gives a keynote presentation discussing the priorities and plans for construction industrial policy over the next electoral cycle.

^{Television Journalists John Humphrys, Steph McGovern and Krishna Guru-Mruthy will host the three trade only days of UK Construction Week.}

The day will proceed with discussions on product and process innovation, tackling how the industry can break away from traditional construction and engineering processes.

There will be a heavy focus on the state of the economic environment and its impacts on the industry next, with a series of speakers including RICS’ Jeremy Blackburn, CPA’s Dr Noble Francis and CIAT’s Gary Mees. 

Moreover, FMB’s Brian Berry, Christina Jackson from Amey and Tim Carey from Willmott Dixon will consider the industries image as an ‘outdated’ employer – and how governments do not value the construction industry as a key driver within the UK economy.

Rounding off the first day of proceedings, Dennis Seal of DLS Strategic will be joined by John Stewart of the HBF to explore whether capitalism can fix the housing crisis. They will discuss market-orientated solutions, which might bridge the affordability gap laughing the country’s housing market.

Day two: The skills shortage, the future of Birmingham and productivity

BBC Business Journalist Steph McGovern will chair a series of talks exploring skills in the industry on the second day.

Marie-Claude Hemming of CECA, together with RICS’ Kim Wortz, CITB’s Sarah Fention and John Patch of Roger Bullivant will kick off the day considering how to find and retain talent in the industry.

Rupert Scott from TRADA will cover the industries much discussed skills shortage next, with Rob Pannell from the Zero Carbon Hub and Pauline Traetto from the BRE Academy.

The Birmingham Development Forum is next and outlining a vision of how the Birmingham of the future could and should look, as the panel touch on regeneration and getting the balance of mixed use right.

The day will also feature insights into current and upcoming ambitious infrastructure projects in the UK, including the Silvertown road tunnel, Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo line extension.

Concluding proceedings on the middle day is a debate on the productivity of the sector. Attempting to address what is holding the industry back is a panel of six speakers, including Crossrail’s John Pelton and Kamran Moazami from WSP/Parsons Brickerhoff.

Day three: Construction 2025, working smarter and BIM

On the final day of the trade event, Channel 4’s Krishna Guru-Mruthy will facilitate the days proceedings, opening with a presentation from Dr David Hancock on  how to drive more collaboration between government and the construction industry, the progress made towards the government’s Construction Strategy and the Construction 2025 vision.

Following on from a look at procurement improvements and opportunities in construction, Simon Murray from ICE and Kevin Blunden from CABE will be joined by three other panelists to discuss working smarter in the industry.

The comprehensive schedule concludes with a panel discussion – joined by David Philpm Head of BIM Implementation, UK BIM Task Group, Department for Business, Inanition & Skills and AECOM – on the outlook for BIM in UK construction and building.

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