A host of new features, famous faces, interactive demos and ground-breaking products await visitors to the UK’s largest event for the built environment, UK Construction Week (UKCW), when it makes a welcome return to London’s ExCeL from 2-4 May 2023. Registration is now live.

TV architect and education campaigner George Clarke, BBC News Business Editor Simon Jack and BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire are set to chair the Main Stage at UK Construction Week and will join the 25,000+ visitors who will head to UKCW London, which debuted in the capital in 2022. UKCW London is 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.

With over 10,000 products on display from over 300 exciting exhibitors including Sika, Rointe Kingspan, Google, Sevadis, HP, Celsa UK, Houzz Pro, Hanson Plywood and many more, the multi award-winning show attracts a wealth of overseas exhibitors from as far afield as Australia, China, India, Norway, Turkey and the UAE.

Highlights of UKCW London 2023 include:

• The ZERO feature, which will include a full-scale build by Natural Building Systems, demonstrating how combining low embodied-carbon materials with modern construction methods can transform the industry. The ZERO Playbook workshops will enable contributors to share & learn how as an industry we can get to net zero as fast as possible.
• The Building Engineering Hub will host CPDs from The BESA, the UK’s leading trade organisation representing the interests of firms in all aspects of engineering systems and services in buildings. The themed daily topics are Day 1: Indoor Air Quality and Vent Hygiene; Day 2: Building and Fire Safety and Competence and Compliance; and the final day is on Installing & Regulations around Heat Pumps, Boilers and F-Gas.
• The Culture Change Hub will focus on improving inclusivity within the built environment, wellbeing and mental health, and professional development. Daily programmes will be delivered by The National Federation of Builders, Building People and The Women in Construction Awards
• A busy programme of high-profile thought leadership speakers which includes: Mark Thurston, CEO, HS2; Sadie Morgan, co-founding director of dRMM Architects, youngest and only third ever-female President of the Architectural Association, Design Chair for High Speed Two (HS2) and founder of the Quality of Life Foundation; David Hancock, Project Director, Infrastructure Projects Authority; Bola Abisogun OBE, RICS, digital disruptor and innovator, Founder & Chairman of DiverseCity Surveyors (DCS), Digital Director at BIM Academy and Digital Twins Skills Academy
• An expanded networking zone, allowing visitors more space and time to catch up with colleagues and contacts, with over 20 different networking events planned by partner organisations.
• A new tunnel entrance and easier to navigate floor plan which will allow delegates to pinpoint their areas of interest and plan their time efficiently.

Celebrating Culture Change in Construction, UKCW London will host three days of debate and discussion from top speakers on how the industry can move forward to tackle its biggest issues, including quality, fire safety, sustainability, offsite manufacturing, mental health, and improving diversity and inclusion. Visitors will also be able to find sections dedicated to Digital Construction, Infrastructure, Offsite, Surfaces, Net Zero including Renewables, HVAC, Energy Management; Build Show including Roofing, Cladding and Insulation; Tools; Health & Safety; Fire Prevention; Future Lab; and a Careers Trail.

Officially opened by architect and Channel 4 presenter George Clarke, UKCW London will also feature sessions and seminars led by industry experts across the show’s six stages; the show will feature an incredible300 speakers, with over 150 hours of CPD seminars available.

Nathan Garnett, UKCW event director, commented: “UK Construction Week London got off to the best start we could ever have imagined, and this year’s second edition will be bigger and better. The amount of innovation we see each event is proof this is an industry changing fast, and this May UKCW at London ExCeL will be the best interactive showcase for a sector that should be optimistic about the future as we continue to embrace culture change.”

Key show features include:

• Seminar programme over seven dedicated theatres and workshops; details of the comprehensive seminar programme and CPD opportunities will be revealed in March.
• The Future Lab – a dedicated showcase of innovative products of new solutions for the built environment
• The MTC’s interactive sandpit feature – an exclusive showcase of innovative products of new solutions for the built environment
• 3 full scale builds illustrating the benefits of MMC & offsite construction
• UKCW Careers Trail – giving free face-face professional development advice, and meet and network with top employers
• 2 Co-located conferences delivered by event partners

Register for UKCW London for free