Highways UK | The Glastonbury of the highways world

Highways UK, which takes place at London ExCeL on 25/26 November, is set to be a breath of fresh air for Highways sector.

The event sets out to bring together those responsible for planning, developing, managing and maintaining the UK’s road network.

And while its basic components: a high-level conference, a major exhibition, together with industry briefing workshops are not new, the way they are being combined certainly is.

The idea is to achieve the high quality content and focused agenda that you get with a great conference with the scale and impact of a major exhibition.

The conference structure is positioned as the centre-piece of the event to encourage full interaction between the different constituencies of visitors. The aim is to achieve a vibrant and stimulating place to network, learn and do business.

The content is exceptional and much of it is free. This includes entrance to the exhibition, the keynotes and a busy programme of industry briefing sessions hosted by Highways UK’s extensive network of supporting organisations including TRL, ITS (UK), HMEP, Britpave, AIA, CIRIA.

Unlike other exhibition-based events, Highways UK is breaking the bank on building fully enclosed and sound-proofed presentation spaces. Paul Wheeler, Highways UK content director says: “I get so frustrated at events where the delegate experience is compromised by appalling sound quality; and where despite the quality of the speakers, the content becomes nothing more than wallpaper.”

Highways UK offers a huge range of content-driven activities across the two days. This even prompted advisory board member Ben Plowden, Transport for London’s director of strategy and planning, surface transport, to comment at an early planning meeting: “With all its levels of activity, Highways UK will be the Glastonbury of the highways world!”

The only element you pay for is the main conference, which offers a rare opportunity to hear from leading policy makers, politicians, business leaders, technical innovators and academics together on the same platform.

The conference is modular and you need only pay for the elements you want. One and two day passes are also available and on the evidence of bookings to date, the conference bookers are opting to attend it all!

As for who you will find within the exhibition, it is decidedly top of the food chain, with organisations such as Highways England, Aktins, Kier, Tarmac, Mott MacDonald, Thales, mace, Costain, Arcadis, AECOM, BAM Nuttall and Imtech among many others taking prominent positions.

Final word though to former transport minister Steve Norris, who co-chairs the Highways UK advisory board: “There is more happening on Britain’s roads right now than for decades. Highways England is a lot more than the Highways Agency on steroids. A new governance and supervisory structure, a much larger budget, closer performance monitoring and a long term investment strategy all offer unrivalled opportunities to contractors and suppliers alongside greater challenges for operators and policy makers alike. Highways UK is an excellent way to find out exactly what all this means. It’s the “must be there” event of the year for anyone involved with roads.”

Highways UK takes place at London ExCeL on 25/26 November. To find out what’s on offer and to book your place please go to www.highways-uk.com