OFFSITE EXPO 2024:Driving Change and Promoting International Innovation
New for 2024, OFFSITE EXPO played host to the international OFFSITE SUMMIT and was the focal point of OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION WEEK which encompassed factory and site study tours. Never before has the offsite construction sector come together to deliver such a multifaceted series of events.
Held at the Coventry Building Society Arena from 17-18 September, OFFSITE EXPO event organisers were supported by an Advisory Group which included high profile experts from across the offsite community.
Business Development Director Julie Williams said: "I would like to extend my thanks to all involved. The Advisory Group, exhibitors, speakers and especially the delegates - your positive feedback is much appreciated.
"This year we had bold plans to not only put on a major showcase of offsite technology but through Offsite Construction Week, extend our boundaries to include informative tours of offsite manufacturing facilities across the UK and offer delegates the opportunity to see offsite in action on a live construction site. This is just the beginning - we have more ambitious plans for 2025 which I will be announcing early in the New Year."
SPECIALIST EXHIBITION
The international focus of the 2024 event attracted delegates from across the globe. The dedicated exhibition was a sell out with over 120 specialist companies seizing the opportunity to promote products and services to a highly focused and engaged audience.
Robert Rowlands Commercial Manager for exhibitor Pipekit said: "We have had leads from all over the world, Portugal, Brazil, Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand and many more. We have had conversations with so many people, some wanting to learn about our products, others about offsite technology. Overall it has been very positive."
INTERNATIONAL OFFSITE SUMMIT
Held over the two days of OFFSITE EXPO, the international OFFSITE SUMMIT was a big draw at the event. Curated and co-hosted by BUILDOFFSITE (BOS), this influential summit ignited debate as industry experts from around the globe came together to share international best practice and present evidence-based strategies for the successful adoption of offsite construction.
Keen to learn about worldwide best practise, delegates gathered to hear from a diverse range of speakers. Kicking off with Digital Delivery for Tomorrow, panel discussions and presentations throughout the two days included a wide range of topics from International Changemakers Delivering Homes and Raising the Bar By Creating a Zero-Snag Culture, to How Offsite Globally Can Deliver Against Net Zero Targets.
Each day culminated in the BOS Innovation Hub Challengewhere industry leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts converged to explore the next big breakthroughs in sustainable construction. Participants had ten minutes to deliver their pitch and five minutes to respond to rapid-fire questions from the judges, with the audience deciding the champion through live voting. The OFFSITE SUMMIT wrapped up with the announcement of results withQube and Abode being crowned the winners.
BOS spokesperson said: "Special congratulations to Abode Industries and Qube Buildings for their impressive wins in the BOS Innovation Hub Challenge on Days 1 and 2! Their innovative approaches earned them a £5000 marketing package from Radar Communications and a complimentary year of BUILDOFFSITE membership as micro SMEs. This is just the beginning of great things to come!"
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
In partnership with the OFFSITE ALLIANCE on day one andBUILDOFFSITE on day two, a series of thought provoking roundtable discussions took place in front of a highly informed and critical audience.
Dynamic and extremely knowledgeable, participants debated contentious subjectson the first daysuch asAccelerating Capacity, and Nepotism to Meritocracy which explored the strategies needed to eradicate bad practise, blame culture and the diverse range of people required to transform the industry.
Day two was all about vertical markets, focusing on student accommodation, education builds and prison projects. Representatives from some on the UK's major contractors such as Lendlease, Kier, Bowmer + Kirkland and Mace took part in discussions plus architects, engineers and specialists from Transport for London,Ministry of Justice and theDepartment for Education.
OFFSITE AWARDS
Celebrating a major milestone anniversary, it is 10 years since the influential OFFSITE AWARDS were launched. Over the last decade the awards have notched up over 1750 entries, with 1218 of these reaching the finals and 179 outstanding winners picking up a prestigious OFFSITE AWARDS trophy.
As the first day of OFFSITE EXPO came to an end, the OFFSITE AWARDS took centre stage and 600 construction professionals gathered to celebrate ground-breaking projects, pioneering people and the outstanding innovations that are accelerating the pace of change in the construction sector and addressing productivity issues that have plagued the industry for decades.
At an informal drinks reception hosted by the quick witted Mark Durden-Smith, the winners of the 23 categories took to the stage.Covering every aspect of the industry from precast concrete, structural timber and light steel frame to design, engineering and installation - theOFFSITE AWARDSreward outstanding people and technical innovations that make these inspiring projects possible.
The list of winners across the decade reads like the who's who of offsite construction, it is not only the major players and the iconic buildings that pick up a trophy - the OFFSITE AWARDS are renowned for unearthing those projects that may be small in stature but are awe inspiring in terms of innovation. But it is not only projects that receive great acclaim - people are at the forefront of the awards - clients, architects, engineers, contractors and installers have all been celebrated for outstanding achievements.
Find out more about the winners here:www.offsiteawards.co.uk
OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION WEEK
A UK first, Offsite Construction Week was a series of events which revolved around OFFSITE EXPO, the OFFSITE SUMMIT and OFFSITE AWARDS. Organisers were overwhelmed with the level of enquiries, receiving over 500 applications to attend the factory and site study tours which took place on the 16, 19 and 20 September.
Vistry Group, Innovaré Offsite, SIPCO, British Offsite and Explore Manufacturing opened their factory doors. Site study tour host Hadley Group offered construction professionals the opportunity to experience firsthand the speed, quality and performance values that could be achieved through advanced offsite technology with a guided visit to Nightingale Quarter the light steel manufacturers major residential project in Derby.
Sajjad Bhanji fromHenkel Construction said of the Vistry Group factory tour: "Such a great experience. What particularly stood out was the Vistry Innovation Centre which exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to offsite construction. Seamlessly integrating cutting-edge technology with sustainable building methods. I was particularly impressed by the advanced systems and processes, together with the team's commitment to innovation in both design and execution. The centre clearly reflects Vistry's vision for shaping the future of construction by embracing efficiency, precision, and sustainability. The experience at the centre provided invaluable insights into how these innovations could transform the way we approach construction projects in the future."
OFFSITE EXPO 2025 - TAKING IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL
Returning to the Coventry Building Society Arena on 16-17 September next year, the Advisory Group and organisers behind OFFSITE EXPO are ahead of the curve, with lots of new ideas and plans in place for 2025. As a sell-out event, promotional opportunities are quickly snapped up, so if you want to align your products and services with the lucrative and forward thinking offsite sector, then contact Business Development Director Julie Williams: julie.williams@radar-communications.co.uk
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