Civils

Day one of Civils 2009 is a great success!

Christopher Rushe — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:36:59 +0000

Today Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable launched Liberal Democrat proposals for a National Infrastructure Bank. Speaking at The Civilisation Congress today, he set out Liberal Democrat proposals for a National Infrastructure Bank.

Visitors packed out The Civilisation Congress to hear the likes of Vince and other speakers, debate and discuss key issues.

With many more influential figures speaking at the congress and in the forums tomorrow, we are expecting a busy show on this second and final day.

If you haven’t yet visited the show, you still have time to register at www.civils.com or simply turn up and get free entry.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Registration for Civils 2009 is live!

Christopher Rushe — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:13:57 +0000

Taking place 25-26 November, at Earls Court 2, it covers all aspects of Civils under one roof, making it the UK’s definitive civil engineering showcase.

Come and see market leading:

Manufacturers
Suppliers
Contractors
Consultants

New to Civils this year is The Civilisation Congress, providing a forum for education, inspiration and debate. Based on three themes of:

Cities and Regeneration
The Low Carbon Civilisation
The 100 Year Vision for Transport Infrastructure

It’s free of charge and takes place over the 2 days.

See the latest programme here http://www.civils.com/page.cfm/Link=15/t=m/goSection=10

Exclusive! Leading economist Vince Cable MP confirmed as keynote speaker of The Civilisation Congress

Christopher Rushe — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:18:00 +0000

We are now delighted to announce that Dr Vincent Cable MP, Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor, Liberal Democrats and leading economist, is now signed up to speak at The Civilisation Congress, taking place at Civils 2009.

I think you’ll agree that this is a great draw to the show. Visitors to the show can hear him discuss the role infrastructure development plays in preparing Britain’s economy for the future. Simply register in advance and turn up. There is no need to book in advance. Though with key speakers such as Vince, you should turn up early to avoid disappointment. The conference programme is taking place over the 2 days of the show and is free of charge.

Vince will join other industry leading speakers including Sir Michael Pitt, Chairman -Infrastructure Planning Commission, Councillor Sir Albert Bore - Birmingham City Council, Phil Wilbraham, Programme Director - BAA, David Brewer, Airport Solutions Director - Gatwick Airport, Graeme Power-Hosking, Divisional Director, Aviation - Capita Symonds, Tim Bismire, Engineering Director - DP World, Stephen Hill, Head of Planning & Transportation - Birmingham Airport, Ainslie McLaughlin, Head of Major Transport Infrastructure Projects - Transport Scotland, Simon Kirby, Director, Infrastructure Investment - Network Rail, Geoff Allister, Chief Executive - Northern Ireland Road Service, Steve Rowsell, Senior Consultant - Rowsell & Wright, Malcolm Buchanan, Chairman - Colin Buchanan, Chris Ball, Director, Nuclear Energy - Atkins Global, Andrew Steel, Managing Director, Head of Energy Utilities & Regulation - Fitch Ratings.

For the full programme keep checking back at www.civils.com where we’ll be updating the page regularly.

Updated programme - The Civilsation Congress

Christopher Rushe — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:31:36 +0000

For those of you who are unaware, there is an exciting new concept to Civils this year, making it the best show yet! We’re proud to be hosting The Civilisation Congress. This conference will provide delegates with insights into UK “mega” projects; the catalysts of our future position in the world. Presentations and debates will centre around 3 critical spheres in which our shared destiny will be determined:

- Cities and Regeneration

- Transport

- Low Carbon Civilisation

Hosted by Chair of Cities and Regions, and leading government advisor, Greg Clark, this two day conference is free of charge to visitors.

Already we have many industry leading speakers confirmed such as BAA, Crossrail, Transport Scotland, Northern Ireland Road Service, Network Rail, Gatwick Airport, Atkins, Mott MacDonald, Capita Symonds and many more.

We have just updated the programme on the website so check it out here http://www.civils.com/page.cfm/Action=Seminars/t=m. And don’t forget to come back regularly as we’ll be adding new content and speakers as and when they come on board.

New show, Learning Spaces Live co-locating with Civils 2009

Christopher Rushe — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:28:33 +0000

Emap Connect are launching 2 major new events, Learning Spaces Live in response to The Building Schools for the Future Programme. Each event lasts two days, held in London and Manchester. The BSF Programme is designed to create world-class, sustainable and inspirational learning environments designed in line with the needs of learners.

LSL offers delegates a practical guide to realising this vision. It will also allow them to engage with specialists who will enable local authority teams to make real-time progress on their own projects.

The event’s format will consist of a conference, seminars, exhibition stands and events to facilitate networking. It provides an environment in which visitors can network, learn and share best practice across the supply chain.

Civils is delighted that the first of these 2 events will be co-located with us, allowing a cross over of vistiors to both shows. And with remaining BSF budget largely being spent in London and the south east due to the high proportion of schools in the regions, Earls Court is the perfect venue to hold this event.

Watch this space for further news on this exciting, new launch!

Longer Opening Hours for Civils 2009?

Christopher Rushe — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:11:27 +0000

Now the new website is live, we’ve had some really positive feedback on the new design of the site and our marketing material. Clean, eye-catching and pink (!) are some of the comments received from exhibitors and visitors alike. Love it or hate it, it certainly stands out, and that is the aim. Do you like it? We’re always interested in your thoughts.

So now the dates have been set in stone (25th-26th November 2009), we’re still debating the opening hours. As you may know, this year Civils is a 2 day show. The decision was taken based on research with our visitors and exhibitors. But one decision we still have an open verdict is the opening hours.

Should we have a late night opening of 7.30 on the first day (Tuesday)? Tell us what you think, especially if you’re a visitor to Civils, and we shall endeavour to accommodate this!

The new Civils website is now live!

Christopher Rushe — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:47:19 +0000

The day we’ve all been waiting for has arrived and we’re all very excited in the office. The new Civils website is alive and kicking and is ready for you to go and have a look at. You’ll notice this year’s new design and theme, very much focusing on Infrastructure for the 22nd Century and the future of our civilisation.

We’re especially excited to unveil The Civilisation Congress, new to Civils 2009. This two free of charge conference programme is the centre piece of the show and will provide a forum for education, inspiration and networking. It will also give our visitors a chance to debate on the issues surrounding our future infrastructure, based around three key themes of Cities and Regeneration, The Low Carbon Civilisation and The 100 Year Vision for Transport Infrastructure. Visit the website to see the programme to date, we have some excellent speakers already lined up.

So go to www.civils.com and see what the future show has lined up, and the companies exhibiting so far.

We think you’ll agree, it looks great but we always welcome your thoughts and ideas. So if you have any suggestions, let us know!

Are you Linked-In?

Christopher Rushe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:54:58 +0000

Are you a member of the Civils Group on the business networking site Linked In? Linked In is a great way to establish and grow your contacts. If you are already registered on Linked In, it only takes a couple of clicks to join the growing Civils Group. If you are not a member, it’s well worth joining and doesn’t take long to sign up. Check it Linked In.

Civils Up While Construction Overall Continues to Stuggle

Christopher Rushe — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:54:36 +0000

As if any further confirmation were needed, the latest figures from Glenigan show that while the construction sector as a whole is truly suffering in the recession, Civils projects are substantially bucking that trend with an amazing 39% uplift in project starts compared to this time last year. That is very encouraging news, especially when you consider that many of these major projects are long term undertakings that will provide many years of work before they reach completion.

The outlook for Civils is expected to remain positive throughout 2009 as a result of new projects in the renewable energy sector and spending on rail and road infrastructure, says Glenigan. Click here for more info on Glenigan.

There is every prospect that the Civils sector will keep the construction sector alive through this recession. Some crumbs of comfort for housebuilders perhaps that mortgage approvals have started to increase again, if only modestly. No mistaking that Civils is the place to be for the foreseeable future.

High Speed Rail Debate Hots Up

Christopher Rushe — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:14:56 +0000

Have you noticed the way High Speed Rail is being kicked around between the political parties? Conservative shadow transport minister Theresa Villiers outlined her party’s growing commitment to high speed rail at Civils last year. Click here for the blog post. More recently she’s been attacking the shadowy nature of Labour’s commitment to High Speed rail, picking up on transport secretary Geoff Hoon’s recent interview with the Lancashire Evening Post; seemingly suggesting a high-speed hub in Rugby. We need more commitment and more detailed proposals.

Rail is considered greener than road or air transport so all three major political parties appear keen to jump on the bandwagon of high speed rail, there’ s just the small matter of how it’s going to be paid for!

I’d like to see more cross-party co-operation on this issue. Personally I’d also like to see a shift in the debate towards adding rail capacity rather than speed. High speed is sexy and appears to open more doors to acceptance, but is it really necessary? We need more trains, not necessarily faster ones.

Expect this debate to trundle on between now and the next general election and watch out for more on the need for high speed rail at Civils 2009.