Two weeks to go: your guide to ScaffEx26
ScaffEx26 opens in a fortnight, and the industry's most exciting date of the year is shaping up to be its biggest yet.
The free exhibition and conference returns to Manchester Central on 10-11 September, with the Scaffolding Excellence Awards closing the show on the Friday night.
The whole supply chain, on one floor
The expo brings together the UK's top suppliers and service providers in one hall. Where else can a scaffolding business get in front of its entire supply chain in a single visit? Whether you're comparing systems, meeting existing suppliers face to face or looking for your next one, it's two days that would otherwise take months of diary management.
This year the hall is larger, with new suppliers joining returning names. The NASC Village featuring the ‘Black Hat’ pub and the Demo Zone also returns after its ScaffEx25 debut
Eight sessions, no easy questions
The conference is hosted by journalist Sophie Long and built around one objective: sending every delegate home with something they can use on Monday morning.
It opens with Thriving in Uncertainty, a Question Time-style debate on the commercial realities of the sector; fair payment, contract terms and workforce pressures with panellists from the National Federation of Builders, PHD Access, Altrad UK, Lindum Group and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
What Nobody Tells You About Starting Your Own Scaffolding Firm does what the title promises, with people who have built businesses themselves giving honest accounts of the financial pressure, the culture and the things they wish someone had told them earlier.
And the one likely to divide the room: Would You Trust a Scaffolder Trained on a Computer? asks training centre leads, employers and scaffolders whether immersive tech complements practical experience or dilutes it.
The rest of the programme covers the talent crisis, underestimated safety risks including fire and dust exposure, and two project showcases with behind-the-scenes access to the Manchester Town Hall restoration and 25 Canada Square at Canary Wharf.
A star-studded finish
The Scaffolding Excellence Awards close the event on the evening of Friday 11 September, and this year's line-up is the strongest yet.
Hosting is comedian and broadcaster Dara Ó Briain best known for Mock the Week, Robot Wars and Stargazing Live.
He's joined by three special guests. Rachel Riley who has been Countdown's numbers expert since 2009, Kym Marsh who went from Hear'Say to more than a decade as Michelle Connor in Coronation Street and last but not least; cricket extraordinaire and TV personality Phil Tufnell.
Behind the celebrity names is the real business of the evening: recognising outstanding achievement, innovation and professionalism across the sector.
Awards tickets are selling quickly. Book a table or tickets here.
Registration for the exhibition and conference is free. Secure your place here.
