Construction conferences kick off with UKCW and WCA

Two construction conferences are due to take place next month with UK Construction Week (UKCW) 2021 from the 5 until 7 October, and The World Cement Association’s (WCA) Global Virtual Conference on accelerating the cement and concrete industry’s journey to achieving net-zero emissions. We take a look at the announcements in more detail. 

The World Cement Association’s (WCA) global virtual conference 

The World Cement Association announced today (20th September) that its fourth annual conference will take place on 20-21 October, bringing together global leaders and experts from the cement and wider hard to abate sector, to showcase and discuss the work and progress the industry has made towards decarbonisation, and what is needed in the years ahead.

This year’s theme acknowledges the rapidly growing awareness of climate change risk in society, and the need for the cement and concrete industry to accelerate progress to net zero. The conference will be held virtually and will kick off with WCA CEO Ian Riley welcoming guests and introducing the Association, followed by an address from Song Zhiping, WCA President. 

Lord Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transition Commission, will deliver a keynote speech, followed by a panel discussion on the key challenges in decarbonising hard to abate industry, Chaired by Nik Gowing, Founder of Thinking the Unthinkable, as well as a presentation on WCA’s Toolkit for Net Zero by KHD CTO, Matthias Mersmann. Other speakers include Nikky Grady-Smith, BP, Seth Baruch, Carbonomics, Maria Mendiluce, We Mean Business, and Guloren Turan, Global CCS Institute.

 “This year’s conference will be an important opportunity to discuss the next steps in progressing the cement and concrete industry's path to net-zero,’’ said Ian Riley, WCA CEO. “Climate change is going to be the defining issue for our industry over the next decade, and this challenge is one we can’t tackle alone, that’s why I am looking forward to welcoming some of the most internationally renowned industry experts to this two-day event.’’

 The event will include panel interviews, presentations, and networking opportunities with industry professionals about the sector’s most pressing issues, with the general programme covering the outlook for the cement and concrete industry as well as looking at some of the most promising and innovative technologies being developed today. There will also be presentations and Q&As on CCUS and hydrogen, CO2 reduction through innovation, green finance opportunities, and digitalisation, and the model plant. All content will be available on-demand for one month after the event.

 Attendance is free for WCA Members, and all tickets can be purchased here: World Cement Association Annual Conference (hubilo.com).

UK Construction Week (UKCW) 2021

In addition to the World Cement Association’s conference, October marks the start of UK Construction Week 2021, which takes place over three days from the 5th to the 7th of the month.  The event will be hosted at the NEC in Birmingham and returns after a two-year break. 

Each day of the show will be themed, with day one focusing on sustainability, day two on diversity, equality, and inclusion in construction, and day three on the big issues around quality, social value, and building safety. The UKCW’s long-established half-day summits on Quality and well-being will also be available to attend.

Products will be displayed at the event, with exhibitors from companies such as Google, HS2, Geberit, Hanson Plywood, Ford, Xero, Procore, and the Construction Innovation Hub, delivering demos and product presentations. 

Registration for the event is free and is open now.