The UK Concrete Show celebrated its 11th anniversary on 15–16 March 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham.
For over a decade, the show has been dedicated to the concrete industry in the UK and Europe, providing a 10,000m2 exhibitor hall, outside exhibition space, and demonstration areas, with educational and networking opportunities.
The 2023 UK Concrete Show presented the ideal opportunity for both established brands and new enterprises to showcase their products and services to an eager crowd of visitors.
Maddie MacLellan, show director, explains. “This year’s show did not disappoint, The concrete industry never ceases to amaze us from the innovation of new product launches and companies meeting global challenges such as carbon reduction and green technologies, to the reliability of long-established companies; they all came together at this years show for the ultimate industry event.”
Bringing the industry together under one roof in an undiluted environment has always been a key focus of the show providing a platform for businesses to network and educate. Attendees witness first-hand and watch as manufacturers and suppliers unveil new ideas and concepts that they have been developing over the past year and this is what makes the UK Concrete Show a truly unique experience for both visitors and exhibitors.
SHOWTIME
As the doors opened for the first day of the show it was clear that there were a few surprises from some of our industry leaders awaiting the eager crowd of attendees looking to explore – new first-time exhibitors including Mortel Meister, Rakem, GPS Sprayers, Enviro-Vac, Polarmatic, Hoistech and One-click LCA were on point and ready to show what they can offer.
These newcomers joined show veterans and industry staples Danfords, CIFA, CEMEX, Conspare, Coote Engineering, Practicon, Command Alkon, Haarup, Liebherr, Construx, KVM, BetonBlock, Euro Accessories, Conplex BV, Hydronix, Proctor Johnson, YB Fixings, Frumecar, Probst Handling and Siltbuster, in addition to other many other exhibitors.
INDUSTRY EXCLUSIVES
An abundant array of industry firsts were showcased at this year’s show. Sicoma launched their new mixer; Eurobend with a new wire mesh welding line; Masterscreed’s exclusive wall screeder; Hoistech, with a new crane system; and a new concrete software tool developed by One Click LCA with their revolutionary carbon assessment software.
McPhee Mixers presented and demonstrated the UK’s first zero-emission electric concrete mixer truck, which was a rather unique experience as we normally don’t get to see the drum mixer operating during the show because of emissions, so it was a real treat to be able to see the mixer drum rotate and the controls in operation and Bay-Lynx Manufacturing presented its first liquid colour system on their latest Titan Volumetric mixer.
INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
A focus of this year’s event was to provide the visitors with a more immersive and practical experience, not only through live exhibits but also from the brand-new Innovation hub and demonstration areas.
Attendees were able to experience technology from Masterscreed, Danfords, Mortel Meister, CIFA, IHS, Utranazz and more. The five- minute Pitch Arena brought product information from exhibitors directly to visitors. Following each presentation, a concise Q&A session was held.
INDUSTRY AWARDS
This year our Industry awards covered four categories and were presented at the end of the first day of the show. Nominations were invited from exhibitors a number of weeks before the show and resulted in 4 clear winners. The first award was for ‘Most Sustainable Innovation’ which went to Sonocrete for their ultrasound technology for concrete production, enabling strongly increased early compressive strengths, giving the opportunity to greatly reduce carbon emissions.
Our second award for ‘Best New Product’ went to well-deserved Aeromix for their EPS Bound flowing insulation.
Our third award was the ‘Industry Choice Award’ which went to a very proud Concrete Services and supplies/Ekin Engineering for their THE range of electric screeders.
Our final award and new for this year was ‘The British Aggregates Association award for Safety Innovation’ presented by BAA CEO Mike Phillips to McPhee mixers, part of the TVS Interfleet group for the new safety features on their electric mixer.
It was amazing to see everyone coming together to celebrate the finest that the industry has to offer over a few drinks and to reflect on what was an outstanding first day of the show.
EDUCATION AND INSPIRATION
The show’s educational seminar programme brought together experts
from around the world who pioneer and innovate emerging technologies, greener solutions, and products to help businesses achieve profitability and cost efficiencies.
Visitors to this year’s show were in for a treat with a programme that included ConSpare speaking on sustainability and the launch of their industry white paper, we heard from Sonocrete on ultrasound and concrete and Min-Train on Mixer-Driver Standards and
The British Aggregates Association presented on how it is supporting the concrete Industry to name but a few.
2024 show dates have already been scheduled for the 13th & 14th of March and our 12th year promises to bring even more surprises.
Please visit www.concreteshow.co.uk for more information.