Six months prior to the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) Conference 2021 taking place, the CPA has announced that the theme of the Conference will be ‘Net Zero Carbon & Digitalisation: The Challenge of Change for the Plant Sector’. Plans are in place to hold the event live at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Fillongley near Coventry on Thursday 14th October 2021.
The CPA Conference is a one-day event organised by the CPA, the leading trade association for the plant-hire sector in the UK. The CPA has over 1,700 members who supply 85% of hired plant to the construction industry.
The CPA Conference 2021 will be the sixth CPA Conference to be held. The 2021 event is held in association with headline sponsor Point of Rental Software and confirmed exhibitors already include Genquip Groundhog and NOCN Group. Over the years, the CPA Conference has become established as an essential entry in the calendar for senior figures in the plant-hire sector. Previous speakers have included representatives from clients such as HS2 and Highways England, contractors such as Skanska and Laing O’Rourke, major plant-hire companies and other bodies such as the Police and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
CPA Chief Executive Kevin Minton said: “In our dealings with CPA members and the wider industry, there are two key themes that always emerge as having a great impact on the future of our sector – striving to achieve net zero carbon and digitalisation. We thought it best to shine the spotlight on these two key topics and one will be addressed in the morning and the other in the afternoon of the Conference.
“The construction industry has played a critical role in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping support vital infrastructure, building the Nightingale Hospitals and driving economic growth at a time when other sectors were forced to close. Now as we look to the future, the government’s plans to ‘Build Back Better’ confirms the role of construction in the post-pandemic economy.
“The event will combine keynote speeches with panel debates and interactive discussion, and it will be designed to allow delegates to come away with better insight about how they can prepare their businesses in the post-COVID age. The intent is to hold the event live with all relevant COVID-19 guidelines adhered to, and we are also looking into bringing a virtual element to the conference for those who may not be able to attend in person. We’re also continuing with the CPA webinar programme over the next few months to address some other topics of immediate relevance and concern leading up to the Conference,” Kevin continued.
The 2021 CPA Conference will be hosted by Merryn Myatt who hosted the event in 2019 and introduced a brand-new format with a series of panel speakers. Merryn is a former television newsreader, presenter and journalist, having worked on local and national radio and television, including being senior presenter on The Money Channel. Merryn will encourage debate and audience interaction through a series of panel discussions with key people from across the industry.
Details of the webinars will be announced on the CPA website at www.cpa.uk.net, but if you would like to be added to the attendee list, please email enquiries@cpa.uk.net. Delegate conference tickets will also be available to purchase on the CPA website in the coming months, but if you would like to express an interest in attending, please email enquiries@cpa.uk.net
As well as attending the Conference, delegates will also have the opportunity to visit a number of exhibition stands. For previous CPA Conferences, exhibition space has proved so popular that it has been a sell-out. To register interest in exhibiting at the CPA Conference 2021, please contact Lisa Collins on 07968 840390 or email: lisa@lisacollinscommunications.co.uk
