September’s Inside Construction Expo promises to deliver an exciting new platform to explore and celebrate Victoria’s booming construction industry. EEM chats to Show Director Lauren Winterbottom to learn more about the expo, and what to expect from the event’s integrated conference.
The Australian construction industry of 2023 has a lot on its plate. A massive range of opportunities and challenges continue to present themselves in equal measure – a massive national pipeline of infrastructure on one end of the spectrum, and ongoing struggles with labour shortages on the other.
Major constructors, contractors, and suppliers continue to wrestle with the fallout from COVID-19, and the ever-growing demand for a greener industry is pushing the industry to think further outside the box than ever before.
It’s a climate that lends itself well to the range of topics up for discussion at the upcoming Inside Construction Expo and its integrated conference, which is taking shape with an impressive selection of speakers recently announced.
Show Director Lauren Winterbottom says the comprehensive seminar program will be spread across four stages, featuring more than 150 speakers, including representatives from companies such as John Holland, Laing O’Rourke, and McConnell Dowell.
“The seminars will focus on a few key topics, all connected to the overarching ‘Engineering the Future’ theme,” Lauren says. “These will include construction productivity; digital connectivity and digital transformation; sustainability; health and safety; and training, education, and careers.
“We’ve had a lot of presentation submissions from the industry about upskilling workers and attracting more people to construction. So, I think addressing the skilled labour shortage will certainly be a big focus. We’re also including a major projects update – which will touch on the progress and challenges of projects such as the Inland Rail, the Metro Tunnel, and other Victoria’s Big Build projects.”
Lauren says major projects such as these have been a key driver behind the event overall.
“Inside Construction Expo has been created to fill an apparent gap in the market,” she says. “There’s a few expos out there that focus on residential builds and other smaller construction projects, but not much in the way of events targeting major infrastructure projects and major commercial buildings.”
Of course, the conference is just part of the two-day event, which will feature more than 15,000 square metres of exhibition space, including a large construction equipment showcase.
“We’re keen for it to be more of an equipment-focused show too,” Lauren says. “We want to actually show people the technology behind the projects, rather than just people at stands. So, we’re offering bigger stands than a lot of other expos.
“Combined with the education opportunities from the integrated conference, we hope it’ll be a one-stop shop for the industry. You can come see the equipment on display, and then you can learn a bit more about the projects they’re used on.”
Another pillar of the Inside Construction Expo will be the inaugural Foundation Awards, set to take place on the evening of 20 September.
“The Foundation Awards will provide a chance to recognise and celebrate excellence within the industry,” Lauren says. “In particular those people and projects that are aspiring to the highest standards in both safety and environmental sustainability. We think it will be a really nice way to tie the whole event together.”
Nominations for the Foundation Awards are open until 11:59pm Friday 14 July 2023.
Inside Construction Expo 2023 will be held from 10am-5pm, 20-21 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
To register for your free ticket, visit: www.insideconstructionexpo.com.au/register
To submit a nomination for the Foundation Awards, visit: www.foundationawards.com.au/nominations
For exhibition and sponsorship enquiries, email Conrad Patrick: conrad.patrick@primecreative.com.au