Using the government’s Value Toolkit and a review of the economic outlook of the fast-changing construction industry are two of the topics to be discussed by experts at the upcoming CE Midlands Construction Summit.

The annual summit, organised by industry collaboration organisation Constructing Excellence Midlands, will take place on 9 November at The Arup Campus at Blythe Park in Solihull.

Speakers from across the supply chain will offer a range of perspectives at the event, including leaders from Bowmer and Kirkland, Construction Innovation Hub and IPInitiatives.

The event will give attendees across the Midlands construction, housing and infrastructure professions the opportunity to gain insight into the key opportunities and challenges pertinent to the region, informing how best practice, collaboration, integrating supply chains and lean processes can help counter current cost challenges and renew project productivity.

Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of Constructing Excellence Midlands, said: “We have lined up an incredible programme of speakers for this year’s construction summit, which promises to deliver a deep insight into the progress changes that must be embraced industry wide for the benefit of our society.

“Collectively, we have an enormous responsibility to achieve net zero construction. This is sure to be a contentious point during our climate crisis group discussion, at a time when global leaders are convening at COP27.

“It will also be a terrific opportunity for our theme group leaders to discuss how to narrow the skills gap, enhance building safety and more readily adopt methods of smart construction. These sessions will provide significant engagement and benefits for Midlands construction professionals to consider for their own organisations.

“In addition to the summit, our extensive membership benefits – including flagship leadership events and the provision of education provisions – enables CE Midlands to exert considerable influence on the advancement of construction in the Midlands. It is uniquely positioned to promote open dialogue that is both pan-industry and whole supply chain.”

The full agenda for the event is as follows:
- 9.00am - Registration
- 9.30am - Welcome and introductions - Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of Constructing Excellence Midlands
- 9.40am - Keynote presentation
- 10.00am Value Toolkit - Ellie Jenkins, Value Toolkit integrated project lead at Construction Innovation Hub
- 10.20am - Turning the Construction Playbook into oven-ready reality - Louise Lado Byrnes, director at IPInitiatives
- 10.40am - Latest Construction market analysis and wider economic outlook - Rhys Gadsby, senior economist at Glenigan
- 11.00am - Tea/coffee & networking
- 11.30am - Climate crisis theme group update - Noel Street, chair
- 11.50am - Building safety theme group update - Steve Green, chair, and Richard Cymler
- 12.10pm - Smart construction theme group update - Dhiran Vagdia, chair
- 12.30pm - Future skills - how to reinvigorate the talent pipeline - Dan Bridgewater, chair
- 12.50pm - Conclusions and thanks - Andrew Carpenter