After an impressive debut last year, Utility Week Live is back this summer with another top drawer exhibition and conference.

Spring 2016 sees the return of Utility Week Live at Birmingham’s NEC. More than 100 speakers, 150 exhibitors and 3,000 delegates will attend the two-day show on 17 and 18 May.

The headline theme of this year’s show is “Innovation”, with content focusing on the electricity, gas and water sectors, along with two new additions for 2016, heat and streetworks. Underneath the overarching theme are five further content streams which will help to shape the debate over the two days. These are: innovation, skills, data and analytics, totex, resilience, and customers.

The keynote conference will give VIP delegates the opportunity to review and discuss the work going on within the sector to tackle the challenges facing utilities, and also to learn from those outside the sector, exposing them to new ideas and innovations.

On the main exhibition floor, there will be three seminar theatres, developed by the team behind Utility Week.  These will feature agenda-setting talks and panel discussions from industry leaders, regulators and policymakers. Joining the electricity, gas, and water seminars – which reappear this year – are seminars on heat, in the  afternoon of the first day, and streetworks, in the second half of day two.

There are a number of other show features at Utility Week Live, including the new Streetworks Village, the Pumping Station, and the 2016 edition of the Drilling and Tapping competition (see box, facing page).

Amanda Barnes, publisher of Utility Week magazine and Faversham House chief executive, said: “Utility Week Live 2016 builds on the success of the inaugural 2015 show. We’ve listened to our event stakeholders and have switched to a highly focused two-day format.

“It offers professionals working in the utilities industries the chance to discover the latest innovations and product solutions, and exchange cutting-edge ideas on the strategic, operational and technical side of their businesses.

“Visitors will meet peers, partners and suppliers, and gain invaluable knowledge from industry leaders in the CPD-accredited live content programmes, plus the pitching sessions, technical demonstrations and networking opportunities”.

The Utility Week Live technical seminars and exhibition are free to attend, with paid VIP tickets granting access to the keynote conference and panel discussions.

For more information, visit: www.utilityweeklive.co.uk

The speakers:

Electricity

Neil Pennington, director of smart innovation, RWE

Understanding the connected customer

RWE director of smart innovation Neil Pennington will be part of the panel in the Electricity Theatre seminar on “Understanding the connected customer”. This session will explore the need for utilities to adjust their business approaches to respond to a digital and connected future and the demands of the digital customer.

Richard Postance, partner – utilities advisory, EY

EY partner Richard Postance will be speaking in the Electricity Theatre seminar exploring the theme “From asset data to actionable insight”. He will look at the challenges faced by utility companies in trying to make the most of the volume of data they are now receiving and how to interpret it to create benefits for the business and customers.

Gas

Denise Massey, chief executive, Energy Innovation Centre

Energy Innovation Centre chief executive Denise Massey will be speaking in the Gas Theatre on how utilities can create opportunities to collaborate with innovative SMEs. She will also be chairing the energy technology pitch session on day one.

Chris Bielby, director, SGN and chairman, Gas Industry Safety Group

The Gas Industry Safety Group chair, Chris Bielby, is chairing a seminar in the Gas Theatre which will explore the latest thinking in designing and communicating preventative interventions in the battle against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Water

Ben Jeffs, chief executive, MOSL

MOSL chief executive Ben Jeffs will be appearing alongside Thames Water Commercial Services commercial director Graham Southall in a panel discussion on “Delivering a new market structure” in the Water Theatre.

Nicci Russell, director, Ofwat

Ofwat director Nicci Russell is speaking in the ‘What is resilience?’ session in the Water Theatre on day two. She will be joined by Waterwise managing director Jacob Tompkins, Environment Agency deputy director for water resources Trevor Bishop, and Exeter University professor of water engineering David Butler.

Show features

Pumping Station

Utility Week Live 2016 will showcase best practice and innovation in pumps. Practical sessions will run throughout the day at a dedicated display area and workshop, as well as sessions in the Water Theatre.

Innovation Zone

Organised in association with the Energy Innovation Centre, this popular feature will showcase the latest game-changing innovations and solutions for the gas and electricity industries from up and coming SMEs. It will also feature technical pitches and live product demonstrations given directly to the people that need them.

Streetworks Village

Steetworks will be a major feature at Utility Week Live 2016, with an interactive Streetworks Village featuring a wide range of streetworks solution providers demonstrating their products and services on a patchwork of specially constructed streets.

Future Water ­Association 2016 Water Dragons

The Future Water Association’s popular Water Dragons event is coming to Utility Week live, providing the opportunity for companies to pitch their innovations to judging panels that will include high-level water company representatives.

Drilling and Tapping

Utility Week Live is proud to host the Institute of Water’s annual Drilling and Tapping Championships. The trophy is fiercely contested by teams of experts from all the major water companies, with all heats and finals taking place on the show floor. The current holder is Anglian Water with a time of 2mins 16secs.