THE Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has revealed the theme of its conference this year 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 near Coventry on Thursday 14th October.
The CPA Conference 2021 will be held in association with headline sponsor Point of Rental Software and confirmed exhibitors include Genquip Groundhog and NOCN Group. Over the years, the conference has become an established fixture in the calendar. 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.”
The 2021 CPA Conference will be hosted by former TV presenter and journalist Merryn Myatt, who hosted the event in 2019 and introduced a new format with a series of panel speakers.
