The UK’s build community will once again come together for this year’s Build Show, being held as part of UK Construction Week from 18-20 October at the Birmingham NEC.

Building on the success of last year’s show, which attracted visitors with a combined purchasing power of £36 billion, Build Show will return with many of the industry’s biggest names in attendance. The show provides the industry with a space to network, develop and grow – bringing together the right people, in the right place, at the right time. This year’s event promises to be the most comprehensive exhibition in decades with hundreds of exhibitors and several unique feature areas.

Build Show has secured some of the UK’s biggest names to showcase at this year’s event. One of which is the UK’s largest multi-channel supplier of construction goods Screwfix. Also exhibiting will be JCB one of the world’s top three manufacturers of construction equipment and leading power tool provider Festool. Leading distributor raw material specialities Velox UK will also be at Build Show.

This year an additional Offsite Zone has been created that straddles the Build Show and Timber Expo; this area is dedicated to manufacturers of offsite construction solutions, allocating them the necessary space to fully demonstrate their products.

Exhibitors at last year’s event were delighted with the interest and business they received as a result of displaying. B2B Manager at Screwfix, Stephen Henagulph commented: "We were really impressed with the great response our small stand received over the three days of the show. It proved really valuable in terms of business contacts made and our attendance also ensured we could meet with some of our existing customers who were already planning to visit the show. As a result of the success of our attendance last year, we decided we would take a much larger stand and play a far bigger role in the Build Show this year!”

As well as forging new business opportunities and sourcing new products, Build Show plays an important role in cultivating debates and solutions to issues holding the industry back. The discussion will be further amplified through the support of industry leading trade associations such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), TRADA, the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF), the Construction Products Association (CPA) and the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB) who will all be in attendance.

Build Show will host an array of unique workshops, features and seminars’ discussing the industry’s most talked about issues. The Skills and Apprenticeship workshop will allow participants to see first hand the benefits of up-skilling and encourage graduates, ex-service staff and others into entering this exciting and vibrant industry. A Home Building Theatre will provide attendees the latest information on regulation, health and safety and invaluable business advice, similarly the Business Advice Centre will give small to medium sized builders advice about how to compete with the bigger developers. Other unique features will include the Irwin Tools Tradesperson of the year, SME Zone and a Building Material Innovation Hub.

Nathan Garnett, Show Director at Media 10 – the organisers of Build Show and UK Construction Week, commented: “After the huge success of last year’s Build Show we’re very pleased to announce its return to the UK Construction Week roster. There are a host of huge names already announced for the event and it will be backed by industry leading trade associations. With such great support so early on I’m confident that this year’s event will play a big role in answering some of the industry’s toughest challenges, like the skills shortage.”

For more information, booking enquiries and exhibitor testimonials please visit our newly redesigned website www.buildshow.co.uk or follow @BuildShow on Twitter.