UKSPA Summer Conference 2024

UKSPA members and stakeholders will gather in Birmingham on Wednesday 26th  and Thursday 27th June, for the UKSPA Summer Conference 2024. The Conference will be hosted by STEAMhouse. 

Agenda:

Wednesday 26th June 

 11.00 – 12.30    Registration and Tours. 

12.30 – 13.30     Lunch, Networking and Exhibition  

13.30 – 13.45     UKSPA Welcome – John Leake, Chairman UKSPA and James Chaffer, Chief Executive UKSPA  

13.45 – 14.15 

Welcome from the hosts:

Speakers:

Joanna Birch, Director Innovation, Enterprise, Employability and Business Engagement, Birmingham City University.
Simon Davies Design Associate, Aukett Swanke. STEAMhouse and beyond: Innovation through community

 

 14.15 – 15.15 

Circular Economy : Looking at the Challenges & Opportunities of Transitioning 

Chair: John Leake, UKSPA Chair

Speakers:

Ed Willmott, Managing Director, Prova
Vita Woods, Innovation Manager, STEAMhouse, Birmingham City University
Richard Pickett, Regional Sustainability Manager, Wates Group

15.15 – 15.45 – Coffee/Networking and Exhibition  

15.45 –17.00

Innovation & Investment: Leveraging Local Strengths and Fostering Strategic Partnerships 

Chair: Nick Sturge, UKSPA Honorary Member 

Speakers:

Katharine Fuller, COO TechWM
Melissa Snover, CEO, Nourished
David Horsfall, Property Director, Webster and Horsfall Group and Director of Tyseley Energy Park.

 

17.00 – 18.00     Tours and Exhibition  

18.00 – 18.45     Drinks Reception– kindly sponsored by Communicate Technology

18.45 – 20.30      Informal Networking Dinner  – – Belmont Room (2nd floor) – kindly sponsored by Communicate Technology

 

Thursday 27th June  

8.30 – 9.00                Registration  

9.00 – 10.00    

Retrofitting and Adaptive Re-Use: Contribution to Achieving Net Zero Goals

Chair: James Chaffer, UKSPA Chief Executive 

Speakers:

Dr Monica Mateo Garcia. Senior Lecturer, Sustainable Built Environment, Birmingham City University
Nathan Bowen, Senior Project Manager, Mace
Stephen Fernandez, Director, Arup

10.00 – 10.30 Coffee/Networking and Exhibition  

10.30 – 11.30

Parallel Session: 

Sustainable Entrepreneurial Incubation Ecosystem: How to Create & Develop  

Chair: Nick Sturge, UKSPA Honorary Member 

Speakers:

Richard Scutt, Head of Growth and Incubation STEAMhouse Birmingham City UniversIty and
David Mellor, Head of Commercialisation, Birmingham City University.
John Morse Brown, Director, Pigeon Posted
Kathryn White, Innovation Director of Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway, Colchester

Parallel Session: 

Healthy and Sustainable Buildings & Wellbeing in the Built Environment  

Chair: James Chaffer, UKSPA Chief Executive

Speakers:

Mike Leonard, CEO, Building Alliance.
Mitesh Parmar,  Director and Co-Founder, Wellspace Architects.
Minal Parmar, Co-founder and Director of Wellspace Architects
Phil Kelly Partner, Sustainably, Net Zero and Circularity Ridge and partner LLP and
Liz Sparrow Partner, Ridge and Partners LLP.
Veronica Flemming, Director, Asa Landscape Architects

11.30 – 12.15  

Closing Talks:

Louise Harris, Co-Founder & Managing Director,  Cooper-Fay Harris –The optimisation of business profits & investment performance – from funding through to exit

Richard Fallon – CEO, The Technology Supply Chain Group

12.15 – 1.30 Lunch

CLOSE

TOURS

Back in December 2021 at the UKSPA conference, attendees were able to take part in a tour of what would become STEAMhouse, to learn about the vision for this former Victorian bycycle works and how it would be turned in to an incredible innovation space.

That vision became a reality and STEAMhouse has become the city’s first centre for collaborative innovation – a home to offices, digital labs, a makerspace, creative studios and co-working. With c.100,000+ square-feet, five-story, purpose-built STEAM complex in central Birmingham it offers state-of-the-art facilities, tools and workspace.

As part of the UKSPA Summer Conference, being held at STEAMhouse, you will be able to once again tour this amazing facility, and see first hand how the transformation has taken place and all of the facilities.

On the tours, we’ll be able to:

• Speak to the STEAMhouse team and learn how this amazing space came to life and what the plans for future development are
• Chat to tenants and find out why they chose STEAMhouse and what facilities attracted them to it
• View the exciting new Digital Labs (as seen on the BBC!)
• See Production space full of Metal, Print, Wood, Biomaterials, Plastics and Digital tools and expertise
• See the creative and artist studio as well as collaborative classic co-working space

STEAMhouse is a place where designers, creatives and innovators all come together to do their best work.

Tours will take 30 minutes and there will be a maximum of 15 spaces per tour, not to be missed!