News analysis with BESA
Conference offers something for everyone
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has released details of a wide-ranging programme of commercial and technical content for its sixth Annual Conference on Thursday, October 12th in London
T
he one-day event, which is sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric, comprises three seminar strands grouped under an overall heading of ‘Building businesses, building the future’ with content designed to appeal
to building services professionals, young engineers, facilities managers, manufacturers, and specifiers. There will be a particular focus on skills shortages, the push for Net Zero, the
rapid development of digital technologies, and the commercial and contractual challenges facing the building engineering sector. BESA members and young engineers can attend free of charge. The cost to non-members is £120. A £10 donation will be made for every delegate who registers to the Association’s chosen charity Light House Club. The packed one-day event features three strands: Business, technical, and
young engineers. The first will look at how firms can manage costs and invest for the future, improve collaboration, and comply with the Building Safety Act.
Technical content
The technical section will be the largest with sessions dedicated to each of the industry’s key technologies and shaped by BESA’s specialist groups. The over- arching theme is delivering safe, healthy, and energy efficient building services – covering the complete lifecycle of a building and progress towards net zero. Many of the topics have been chosen with young engineers in mind and members of the Association’s Future Leaders group will be participating in several discussions. They will also play a leading role in the final feedback session that closes the event. There will be individual talks and debates on ventilation and indoor air quality,
fire safety, energy efficiency and carbon counting, the Golden Thread, heat pumps, changes to the F-Gas regulations, heat networks and the role of heat interface units (HIUs), FM and building maintenance, overheating, and adapting to climate change, among others. There will be a keynote session on ‘Transforming building services to
transform the NHS’ led by Lord Markham, the Minister in charge of delivering the government’s ambitious plan to build 40 new hospitals by 2030. A session on the importance of ventilation in addressing the UK’s healthcare crisis will back up Lord Markham’s call for improving indoor air quality to support patients and reduce waiting lists. It will also examine new BESA guidance on reducing mould and condensation in homes as well as the need for more investment in schools to protect children from illness and allergies. Another keynote session will focus on the Building Safety Act with an official
from the office of the Building Safety Regulator explaining what contractors should be doing now to comply and the shift towards a whole new ‘safety culture’ across construction. “This is shaping up to be our most ambitious conference to date,” said BESA chief executive officer David Frise. “The blend of commercial, contractual, and
technical sessions means we can say that there is something for everyone. “Trying to capture the full breadth of the challenges and opportunities now facing our sector is quite an undertaking, but our conference team aided by our Advisory Board drawn from across the industry, has somehow managed to cram it all into one day.” Several ‘people focused’ sessions will look at how businesses can make
themselves more attractive to a younger and more diverse generation; and how mentoring and reverse mentoring can help firms prepare themselves for future challenges. A discussion on recruitment strategies will also draw on international experience with speakers from the North American contractors’ body the MCAA and GCP Europe joining the expert panel.
Digital
The expansion of digital techniques will be central to several sessions with one focused on the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) delivered by Sukhmit Singh from the consultancy Atkins. He will explain how AI can be harnessed to support building engineers by improving performance data gathering and analysis. Special speaker, Dr Jo Jolly, deputy director at the Infrastructure and Projects
Authority (IPA), will also describe how the transition to data-driven processes is helping to deliver more sustainable major projects. BESA is introducing more interactive workshops this year along with short ‘lightning learning’ sessions to give delegates quick access to takeaway actions. One of these will be a legal and commercial ‘health check’ with experts from BESA’s in-house team offering targeted advice on delegates’ specific concerns. There will be seminars on heat networks, fire safety in ventilation systems, heat pumps, heat recovery systems and a ‘Big Debate’ between supporters of chemical and non-chemical water treatment. A highly practical session will also look at ‘energy efficiency quick wins’ to help building managers get to grips with rising costs while also balancing the need to prepare for net zero.
Expanded shortlist announced for BESA Awards
BESA has also announced the shortlist for its expanded programme of National Awards, which will be presented during a gala dinner at the same venue later that evening. The 2023 Awards are sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric and the dinner will be hosted by the comedian Darren Harriott. The Association revamped and expanded its awards scheme this year and
introduced a new regional qualifying format for some of the categories. The categories were reviewed and revised to ensure they rewarded individuals, teams, and companies from each part of the sector’s supply chain. You can see the full shortlist at
www.thebesa.com/the-besa-awards/shortlist. For more details, including registration, exhibition, and sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Charlie.pierpoint@theBESA.com
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September 2023
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