April is very definitely AGM and conference season.
I have been honoured this month to attend the AEA Conference, the HAE Awards, and the AMPS Conference, all of which have taken place in London over the past few weeks. In addition, we held a very productive CESAR commercial meeting with our delivery partner Datatag at Cranfield University. I was then back at Cranfield a few days later, visiting with Professor Andy Angus to discuss this year’s economics Master’s project, and I squeezed in a visit to one of our newest members, KRAMP, together with the team from SDLG UK, with whom we are in talks. I then finished up the month with a CEA face-to-face board meeting – also in London! Oh, and a CECE board Teams meeting too – it’s been a very busy month!
As I sit here at my desk on this sunny Friday, writing this month’s recap, it is a relief to see no more travel in my diary for the rest of the month, so I can catch up.
The enhanced relationships we have with our partner associations are extremely important, as collectively we can lobby as a louder ‘voice of the industry’. These conferences have enabled open and honest discussions with both Government departments and association partners, including their key members. And, of course, we share many members across associations. Together, we are stronger as we advocate for the industry. Some great ideas have come out of these events, which we will be taking forward throughout 2026.
A key highlight was presenting one of the HAE Chairman’s Awards to Andrew Huddleston, KPM, for his work as Head of Unit at NCATT and his ongoing commitment to combating theft and fraudulent hire in our industry. The best bit was that even though he was sitting next to me throughout dinner, he had no idea he was being honoured, and together with Phil Leahey, HAE Chairman, Paul Gaze, HAE CEO, and Paul Mabey, JCB Major Accounts Manager, we were able to surprise Andy.
Upcoming events and CEA member updates
The team here in the UK, together with Roma at the CECE Brussels office, is now in the detailed planning stages for the upcoming CECE Congress. Tickets and registration will go live at the end of April/early May. The agenda is shaping up extremely well, and we have some exciting speakers to share with you when we launch.
The Bauma 2028 Pavilion space will also be released to us imminently (and I have spoken to all of you who exhibited in 2025). We will speak to all members once we know the space we can negotiate for 2028 to gauge interest. The UK Pavilion is an excellent, cost-effective, and simple way to be part of one of the world's largest construction equipment events. If you can’t wait and want to know more, please get in touch with either Gill Stirk or you can also email me.
Don’t forget to read our email newsletters
Finally, if you are not receiving our regular newsletters, or they sit in your unread folder, please do take a look, as that is where we share key information for both the UK and International markets and opportunities. For example, the International Newsletter sent on Monday this week included a registration link from the European Commission to discuss the CBAM – a key topic for many of you – and I urge you not to miss out.
Wishing you all a successful and busy May.
Viki Bell, Chief Executive, CEA (Construction Equipment Association)
