From PlantWorx to Parliament
August offered a welcome opportunity to slow down slightly as I prepare for surgery for a new knee. As mentioned in last month’s blog, I managed some downtime to firstly take a week’s holiday, and secondly focus on the remainder of the year and the 2027 plan.
Three locations, four topics, that’s how you do filming
On Monday 24th, I completed a whirlwind tour around Birmingham to film with Peter and Lucas Haddock and the PlantWorx team from Nineteen. I took my first official site visit to PlantWorx's new home at the NEC. Of course, like almost everyone, I have been to the NEC many times, but walking the space empty is a strange feeling. The outdoor space Nineteen has secured for the dig and demo zones is truly impressive, and the venue offers many advantages across both outdoor zones and seminar rooms, breakout sessions, stages, and theatres. We are now designing the CEA stand and member area for the show too – it is all very exciting.
Hold the date
The other big news (and stop two on our filming schedule) was the venue for the CEA Awards. We will be heading to the National Convention Centre just off the main NEC complex and better known as The National Motorcycle Museum for the CEA Awards in partnership with PlantWorx 2027. For now, I am simply saying HOLD THE DATE: Wednesday 23rd June 2027. The PlantWorx Innovation Awards have always been a big part of the show, and I was keen to ensure they were not lost. We have taken these back as The CEA and will run them at the 2027 show in partnership with PlantWorx to build on their great success. More updates on entries, tickets, and sponsorship will follow later in the year.
The final stop of the day was at the Flannery Plant Operator Training Centre again to film with Peter and Lucas for content on the upcoming CECE Congress and the CEA-owned CESAR scheme. A super venue with amazing facilities to help people into the industry.
Four topics, three locations, all ‘in the can’ before 2pm and all without a coffee stop!
CECE Congress major milestone reached
The majority of August has been spent, as planned, on completing the CEA 2027 Strategic Plan and preparing for the upcoming CECE Congress. As of this writing, we have just surpassed the 150-ticket mark, which is a big milestone with 8 weeks still to go. The team has worked extremely hard to create a stellar speaker lineup complemented by excellent networking opportunities in stunning locations with super food – now we just need to keep praying to the weather gods!
September – a visit to Parliament before putting my feet (or foot) up!
On Tuesday 1st September I completed my only external meeting of the month with a Parliamentary Round Table on AI and the future of workplace safety and security at the invitation of Andrew Cooper MP and Safety Shield. It was an excellent opportunity to discuss how AI is changing the industry.
I am now signing off for the remainder of the month as I head for surgery for a new knee number two. I will be back and fighting fit (fingers crossed) for our new financial year in October and the much-anticipated CECE congress.
I look forward to catching up with many of you when I’m back in October, hopefully with a spring in my step and ready for a busy few weeks ahead. Until then, thank you as always for your continued support.
