Last month, my blog was titled ‘Looking ahead to Spring’ – as I write this, I am sitting in my office with a jumper on and the heating turned up – I am still … looking ahead to Spring!
Although I was not at ConExpo last month, the CEA was well represented, and those of you at the Members’ Forum last week will have heard an overview from Chris Sleight. Overall, a positive show, perhaps with fewer new technology launches but lots of good commercial deals being announced. The next big shows on the horizon are Komatek in Istanbul in early June, followed of course by Hillhead here in the UK later in June. Please keep an eye on the CEA Events calendars for all relevant event updates.
As you will have seen in CEA News, we signed a Partnership Agreement recently with Robinson Grace HR Consultancy. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting your business needs, and I can highly recommend their services.
Following on the general theme of supporting staff, if you came to the recent Members’ Forum you will have heard a deep dive into the newly published Elite Consultancy Remuneration Report – another of our Strategic Partnerships. The report provides a lot of valuable information on remuneration packages and discusses the broader benefits needed to attract and retain the best staff. Building on this theme, we also recently announced new arrangements with Personal Group (PG), which offers WorkForce Benefits to our Members. You can access these resources and sign up for more information by visiting the dedicated area on the CEA website or by contacting our support team.
The remainder of March focused on future events, including PlantWorx 27, the UK Pavilion at Bauma 2028, and the CECE Congress 2026 in London this October. Those of you who were with us on the Bauma UK Pavilion in 2025 have all been contacted, and I urge any of you who want to be part of the Pavilion in 2028 to get in touch ASAP -space is limited and highly sought after. It will be released to the CEA in mid-April.
The CECE Congress 2026 will go live mid-April with Early Bird ticket prices. We will ensure you are all made aware as soon as tickets are available, so you can secure your place with confidence.
April seems to be Annual Conference season, and the CEA will be represented at the AEA Conference on the 14th, the HAE Awards on the 18th, and AMPs on the 23rd.
Hopefully by my May blog we will be enjoying some sunshine.
Viki Bell, Chief Executive, CEA (Construction Equipment Association)