Flooring conference extended to promote best practice

A packed line-up of best practice technical presentations and case studies means the second annual commercial flooring conference will run for two full days (September 2-3 2013) alongside this year's Flooring Show at Harrogate International Centre.

Following the success of last year's first ever national commercial flooring conference, organisers Wendy Adams Associates and Media Generation have extended the conference and put together an enticing programme of presentations and demonstrations from the industry's top names.

Organiser Paul Stott said: "The programme is designed to give delegates access to information about the latest product innovations in practice, and there's also a new Trends Hub, offering an exciting insight into the future of flooring and surfaces."

Presentations will showcase high profile projects include The St Pancras International Hotel by Brintons, the award-winning new offices of York City Council by So Vibrant and the new Leeds Arena by Populous and Leeds City Council.

In addition, there will be a special panel presentation and discussion on flooring for football stadia. Facilities managers from top football clubs have been invited to explain how their facilities utilise the various flooring options for a diverse range of activities and requirements other than sport - from conferences and banquets, to retail and museums.

Sectors covered by the conference programme will include education, healthcare, sport, health & fitness, hotels & restaurants, office, entertainment & leisure, and housing including social housing. In addition, there will be a special focus on the important areas of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and Sustainability.

Last year's hugely popular Demo Zone returns, with flooring installation innovations and techniques demonstrated by top names and spearheaded by the Contract Flooring Association (CFA), The Flooring Industry Training Association (FITA) and the National Institute of Carpet & Floorlayers (NCIF). There will also be a parallel series of CPD workshops relevant to the CPD needs of surveyors, interior designers and architects.

The Flooring Show exhibition, taking place September 1-3, is the perfect industry networking event, and this year boasts new initiatives and an impressive line-up of exhibitors and "show-stopper" speakers.

New for this year, the Business Enrichment Theatre will host a series of inspirational speakers hoping to provide guidance, suggestions and support designed to help with a wide range of business issues. Delegates will be able to hear from The Society of British Interior Design President, Vanessa Brady; Sian Astley, Channel Five's presenter of Half Built House; Scarlet Opus Trend Forecaster, Victoria Redshaw; and Google's Industry Manager Flooring, Finlay Clark.