Industry Conferences and Air Quality

As a small business just starting life in the world, we have decided to invest our time and energy in other areas this year and so will sadly will not be attending UKREiiF, our on the doorstep construction and built environment gathering. However, with conference season now in full swing, it’s worth considering what these events can mean for air quality issues.

For as long as road traffic sources remain the dominant source of pollutant emissions in the UK, combatting these issues will remain a collaborative effort between air quality professionals, transport experts and town planners. Only through thorough collaboration between these parties can air quality impacts be mitigated, minimised or even designed out entirely. However getting all of these parties to the same table, or even on the same project and working in conjunction with policy makers and environmental health experts can be a challenge for even the most dedicated of project managers.

This is the great strength of these large-scale gatherings, the ability to gather all of the relevant parties in the same place and encourage them to interact over an extended time frame. Regardless of whether it’s discipline specific events like the Institute of Air Quality Management’s Routes to Clean Air or open to all comers’ events such as UKREiiF, there will always be opportunities for formal and informal collaboration. This can be encouraged by organisers, and I am pleased to see a plethora of environment focussed events and discussions as part of this year’s programme.

Only through strong collaboration with all stakeholders can we truly tackle environmental issues whilst achieving our built environment goals, and conferences offer an excellent opportunity to forge relationships and foster discussion that can be a major part of the solutions.

Hope to see you all there next year!