It’s nearly that time of year again; event season is upon us! As always, we’re kicking things off with Highways UK in Birmingham from 18–19 October.

As he prepares to attend the event for DFL’s second year, Richard Jackson, our executive director, shares what he’s most looking forward to and what we can expect this year…

Live lighting demos and keynote speakers

After attending Highways UK last year and seeing its success, we were keen to continue growing our presence at the event. So, this year, we’re back — with a bigger and better stand that will allow us to speak to even more people.

Highways UK marks the start of the event season in the lighting design industry (you’ll also find us at the Highway Electrical Association Conference, Exhibition & Awards the following week) and is a must-attend for anyone who’s anyone in lighting. Part of the reason we love to attend Highways UK is down to its sheer size and how many of our existing and potential highway lighting clients we get to meet across the two days.

This year, we’re also really excited to have live lighting design demos taking place on our stand (should you want to get a closer look into what we do and how we do it).

We’ll be on Stand 627 right by the Keynote & Innovation Stage — perfectly positioned to take advantage of the excellent speaker line-up Highways UK has put on. I, for one, am especially looking forward to seeing talks from Stephen Elderkin, director of environmental sustainability at National Highways, and Ralph Palmer, UK electric vehicles and fleets lead at Transport & Environment!

The National Highways’ ‘Discovery Trail’

I think it’s fair to say that the biggest highlight we’re looking forward to this year is being involved in National Highways’ ‘Discovery Trail’. As part of the activity, we’ll be collaborating with Holophane Europe and Hydro pole products to present short sessions on lighting design and highway lighting to selected secondary schools that are coming along on the second day.

At DFL, we’re passionate about developing the next generation of engineers and supporting them as they embark on careers in the lighting design industry (have you heard of our learning and mentoring programme: LAMP Academy?). So, the ‘Discovery Trail’ is right up our street.

Go big or go home — it’s giveaway time!

Of course, it wouldn’t be an event without one of our amazing giveaways. If you thought we went big with the prize last year, just wait until you see what we’ve got in store for you this time. We see your LEGO D11 Bulldozer and raise you… a LEGO Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000!

With 2,883 parts, this is the biggest creation LEGO has brought to market (it even comes with app-controlled booms and winches), so make sure you stop by our stand if you fancy a chance at getting your hands on it. Don’t worry; we can get it delivered to your preferred address — no heavy lifting required.

Highways UK will be taking place at NEC, Birmingham, from 18–19 October. So, come along to Stand 627 and see what’s on offer, or if you’ve had a busy day at the event, feel free to grab a seat on our sofas whilst you enjoy a chat and a drink with us. We hope to see you there!