Driving traffic

This year will see road and traffic tradeshow Highways UK celebrate its ten year anniversary with an edition set to herald a new era in planning and future-proofing the nation’s road network. Launching under the new tagline Innovation, Sustainability and Collaboration, the event will further establish Highways as the only trade event dedicated to creating a platform for those responsible for planning and developing a safer and more efficient road network.

The road to this landmark anniversary has been an exciting journey for show organiser Terrapinn, having navigated the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the surge in demand for electric vehicles and an all-round increased awareness of the need for a safer road network. Despite the challenges however, attendance has grown year-on-year, indicating that this 2025 edition will be its biggest and best-attended to date.

Highways UK anticipates a 360-strong line-up of exhibitors this October, and Smart Display is poised to return as the exhibition’s key partner for exhibition stand design and build. Having installed seven of the most striking stands in the halls last year, Smart Display has increased its capacity to take on more exhibitors looking to stand head and shoulders above the competition.

Having come on board with Smart Display as a first-timer last October, Roadside Technologies briefed Smart Display to create an impact worthy of its premier stand position opposite the exhibition entrance. The 5m high integrated video wall certainly delivered, stopping visitors in their tracks as they approached the stand.

“People were stopping in the aisles to watch our content,” says sales director Andy leigh (pictured left, with technical director James Brownhill). “We were thrilled to be at Highways showcasing our new look and brand new product Vecta, and we have received some incredible feedback and had some great conversations.”

Eurovia also partnered with Smart Display for the first time as part of a wider strategy to increase its market presence.

“Last year was the first year we’ve had an external company design our stand and we were delighted with the results,” says Gemma Holmes, Eurovia’s communications manager. “Working with Smart Display was a really smooth and efficient process; they helped us to convey our messages and brand as a business really well. The stand’s break out areas allowed us to have meaningful discussions with our customer and supply chain, and Highways UK is definitely in our calendars for this year already!”

Smart Display’s returning clients – MJ Church, Westcotec, MSF, Valmont and MessageMaker also reported fantastic feedback on their stands, all of which included repurposed and re-used materials from last year in the name of both sustainability and positive brand reinforcement.

Having launched in 2015, Highways UK was originally part of the Government’s five-year road investment strategy, bringing together the people responsible for planning, developing, managing, maintaining, and future-proofing the nation’s roads networks. The high-level multi-stream conference has now evolved into the industry’s key event on the calendar, covering the critical topics facing the sector, including decarbonisation, road investment, road safety, innovation in local roads, digitalisation and attracting talent.

If you are considering booking your space at the 2025 edition, talk to us about how we can maximise your stand presence with a stand-out and sustainable stand design.