By the time you read this, day two of our flagship conference, Strictly Highways, will be well underway. Next week’s Insight will feature a full conference write up, but I thought it might be worth reflecting on some behind-the-scenes insights and anxieties as the CEO of LCRIG before the event happens.
Last year was my first Strictly Highways as CEO, having taken over from Martin Duffy in the summer of 2023. I am not normally nervous about speaking at events; in fact, I relish the experience and enjoy myself. However, last year I certainly felt the pressure of stepping into Martin’s shoes. Martin has always been a source of inspiration for the industry, and of course, Strictly Highways was the brainchild of Will Britain, former Head of Highways at Blackpool Council – so I really felt the weight of that legacy.
Is this year any different? Actually, no; I am still nervous. But it’s a different type of nerves. We work so hard at LCRIG to try and make all our events friendly, stimulating, and a valuable experience for everyone attending, so my nerves are related to ensuring attendees have the best experience possible, learn something, and meet with fellow industry colleagues.
The team has worked incredibly hard to get us to where we are, and with Susanne, Kerry, and I not long back from the ITS World Congress, we are looking forward to welcoming people back to the iconic ballroom after our time in a very different environment in Dubai.
The nerves I’m experiencing are not because I don’t think Strictly will be a success; I know that it will. When building up to such a major event – whether it’s Strictly Highways or the Innovation and Learning Festival – you just want it to be worthwhile and useful, but you also want to see collaboration in action all around, which is ultimately how LCRIG started.
Since earlier this year, I’ve been listening to councils, suppliers, and national contacts about the topics they’d like to hear about. The challenge at Strictly Highways is that we have such a broad audience, so it’s important to have speakers, panels, and sessions that will appeal to all without eroding people’s learning or insight experience. If you’ve heard to me talk about Innovation and innovation adoption, you’ll know I am very clear that not all councils are on the same trajectory, skill level, or resource level. As such, having a cross-section of speakers and subject areas must be of the highest importance.
Pulling together the programme is one of biggest enjoyments of my job at LCRIG, but it’s also something I place a huge amount of pressure on myself to get right. When I’m under pressure, I feel like my head has too many tabs open, so I keep my composure by using my faithful clipboard to mitigate what feels like horrible short-term event memory syndrome. Although I jest, I am always keen to ensure that Strictly Highways features interesting and thought-provoking sessions. Last year, I asked our advisory board for help, and they assisted again this year by selecting sessions that we hope people will get great value from.
Which sessions am I particularly keen on? Well of course, like children, you can’t have a favourite. However, I am really excited by this year’s lineup, which includes some surprising panel insights related to questions we placed in the AIA survey with our friends at the AIA, as well as a panel sharing experiences from MDs and their journeys in the sector. Of course, we’ll also cover PAS 2161: Road Condition Monitoring specification, which is a huge change for the sector, legal insights into patterns and trends around litigation, and Essex Highways and their apprentice talking about their work. Additionally, we’ll address SUDS, which we know is challenging for councils, Birmingham’s capital programme after some challenging years, innovative approaches in Central Beds, AI insights from some survey work we’ve been doing at LCRIG, and an amazing panel that will really showcase the breadth of how AI is impacting our sector. National Highways will talk about Innovation, and Primary Engineers, who I’m very passionate about, will be speaking, along with and many other sessions.
I am also excited that we’ll be launching dates for next year’s LCRIG events, along with new programmes of activity that we’ll be undertaking at LCRIG, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.
The thought process behind the programme is such a privilege to be a part of, and I really mean that. As a CEO, you get to be involved in some great things, none of which would be possible without our team; Charlotte, Claire, Shelley, Karen, Keely, Karla, Dan, and my fellow Directors Susanne and Kerry 😊. I am very lucky, and back to nerves we all feel, it’s because we want to deliver a fantastic opportunity for everyone attending.
Paula Claytonsmith, CEO