The Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual conference and exhibition — Housing 2022 — returns to Manchester Central later this month. Here we provide a guide to what housing professionals can look forward to at this year’s event.
Running from the 28th to the 30th June, Housing 2022 is the must attend event on the sector’s calendar and this year looks set to be no exception. As Europe’s largest housing festival, it provides a great opportunity to network with industry colleagues, make new connections, share best practice, debate key sector challenges and see what’s new in built environment technology and solutions.
Networking and collaboration are at the heart of Housing and learning is another key component, with over 150 hours of CPD accredited content across the three days. The sessions will cover an array of essential subjects, from the economic landscape, building safety, homelessness and housing delivery and affordability, to funding and climate change.
Housing professionals will also be able to hear what senior politicians and government representatives have to say on key issues, as well as engage with peers and sector leaders in exclusive roundtable discussions.
With housing higher on the Government’s agenda, there will no doubt be a packed audience eager to hear what the new Minister for Housing, The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, has to say in his Keynote address, which will be delivered at midday on the first day of the show.
Conference sessions
Climate change and the need to be more sustainable is one of the major challenges facing local authorities and housing associations. Visitors to the ‘Unlock Net Zero’ stage will have the chance to hear from experts on topics including energy, environment, social, skills and technology solutions across new-builds and retrofit projects.
At the ‘Net zero now: action, scale and momentum’ session at 9.30am on Tuesday morning, examples of successful net zero housing projects will be highlighted. Housing professionals will also have the chance to hear from leading lights within the field of climate change discussing what needs to be done to address the scale of the challenge, where the focus should be to achieve long-term ambitions, and how to bring stakeholders along on the journey and ensure continued momentum.
There will also be sessions addressing, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, how to secure the funding needed to make net zero a reality, alternative forms of heating homes to avoid using gas, planning for climate-related risks, green skills and employment. In addition, Climate Change Hackathon sessions will focus on greater collaboration and communication — “How can you help your neighbour address climate change?”
Fringe Festival
During day one, the ‘Fringe Festival Stage’ will host a session on ‘Heating or eating? How landlords can help residents in fuel poverty’, which will tackle a major issue for the sector. With the cost-of-living crisis spiralling and escalating energy costs, an increasing number of people are feeling the pinch financially and having to make stark choices which come with potentially very damaging consequences. This session will provide a forum for social housing providers to discuss how they can help residents who are struggling in the current climate.
With over three million people fleeing the devastating conflict in Ukraine and the UK preparing to help over 200,000 displaced people, on Day Two, The Fringe Festival will look at how the social housing sector can go further in supporting refugees, ensuring they have access to safe, good-quality homes and helping them integrate into communities.
Encouraging debate
At the ‘In conversation with the Regulator of Social Housing’, Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive at the Regulator for Social Housing, Joanne Drew, Housing and Regeneration Director at the London Borough of Enfield and Paul Fiddaman, Chief Executive at Karbon Homes will talk about the current economic landscape for RPs, consumer regulation and what it means for residents.
There will also be sessions on building safety and implementing the Golden Thread, levelling up, equality and diversity, large-scale regeneration, later living and digital transformation, plus a host of other topics across the three days of the show.
Awards and exhibition
The Housing Heroes and Women in Housing Awards will open the show on Monday 27th June. The awards recognise and celebrate achievements of the leaders, innovators and changemakers delivering incredible work across the sector.
Alongside the show, the exhibition in the main hall will cover the entire supply chain. It provides the ideal opportunity for housing professionals to see the latest technologies, make connections with suppliers and contractors, and uncover solutions that could have a real impact on projects and the lives of residents. From digital tools to improve asset management, energy-efficient heating solutions, the latest fire safety products, to Secured by Design compliant doors and hardware, and
accessible bathroom solutions, there will be plenty to explore in the exhibition.
LABM will have a stand in the exhibition and we’d love to see you. Please do drop by our stand at A21 and say hello.
You can register for Housing 2022 here.
