We’re delighted to confirm final details on our three keynote speakers, and their presentation topics, for EMISSIONS & AIR QUALITY Smart Class 2H 2019, which will be hosted at The Bond, Birmingham, this Thursday 14th November:
- “WM-Air: Clean Air Science for the West Midlands” – WM-Air (the West Midlands Air Quality Improvement Programme) is a new 5-year NERC-funded project to apply existing environmental science expertise to deliver regional impact – in economic, societal and policy terms – in support of improved air quality and health. The project draws down research expertise and links this to user organisations, ranging from the Combined Authority and Local Authorities to SMEs and industry bodies. This opening keynote from William Bloss, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Birmingham, will give a perspective on current and future regional urban air quality, and introduce the WM-Air project and Key foci, including work on new measurements of air quality, emissions and sensor development; prediction of future air quality scenarios, and case studies of applications within WM-Air, through a cohort of embedded Impact Fellows working within partner organisations.
- “Connected Coventry, City of Culture and Innovation – Using Technology to Tackle Air Quality” – Outside of London the West Midlands conurbation suffers the most extensive exceedances of the EU annual Limit Value for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the UK, affecting a population of 122,396. Based on national estimates, vehicle emissions account for up to 630 premature deaths in the West Midlands each year and local authority research demonstrates that emissions from road transport are the principal source of elevated concentrations of NO2 and airborne particles such as PM10. Lying proximate to the West Midlands conurbation, and, after Birmingham, the second largest city in the West Midlands region, Coventry is going to be the cultural hub of the UK in 2021 as it becomes the UK City of Culture, and then in 2022 hosts events at the Commonwealth Games. At the same time, the city is facing significant transport challenges, and is looking to a wide range of transport technological advances to overcome these, such as the innovative Very Light Rail system and making the city ready for the widespread uptake of electric vehicles. The Council is also under Government Direction to improve air quality in the city and the action plan to achieve this is currently in development for implementation over the next few years. Around 80,000 people live in the central part of the city most affected by high NO2 levels, and 30,000 people work there, so any action plan needs to take account of the social and economic impacts on residents and businesses. This keynote from Linda Sullivan, Programme Manager for Coventry City Council’s Air Quality Action Plan, will address the transport and air quality challenges facing the city, the work being done to identify the most appropriate solutions, and the ways in which new technology can be harnessed to deliver a safe and sustainable transport system within the city.
- “Innovation in Homes and the Pressing Indoor Air Quality Challenge” – We spend up to 90% of our time indoors, so it is unsurprising that poor indoor air quality is beginning to be recognised as a serious emerging public health crisis. The Royal College of Physicians warns that poor indoor air is responsible for thousands of deaths and healthcare costs in the order of tens of millions of pounds per year. As new and retrofitted homes continue to embrace innovation to become ever more airtight and energy efficient, due consideration needs to be given to quality of the air inside our homes and buildings. In this closing keynote, BEAMA’s Colin Timmins presents the case for action and the role of ventilation technologies in delivering healthy air in the modern home environment.
EMISSIONS & AIR QUALITY Smart Class 2H 2019 will show key stakeholders how they can deploy the latest innovations, digital technology-enabled solutions, data-driven strategies and smart best practices to improve urban air quality and drive down emissions and air pollution in our cities and regions.
In addition to our inspirational keynotes, this Smart Class will feature: Rapid fire innovator presentations delivered by technology experts and thought leaders from Eunomia Research & Consulting, Hawa Dawa, Scotscape Group and Vortex IoT, each representing a priority emissions and air quality innovation theme and associated fields of application; Deeper-dive roundtable consultations with speakers and senior stakeholders to help hone delegates’ smart strategies and address some of their specific emissions and air quality challenges; Further networking opportunities with peers and pioneers over breakfast, drinks and buffet lunch, all at no charge! Topics to be addressed by the innovator presentations include: “The Key to Achieving Long-Term Sustainable Benefits for Transport – Carbon and air quality issues in transportation affecting local authorities, strategies for mitigating the impacts of transportation-based emissions, specific soft and hard solutions available to LAs, and next steps”; “Putting Air Quality Data to Work – Opportunities and challenges of fine-grained spatial and temporal air quality information”; “Breathing Life Into Cities: Combining Plants and Innovation to Process Air Pollution”; and “Enabling Hyper-Local Air Quality Monitoring with Emerging Technologies”.
Registration closes this Wednesday 13th November so we encourage those with relevant credentials to REGISTER TODAY TO CLAIM ONE OF THE LAST FREE PLACES! Qualifying delegates include commissioning, procurement, trialling and partnering leads, senior influencers, strategic decision makers and planners from progressive city, borough, metropolitan, district and county councils; public and private transport operators/service providers; sub-regional transport bodies, combined authorities, integrated transport authorities and passenger transport executives; freight and logistics operators; airports and ports operators; vehicle manufacturers; energy providers; potential partners from industry and healthcare; DfT, EA, Defra, BEIS, DHSC and supporting national agencies; prime contractors etc.
Still need convincing? Check out this Retrospectives Round-Up for feedback and highlights from our 1st half of year Emissions & Air Quality Smart Class (hosted in London back in April). Browse additional Testimonials from our acclaimed Transport Smart Classes!
Delegate places (subject to qualification) are also currently available for:
TRANSPORT Smart Class, South West England 2019 – Bristol, 4th December 2019 – Hurry, over 50% of seats already allocated!
TRANSPORT Smart Class, Wales 2020 – Cardiff, 31st January 2020
TRANSPORT Smart Class, Midlands 2020 – Birmingham, 5th March 2020
EMISSIONS & AIR QUALITY Smart Class, Southern England 2020 – London, 15th April 2020
WASTE MANAGEMENT Smart Class 2020 – London, 15th April 2020
TRANSPORT Smart Class, North of England 2020 – Manchester, 9th June 2020
TRANSPORT Smart Class, Scotland 2020 – Edinburgh, 10th September 2020
TRANSPORT Smart Class, London & South East England 2020 – London, 13th October 2020
PUBLIC REALM & URBAN SPACES Smart Class 2020 – London, 13th October 2020
ENERGY Smart Class 2020 – Birmingham, 12th November 2020
WATER MANAGEMENT Smart Class 2020 – Birmingham, 12th November 2020
EMISSIONS & AIR QUALITY Smart Class, Midlands & North 2020 – Sheffield, 10th December 2020
HEALTH & ASSISTED LIVING Smart Classes – TBC
Delegate seats are strictly limited so, don’t miss out, click on the appropriate Smart Class from above, and complete the registration form located beneath the event description as soon as possible to secure your free place.
Interested in sponsoring a Smart Class? We’re able to accommodate up to 5 innovators/vendors at each Smart Class in an “Innovation Sponsor” capacity. This opportunity also applies to companies who source or advise on digital technology-enabled solutions, data-driven strategies or best practices that can play a key role in helping our buyer-side delegates address their transport and mobility, emissions and air quality, waste management, public realm, water management, energy or healthcare challenges. For further details, please peruse the Event Sponsorship page on our website or contact us here.
