Dominic Browne speaks to Traffex commercial director Raymond Clark about the exciting new reimagining of the UK's longest-running major traffic and transport trade show on 20-21 May.
This year, the team behind Traffex and Parkex have taken a new approach to the conference programme. The focus is on implementation, with local authorities taking a central role in helping direct and shape the agenda to help it answer their core challenges. This co-located one-stop shop, with Traffex, Parkex and Cold Comfort all under one roof, is designed to give you all the fun and innovation of a great trade show, while also operating as a ‘masterclass for the day job'. If there is a problem on your desk, you will find the answer at Traffex.
How is everything going in the run-up to Traffex?
Really well. The energy around this year's event is noticeably stronger than we've seen in a while. Registration is looking strong and exhibitor uptake has been positive across all three shows. There's a real sense that the sector wants this meaningful conversation about what's actually happening on the ground.
How has Traffex evolved this year?
The biggest shift is one of focus. We've sharpened Traffex's identity around practical implementation: what's actually being deployed, what's working, and what the sector can take away and use.
There's no shortage of events that deal in policy and aspiration, but the feedback we consistently get from local authorities and highways professionals is that they need solutions they can act on with the budgets and resources they actually have. That is reflected in the format as well as the content. The Solutions Studio gives attendees a dedicated space to collaborate in a more hands-on way, while TechTalks provides short, focused supplier-led sessions so delegates can get up to speed quickly. It's a format that respects how busy people are.
What are the highlights you are looking forward to?
The conference programme is something I'm particularly proud of this year. We've worked hard to build a schedule that reflects what practitioners are actually dealing with: technology adoption, ageing infrastructure, the pressure on local authority budgets and active travel integration. The sessions are delivered by people doing the work, not just commenting on it.
Traffex has many valued industry partnerships. Can you tell us how you have collaborated on this year's event?
Partnerships are central to how Traffex works. Our alliance with National Highways has gone from strength to strength. Attendees will find an increased presence from various National Highways departments, particularly focused on innovation within the sector.
The Roadmap Theatre is also a good example: developed with Highways, it brings editorial angles from a readership that is the bedrock of the sector.
Our collaboration with the Institute of Highway Engineers on CPD accreditation is another. It's been part of Traffex for some time now, but its value to delegates shouldn't be underestimated. For highways professionals, being able to formally log learning from event attendance is crucial, and it reinforces the quality bar we hold the conference's content to, and indeed the sector.
Beyond those, we work with a range of trade associations and professional bodies on content, audience development, and reach into local government. These relationships mean the show reflects genuine sector priorities and connects with the right people.
There is lots happening in our industry. What is the mood like in the sector right now and how are we responding to the challenges and opportunities?
The mood is one of determined pragmatism. There's no pretending the pressures aren't real: local authority budgets are stretched, the infrastructure backlog is significant and a lot is being asked of highways teams at exactly the moment their capacity is most constrained. But the sector is not sitting still.
There's genuine innovation happening, people are sharing knowledge more openly and suppliers are responding with solutions that acknowledge those real-world constraints.
What gives me confidence is the quality of conversation we see at Traffex. It's not theoretical. People come to find answers and to connect with others facing the same challenges. That extends across the whole event, too.
Having Parkex and Cold Comfort alongside Traffex means a public sector delegate can engage with traffic management, parking and winter service in a single visit. Those operational areas don't sit in silos in real life, and the event reflects that.
What is your favourite thing about running Traffex?
Honestly, it'll be the moment the doors open. All the months of planning come down to whether the right people are in the room having the right conversations, and when you see a local authority engineer deep in conversation with a supplier, you know that's exactly what Traffex is for.
There's a real community feel to this event. People come back year after year, and that loyalty means something.
Last year was my first Traffex and I was very much finding my feet, but this time around, I know what's gone into making 2026 the reimagined edition. Seeing it all come together, for the team as much as anything, is something I'll take a lot of pride in.
