Reality over rhetoric: What to expect from the 2026 seminar programme We sat down with Conference Production Manager Khalifa Bokhammas to talk about what's different this year across Traffex, Parkex and Cold Comfort.
Q: What's the thinking behind this year's programme?
We're focused on what works in practice, not what looks good in a policy document. If you're managing highways budgets, running parking operations, or planning winter service, you need to hear from people who've done it - the challenges they've faced, how they’ve been overcome, and what they'd do differently next time.
That's why we've got East Riding talking about modernising winter road services; South Gloucestershire, Coventry and National Highways discussing how to design streets people trust; and Liverpool on its new procurement toolkit. Real projects, real budgets, real outcomes.
Q: The headline speakers look strong this year.
National Highways open with the RIS 3 keynote on Day 1, setting the national investment context. We’re then joined by Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, who will deliver an afternoon keynote and join PACTS and sector stakeholders to discuss delivery of the DfT’s new Road Safety Strategy .
On Day 2, we’re excited to welcome Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses.
For Cold Comfort, Norwegian Public Roads Administration are joining us to share lessons from winter operations – which is timely given the resilience pressures we’re all facing.
But what matters is that these aren’t stand-alone speeches; they're conversations about delivery under pressure.
Alongside all this, the shows will continue to showcase local authority excellence: West Sussex and TfL on lane rental best practice; Blackpool and Oxfordshire on unlocking SME agility; and Ealing Council on parking enforcement. This is content people can take straight back into live projects.
Q: There are a lot of venues: the Roadmap Theatre, BPA Live, TechTalks, Cold Comfort. How does it all fit together?
Each venue has a distinct focus.
The Roadmap Theatre follows the lifecycle of a road from national investment strategies in RIS 3, to national and local procurement, design, asset management, and delivery. If you're setting direction for your authority or business, that's where you need to be.
TechTalks is where we get hands-on with practical technology, such as software for D-TRO compliance, traffic signal and lighting innovation, AI in enforcement, and connected infrastructure. It's practical tech, not futurism.
BPA Live covers everything parking, from government updates on NPP, to parking tech and structural safety, blue badge enforcement, and the John Heasman Innovation Awards.
Cold Comfort is dedicated to winter service and resilience, from climate adaptation, flood response, weather forecasting, salting efficiencies, and a new interactive session, Tales of Winter led by Dom Browne, editor, Highways Magazine.
We also have the Solutions Studio for technical sessions with UKRLG, PACTS, RSTA and LGTAG, and the Coventry Lounge for smaller, focused roundtables.
It’s structured so people can either follow a strategic arc, or dive deep into operational detail.
Q: What about EV Connect?
EV infrastructure is now squarely within highways and parking teams’ remit – so this theatre has become essential.
We’re covering EV bay enforcement, fleet charging priorities, payment integration and the friction points that sit between policy ambition and on-street reality.
Who pays?
Who gets priority?
How do you manage ICEing?
What happens when Pay to Park meets Pay to Charge?
Mark Smith from Energy Saving Trust joins signage specialist Simon Morgan for the Day 1 keynote, focusing on clarity of communication and public understanding. It’s about designing infrastructure that works for the user – not just on paper.
Q: Any sessions you think people will sleep on but shouldn't?
The Live Labs session on decarbonising street lighting.
East Riding, Islington and Lancashire – alongside UKRLG – are sharing real data and measurable outcomes. It’s not just carbon ambition; it’s what actually reduced emissions and cost.
Also, the multi-authority procurement panel. Procurement rarely headlines conferences, but if frameworks don’t allow SME access, innovation stalls. That conversation matters.
And on the parking side, the session on Oxfordshire's traffic filtering system. They processed 20,000 permit applications in two weeks. If you're planning any kind of high-volume scheme, you need to hear how they did it.
Q: What's the one reason someone should block out 20–21 May?
Because you’ll leave with something implementable.
Not just a vision statement – but a contact, a case study, a framework adjustment, a practical idea you can apply immediately.
These shows are designed for working professionals managing live networks, live budgets and live political scrutiny.
That’s the difference.
Full programme launches 23rd February 2026.
