Education Estates will move from Manchester Central to Excel London next year, organiser STEP CONNECT2 has announced ahead of this year’s event in Manchester on 20-21 October.
The 15th edition will take place at Excel on 5-6 October 2027. In a swap between the two venues, Education Estates in Focus, the organiser’s spring event covering SEND and inclusion, sustainability and estate management, will move from Excel to Manchester Central from March 2028.
James Lee, CEO of STEP CONNECT2, said: “From next year, the national conversation around the education estate takes place at Excel London, where we have secured dates and the space to keep growing and developing the event year on year.”
Lee said this year’s edition at Manchester Central would be the biggest yet.
Same format, new venue
STEP CONNECT2 says the event’s format won’t change. Public sector staff will still attend for free, and the conference, the Education Estates Awards and the Future Leaders Programme, which gives free places to final-year students and people in the first year of their careers, will all continue. The event is run in partnership with the Department for Education and covers the funding, design, building and upkeep of schools, colleges and universities.
This year’s event is also the first public outing for STEP CONNECT2’s partnership with EBDOG, the national body representing local authority building officers, which aims to bring multi-academy trusts and local authorities closer together.
More information is at educationestates.com.
