The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has announced it is to take over running the annual SigEx Signalling Exhibition from Network Rail, starting this year.
The event was formerly a stalwart of the signalling calendar, an opportunity for supply chain to meet and demonstrate the latest equipment directly to tier 1’s and client representatives operating in routes, regions, and major investment projects. SigEx was suspended in 2019 with the advent of COVID, and with the later downsizing of Network Rail’s Signalling Innovations Group, it lost its internal owners.
Meanwhile, in 2022 and 2023, RIA successfully worked with Network Rail to deliver annual Electrical Innovation Showcases: Events with exactly the same format as SigEx, but for those involved in overhead line equipment, maintenance, installation and operation.
“We realised two things working on the electrical showcases,” said Sam Bemment, Technical manager at RIA. “Firstly, that the format really worked: Those on client side responsible for specifying and purchasing don’t have time to visit 40 different suppliers, so getting the whole supply chain for a particular discipline in once place for one day is a really good opportunity. And those suppliers know that as it’s a client partner event, the clients will attend en masse, which is exactly what they want.”
That opportunity was clearly valuable, with nearly 200 attendees attending the 2023 electrical showcase, over half of them from client side.
“Secondly, we realised that since SigEx was suspended, there had been a big gap in the market for the signalling equivalent. So we spoke to Network Rail about rekindling it, and all agreed it was a great idea.”
RIA will run the new event, with Network Rail as an event partner. SigEx offers a mix of formal conference activities and informal networking opportunities in the large exhibition area. The first of the new series will be held in Leicester 21 November 2023 09:30-16:00, and already boasts a strong line-up of keynote speakers including and opening address from Martin Jones, Chief Engineer at NR. Full details are available by clicking here.
In the spirit of the original event, attendance is free for RIA members and non-members alike, with lunch provided, though places are strictly limited and require registration which can be done by clicking here. There are a limited number of exhibition stands still available on a first-come first-served basis.
David Shipman, former member of Signalling Innovations Group at NR and now Director and Principal Consultant, RailETC, commented: “After several years of involvement with the original SIG events, it’s great to now be working with RIA to bring back the very best elements of these, uniting suppliers and clients together in an atmosphere of innovation, sharing, and learning.”
James Dzimba, Chief Control, Command & Signalling Engineer, Network Rail, added: “I am delighted to give Network Rail’s support to this new RIA event which I hope will become a feature of the railway calendar. It creates a great opportunity for myself and my regional colleagues to meet suppliers, see the latest products and innovations and share the challenges we are trying to solve.”
There will be an informal post-SigEx networking event at the Soar Point Pub, The Newarke, Leicester LE2 7BY, (just a 2-minute walk from the venue.) https://www.riagb.org.uk/SIGEX23
