Northway Roads Expo is the largest gathering of the UK roads sector outside London. In 2026 it welcomed 9,000 attendees, 320 exhibitors and 184 speakers over two days.
Who attends
About a third of attendees work for a highway authority: National Roadways, Transport for the North's partner authorities, combined authorities, and more than 140 county, city and unitary councils. The rest come from contractors, consultants, suppliers, utilities, police and emergency services, and academia.
Most visitors are senior: 62% of 2026 attendees described themselves as a head of service, director or above, and 71% said they influence or sign off purchasing decisions.
What you get
Free entry to the exhibition and all eight conference theatres, for anyone working in the public sector or the roads supply chain.
A meeting programme: from April, registered attendees can browse exhibitors and book meetings in the expo app, and the app suggests people to meet based on your role and interests.
Continuing professional development: every conference session counts towards CPD, and certificates of attendance are emailed after the event.
Site visits: on the morning of 8 June, small groups visit the North West regional traffic control centre and the Pennine tram depot. Places are limited and must be booked in advance.
Making the case to your manager
Many attendees have to justify a day out of the office. The expo team publishes a short template email that lists the sessions most relevant to each job role, the free entry, the CPD hours and the travel time from major cities. Ask for it at hello@northwayroads.example.
Opening hours
The exhibition is open from 9:00 to 17:00 on Tuesday 8 June and from 9:00 to 16:00 on Wednesday 9 June. Conference theatres run from 9:30 until the end of the exhibition each day.