The two-day event, which is sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric, takes place online on November 3 and 4 and is structured around an overall theme of ‘Building Back Better, Safer, Greener’ with a focus on the detailed technical elements of rebuilding from the pandemic, delivering the requirements of new building safety legislation, modernising the sector’s workforce, and pushing on towards a net zero emissions future.

Clarke is best known for Channel 4 programmes The Home Show, The Restoration Man and George Clarke's Amazing Spaces. After opening the Conference, he will discuss a range of industry topics in conversation with BESA chief executive David Frise.

‘The building engineering sector is in a fascinating place right now,’ said Clarke. ‘There is huge demand for specialist services that can deliver healthier, safer and more comfortable indoor spaces. The pandemic has thrust this industry into the public eye as people have become much more conscious of the role buildings play in their health and wellbeing.’

Among a growing list of other prominent speakers is former chief construction adviser Paul Morrell OBE who will be looking back on the 10 years since the government mandated the use of BIM. Anna Leech, deputy chief economist at the CBI, will update delegates on the ‘new normal economy’ and Tim Galloway, the HSE’s deputy director Building Safety Programme, will consider the implications of the new building safety regime.

CIBSE president-elect Kevin Mitchell will also chair a session setting the scene for this year’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. He will discuss with a panel of young engineers how we can hold our politicians to account and set out a series of long-term challenges for the building services industry.

Go to www.theBESA.com/conference for more details and to register.