Strictly Highways 2025: Our Key Takeaways

Following our excellent experience as first-time attendees last year, we were keen to be back and reinforce our commitment to the highways and local government sector, especially as active members of LCRIG. The three-day event, including the exhibition and the Department for Transport Special Recognition Awards, remains an essential platform for driving progress in our industry.

For us, Strictly Highways is a crucial gathering that aligns our line marking and surface treatments expertise with the sector’s pressing needs. We value the deep conversations that lead to genuinely tailored solutions for councils and partners.

Highlights: Sharpening the Focus on Key Themes

This year’s agenda, centred around Collaboration, Innovation, Skills, and Decarbonisation, provided clear direction and challenged us all to move beyond discussion and into action.

Inspiring the future: Leanna Dinnegan presentation of the HATT in a Box concept was a clear highlight for us, showcasing a practical and scalable solution to inspire the next generation. The method of hands-on engagement is a powerful move to shift the narrative for young people and demonstrate that careers in highways and transport technology are exciting, rewarding, and full of opportunities.

Sustainability by Design, hosted by Jonathan Munslow, featured a panel discussion titled “Sustainability by Design” that addressed the critical need for innovation and collaboration to build a sustainable future for our highway and local road networks. Panellists emphasised the urgent shift required toward low-carbon materials and whole-life carbon assessment, something we strive for at QMS.

DfT Special Recognition Awards 2025

It was an honour to once again serve as dinner table hosts at the prestigious DfT Special Recognition Awards. We congratulate all the finalists and winners—your achievements underscore the phenomenal work taking place across the UK highways community!

We extend a special congratulations to:

Susanne Ingham (LCRIG) – Recognised for her outstanding contribution to collaboration in the highways sector

WJ Group and HAAS Alert – 2025 Winner for Best Use of Technology

Wiltshire Council – 2025 Winner for Employer Initiative of the Year

Thank you to the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) for seamlessly organising another record-breaking event at the Winter Gardens. The opportunities for high-quality networking and knowledge-sharing were exceptional.

Thank you also to the main conference partners, sponsors, and every delegate. We leave Strictly Highways 2025 re-energised and looking forward to the future of the industry.

See you again in 2026!