Steve will run through the exhibition highlights and event format for the day

9:25am - Herman Dee Suite

Nick will welcome delegates to Sandwell and formally open Growing Green 2012 
 
9:30am   - Herman Dee Suite 

Centro will open Growing Green with a special DVD fly-through and presentation on the Birmingham City Centre Metroline expansion, Chris will showcase the new £125m scheme and talk about concept designs, procurement timescales, local supply chains and innovation.

9:55am  - Downstairs Learning Zone:

International trade
Peter Mathews, vice-chair of the Black Country LEP board
Peter will open our learning zone seminar sessions with an inspirational presentation on UK and global opportunities in green markets. He'll tell you how the West Midlands' innovative manufacturing firms have the potential to lead the world in green technology. 

Sustainable modular buildings
Bob Francis, director of engineering at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services
Bob's going to give you a valuable insight into modular buildings and offsite manufacturing, he'll tell you how the latest cutting-edge design, lean manufacturing and market-leading technology has helped Balfour Beatty to develop sustainable and waste-free building solutions that are changing the face of construction supply chains. 

10:50am  - Downstairs Learning Zone:

The UK has benefited from a number of Vehicle Manufacturer major investment announcements - these include Jaguar Land Rover building a new plant in Wolverhampton, The opportunities for Black Country suppliers are immense and green and innovative credentials are a pre-requisite to win new business. Rachel will discuss the factors affecting auto supply and how to differentiate yourself.

11:10am  - Downstairs Learning Zone:

A typical business wastes on average £40.00 per £1,000 turnover. William will give some valuable tips on how to recover costs through implementing a Sustainable Resource 

Management System (SRMS). 

11:25am  - Downstairs Learning Zone:

Innovation 1st Funding
Steve Smith, University of Wolverhampton
Steve's coming to talk about the University of Wolverhampton's Innovation 1st project, a scheme to help SMEs fund their research and development (R&D) costs in exploring new markets or adopting new technologies.
 
11:45am  - Downstairs Learning Zone: 
Black Country Green Deal - Retrofit Homes
Tomos Jones, Green Homes improvement manager for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Tomos will tell you how Sandwell is leading on the Black Country's Green Deal scheme, and talk about the regions ambitious plans to build affordable carbon-free homes for the Black Country, as well as retro-fitting existing housing stock to be more sustainable. This work will create a huge demand for greener building technologies, new materials and products and new ways of constructing and installing. How can your business grab the resulting opportunities?
 
12:00noon - Downstairs Learning Zone:

In a risk adverse construction market, Jason's presentation will cover "funding alternatives for SME sub-contractors in today’s tough lending environment and give some essential cash flow tips”. 

12:30pm -  - Downstairs Learning Zone: 

Funding, Grants & Loans for Black Country Manufacturers
Rachel Eade, automotive cluster manager for the Manufacturing Advisory Service
In these challenging public sector times Government grants are few and far between. MAS has recently won a 3 year contract to support manufacturers’ with growth and innovation activity. Rachel will provide an overview of MAS support including the regional growth fund and other locally available grants and loans for Black Country Manufacturers
 

12:50pm
How to manage and align your supply chain to deliver sustainability
Roy Casey, president of the Black Country Constructing Excellence Club
In a must-attend seminar for both public and private sector buyers, Roy will define and demystify what 'sustainable procurement' means. He'll tell you the difference between ISO-certified and ISO-accredited suppliers and talk about an affordable pathway to ISO 14001 accreditation for your supply chain.

13:10pm
CoRE (Centre of Refurbishment Excellence)
Jonathan Davis, newly appointed CEO of CoRE 
CoRE is the newly opened £11.4m national demonstration centre in Stoke on Trent, built to showcase the latest sustainable materials, building products and systems. In his seminar, Jonathan will explain how CoRE provides businesses with the product knowledge and trade skills needed to embrace the new technologies and installation skills necessary to carry out retro-fit solutions in the country’s homes and commercial buildings.

13:30pm
The Energy Initiatives team
Richard Morgan, Wardell Armstrong
Wardell Armstrong's Energy Initiatives team helps organisations to manage their energy costs and achieve significant and long-term reductions in energy consumption by finding sustainable working methods in the production and built environments.