Hello, Nathan. How are you? 

I am all good! Yourself? Are you well? 

I'm very well, thank you. I wanted to ask you a little bit about the upcoming show – UKREiiF – and where you are with it. I'm presuming you're frantically busy, or is it kind of tapering off now? What's the workload with you? You're famously a workaholic! 

Yes, it is busy. It's actually the first day, today, when we go on site. So I'm going to nip down onto site later with the high-vis on. We've had a few people sending photos through already just to show what's happening, but the first pavilions are going up today. So yes, it's very busy, but we're very much into what we call the delivery phase.  That's when the team are now pretty much delivering what we've set out we're going to do. I'm actually on a flight in a couple of days, going overseas for work, so that shows how important I am to the thing coming together! 
 

(laughs) 

It's all about the team delivering now. 

And is that - I think we chatted about it before on my on my podcast - with a future show in mind overseas? 

That is indeed correct. Yes, it's about international growth that we're exploring. So yes, probably bad timing to do it, but then at the same time, I can get quite a lot done on a 24 hour flight. So yes, it's all good, but it is tied into potential, sort of UKREiiF spin-offs. 

You've given me a lovely, juicy hint there with the 24 hour flight! I won't push you any further, but that brings some countries into the picture! 

Anyway, what's new this year in Leeds? What can you say as a sort of general picture, physically and thematically? What's the shorthand? 

Yes, so the site has grown again. There are a couple of new pavilions; there's a couple of new buildings on site. You will visually see that the site has expanded, including one extra pavilion on the water, which we've managed to sneak on. But actually, apart from that, it's all about doing what we've always done, which is lots of different types of networking, different types of content, just making sure that the flow and the facilitation is happening on site. So, if you delve into the programme, you'll see lots of different or new sectors emerging that we're putting on the programme. But actually, apart from looking a bit bigger, hopefully, the delivery is pretty much the same as last year in terms of what's taking place down there. 

In terms of magnitude, how many people are you expecting? 

I've always said 16,000, which is what we got last year. We're currently tracking to be up on that number. Probably 16,500, 17,000. But I think, yes, if we go for that, pitch at the 16,000 mark, then I won't be disappointed if we don't get any further over it. 

And what are your personal highlights? I read your LinkedIn piece the other day about all the sporting bits and bobs that are happening, including the latest sign-up, which is Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink of Leeds United and Strictly Come Dancing fame, of course – and Chelsea, and Holland! But Bradley Wiggins is there as well, and lots more sport. Is that a big thrust this year? 

Yes, I think what I'm really liking is the fact that we all know that the built environment is much more than just buildings. And the programme's really come into life this year with people thinking, "actually, let's try to ensure that if you're showcasing a place, it's not just about the buildings or the offices which are in it, it's really about what's driving that community”. In some places, that might be sport, in others, it might be education. So yes, really, really buzzing that we've got such a focus on areas like that. 

I had a tour recently of Barnsley, which is a local town to me, where they've put part of the hospital inside an old shopping centre, and it's made the town centre thriving. Those pieces which are so important making their way into the agenda, rather than it just being, you know, traditional resi and housing and office space and logistics and industrial, we're starting to see a lot more of these other sectors feed into the event. Yes, sporting is one, but there's so many others out there as well, whether it be healthcare, education, culture and art. So yes, really excited to see that kind of coming together. 

Are there one or two events that you are particularly looking forward to in the whole programme? Or is it unfair to pinpoint? 

Yes, I probably shouldn't pinpoint any particular partners, so what I'll do is I'll keep it top-heavy. There's an area called the Tournament Gallery, which is inside the Royal Armouries - that is just focused on networking every hour. So, one hour is focused on residential, the next it will be on sustainability, the next on something else. So, I like that as a space, because actually you can meet, really easily, like-minded people within the walls of the event. I like that kind of new area of the event. The other one would probably be the political engagement, once again, that we've got. I was just actually speaking to the Prime Minister's team this morning. Not that the Prime Minister's coming, but his business engagement team are making their way up. We've got some big headline political speakers on the programme as well, both on the main stage and some of the others. So again, really looking forward, because I'm into politics, to making my way around and listening to it, to a few of those, to hear what they've got to say, particularly after the local elections happen in May as well. 

David Taylor  

Yes, of course. And in terms of my audience for this, the NLA audience, particularly those who are London -ased, would you say just come along and have a broad geography in mind, or are there any particular London events that you can point to that would be interesting for them? 

Yes, I mean there's a three-day dedicated programme for London, so they've got their own dedicated pavilion within there - you can get a drink, there's networking space outside, tables and chairs undercover. So that would be my number one space to go to if you're from London. We always try to have a networking morning event, lunch and evening, after events, sort of drinks receptions, so there's content in there. There are some London boroughs on show. There are some really great headline partners in there as well, like Arada, Places for London, Hill Group, who are doing quite a bit of activity within those spaces, Lendlease as well. So, I would be spending my time in and around that London pavilion. But likewise, I would be going out and spreading to see some of the other content that's out there. Because actually, that's what you can learn from different ideas being done in different places. So certainly, spread out a little bit further and meet some of the other regions. 

You're in a particularly good place to characterise, I suppose, the temperature gauge for the whole of the UK built environment industry and sectors. How would you characterise that temperature right now? 

We're actually doing a report that will be revealed at UKREiiF, which, because we've got 12-16,000 people filling out this registration form before the event, we're capturing the sentiment. We did it last year too, to see how they're feeling. I won't give too much away on where it is, but actually I think it's probably more positive than I thought. 

Is it? 

Yes. The particular bit I'd say is really positive is the international capital picture of the UK at the moment, which is really positive, versus where it's been over the past couple of years. But I think if you drill down into the detail, I think there are clearly some challenges, particularly in certain regions as well. Yes, if you look at areas like the capital, it might be very different in London versus a couple of places in other regions. So, I think it differs in where you are in the UK. I think overseas, I've been positive from the early data that we've got. But domestically, you can see that because we're the ones delivering the viability challenges, it is very much there; it's kind of slightly less of a picture, but probably not as negative as I thought it would be. 

David Taylor  

That's interesting. So inward investment is looking slightly rosier than domestic. The view from abroad, as it were, is slightly more optimistic, is it? 

Yes, that's what the data that I've got in front is suggesting at the moment. Even some of those conversations which we're having with international investors, when we've had a deeper understanding, Brexit had really put some of them off investing into the UK. I think it's that concern about what was going to happen afterwards. And now the picture is a little bit clearer as to what that looks like. So, whether it's the most attractive place in Europe to be putting your money or not, is one question, but at least there's a clearer certainty on what returns look like in the UK. So, it's easier now to come back at that market and have a look at it, and I think you'll see that from some of the partners that we're working with this year. Some of that is from overseas, and I think that puts a stamp down to say, where are we going as an industry, that international capital is probably going to start circling again, which is positive. 

Could you say something yet about the future of the show and whether or not Leeds will still be running it in two years? I know it's definite for next year, but is it up in the air after that? What's the situation? 

I couldn't possibly say! Yes, we are still in discussion for '28 and '29 but nothing has actually been signed, so I couldn't actually tell you if there was, but there isn't anything actually to say at the moment. So, we are Leeds for '27 and yet to be called up to 29: we have to do it as one bunch for two years. 

David Taylor  

So: last couple of questions. How do you relax after the show? Is it a short break or family time in Wakefield? You still live in Wakefield, don't you? 

I do indeed, but it is probably going be going into renewal period. So, we're straight on from our end into delivering 2027. I have got a trip booked to Monaco to see the Formula One, which is in the first week of June. 

Wow! 

I think that was more just good timing than anything else - I'll probably be on the laptop whilst I’m there! And then it's the World Cup, David! So, I am planning, because I do try to go into the England home and away... 

...Do you really? I didn't know that. Right. Have you got tickets? 

I've got tickets for a fair few games. I've not bought tickets for the whole thing, because it would have cost 15 grand for the ticket. So, I thought I'd be sensible. I think I've got tickets for five games at the moment: group stages, and then the first two knockout stages, and then we'll see how we get on to where we go from there. 

I don't even know where England are based. Well, I mean, obviously America, right? But, where? 

Do you know what? I've got the tickets and I haven't booked anything yet. So, the ones that I know of where I have to make a trip - If we go to the knockout stages, we go to Texas, and then to Mexico, but I think it's near New York. I've got tickets, and I still haven't organised a single thing. I should probably do that after UKREiiF: start stressing about how I'm going to do the World Cup! 

David Taylor  

Yeah, brilliant. And take in a few Pokémon exhibits on the way, right, when you're out there? 

Nathan Spencer  

Absolutely! Take a collection with me and I'll do some swaps over there! 

Yes, brilliant! Well, I'll see you in Leeds. Good luck with it. It sounds like it's going to be a winner again this year. So, congratulations already. 

Thank you very much! Bye.