Record attendance for the new look AEMT conference

  Posted by: electime      29th September 2025

The new look AEMT annual conference, which celebrated the Association’s 80th anniversary, has been hailed a resounding success by visitors, exhibitors, sponsors and the organisers.

The conference, held on 18 September at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, drew a record number of delegates, making it the largest conference ever staged by the AEMT.

Visitors to the event were able to meet with over 20 exhibitors from across the electromechanical repair sector, with a range of products and services on show. And it was clear from the buzz on the exhibition floor that delegates and exhibitors were engaged in meaningful conversations and the exchange of ideas throughout the day.

Commenting on the success of the exhibition, Jim Fowlie, from SensorWorks, said: “We have had more meaningful conversations with the attendees today than in previous years, and in more depth. It has certainly been a worthwhile day.”

Alongside the exhibition floor, the keynote programme was opened by Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham, who engaged the audience with tales of his upbringing and military career, which included 20 years in the Special Air Service (SAS). Across his presentation, he emphasised the importance of resilience in business and going ‘always a little further’, an SAS motto.

Later in the morning, a panel discussion explored a topic of interest to a large number of AEMT members: succession planning. This session saw four representatives of AEMT member companies, Gary Downes from EMiR Software, George Knowlton from Knowlton & Newman (A Rubix Company), Jack Dunning from IPS Newcastle and Shaun Sutton from Central Group, share their personal experiences of taking their organisations to a new ownership model, before the audience asked the panellists a wide range of questions.

Following a lively networking session over lunch, the afternoon opened with a presentation on the critical topic of staff retention. During his presentation, Dr Paul Bedford emphasised the need to recognise the differing expectations and motivations across generations and the importance of reflecting those in recruitment, onboarding and retention strategies.

After the retention session, a breakout group enjoyed the Women in Engineering Power Hour during which female representatives from across the Association’s membership reviewed and discussed the results of a recent survey of their experiences of working in the industry, and explored how the AEMT can better support women in the future.

Meanwhile, Karl Metcalf, Lead Trainer and Technical Advisor at the AEMT, hosted a Condition Monitoring panel session, with Will Ocean from Maintain Reliability, Matt Fletcher from Fletcher Moorland and Fernando Velloso from WEG. This discussion explored areas including why condition monitoring is becoming increasingly important, how modern techniques work alongside more traditional planned maintenance regimes, the need for a clear strategy alongside monitoring and how Artificial Intelligence may, or may not, support condition monitoring in the future.

Before delegates were given the opportunity to explore the British Motor Museum, the final session of the day saw AEMT Council members Andy Patten and James Stevens share an update on ongoing discussions with EASA, the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, about the potential for increased collaboration between the organisations, ahead of further information being shared later in the year alongside a membership vote on the proposals. This was followed by a presentation by Frédéric Beghain, General Manager of EASA’s Europe, Asia and Africa Chapter, which introduced EASA and the benefits it offers its existing membership.

Commenting on the success of the conference, the organiser, AEMT Membership Manager Scott Haslam, said: “I’m delighted with the universally positive feedback we have had from visitors and exhibitors alike. But of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of our sponsors – Sulzer, Hidrostal, EMiR Software, Innomotics and Preformed Windings – and we are incredibly grateful for their commitment to our new look conference.

“My thoughts are now turning to how we can build on this success and deliver an even bigger and better event in 2026”

Giving his thoughts on the day, Thomas Marks, the AEMT’s General Manager, added: “I’m delighted with what the team has been able to deliver for our members here today, it was a fitting recognition of the Association’s 80th anniversary. It is important that we recognise the immensely positive impact our Association has had in its eight decades as we look to what promises to be an exciting and rewarding future for its membership.”

Plans for the 2026 AEMT conference will be shared in the coming months, and anyone interested in exhibiting or speaking at the event is encouraged to contact Scott Haslam via scott@theaemt.com