NWAA | Annual Conference 2027

Name: NWAA | Annual Conference 2027
Start: 2027-02-24T08:30:00+00:00
End: 2027-02-24T17:00:00+00:00
Location: Concorde Conference Centre

24 February 2027 | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Date | Wednesday, 24th February 2027
Venue | Concorde Conference Centre, Altrincham, WA15 8XQ
Time | 8:30 am to 5:00pm

“The Next Growth Frontier | Technology, investment and resilience in a changing industrial landscape”

The North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) invites you to our landmark 2027 Annual Conference—an energising day of innovation, strategy, and industry collaboration set beneath the wings of the iconic Concorde.

This year’s theme, “The Next Growth Frontier | Technology, investment & resilience in a changing industrial landscape,” is designed to equip organisations of all sizes with the tools, insights, and connections needed to accelerate progress and thrive in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

Download The Sponsorship Brochure For ‘Gold’ & ‘Silver’ Levels Below:

The decisions we make today will define the growth of tomorrow.

The North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) invites you to its landmark 2027 Annual Conference a day of insight, innovation and industry collaboration in the extraordinary setting of the iconic Concorde.

As global markets shift, defence priorities evolve and new technologies transform the industrial landscape, businesses face a defining challenge: how to turn change into opportunity and ambition into sustainable growth.

This year’s conference, The Next Growth Frontier: Technology, Investment and Resilience in a Changing Industrial Landscape, will bring together perspectives from across aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing, energy, technology and finance to explore what it takes to compete, scale and succeed in an increasingly complex world.

From the technologies reshaping industry to the investment needed to bring them to life, we’ll examine the forces influencing the next decade of UK industrial growth — and what businesses can do now to prepare for it.

Join us to explore the opportunities, challenge conventional thinking and connect with the people helping shape the future of industry.

One industry. A changing world. A new growth frontier.

Growth is no longer simply about doing more. It is about making the right investments, adopting the right technologies and building the resilience to compete in a fundamentally changing world.

For businesses across aerospace, defence and advanced manufacturing, the opportunities are significant. But so are the challenges: geopolitical uncertainty, evolving customer requirements, rising energy costs, skills shortages, complex supply chains and the difficulty of turning promising innovation into commercial success.

The NWAA Annual Conference 2027 will explore these interconnected challenges and opportunities, bringing together the ideas and perspectives businesses need to make informed decisions about their future.

Whether you are leading an established manufacturer, scaling an innovative SME, investing in new capabilities or developing the technologies that will define tomorrow’s industries, this is an opportunity to step back, look ahead and consider where your next phase of growth could come from.

What will we be exploring?
Our conference programme will follow a clear journey: understanding how the world is changing, identifying where the opportunities lie, examining what it takes to capture them, and exploring how growth can be financed and delivered.

The programme will feature eight key themes, with speakers and contributors to be announced.

01. The New World Order | Defence, geopolitics and the economic impact of a changing world
How are global security developments, geopolitical tensions and changing defence priorities reshaping the opportunities and risks for UK industry? Explore what these shifts could mean for industrial strategy, supply chains and future demand.

02. The Defence Technology Revolution | The technologies reshaping defence and aerospace
From artificial intelligence and autonomy to robotics, advanced materials, space and digital technologies, discover where innovation is creating new possibilities — and what it will take to turn technological progress into real-world capability at scale.

03. The Dual-Use Opportunity | From innovation to commercial growth
Technologies developed for defence and security can have applications far beyond their original markets. Explore how businesses can translate innovation into scalable commercial opportunities across civil aerospace, energy and other industrial sectors.

04. Why Doesn’t Great Technology Scale? | Overcoming the barriers to growth
A promising prototype is only the beginning. Examine the practical challenges of moving from innovation to production, including access to finance, procurement, regulation, certification, skills and the cost of scaling operations.

05. The Factory of the Future | Technology, productivity and sustainable manufacturing
How can advanced manufacturing, automation, artificial intelligence and digitalisation transform industrial performance? Discover how businesses can improve productivity, strengthen competitiveness and build more sustainable manufacturing operations.

06. The Energy Challenge | Energy security, cost and industrial competitiveness
Energy is central to the future of UK manufacturing. Explore how energy availability, affordability, security and the transition to a lower-carbon economy could influence industrial competitiveness, investment decisions and long-term growth.

07. Financing the Future | Who will fund the next generation of growth?
Ambition requires investment. Explore how banks, investors and financial institutions are approaching opportunities across defence, aerospace, energy and advanced manufacturing — and what businesses need to demonstrate to secure the funding required to grow.

08. Where Is the Growth? | The opportunities that will define the next decade
We’ll bring the conversation together with a forward-looking examination of the opportunities ahead. Where should businesses invest, which capabilities will matter most, and what needs to change for UK industry to capture a greater share of future growth?

More than a conference. An opportunity to move forward.

The NWAA Annual Conference is an opportunity to step outside the day-to-day demands of business and engage with the wider forces shaping our industry.

Gain fresh perspectives | Explore the economic, technological and industrial developments influencing future opportunities.
Identify opportunities for growth | Consider emerging markets, new technologies and potential applications for your products, services and capabilities.
Understand the challenges of scaling | Examine the practical realities of investment, productivity, energy, skills and commercialisation.
Build valuable connections | Meet fellow business leaders, manufacturers, innovators and stakeholders from across the industrial ecosystem.
Look ahead with confidence | Take away new ideas and perspectives to help inform your business strategy and future investment decisions.

Be part of the conversation shaping our industrial future.

The next phase of growth will be shaped by the decisions businesses make today: where they invest, which technologies they adopt, how they build resilience and how effectively they collaborate.

The NWAA Annual Conference 2027 will provide a platform to explore these questions, exchange ideas and consider how the North West and the wider UK industrial base can turn emerging opportunities into lasting economic value.

Join us beneath the wings of Concorde for a day dedicated to the ideas, connections and decisions that will help define the next growth frontier.