West Midlands set to host major global ceramics conference in £1m boost for region
Over £1m is expected to be added to the West Midlands' economy when 600 ceramics professionals descend on the region for a four-day event.
The 12th International Ceramics Congress is expected to bring together the world’s top ceramics researchers and manufacturers with the impact of the four-day event anticipated to be worth more than £1 million for the West Midlands’ economy.
The conference will take place in July 2028. The event has recently been hosted in Dresden, Germany; Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; and Montreal, Canada; and will head next to Sapporo, Japan in 2026.
“Securing the 12th International Ceramics Congress in Birmingham is a fantastic result and we look forward to hosting hundreds of global ceramics professionals to our young, friendly and accessible destination in four years’ time," said Steve Knight, Senior Business Tourism Manager at the West Midlands Growth Company.
“This conference win is an example of the unique collaboration, which exists across the West Midlands’ business events industry. From the expertise of our Convention Bureau colleagues and Conference Ambassador Network to our venues and partners, such as The Eastside Rooms and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, this success is a testament to great teamwork, and will provide a significant boost to the region’s economy.”
The event was secured by the Birmingham and West Midlands Convention Bureau, part of the West Midlands Growth Company, and its Conference Ambassador, Professor Jon Binner, Professor of Ceramic Science and Engineering in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham.
The Bureau supported Professor Binner and also worked with the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) to secure a suitable venue and accommodation, suggest social programme options and compose the bid document.
Professor Jon Binner added: “It is a great honour to have been invited to organise this conference, which is a tremendously thrilling opportunity to bring the world’s top researchers and manufacturers to the UK and the West Midlands in particular. I have been a university academic in the field of ceramic science and engineering since 1984 and I have attended – and been involved with organising – many conferences, but this will be the first time that I have been the lead organiser for a conference of this size and so I am very grateful to the Birmingham Conference Ambassador Network, IOM3, the European Ceramic Society and the venue, Eastside Rooms, for assisting me.
“The timing of the event will also tie in very nicely with the £18.27M Strength in Places funding to the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group; this research and development programme will have just finished and so delegates can learn all about the exciting outcomes.”
