Factfile

Hillhead is the UK’s major construction event and the biggest working quarry show anywhere in the world.

Venue

The show is organised by Nottingam-based QMJ Publishing Ltd, specialist magazine publishers and exhibition organisers for the quarrying, natural stone and associated industries.

Frequency

The show was established in 1982. The first event at Hillhead Quarry took place in 1983 and has been held there every two years ever since.

Hours

This year’s exhibition takes place from 23–25 June and is open from 09:00h to 18:00h on Tuesday 23 & Wednesday 24, and from 09:00h to 17:30h on Thursday 25.

Exhibitors and visitors

430 exhibitors took part in the last show in 2007, which was attended by 18,393 visitors. Overseas visitors came from 70 countries and represented approximately 10% of total.

Exhibition area

The showground covers approximately 140,000m2 and includes outdoor display areas (105,000m2), covered pavilions (3,500m2) and extensive working demonstration areas (35,000m2).

Live demonstrations

There are three categories of working demonstration area: Quarry face: large wheel loaders and excavators load dumptrucks from a 10,000-tonne rock pile and hydraulic breakers are used for secondary breaking; Rock Processing: a wide variety of screens and crushers are used to process material into single-size or graded products; and Recycling: well over 1,000 tonnes of waste material is sorted, crushed, shredded, screened, and stockpiled into reusable aggregate or waste material.

Industries covered

Quarrying, mining, recycling, heavy construction, materials handling, concrete, asphalt, road-surfacing, civil engineering, plant hire, demolition and landfill.

Associated events

QMJ Publishing Ltd also organise the Natural Stone Show, which takes place every two years in London. The next NSS event will be held at the ExCeL centre in London’s Docklands from 16–18 March 2010 (www.stoneshow.co.uk).