Over 400 delegates gathered for three days of industry insight, innovation and collaboration.
The ALBUM Conference 2025, held last week at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham, brought together 400 attendees from across the bus industry for three days of insight, discussion, and networking. The sold-out event focused on the theme of delivering excellent bus services through positive partnerships.
Delegates heard from a range of influential speakers including, Simon Lightwood MP, Mayor Claire Ward, Cllr Graham Chapman, Guillaume Chanussot, David Leeder, Jason Prince, Daniel Pearman, Richard Wellings, Louise Collins, Roger French, Tom Quay, Alex Warner, Caroline Wilson, Tony Depledge, Alison Edwards, Ian Downie, and Julia Meek.
A diverse fleet of buses was showcased at the conference, featuring vehicles from Nottingham City Transport, Pelican Bus & Coach, Alexander Dennis, EVM UK, Mellor Bus, Wrightbus, and the Nottingham Heritage Vehicles Charity. In addition, the Exhibition Hall welcomed over 50 industry suppliers, giving delegates extensive opportunities to explore the latest products, services, and innovations within the sector.
The event also raised an impressive £8,000 for Maggie’s Nottingham through a silent auction held during the Gala Dinner, alongside a generous donation from the winners of the Curry and Quiz Night, InSol Recruitment, who donated their prize money to the charity.
The conference was made possible thanks to the generous support of its sponsors:
- Gold sponsors: Passenger Technology Group, Pelican Bus & Coach
- Silver sponsors: Alexander Dennis, INIT, Mellor Bus, VEV, Wrightbus
- Bronze sponsors: Allison Transmission, Alfatronix, Backhouse Jones, Cityswift, EO Charging, Equans, Freeway Fleet Systems, Outdo, SURE Solutions, Ticketer, Timespace Technology, Transmach, Vaculug, Zenobē
David Astill, NCT Managing Director and ALBUM Chair, said: “The ALBUM Conference is an established event in the annual calendar for the bus industry and goes from strength to strength. The support from both delegates and suppliers has been tremendous for which the ALBUM team is very grateful. I think all who attended would have been impressed by the speakers, the venue and the overall organisation and I offer my personal thanks to all who contributed and especially the team at NCT who put this event together.”
The conference received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, with some of the comments including:
“From start to finish, the whole package was wonderfully well put together and really showcased everything Nottingham and public transport in the East Midlands has to offer. Everything from the venue, the speakers, the entertainment, the suppliers and the Gala Dinner were exceptional.”
“Certainly one of the best ALBUM conferences we’ve been to — in terms of venue, organisation, and opportunities to network. All spot on!”
“The thought, detail, venue, food, entertainment — absolutely second to none and a credit to the team. You’ve set the bar high for all that will follow.”
“Amazing event, at one of the best locations. Well organised and from a supplier point of view, fantastic area for the stands and networking.”
Presentations were made at the Gala Dinner to former ALBUM Chair, Bill Hiron; ALBUM Policy Advisor Tony Depledge and ALBUM Supplier Representative John Clarfelt for their thanks and dedication to ALBUM as they step down from their roles.
The 2026 ALBUM Conference will take place from 11th to 13th May in Blackpool, offering another valuable opportunity for the industry to come together and build on the success of this year’s event.
