The Western Gateway partnership has announced that it will be returning to the UK’s Real Estate, Infrastructure, and Investment Forum (UKREiiF) in 2025 with its own dedicated pavilion to showcase the best of what the area has to offer. 

Bringing together local authorities and businesses from across South Wales and Western England, the Western Gateway Pavilion is the place to hear about the UK’s fastest growing area outside of London.

Last year, UKREiiF, as the nation’s largest investment conference, brought together 13,000 representatives from across government, local authorities, construction businesses and investors to discuss unlocking investment and driving regeneration across the UK to accelerate economic growth.  In 2025 the event looks set to be bigger and better than before with new floating stages being added to what is already an expansive set up which represents the best of what the UK has to offer.

Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of the Western Gateway, said:

“As the fastest growing area outside of London, the Western Gateway is the place to invest.  By bringing together business and local authorities from across South Wales and Western England, we are able to make sure our area can be recognised alongside the North and the Midlands for the major contributions we want to make to the UK Economy.

“We have incredible opportunities here that we are ready to shout about and I am so happy to announce our return to UKREiiF next year with an even bigger and better presence than before.  With our group of committed local leaders and supportive business, we are ready to work with organisations from around the world and across the UK to drive investment and ensure we can continue to be a major driver of our economy.”

The Partnership’s presence at the UKREiiF will follow the area’s Convention for the Western Gateway, presented by SSE Energy, at the ICC Wales on 17 October 2024. This major convention will be a showcase of the area’s ambitions and how it aims to capitalise on new data which suggests the area could be the fastest growing economic area outside of London.

The Western Gateway is one of the UK’s key Pan-Regional Partnerships.  Stretching from St David’s in South-West Wales to Swindon, the partnership brings together local authorities, business and academia to drive economic growth and drive investment in their communities.  Covering 4.8million people, the area is home to world leading engineering, innovative start-ups, and well renowned universities.

With Europe’s most developed cyber cluster and 14-15 world’s largest aerospace manufacturers based in the area, leaders are collaborating at scale to make sure the area can attract the investment communities need to open new opportunities and deliver for the UK economy.

This will be the fourth UKREiiF the partnership has attended.