The UK gathering will bring together vertical transportation specialists for two days of technical research, industry exchange and discussion on international standards.
The 17th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technologies will take place on 16–17 September 2026 at Kettering Park Hotel & Spa in Kettering, United Kingdom.
The symposium will bring together industry professionals, academics and postgraduate researchers to share peer-reviewed work and exchange technical knowledge. Its format connects research with industry practice, giving delegates opportunities to hear from specialists working across vertical transportation.
Among the announced programme highlights are a keynote addressing collaboration and a panel examining whether lift and escalator standards are keeping pace with the needs of a global industry. The discussion will put the industry’s different rulebooks under the spotlight.
An accompanying exhibition will feature products and solutions from Avire, CP Automation, CEDES, Digital Advanced Control, Lester Controls, Schaefer, SLS Sassi and Peters Research. Delegates will be able to engage with these companies alongside the conference sessions. Source: Official event website
The event is organised by the Lift and Escalator Symposium Educational Trust, a registered charity focused on advancing education in lifts and related technologies. Its research papers are made openly available, extending access to technical knowledge beyond those attending the conference.
First held in 2011, the symposium was established to provide an accessible, education-focused forum for the sector. A charitable trust was subsequently formed to support its continuity.
Supporting organisations include the University of Northampton, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), its Society of Vertical Transportation (SoVT), and the Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA).
That educational foundation remains central to the symposium’s purpose: creating a forum where researchers and practitioners can share findings, examine technical questions and contribute to the industry’s collective knowledge. Source: The Lift & Escalator Symposium