MEMCO by AVIRE joined lift industry professionals at the 17th Lift and Escalator Symposium on 16 and 17 September 2026 at Kettering Park Hotel & Spa. With around 130 attendees, eight exhibitor stands and a full programme of presentations, the event offered two days of technical discussion and industry exchange.
This year’s papers covered topics ranging from encouraging women into the lift industry to escalator step entrapments and the use of lifts in building evacuation.
Congratulations to Terry L K Fung of Foster + Partners for winning the ‘Dr Gina Barney Emerging Excellence Award in Vertical Transportation’ for his paper: Designing Vertical Transportation for Modern Airports: Performance Capacity and Passenger-Centric.
“The LES Trustees were delighted that the 2026 Symposium sold out once again. We are deeply grateful for the support of our exhibitors, which enables us to bring together vertical transportation experts from around the world.”
Patricia Reading, Director, LES
At the MEMCO by AVIRE stand, the focus was the launch of the AVIRE Fire Comms System, designed for firefighter lift applications. Visitors were particularly interested in how AVIRE Hub can provide remote visibility of system status and testing activity.
AVIRE’s John Jackson, Matt Davies and Gemma Greenway also spoke with attendees about lift emergency communications and remote monitoring. The UK PSTN switch-off was a recurring topic, with conversations about identifying existing analogue connections and choosing suitable digital connections for lift autodiallers.
“The conversations showed how closely connected these challenges are. People want confidence that their emergency communications will work when needed, and better visibility of system status and testing helps them manage that responsibility day to day.”
John Jackson, Country Sales Manager for Northern Europe, AVIRE
“The Lift and Escalator Symposium offers a unique opportunity to both engage with key members of the lift industry as an exhibitor and listen to the papers being presented, providing the latest insights & innovations from across the globe.”
Matt Davies, Specifications and Market Education Manager, AVIRE
Thank you to everyone who visited the stand and shared their questions and experiences. To learn more about the AVIRE Fire Comms System or preparing lift emergency communications for the digital switch, contact the MEMCO by AVIRE team.