Events by CLAWAR Association

The INDX Woman Show 2026 returns to Cranmore Park Conference & Event Centre in Shirley, Solihull, bringing together the UK's independent fashion retail community for three days of buying, networking, and trend discovery. Organised by Associated Independent Stores (AIS), the event has become one of the country's most respected retail buying exhibitions, offering carefully curated collections that help retailers stay competitive in an ever-changing fashion marketplace. Designed exclusively for professional buyers and retail businesses, the exhibition showcases an extensive range of womenswear, footwear, handbags, accessories, and lifestyle fashion products from established brands and emerging designers. Every exhibitor is selected to ensure visitors gain access to commercially successful collections suitable for today's independent retail sector. A Premier Buying Event Unlike traditional consumer fashion events, the INDX Woman Show focuses entirely on business-to-business retail opportunities. Buyers can review upcoming seasonal collections, negotiate directly with suppliers, compare products, and place orders in a productive environment. Retail professionals attending the exhibition will find products suited for boutiques, department stores, garden centres, fashion retailers, online stores, and multi-category independent businesses. With numerous brands displaying their latest ranges under one roof, attendees can efficiently source products while saving valuable buying time. Extensive Product Categories Visitors can expect a diverse collection of fashion-related products including: Contemporary womenswear Casual fashion Occasion wear Knitwear Outerwear Denim collections Footwear Handbags Fashion accessories Lifestyle products Boutique labels Seasonal collections This carefully balanced product mix allows retailers to build complete seasonal assortments while identifying new suppliers and emerging brands. Valuable Networking Opportunities The exhibition provides outstanding networking opportunities throughout the three-day programme. Buyers, suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, and fashion professionals can exchange ideas, discuss market developments, and establish long-term commercial partnerships. AIS has built a strong reputation for creating an environment where meaningful business conversations take place. Visitors frequently return because of the quality of exhibitors and the opportunity to meet decision-makers from across the UK and Ireland. Learn About Emerging Fashion Trends One of the strongest attractions of the INDX Woman Show is its emphasis on trend forecasting. Fashion specialists share insights into upcoming consumer preferences, colours, fabrics, silhouettes, and merchandising strategies that help retailers prepare successful seasonal collections. Understanding future buying behaviour allows retailers to make informed purchasing decisions while reducing risk and improving profitability. Why Attend? Whether you operate a boutique, department store, fashion chain, or online retail business, the exhibition offers practical commercial value. Attendees can: Source new suppliers. Compare hundreds of product lines. Build relationships with manufacturers. Discover exclusive collections. Identify emerging fashion trends. Expand buying knowledge. Improve merchandising strategies. Stay ahead of competitors. Access exclusive trade opportunities. Grow their retail business. Professional Exhibition Venue Cranmore Park Conference & Event Centre is purpose-built for professional exhibitions and provides a comfortable environment for buyers and exhibitors alike. Facilities include: Spacious exhibition halls Complimentary visitor parking On-site refreshments Modern meeting facilities Comfortable networking areas Easy motorway access Professional event management Its central location in Shirley makes it easily accessible for visitors travelling from across England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Supporting Independent Retail Associated Independent Stores has spent decades supporting independent retailers through buying services, networking opportunities, merchandising expertise, and supplier partnerships. The INDX portfolio of exhibitions reflects this commitment by creating industry-focused trade events that deliver genuine commercial value rather than simply showcasing products. Retailers attending the exhibition benefit from carefully selected exhibitors, industry expertise, and a business-focused atmosphere that encourages productive buying. The INDX Woman Show 2026 is one of the UK's leading fashion buying exhibitions for independent retailers. Combining quality exhibitors, trend-led collections, networking opportunities, and professional business support, the event offers everything fashion buyers need to prepare for upcoming retail seasons. Whether you are seeking innovative brands, exclusive products, or new supplier relationships, this AIS-organised trade exhibition provides an excellent platform for business growth and retail success.

The 3 Counties Expo Bedfordshire stands as a premier regional business event designed to foster genuine corporate relationships, drive local economic growth, and unite diverse professionals. Set in a vibrant, collaborative environment, this upcoming event brings together ambitious company directors, visionary entrepreneurs, startup founders, and corporate leaders from across the region to share insights, establish lucrative partnerships, and scale their commercial horizons. Rather than relying on cold corporate settings, the expo prioritizes face-to-face dialogue, community collaboration, and meaningful interactions that inspire long-term business success. Attendees can look forward to an immersive day packed with progressive learning formats, cutting-edge exhibits, and high-value networking sessions tailored to address current marketplace demands. Exhibition and Networking Features Participants will gain unrestricted access to a dynamic exhibition zone featuring a diverse array of innovative local businesses showcasing their core services, retail products, and specialized solutions. The format includes structured hourly networking modules organized alongside dedicated industry groups to ensure participants experience zero awkwardness while maximizing connection outputs. Furthermore, attendees can take part in specialized interactive speed networking tracks designed to expand professional directories rapidly. An exclusive, optional sit-down networking lunch provides a relaxed atmosphere to switch off from digital distractions, deepen conversations, and cement strategic alliances with potential clients, suppliers, or collaborators. Expert Workshops and Knowledge Growth Education and professional enrichment sit at the heart of the 3 Counties Expo agenda. Throughout the day, industry authorities and regional thought leaders will host a series of bite-sized, practical workshops. These sessions focus on critical modern enterprise requirements, including artificial intelligence integration, strategic digital marketing, human resources management, financial resilience, and sustainable commercial practices. Every presentation is carefully structured to deliver actionable takeaways that participants can immediately implement within their daily operations to optimize workflow efficiency, improve branding visibility, and accelerate bottom-line corporate growth.

For the next generation of roboticists, mastering the methodology of research is as important as mastering the code. The CLAWAR Research Methods Workshop in Sheffield is an educational initiative designed to elevate the quality of scientific inquiry in the field of mobile machines. Held at Sheffield Hallam University, this two-day intensive program is specifically tailored for PhD candidates and early-career researchers who are currently navigating the complexities of experimental design, data validation, and academic publishing. The first day is dedicated to "Experimental Rigor." Participants will learn how to design repeatable experiments for climbing and walking robots, where environmental variables can often skew results. Special attention is given to the integration of simulation (such as ROS and Gazebo) with physical prototyping, ensuring that virtual findings translate accurately to the real world. Professors from the CLAWAR Association’s scientific committee will provide one-on-one feedback on participants' current research designs. Day two shifts toward the "Dissemination of Knowledge." This covers the nuances of writing for high-impact journals and preparing for international conferences like the annual CLAWAR event. Workshop attendees will participate in a mock peer-review process, gaining insight into what editors look for in a groundbreaking robotics paper. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a sharpened research plan and a clearer path toward their doctoral defense or their first major publication. This is a rare opportunity to learn the "hidden curriculum" of robotics research from the very people who set the international standards.

The Industrial Mobile Robotics Networking Evening is designed to foster local connections within the Northern Powerhouse’s robotics sector. Organized by the CLAWAR Association and hosted at the world-renowned Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), this event targets the bridge between high-level research and industrial application. Sheffield has become a global hub for "Industry 4.0," and this evening serves as the premier meet-up for those driving the transition toward smarter, more mobile factory floors. This is not a traditional conference; there are no long-form papers or slide decks. Instead, the evening is structured around "lightning talks" where five local innovators present their most challenging problems or breakthrough solutions in five minutes or less. Following these talks, the floor opens for curated networking, allowing start-up founders to meet venture capitalists and researchers to find industrial partners for their next grant application. The focus remains on mobile and service robotics—specifically robots that can navigate complex, changing industrial environments without the need for safety cages. As the CLAWAR Association expands its reach, events like this ensure that the scientific breakthroughs in walking and climbing locomotion are being effectively communicated to the manufacturers who can deploy them. Drinks and light refreshments will be served, and tours of the AMRC Factory 2050 facilities will be available for early arrivals.

The CLAWAR Association presents a specialized seminar in Sheffield focusing on the intersection of healthcare and humanoid robotics. As global demographics shift toward an older population, the demand for sophisticated assistive technology has never been higher. This seminar showcases how the mechanics of walking and climbing robots—technologies long championed by CLAWAR—are being adapted for prosthetics, exoskeletons, and elderly care assistants. The day begins with a showcase of state-of-the-art humanoid prototypes currently in clinical trials across the UK. Speakers from both academia and the medical technology industry will discuss the challenges of "soft" robotics—ensuring that machines interacting with vulnerable humans are safe, intuitive, and empathetic. Unlike traditional industrial robotics, assistive tech requires a high degree of adaptability to the unpredictable nature of human movement and domestic environments. In the afternoon, the seminar will facilitate a collaborative forum where engineers meet healthcare professionals. This "translation session" aims to bridge the gap between technical capability and clinical need. Attendees will learn about sensor integration for fall detection, haptic feedback for rehabilitation, and the social acceptance of robots in care homes. This event is a must-attend for anyone involved in the design or implementation of medical robotics, offering a rare chance to see these machines in a practical, solution-oriented context within the vibrant city of Sheffield.

The Robotics and Autonomous Systems Ethics Workshop, hosted by the CLAWAR Association in the heart of Sheffield, represents a critical gathering for those concerned with the moral trajectory of automation. As robots move from controlled factory floors into the nuances of public life, the ethical hurdles become increasingly complex. This two-day intensive workshop moves beyond theoretical philosophy to provide practical, actionable frameworks for developers, researchers, and policymakers. Participants will engage in a series of interactive sessions led by international experts in robot law and digital ethics. The first day focuses on "The Human in the Loop," exploring the psychological and social impacts of long-term human-robot interaction. On the second day, the focus shifts to technical accountability—how do we program "fairness" into an algorithm, and who is responsible when an autonomous system fails? Sheffield’s rich industrial heritage provides a symbolic backdrop for this modern industrial revolution. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with peers, share their recent research in dedicated poster sessions, and participate in a live "Ethical Sandbox" where hypothetical scenarios are stress-tested against current UK and EU regulations. Whether you are an engineer looking to understand compliance or a sociologist studying technological impact, this workshop offers a comprehensive overview of the most pressing questions in robotics today.

The CLAWAR 2026 conference represents the 29th edition of the prestigious International Conference Series on Climbing and Walking Robots and Support Technologies for Mobile Machines. This year’s event is hosted in the historic and industrial hub of Sheffield, a city renowned for its engineering heritage. The central theme for the 2026 conference is "Exploration, Resilience, and Recovery," focusing on how mobile robotic systems can be leveraged to navigate challenging environments, withstand rigorous operational demands, and assist in recovery efforts across various sectors. The technical program is designed to be comprehensive and interdisciplinary, featuring a mix of plenary keynote speeches from world-leading robotics experts, regular technical sessions, and specialized invited sessions. CLAWAR 2026 acts as a vital bridge between theoretical research and practical industrial application. It covers a broad spectrum of topics including the modeling and simulation of walking and climbing mechanisms, innovative design approaches for bio-inspired robots, and the integration of support technologies that enable autonomy in mobile machines. Beyond the technical papers, the conference emphasizes the holistic impact of robotics. Discussions will delve into the economic feasibility, ethical considerations, and social implications of introducing service robots into human environments. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in robot competitions, witness live demonstrations of cutting-edge prototypes, and engage in workshops dedicated to the latest advancements in wearable robotics and robot standardization. The conference proceedings are historically published in Springer’s "Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems" (LNNS) series, ensuring that the research presented achieves global reach and high academic impact through indexing in Scopus and Web of Science. Sheffield’s vibrant atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for the evening social programs and the traditional Conference Banquet, offering ample networking opportunities for delegates from around the globe.