EVENTS

BPCA has unveiled the full Technical Theatre seminar schedule for PestEx. Two days of focused talks built for pest professionals.

Running on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 March, the Technical Theatre brings together expert speakers from across the industry.

Register for free

A strong line-up of new speakers

Viren Merchant, Vice President of the Global Pest Management Coalition, opens the Theatre with a session on the evolution of integrated pest management and sustainable leadership. Drawing on more than two decades of international IPM experience, the talk sets the tone for a forward-looking programme.

Professor Seirian Sumner from University College London will speak about their work on wasp ecology and behaviour, challenging how the industry and wider society view these insects.

The BPCA Academic Working Group will present their findings from the 2025 Future of Pest Management survey. With hundreds of respondents, their exclusive analysis and insights will premiere at PestEx.

Familiar faces return

Paul Westgate of Veritas Pest Consultancy returns to the Technical Theatre with a session on strategic cockroach control, sharing lessons learned from years of frontline consultancy work.

Alex Wade of Wade Environmental is another returning favourite. His talk focuses on rodent behaviour around bait stations, exploring how rodents interact with boxes, how design influences uptake and what technicians can do to improve results.

Lauren Day, BPCA Events Manager at British Pest Control Association, said:

The Technical Theatre is a bit like the PestEx main stage! We’ve worked hard to build a programme that mixes new voices with speakers our audience knows and loves. Our Spotlight Theatre of panel and debate sessions will follow soon.

Lauren Day, BPCA Events Manager

Full schedule so far

Day one: Wednesday 18 March

• From extermination to championing sustainability: A leadership odyssey in IPM
  Viren Merchant, Vice President, Global Pest Management Coalition
• Revolutionising fly control: The innovation behind Seclira® Fly Bait
  Jeferson de Andrade, BASF
• “Don’t just look up”: principles for surveying in bird control
  Carl Hoult, Reaper Bird Control
• The Employment Rights Act 2025: The biggest change to employment rights in a generation
  Hema Mistry, Quest Cover
• Data dive: What the 2025 Future of Pest Management survey tells us
  Representatives from the BPCA Academic Working Relations Group.

Day two: Thursday 19 March

• A sector stuck at Level 2: Building a qualifications framework fit for the future
  John Horsley, British Pest Control Association
• Boring but brilliant: Wood-boring insects – identification, surveying and signs
  Nicholas Donnithorne, Rentokil Property Care
• Endless forms: Why we should love wasps
  Professor Seirian Sumner, University College London
• Write it right: Court-ready pest reports that won’t get torn apart
  Dr Belinda Stuart-Moonlight, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner and Expert Witness
• Thinking INSIDE the box: Understanding rodent behaviour around bait stations
  Alex Wade, Wade Environmental
• Strategic cockroach control: lessons from the field
  Paul Westgate, Veritas Pest Consultancy.

Plan your visit

The Technical Theatre is sponsored by Syngenta and is free to attend for all registered PestEx visitors.

Seating is limited, and sessions are expected to be busy across both days.

PestEx takes place on 18–19 March at the ExCeL in London. Save the date and register now for free.

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