Flood & Coast 2026 once again brought together professionals from across the flood risk, coastal management and environmental sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Held in Liverpool for the first time, the three-day conference provided a valuable opportunity to share knowledge, explore emerging approaches and discuss how the sector can respond to increasing flood risk and the impacts of climate change.
Several members of the RAB team attended the event, taking part in sessions, engaging with industry partners and contributing to discussions on the future of flood resilience.
Following the event, we asked some of our team to share their key takeaways from the sessions they attended.
The Importance of Early Stakeholder Engagement
One of the key points our team took away from the talks was the importance of engaging stakeholders and communities early in a project’s development, particularly at the design stage.
Creating opportunities for stakeholders and communities to engage early can help create a shared passion for a project, improve outcomes and identify opportunities for wider community benefits.
Several speakers highlighted how projects that go beyond solely addressing flood risk can create additional value through environmental improvements, public amenities and other community benefits, often helping to attract funding and build support throughout project delivery.
Natural Flood Management Continues to Gain Momentum
Another recurring theme was the increasing focus on Natural Flood Management (NFM). There was a clear shift towards integrating NFM measures within flood risk management projects, reflecting the growing recognition of NFM as an important methodology for flood risk reduction.
A particularly interesting point raised in several talks was that communities may not always engage with NFM because of its flood reduction benefits alone. The creation of new green spaces, biodiversity improvements and wider environmental benefits can be equally important in building support for projects from the outset.
Property Flood Resilience is Becoming an Essential Part of the Conversation
Our Principal PFR Consultant, Andy McHugh, presented at the PFR roundtable session which was jam-packed, demonstrating how much interest there is across the industry in mainstreaming Property Flood Resilience through appropriate governance, innovation and standards.
There was also an opportunity to celebrate one year of IPFRA and the success achieved to date in enhancing the profile of PFR and improving technical standards across the sector.
It was great to see recognition given to Mary Dhonau and reflect on the incredible impact she has had in raising awareness of flood preparedness and improving the resilience of communities across the UK.
A More Holistic Approach to Managing Flood Risk
A strong message throughout the conference was the need to change the way flooding is managed going forward.
It is acknowledged and accepted that there is likely to be more intense rainfall in the years to come because of climate change. As a result, flood risk needs to be managed through a combination of traditional hard-engineered flood schemes, better surface water management, Property Flood Resilience and Nature-based Solutions.
Several speakers highlighted the importance of adopting a catchment-wide approach, recognising that natural catchment systems operate beyond administrative boundaries and must be managed accordingly.
Collaboration remains essential, although challenging, as organisations often have different priorities, funding mechanisms and regulatory requirements. Nevertheless, working with partners to enable a more streamlined integrated water management approach will be key to future success.
Building Awareness Through Education
Our team also attended an interesting session on SuDS planters. A key takeaway from this discussion was the importance of education and familiarity at an early age.
Engaging with schools can help build awareness of flood risk, sustainable drainage and the environment more broadly, while helping to inspire a passion for these topics in future generations.
More broadly, attracting and retaining people within the sector remains critical. As an industry, we need to continue encouraging young people and those currently not in education, employment or training to consider careers within flood risk and water management.
Looking Ahead
Flood & Coast 2026 reinforced the importance of collaboration, innovation and integrated thinking in managing flood risk and building resilience.
From early stakeholder engagement and catchment-wide planning to Natural Flood Management, Property Flood Resilience and future skills development, the conference highlighted the breadth of approaches needed to address the challenges ahead.
For RAB, it very importantly presented the opportunity to catch-up with strategic partners, forge new connections and gain insight from speakers who always have their fingers on the pulse of the sector.
A huge thank you to the organisers, speakers, exhibitors and everyone who contributed to making Flood & Coast 2026 such a valuable and thought-provoking event.
We look forward to taking these insights forward and continuing the conversations sparked throughout the conference.
