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On Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September, Event Essex welcomed the UKRO Festival of Rescue 2026 to the University of Essex. We worked alongside Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to deliver an event unlike anything we had hosted on our campus before.
Rescue teams competed in a series of realistic, timed challenges that tested their technical skills, teamwork and decision-making. The programme included vehicle extrication, trauma care and a dedicated Fire Cadets’ Challenge. A wider community programme brought the event to life for visitors.
For the Event Essex team, it was a chance to show how we adapt our campus for events that need more than a conventional meeting room.
UKRO Festival of Rescue 2026: From Car Park to Rescue Arena
UKRO 2026 called for a very different approach to the campus.
Valley Car Park sat at the heart of the competition. From 7am each day, it became a working competition site, with teams tackling realistic scenarios under pressure.
The challenges centred on two areas of emergency response: vehicle extrication and emergency trauma care. Competitors were tested on technical ability, communication, decision-making and casualty care. Every element of the event had to work seamlessly.
One Campus, Many Event Spaces
The competition was only one part of the picture. The Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall provided a formal setting for registration and the opening and closing ceremonies. Meanwhile, on-campus accommodation gave competitors and event teams a convenient base throughout the festival. Catering, welfare and refreshment spaces supported the wider experience across both days.
Different spaces, different purposes, but one connected event.
More Than a Competition
Saturday’s Community Day welcomed visitors to discover more about the work of the fire and rescue community, alongside the six-hour Fire Cadets’ Challenge, where teams put their casualty-care skills to the test in realistic scenarios.
Bringing competitors, cadets and visitors together added another dimension to the festival, with each audience requiring a different approach to the event spaces, facilities and overall experience.
Working Together at Event Essex
Delivering an event of this scale meant bringing all of those elements together as one joined-up experience. Collaboration made that possible.
The Event Essex team worked closely with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, University colleagues and event partners throughout the festival. Together, we delivered the event spaces, accommodation and wider campus experience. We also delivered a gala dinner celebrating the skill, dedication and service of everyone involved.
A Campus That Adapts
One of the most rewarding parts of hosting UKRO 2026 was seeing familiar University spaces used in completely new ways. It meant looking at our campus differently and thinking about how each part could contribute to a much bigger event.
A car park became a rescue challenge. A lecture hall became a ceremonial setting. Accommodation became part of the delegate experience. Together, these spaces created an environment that supported competition, community engagement, learning and celebration, all within one connected campus.
It showed what Event Essex can do when flexible venues, outdoor spaces, accommodation, catering and event support come together in one location. It also demonstrated the versatility of the University of Essex as an event destination.
We’re incredibly proud of what everyone delivered, and of the role we played in bringing the UKRO Festival of Rescue 2026 to the University of Essex.
Planning an event that needs more than one space? Speak to the Event Essex team today.
