Heritage Matters - More Than The Sum of Its Parts
Wednesday 21st October, 10.30am to 3.30pm (Doors open at 9.30am) - Great Northern Classics, Derby
What happens next for the historic and classic vehicle sector?
The historic and classic vehicle sector is changing. Customers are changing. Markets are shifting. Cross-border trade is becoming more complicated. Skills remain a challenge. Digital channels are transforming how businesses reach customers. And increasingly, the opportunities and challenges facing individual businesses are connected to what is happening across the wider sector.
Heritage Matters brings businesses from across the historic and classic vehicle industry together to explore those changes, share insight and make connections that can help shape the future.
Join us at Great Northern Classics
Wednesday 21 October 2026
Great Northern Classics, Derby
10:30am – 3:30pm
Optional site tour from 3:30pm
Presenter and industry personality Paul Cowland will lead a thought-provoking programme of interviews, expert panels and practical insights, bringing together voices from across the sector.
On the programme
What the Market is Telling Us
Christoff Cowens of Fiskens in conversation with Paul Cowland, exploring the state of the market, what customers are looking for and where opportunities and challenges are emerging.
More Than the Sum of Its Parts: The Evolution of an Interconnected Sector
Jenni Austin of Aldridge Trimming, Neil Medlicott of Britpart and Graham Payne of British Motor Heritage discuss the evolving supply chain and how the different parts of the sector collaborate and depend upon each other.
The Business Behind the Cars
Richard Lambert of GP59 in conversation with Paul Cowland, discusses customers, collaboration, supply chains and the realities of running a diverse automotive business.
Keeping Cross-Border Trade Moving
Chris Bentley of MGOC Spares, Kevin Lewis of RJJ Freight, Andrew Norris of Jim Stokes Workshops and David Brown of Cars By Rock-it explore the practical barriers affecting international trade – and what can be done to keep the supply chain moving.
Beyond Likes: Making Social Media Deliver for Your Business
HCVA Ambassador James Duce looks at how businesses can turn social media from a numbers game into something that delivers genuine value.
More than a day of presentations
Heritage Matters is also about people and connections.
There will be opportunities throughout the day to meet other businesses, exchange ideas, share experiences and build relationships across the sector – whether you work in restoration, engineering, parts, manufacturing, sales, servicing, logistics or another part of the historic and classic vehicle industry.
And at the end of the day, you can take an optional tour of Great Northern Classics, including a visit to HCVA member Auto Rara.
Who should attend?
Heritage Matters is for businesses and organisations with a stake in the historic and classic vehicle sector.
Whether you are an established specialist, a manufacturer or supplier, a restoration business, a parts company, a logistics provider, a retailer, a club or another organisation supporting the sector, this is an opportunity to step outside your own part of the industry and see the bigger picture.
Join us
Attendance is free for HCVA Trade and Fellowship members, with breakfast refreshments, coffee breaks and a buffet lunch included.
Not an HCVA member? Please contact us about attending as our guest.
If you haven't experienced Heritage Matters before, come and meet the sector, hear the conversations that matter and discover what the HCVA is doing to help shape its future.
RSVP – Please confirm your attendance to events@hcva.co.uk
Heritage Matters Insight Day is kindly sponsored by:
Alex Brundle delivering the keynote speech at our Heritage Matters Insight Day in April 2026 at Brooklands Museum