Marketing to Civil & Structural Engineers

The title Civil Engineer is a broad one and the journal New Civil Engineer (NCE) says that they are:

• Clients who buy projects and professional services
• Designers and contractors who specify the products and equipment used to build projects
• Involved in procuring services and goods to manage the maintenance of the finished schemes
• Responsible for making sure the environment is protected and preserved
• Involved when projects are decommissioned, ensuring minimum damage and inconvenience to the local ecology and community

Needless to say, they play an important role in the selection of building products, materials and services, and the major players are often larger construction services groups offering a range of activities, including design, project management, construction, engineering, and FM.

Structural Engineers

The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) explains the role, saying, "If we think of a structure as a human body then structural engineers design and maintain the skeleton. They are the guardians of public safety, ensuring that buildings and bridges are strong enough to withstand all kinds of stresses and strains.

"They are a key part of the design and construction team, working alongside architects to create and maintain all kinds of structure - from houses and skyscrapers to sports stadia and oil rigs.

"They are creative, trustworthy problem solvers who shape all aspects of our built environment, developing innovative solutions to allow construction in the most challenging environments."

Marketing

Direct promotions and social media aside, specific targeting of the sector by construction product and service providers is possible through focused media. Previous research for The Construction Media Index indicated that the way engineers sourced product information was evolving, but the use of product directories and readership of trade journals remained strong. Also, it found that both printed and digitally-produced brochures were still in demand.

Interestingly, when looking for technical support, the research found that sample specifications were important and, although The NBS is intended primarily for architects, it was regularly used by a quarter of civil engineers.

Being technically focused, instead of glossy, aesthetically-led product information, they are more likely to seek, and respond to, technical product data that can help them solve complicated design issues - regardless of the communication medium.

Journals

The journal New Civil Engineer (NCE) provides advertising opportunities, has an international net circulation in excess of 45,000, and is distributed to all members of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In addition to the journal, NCE offers a range of other promotional opportunities, such as advertising on the NCE website and in its daily e-newsletter, solus emails and content support for webinars and white papers. According to the 2025 media pack, the website received 731,449 page views in January 2025. The media pack gives full details of all promotional opportunities and is available here.

Structural Engineer is the house journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE). Published eleven times each year and distributed to more than 16,000 structural engineering professionals, it showcases both civil and structural engineering products and services. Other marketing channels include solus e-shots, newsletter inclusions and web advertising. The 2026 media pack can be downloaded here.

Other journals specifically focused on this sector, and offering advertising opportunities, include Construction & Civil Engineering Magazine, Rail Construction News, Infrastructure Intelligence and Plant & Civil Engineer.

This directory includes a database containing information on these and over 330+ other construction industry journals (where possible, details include named editorial and sales contacts with email addresses). In order to find those which include construction engineers cited in their readership profiles, download the database, select the 'main readership' column and enter the term "engineer" in the search box. 

Our Forward Features Planner provides a month-by-month summary of upcoming topics scheduled in some of the industry’s key journals.

Exhibitions

There are over 190 construction exhibitions detailed in our UK Construction Exhibition Calendar; however, the Materials and Structures part of UK Construction Week*, The National Civils Show*, and The Concrete Show* are amongst a number of dedicated events in the sector's calendar.

(* Construct UK is a media partner for these events.)

Other Events and Awards

The Institution of Civil Engineers supports over 91,000 members across the world through regular communications, training, networking and events. Manufacturers, suppliers and service providers can reach the ICE membership by promoting their brands through a range of events and other activities. See ICE advertising information here.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) and the Institution of Structural Engineers also offer sponsorship opportunities for their events. 

The Institution of Civil Engineers organises a number of related events throughout the year covering various sub-sectors, including Airports, Flood Resilience, Water, Bridges, and Tunnelling. See the website for details.

A number of awards ceremonies cover the sector and can offer sponsorship and promotional opportunities - examples are the New Civil Engineer Awards, British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) and The Structural Awards. A comprehensive index of over 170 construction industry awards programmes, offering sponsorship and other promotional opportunities, can be found here.

CPD

As is the case with many other professional disciplines in construction, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a mandatory requirement for construction engineers. Both the ICE and the IStructE require members to comply.

By providing independently-certified CPD material and presentations, manufacturers and suppliers can increase their brand recognition, develop new contacts and foster networking opportunities. Such material can take the form of electronic or hard copy documentation, formal seminars and conferences, roadshows, webinars or presentations given by invitation to professionals in their own offices.

Our feature on CPD Certification and Marketing provides information for product manufacturers and suppliers seeking to achieve CPD accreditation.

Sales Leads and Research

Tailored, researched project leads are available through dedicated providers such as Crannull, and planning leads are available from a number of organisations. Our Sourcing Project Leads section has details of over 30 firms.

At the time of writing, the UK Government's Construction & Infrastructure Pipeline sets out plans for over £400bn worth of public and private investment into Britain’s economic and social infrastructure, and includes over 700 projects and programmes across the country.

(Specialist Contractors - we have also compiled a supplementary database containing details for over 450 contractors and consultants including other engineering disciplines, such as M&E, BSE, etc. This database includes named contacts and email addresses and is available for subscribers only. It may be downloaded here.)