Sarah is a sales & marketing content writer, with ten years of experience within the engineering & manufacturing industry. Working both at Qimtek and on a freelance basis, she can usually be found hammering away at a keyboard or with her head in a pile of engineering drawings.
Exhibiting can be one of the best ways to increase brand awareness and bring in new business. It allows you to reach your target audience with ease and promote your services to a host of decision makers with purchasing authority. Buyers also benefit from attending trade shows and events, as they give unrivalled access to some of the best names that the engineering industry has to offer.
Unfortunately, many of 2020's shows were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as of the time of writing, a majority of events have announced new dates for 2021. This brings plenty of fresh opportunities for engineering suppliers to promote their business and services, whilst manufacturing buyers can take advantage of having hundreds of engineering suppliers in one room.
If you're looking to exhibit this year, or if you are looking to attend an exhibition to source new suppliers, then here are some dates for your 2021 diary:
**Please note that all of these dates are correct at the time of publishing. However, the current health climate may result in changes to this year's exhibition schedule. Please check the event website before attending.**
Southern Manufacturing & Electronics:
When: 6th-7th October 2021
Where: Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre.
- The UK's largest regional exhibition dedicated to subcontract engineering and manufacturing.
- Features a dedicated electronics zone.
- Particularly well-aligned with the automotive and aerospace industries due to its co-location with AutoAero.
Southern Manufacturing & Electronics is undoubtedly the largest regional show within the UK, entirely dedicated to subcontract engineering and manufacturing. Based at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, this event is ideally situated to serve the southern regions and provides an invaluable hub for businesses to showcase their expertise.
Electronics suppliers and purchasers may find Southern Manufacturing & Electronics especially useful, due to its dedicated electronics zone. However, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics caters for all corners of the subcontract engineering market and therefore, it's a great place for all manner of suppliers and buyers to network.
Southern Manufacturing & Electronics is also co-located with AutoAero - an event tailored exclusively for suppliers to the automotive and aerospace industries. With two shows under one roof, it's no wonder that Southern Manufacturing & Electronics attracts over 9,000 visitors and 800 exhibitors every year.
For more information, please visit www.industrysouth.co.uk.
Subcon:
When: 14th-16th September 2021
Where: NEC, Birmingham.
- Large, well-established trade show dedicated to subcontract engineering services.
- Attracts over 4,000 visitors each year - 80% of which are CEOs, managing directors, or managers.
- Over 350 different exhibitors offering subcontract engineering and associated services.
Now in its 44th year, Subcon is an extremely well-established show that deserves its excellent reputation. It pulls in over 4,000 visitors annually, who use Subcon as a great opportunity to meet and network with new suppliers. As over 80% of attendees are CEO/managing director/manager level, Subcon is a great place to get in front of those with purchasing authority and a lot of new business is placed as a result.
In addition, visitors can expect to spend a good few hours at the show, thanks to its 350 exhibitors. Representing a range of subcontract processes, as well as machine tools, software and associated services, Subcon's exhibitors are abundant and varied, meaning that there is always plenty to see and plenty of conversations to be had.
Visitors to Subcon can also benefit from attending the many seminars on offer. Shedding light on emerging industry trends, Subcon's conference programme is always varied and interesting, giving attendees lots of food for thought.
For more information, please visit www.subconshow.co.uk.
TCT 3Sixty:
When: 28th-30th September 2021
Where: NEC, Birmingham.
- Formerly known as the TCT Show, 2021's event will be the first under new branding.
- Focuses exclusively on additive manufacturing and its various applications.
- Live demonstrations of 3D printing in action.
TCT3Sixty - formerly known as the TCT Show - had its premier event under the new branding scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, TCT3Sixty will now be taking place from 28th to the 30th September 2021, marking a new debut.
Focusing exclusively on additive manufacturing TCT3Sixty features plenty of live demonstrations of 3D printing in action. Many of the show's exhibitors also showcase examples of 3D-printed components on their stands, making it a great opportunity to see just how far additive manufacturing has come.
There are also a number of seminars on offer, detailing the applications of additive manufacturing within a number of vertical markets. These seminars provide direct insight into how additive manufacturing is overcoming some of the issues associated with more traditional engineering methods, making waves throughout the manufacturing community at large.
For more information, please visit www.tct3sixty.com.
Northern Manufacturing & Electronics:
When: 6th-7th October 2021
Where: EventCity, Manchester.
- Counterpart show to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics with a high footfall.
- Range of conferences addressing key industry topics.
- Over 250 exhibitors and 3,000 visitors annually.
As a counterpart show to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics, Northern Manufacturing & Electronics is a small-but-mighty industry event that packs a lot into its two-day span. With over 250 exhibitors covering the entire spectrum of subcontract engineering services, there are plenty of stands for visitors to peruse within the event. What's more, Northern Manufacturing & Electronics offers a great seminar programme, complete with a host of interesting and well-versed speakers addressing key industry topics.
Exhibitors, meanwhile, will benefit from the concentrated footfall that Northern Manufacturing & Electronics provides. Given the size and span of the event, this show is extremely popular and certainly attracts a lot of attention from a purchasing standpoint. With over 3,000 visitors annually, Northern Manufacturing & Electronics delivers a large-scale offering within a smaller venue, which works in the favour of companies who are looking to exhibit here.
For more information, please visit www.industrynorth.co.uk.
Engineering Design Show:
When: 19th-20th October 2021
Where: Ricoh Arena, Coventry.
- The UK's only event dedicated to all aspects of engineering design.
- Strong purchasing focus, with 78% of visitors in attendance to actively source new suppliers.
- Over 220 exhibitors spanning all areas of engineering design services.
For buyers and suppliers who have a vested interest in engineering design services, the Engineering Design Show facilitates an opportunity to discuss upcoming business opportunities. Focusing exclusively on all aspects of engineering, electronics and embedded design, the Engineering Design Show is the UK's only event that dedicates itself to this niche.
78% of visitors in previous years have come to the show to actively source new suppliers, which makes it a great place to exhibit for the purposes of conducting new business. With over 220 exhibitors every year, the Engineering Design Show has crafted itself as a hub of design services, conducive to the formation of new relationships between buyers and suppliers.
For more information, please visit www.engineeringdesignshows.co.uk.
Advanced Engineering:
When: 3rd-4th November 2021
Where: NEC, Birmingham.
- One of the UK's largest engineering & manufacturing shows.
- Offers visitors dedicate 'zones' for easy navigation of industry niches and vertical sectors.
- Over 93% visitor and exhibitor satisfaction at previous shows.
Advanced Engineering is undoubtedly one of the UK's largest shows dedicated to engineering & manufacturing services. The sheer size of the exhibition makes it necessary for the organisers to categorise exhibitors into different 'zones'; for visitors, this layout makes it easy to navigate around the show floor and get the most out of their time at the event. All aspects of engineering and its vertical markets are addressed within the floorplan, and those who visit will want to make a full day of it in order to see everything on offer.
Advanced Engineering's size attracts a footfall to match, which is great news for those who exhibit at the event. Previous visitor samples have included a plethora of prestigious OEMs such as Rolls Royce, Jaguar-Landrover, Dyson and GE Aviation; needless to say, this show is a great way to get in front of buyers from some of the more reputable manufacturing companies.
As you'd expect from a show of this magnitude, Advanced Engineering offers a comprehensive seminar programme that delivers key insight into a number of topics. Each zone runs its own conference programme, which gives visitors the opportunity to hear from experts within their own field.
Advanced Engineering really is a must-attend event for anyone looking to build relationships with new suppliers or prospective customers. The floorplan alone makes this event absolutely worthy of a visit; suppliers and buyers alike are sure to come away with their objectives met.
For more information, please visit www.advancedengineeringuk.com.