Returning to the NEC, Birmingham on 7 to 9 June, the Subcon show showed it is still going strong in its 45th year with a 30% increase in visitors compared with 2021.
As well as busy stands and conference sessions, the event also offered free cream teas in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The co-location with The Engineer Expo and Manufacturing Management Show ensured visitors had plenty to discover, with over 200 international and British exhibitors for visitors.
Exhibitors gave their endorsement with 50% already rebooking their stand for next year, and 10% upgrading their stand size.
A spokesperson from exhibitor Ash Technologies said: “We’ve generated lots of new leads from companies we haven’t seen before, or companies we’ve tried to get into in the past but haven’t managed to.”
Fellow exhibitor DVR added: “Subcon is always the highlight of our year because of the quality of leads we get and the team here really looks after you. I’m looking forward to next year already!”
This year Subcon also ran two parallel conference streams across all three show days, sponsored by leaders in sustainability, Inenco.
The Engineer Expo and Manufacturing Management Show Theatre presented speakers including Rhys Herbert, Senior Economist at Lloyds Bank and Dave Swan, Chief Technology Officer at Tharsus Group, and offered visitors insight into the key issues and trends that are driving innovation and shaping the UK’s industrial landscape in 2022.
New for 2022, the Supply Chain Theatre provided on-the-spot usable and workable solutions on everything from smart tech implementation and security, to workforce development and hitting net-zero. With speakers from IBM, Alliance Procurement Solutions and Vendigital, there was something for everyone.
Other event highlights included:
- Jubilee celebrations: Subcon added a little extra pizazz for the Queen’s 70th Jubilee celebrations! With bunting around the show and free cream teas, visitors made the most of the festivities.
- Buyers Lounge sponsored by Qimtek: VIP visitors were entitled to exclusive access to a Buyers Lounge, allowing for dedicated networking and key discussions to take place.
- Chatty Hatter Live Podcast: Subcon was delighted to be supported by Chatty Hatter, who ran their live podcast takeover (That Engineering Chat). Chatty Hatter will be sharing the lively and informative podcasts that were recorded live at the show over the coming weeks!
Event Director, Jason Dante, commented: “Subcon 2022 has been an exceptional show and we’ve been so pleased to see visitor numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels. The diversity of companies at the show brought together the full manufacturing ecosystem to do business in a lively environment.
We’d also like to say a big thank you to our show sponsors Omnidex, Inenco and Qimtek, as well as all our exhibitors and visitors to the show. We have already started planning for next year and can’t wait to share all the exciting details!”
Looking forward to 2023:
Subcon will be back from the 7th – 8th June 2023 at the NEC, Birmingham. Next year, alongside The Engineer Expo and Manufacturing Management Show, The Advanced Manufacturing Show will showcase cutting edge machine technologies, cutting tools, work holding apparatus and manufacturing equipment.