City News

The NEC, Birmingham, has stormed its way to the top of an industry survey, beating the UK’s other leading exhibition venues hands down, based on attendance and size of shows.

The NEC took the title of top venue for both trade and consumer shows as well as the accolade of hosting the four biggest trade exhibitions, four of the ten most popular trade exhibitions and six of the ten most popular consumer shows.

The NEC’s Spring Fair was rated as the biggest and busiest trade exhibition, attracting 80,000 visitors and occupying almost all of the halls as well as The NEC Arena.

More than one million visitors were attracted to the consumer shows monitored by the study that were held at The NEC – making it the busiest venue for this type of event in the UK.

And the city of Birmingham was announced as the top location for the UK’s biggest and busiest trade exhibitions.

The NEC-based Clarion Exhibitions Ltd, also secured the title of best organiser of consumer shows, in the annual ‘AEO100’ survey published this month.

The survey, carried out by the Association of Event Organisers on behalf of the industry magazine Events Industry Alliance Standard, is based on 2005 exhibition activity. It charts the top ABC audited UK-based exhibitions organised by AEO members.

The survey ranked 18 exhibition venues from across the UK on their trade and consumer shows held over the last year and awarded positions according to the number of visitors who attended each event and the amount of space taken by exhibitors.

Paul Thandi, Chief Executive, the NEC Group, said:

“Being named as the top venue in the UK is a real testament to the calibre of events that we attract here at The NEC, and the extremely high standards of visitor satisfaction that we have put in place. Receiving recognition from an industry organisation as pioneering as the AEO demonstrates that we are not only the busiest but also the best venue in the UK, and it underlines our position on the global stage.

“We have proven the value of our investment in our people and our buildings time and time again, and these results wholeheartedly confirm that we are beating London hands down time and time again.

“But the hard work isn’t over, and to maintain these standards, everyone needs to keep pulling together and must play their part as they have done in the past so we can continue winning and putting Birmingham and the region on the world stage.”

Ian Taylor, commercial director at Marketing Birmingham, said:

“Once again, Birmingham has been recognised as the UK’s leading events capital, competing successfully with London and other major UK cities. Guaranteeing the delivery of a first class event is about having the infrastructure to support it, but also helping organisers tap into the city’s lifestyle from food and drink, fashion, music, the arts, and culture.  Birmingham is a world-class city, high on the radar of international and national business visitors and to be recognised by the AEO as best location for trade exhibitions is yet another accolade to be proud of.”