Exhibiting at the Birmingham NEC is a major opportunity for brands looking to increase visibility, generate leads, and connect with their target audience. As one of the UK’s largest exhibition venues, the NEC hosts thousands of visitors across a wide range of industries, making careful planning essential if you want to stand out and maximise your return on investment.

Start with clear objectives

Before thinking about stand design or marketing materials, it’s important to define what you want to achieve from the exhibition. Are you aiming to generate new leads, launch a product, increase brand awareness, or strengthen relationships with existing clients? Clear objectives will guide decisions around stand size, layout, staffing, and follow-up activity.

Understand the Birmingham NEC environment

The NEC is a large, fast-paced venue with multiple halls often in use at the same time. Understanding your allocated hall, visitor flow, ceiling heights, and neighbouring stands can have a big impact on your planning. Early access to floor plans and exhibitor manuals allows you to consider visibility, access points, power requirements, and any rigging or height restrictions.

Design a stand that works hard for you

Your exhibition stand should be both visually striking and highly functional. At a busy venue like the NEC, clear branding and simple messaging help visitors quickly understand who you are and what you offer. An open, welcoming layout encourages people to step onto the stand and start conversations.

Think about how visitors will move through the space, where key interactions will happen, and how leads will be captured. A well-designed stand balances impact with practicality.

Plan logistics early

Logistics at the NEC need to be carefully managed. Build-up and breakdown times are tightly scheduled, and access to halls is strictly controlled. Transport, storage, health and safety documentation, and compliance with NEC regulations should all be planned well in advance to avoid delays or unexpected costs.

Working with an experienced exhibition partner can help ensure everything runs smoothly on site.

Prepare and brief your team

Your stand staff play a crucial role in the success of your exhibition. Make sure everyone attending understands the event objectives, key brand messages, and how to engage confidently with visitors. Staff should be prepared to qualify leads, answer common questions, and record useful information consistently.

It’s also important to plan rotas and breaks, particularly for multi-day events, to keep energy levels high.

Promote your presence before the show

Don’t rely solely on footfall during the event. Promote your attendance in advance through email campaigns, social media, your website, and direct invitations to clients and prospects. Let people know where to find you, what you’ll be showcasing, and why it’s worth visiting your stand.

Pre-show promotion often leads to better-quality conversations on the stand.

Capture and follow up leads effectively

Have a clear plan in place for capturing leads, whether that’s through scanners, digital forms, or structured conversations. The real value of exhibiting often comes after the show, so prompt and relevant follow-up is essential.

Segment leads based on interest or priority and ensure they’re contacted while the event is still fresh in their minds.

Review performance and refine your approach

After the exhibition, review performance against your original objectives. Look at lead numbers, quality, engagement levels, and overall return on investment. This insight will help you refine your approach and improve results at future exhibitions.

Work with experienced exhibition specialists

Exhibiting at the Birmingham NEC can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Working with a specialist exhibition partner can help you manage everything from concept and design to build, logistics, and on-site delivery.

Saward Marketing & Events supports brands at every stage of the exhibition process, creating impactful stands and seamless experiences that deliver real results at the Birmingham NEC and beyond.

Talk to us about your NEC exhibitionExhibiting at the Birmingham NEC is a major opportunity for brands looking to increase visibility, generate leads, and connect with their target audience. As one of the UK’s largest exhibition venues, the NEC hosts thousands of visitors across a wide range of industries, making careful planning essential if you want to stand out and maximise your return on investment.

Start with clear objectives

Before thinking about stand design or marketing materials, it’s important to define what you want to achieve from the exhibition. Are you aiming to generate new leads, launch a product, increase brand awareness, or strengthen relationships with existing clients? Clear objectives will guide decisions around stand size, layout, staffing, and follow-up activity.

Understand the Birmingham NEC environment

The NEC is a large, fast-paced venue with multiple halls often in use at the same time. Understanding your allocated hall, visitor flow, ceiling heights, and neighbouring stands can have a big impact on your planning. Early access to floor plans and exhibitor manuals allows you to consider visibility, access points, power requirements, and any rigging or height restrictions.

Design a stand that works hard for you

Your exhibition stand should be both visually striking and highly functional. At a busy venue like the NEC, clear branding and simple messaging help visitors quickly understand who you are and what you offer. An open, welcoming layout encourages people to step onto the stand and start conversations.

Think about how visitors will move through the space, where key interactions will happen, and how leads will be captured. A well-designed stand balances impact with practicality.

Plan logistics early

Logistics at the NEC need to be carefully managed. Build-up and breakdown times are tightly scheduled, and access to halls is strictly controlled. Transport, storage, health and safety documentation, and compliance with NEC regulations should all be planned well in advance to avoid delays or unexpected costs.

Working with an experienced exhibition partner can help ensure everything runs smoothly on site.

Prepare and brief your team

Your stand staff play a crucial role in the success of your exhibition. Make sure everyone attending understands the event objectives, key brand messages, and how to engage confidently with visitors. Staff should be prepared to qualify leads, answer common questions, and record useful information consistently.

It’s also important to plan rotas and breaks, particularly for multi-day events, to keep energy levels high.

Promote your presence before the show

Don’t rely solely on footfall during the event. Promote your attendance in advance through email campaigns, social media, your website, and direct invitations to clients and prospects. Let people know where to find you, what you’ll be showcasing, and why it’s worth visiting your stand.

Pre-show promotion often leads to better-quality conversations on the stand.

Capture and follow up leads effectively

Have a clear plan in place for capturing leads, whether that’s through scanners, digital forms, or structured conversations. The real value of exhibiting often comes after the show, so prompt and relevant follow-up is essential.

Segment leads based on interest or priority and ensure they’re contacted while the event is still fresh in their minds.

Review performance and refine your approach

After the exhibition, review performance against your original objectives. Look at lead numbers, quality, engagement levels, and overall return on investment. This insight will help you refine your approach and improve results at future exhibitions.

Work with experienced exhibition specialists

Exhibiting at the Birmingham NEC can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Working with a specialist exhibition partner can help you manage everything from concept and design to build, logistics, and on-site delivery.

Saward Marketing & Events supports brands at every stage of the exhibition process, creating impactful stands and seamless experiences that deliver real results at the Birmingham NEC and beyond.

Talk to us about your NEC exhibition

Start with clear objectives

Before thinking about stand design or marketing materials, it’s important to define what you want to achieve from the exhibition. Are you aiming to generate new leads, launch a product, increase brand awareness, or strengthen relationships with existing clients? Clear objectives will guide decisions around stand size, layout, staffing, and follow-up activity.

Understand the Birmingham NEC environment

The NEC is a large, fast-paced venue with multiple halls often in use at the same time. Understanding your allocated hall, visitor flow, ceiling heights, and neighbouring stands can have a big impact on your planning. Early access to floor plans and exhibitor manuals allows you to consider visibility, access points, power requirements, and any rigging or height restrictions.

Design a stand that works hard for you

Your exhibition stand should be both visually striking and highly functional. At a busy venue like the NEC, clear branding and simple messaging help visitors quickly understand who you are and what you offer. An open, welcoming layout encourages people to step onto the stand and start conversations.

Think about how visitors will move through the space, where key interactions will happen, and how leads will be captured. A well-designed stand balances impact with practicality.

Plan logistics early

Logistics at the NEC need to be carefully managed. Build-up and breakdown times are tightly scheduled, and access to halls is strictly controlled. Transport, storage, health and safety documentation, and compliance with NEC regulations should all be planned well in advance to avoid delays or unexpected costs.

Working with an experienced exhibition partner can help ensure everything runs smoothly on site.

Prepare and brief your team

Your stand staff play a crucial role in the success of your exhibition. Make sure everyone attending understands the event objectives, key brand messages, and how to engage confidently with visitors. Staff should be prepared to qualify leads, answer common questions, and record useful information consistently.

It’s also important to plan rotas and breaks, particularly for multi-day events, to keep energy levels high.

Promote your presence before the show

Don’t rely solely on footfall during the event. Promote your attendance in advance through email campaigns, social media, your website, and direct invitations to clients and prospects. Let people know where to find you, what you’ll be showcasing, and why it’s worth visiting your stand.

Pre-show promotion often leads to better-quality conversations on the stand.

Capture and follow up leads effectively

Have a clear plan in place for capturing leads, whether that’s through scanners, digital forms, or structured conversations. The real value of exhibiting often comes after the show, so prompt and relevant follow-up is essential.

Segment leads based on interest or priority and ensure they’re contacted while the event is still fresh in their minds.

Review performance and refine your approach

After the exhibition, review performance against your original objectives. Look at lead numbers, quality, engagement levels, and overall return on investment. This insight will help you refine your approach and improve results at future exhibitions.

Work with experienced exhibition specialists

Exhibiting at the Birmingham NEC can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Working with a specialist exhibition partner can help you manage everything from concept and design to build, logistics, and on-site delivery.

Saward Marketing & Events supports brands at every stage of the exhibition process, creating impactful stands and seamless experiences that deliver real results at the Birmingham NEC and beyond.

Talk to us about your NEC exhibition