The UK holds numerous world-class facilities when it comes to trade shows and exhibitions, including some of the world’s biggest and best exhibition venues. Many excellent venues up and down the UK are unique and different in their own way, which make it easier than ever before to promote your business, product, or service to your target market or employees.
You may not know where to start when searching for exhibition venues in the UK as there is so many to choose from, which is why we’ve put together a list of the top exhibition venues in the UK to help you find the right one for your organisation.
ExCel London
The ExCel exhibition complex is located by the London Royal Docks and hosts some of the world’s largest exhibitions, conferences, and product launches. Known for its forward-thinking, sustainable business practices, the venue offers large, multi-purpose event halls, along with smaller conference and meeting rooms to suit any event.
As one of the UK’s largest and most in-demand venues, ExCel London can accommodate almost 70,000 visitors. London ExCeL also offers the UK’s largest auditorium (up to 5,000), London’s largest banqueting hall (3,000 guests) and a stunning, multi-function conference suite with fabulous reception areas (2,500 delegates).
NEC Birmingham
Located in Birmingham, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is the UK’s top trade and consumer show venue and the 7th largest exhibition centre in Europe. It is conveniently located near Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham International Railway Station, and the M42, with excellent transport links both inside and outside the country.
It boasts over 500 shows and events and attracts more than 3 million visitors every year. There are 18 halls and 32 meeting studios available, making the facility well-suited for any industry event. The nearby shopping mall, spa, and casino make it easy for visitors to enjoy their visit.
Manchester Central
This historical exhibition and conference centre, located in Manchester, is a Grade II listed building that was previously the Manchester Central Railway Station. It offers a range of flexible spaces that provide the perfect platform for events of all shapes, sizes and formats, from team conferences and business expos to drinks receptions and banquet dinners.
Examples of Unusual Exhibition Venues in the UK
Tobacco Dock London
When it comes to the Tobacco Dock London spaces, versatility is the watchword. Tobacco Dock offers 16,000 sqm space to play with, over two stunning levels. It has 57 spaces in an assortment of capacities that can be used individually or combined to create the ideal layout for your event.
Many of its spaces boast glass frontages, streaming natural light, flexible layouts and quayside views. Timber beams in its ground-level spaces, brick barrel vaults, or York stone underfoot all showcase the building’s rich history. And many of those original features are still visible today.
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey and is also a venue that not many consider being corporate. With nine flexible pillar-free and interlinking spaces, plus extensive outdoor space to hire, it can accommodate events from 250 delegates to concerts of 10,250 and everything in-between.
The venue has areas such as the Great Hall with capacity for up to 10,250 delegates and has beautiful interiors. Alternatively, for smaller gatherings there is the Theatre that can seat around 900 guests.
Merzedes-Benz World
A truly versatile space, the Merzedes-Benz World Exhibition Area, based in Weybridge Surrey, is suitable for small meetings to large outdoor events. Its iconic building and extensive grounds are the ideal spaces for conferences, presentations, exhibitions, and a host of other events, that can be customised to your specific requirements. From thrilling driving experiences and activities to get the adrenaline pumping, to first-class conference and event-spaces, the venue has everything you need whether it’s for a few hours, a full day or an evening to remember.
Royal Armouries Hall
Last but not least, the Royal Armouries Hall offers over 880m2 to work with, within the National Museum of Arms and Armour in Leeds. With ground floor access, and a ceiling height of 6.5m at the highest point, it really is a unique canvas for all exhibitions. Access their new virtual 3D tour of the Museum, perfect to get a feel for the venue.
So, whether you’re looking to host an exclusive meeting of minds, share your company’s story to all your employees nationally or launch the next big product – we hope we have given you an insight into some of the options out there.
Feeling inspired? whether it’s a request for a conference with exhibition space, a industry exhibition or a conference, meeting, awards dinner, or anything else, drop us an email at sales@bvevents.co.uk
You can also make a start yourself by using our Free Venue Finding Tool to explore the various options for your next awards.
Bien Venue are a boutique creative agency who specialise in a free UK venue finding service. It’s not just workshops, training, conferences, or off-site meetings we can arrange and venue search for but also away days, residential training events, awards ceremonies, networking, roadshows, hybrid events, summer parties, Christmas celebrations, private dining, team building, incentives, employee engagement hampers and virtual activities. We also offer accommodation booking platforms for both corporate bookers and event specific allocations of bedrooms
Our re-identified strapline alongside ‘Our Team is Your Team’ is ‘Event Management – Professional, Pro Active with a personal touch’.
What does Event Management mean to us?
We see event management as any part of the planning process from conception to delivery, it’s not just the onsite event management we specialise in but also the pre-planning and logistics plus post event. Our flexible approach means you can pick and choose which of our services you would like to use or just use our free UK venue finding service.