The Manufacturing and Engineering Week recently took place at Birmingham’s NEC in early June of this year, organized by Nineteen Group. As the official agency partners of the show, we were delighted to hear that the two-day event was a great success, attracting over 5200 visitors.
Featuring four main exhibitions – Manufacturing Expo, Engineering Expo, Maintec and Design Engineering Expo. The event featured 209 exhibitors from across the length and breadth of the UK’s manufacturing and engineering sector, and several solutions were on show, from design and development to processes, assembly, control, robotics, maintenance, and skills development.
The show provided an array of unique and diverse attractions, not typically associated with a manufacturing/engineering trade show. The show’s focus on innovation birthed the Great Egg Race, a challenge built around the famous 1980s Great Egg Race television show. Both days saw engineers eager to demonstrate their engineering skills by getting a raw egg safely over a wall and into a bucket using materials like wooden dowels, elastic bands and tape.
A dedicated “Innovation Zone” was also one of the most popular attractions for visitors. Within this space inhabited an AI-enabled car, a vertical take-off biplane and an F1 simulator; visitors could also take an early look at the New Holland T6 Methane Power, the world’s first fully methane-powered production tractor.
Another critical focus of the show was education; conference theatres in each of the four events hosted various CPD-accredited high-level keynote presentations, panel discussions and case studies. Opened by the Secretary of State, these sessions consumed a vast number of available seats. Topics included sectors across the UK industry, including aerospace, automotive, food and beverage, motorsport, energy & renewables, pharmaceutical, space and FMCG, with a particular focus on SMEs’ and OEMs’ strategies.
Manufacturing and Engineering Week brought a whole host of opportunities to visitors and exhibitors, and the atmosphere demonstrated an eagerness for the return of the UK engineering industry post-Covid. With several exhibitors rebooking on-site, plus a significant number of visitors also expressing interest in taking stand space next year, it’s safe to assume that face-to-face industry events are truly making its way back to its former self.
