The UK’s largest annual gathering of engineering and manufacturing professionals, Advanced Engineering, held at the beginning of November was one of the most successful ever.
Across the two days, 8,943 attendees witnessed the latest engineering innovations that the UK has to offer making it an extremely busy and energetic event. More than 400 companies exhibited at the show along with a further 202 at the co-located Lab Innovations.
Visitors included representatives from Airbus, Rolls-Royce, IBM, Boeing, McLaren, BAE Systems, Catapult HVM, Department for International Trade, Jaguar Land Rover and many more. Advanced Engineering’s success is evident in its Net Promoter Score (NPS) soaring from 8.16 to an impressive 48.24 year on year.
Advanced Engineering visitors were treated to a fresh look this year thanks to the recent rebrand. This was coupled with a new cross-industry floor layout which allowed for a more diverse range of exhibitors from various industries including newly added sectors such as marine, motorsport, construction, medical, rail and sport.
For companies targeting the aerospace and defence sectors, ADS returned with its ‘Meet the Buyer’ programme, during which 90 brands participated in 105 supplier engagements, which was a 132% increase on last year.
Attendees also had access to over 150 industry-leading speakers across its forums. Because of Advanced Engineering’s partnership with The CPD Group, all of the talks counted towards visitors’ CPD. This year, Advanced Engineering introduced a main stage which was sponsored by Lloyds Bank and supported by Make UK, where speakers such as Richard Noble OBE, former holder of the world land speed record and serial innovator at ThrustWSH, and Stephen Phipson CBE, chief executive of Make UK took to the stage.
Across the exhibition’s four other forums, automotive, aerospace, composites and advanced materials and technologies, visitors heard from industry experts on topics ranging from supply chain management, digitalisation, and the skills gap.
Enabling Innovation returned for another year, where ten start-ups competed to win £2,000 towards the establishment of their businesses. OxDrive, a provider of rugged, high-torque electric drivelines was the winner, with Christopher Horton, managing director, accepting the award.
80% of exhibitor space is already sold for 2024, which will take place from 30-31 October at the NEC, Birmingham. Companies interested in exhibiting are invited to contact the organiser Easyfairs via the exhibitor enquiry form on the website.
