Quick answer
The top UK exhibition venues by floor space and event volume are NEC Birmingham (the largest in the UK at 186,000 sqm of indoor space), ExCeL London (100,000 sqm), Olympia London, Manchester Central, Harrogate Convention Centre, Business Design Centre London, and Telford International Centre. Expositionists has built stands at all seven venues and handles full venue logistics, regulations, and rigging for each.
The seven venues at a glance: NEC Birmingham, ExCeL London, Olympia London, Manchester Central, Harrogate Convention Centre, Business Design Centre, Telford International Centre.
Aberdeen Exhibition Centre
The Aberdeen Exhibition Centre, now known as P&J Live, is the largest exhibition centre of its kind in the North of Scotland. It’s easily accessible and hosts over 600 events each year including the Scottish Kids Show and The Scottish Home Show.
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace in London used to be a racecourse called The Frying Pan. It hosts popular exhibitions such as The Knitting & Stitching Show.
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre in London welcomes some of the UK’s best and largest creative arts conferences and exhibitions. It’s also home to the London Symphony Orchestra.
Business Design Centre
Located just 10 minutes from London King’s Cross, the Business Design Centre is one of the largest conference venues in London and hosts over 300 events each year including The Aviation Festival and The Internet Retailing Conference.
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a state-of-the-art conference and exhibition centre that’s popular around the Midlands and North East. It hosts a range of exhibitions including the UK’s best car shows and wedding fairs and offers free parking.
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Located in the heart of Scotland’s capital, the EICC is truly one of the world’s best conference and exhibition centres. Popular events include the National Children’s Conference and the EICC Student Open Day.
ExCeL London
Situated by the London Royal Docks, ExCel is home to some of the largest exhibitions, conferences and product launches and has six on-site hotels along with parking for up to 3,700 vehicles. Popular events include The Home Building & Renovating Show, Restaurant & Bar Tech Live and Sneaker Con.
Exhibition Centre Liverpool
Liverpool is one of the most vibrant cities in the UK, so it’s no surprise that the Exhibition Centre is an extremely popular venue. Situated on the world-famous docks, this venue hosts some fantastic exhibitions including The Gin To My Tonic Show and The Baby & Beyond Show.
Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre
Located south-west of London, Farnborough International is just 35 minutes from Central London. The venue offers stunning views of the airfield and the building itself is shaped around Farnborough, rich in history, as the birthplace of aviation and the home of pioneering spirit. This venue is an inspiring backdrop to technology and innovation where today’s pioneers are at the forefront of new technology and forward-thinking.
Manchester Central
One of the most iconic sights in the city, Manchester Central (formerly known as G Mex) is an extremely popular exhibition venue and hosts events such as The Insight Technology Conference and The UK Drum Show.
The O2 London
The O2 is one of the largest concert venues in the UK, but it also hosts a range of exhibition and conferencing events throughout the year.
Metro Radio Arena
Situated in the North East of England, the Metro Radio Arena, now known as the Utilita Arena, has established itself as a major player in exhibition venues and hosts popular events including classic car shows and wedding fairs and exhibitions such as The Business North East Show.
Birmingham NEC
The NEC in Birmingham has been voted the number 1 exhibition centre in the UK. Popular exhibitions at this venue include the Cycle Show and The Recycling & Waste Management Exhibition.
Olympia London
Olympia is one of London’s largest conference and exhibition venues and hosts a number of shows throughout the year. Popular events include The Ideal Home Show, The French Property Exhibition and The E-commerce Expo.
Scottish Event Campus
Located in Glasgow, the SEC hosts hundreds of exhibitions each year and has its own four-star hotel. The SEC hosts popular exhibitions including The Dog Lovers Show and The European Emergency Medicine Congress.
International Convention Centre
The ICC has a long history of hosting successful events since 1991. Situated in Birmingham, this venue hosts popular events such as the International Technology Enabled Care Conference.
Wales Millennium Centre
As well as world-class performances, The Wales Millennium Centre also hosts a selection of the world’s best exhibitions and events.
Exhibition Stands: How can we help?
If you’re planning on exhibiting at any of these venues, Expositionists can help you to create the perfect exhibition stand. We provide a bespoke & custom build exhibition stand service as well as self-build, reusable & recyclable exhibition stands to attract lots of visitors and make the event as successful as possible.
NEC Birmingham is the largest exhibition venue in the UK, with 186,000 square metres of covered indoor exhibition space across 20 interconnected halls. It hosts more than 500 events per year, including major shows like the Spring Fair, Crufts, and Autosport International.
ExCeL London is the most accessible UK venue for international visitors, with direct DLR links to London City Airport and Elizabeth Line connections to Heathrow. It hosts large-scale international shows including London Tech Week, ICE London, and the London Boat Show.
The Business Design Centre in Islington and Olympia’s Pillar Hall are well suited to trade shows in the 200 to 1,000 attendee range. Both venues offer a more contained, premium feel than the larger NEC and ExCeL halls, with shorter set-up times and lower rigging costs.
Most UK venues require approved or appointed contractors for certain elements (rigging, electrics, plumbing, scenic build), but main stand builders like Expositionists work across all major venues. Each venue has its own health and safety, build hours, and load-in regulations that the stand builder coordinates on the exhibitor’s behalf.