The UK’s largest annual gathering of engineering professionals, Advanced Engineering, will return to the NEC, Birmingham on 4 and 5 November and says it will be the perfect platform to leave 2020 behind and begin generating business for the new year.

Bringing together thousands of visitors, the show incorporates all aspects of engineering from design, test and measurement, to inspection, materials and production, within the aerospace, automotive, marine and medical industries.

In 2019, over 15,000 professionals from the manufacturing sector attended Advanced Engineering and 70% of visitors reported that they planned to place orders as a result of the relationships formed and an impressive 93% of exhibitors reported that they achieved their objectives at the show.

It offers a great opportunity to meet suppliers, partners and generate business leads for the first time in several months. It is clear that the engineering industry is keen to showcase its innovations before the year ends, with new exhibitors still registering.

Jonathan Archer, Renishaw UK Sales Ltd general manager, said: “With the current situation restricting how companies do business, we are looking forward to maximising our time at Advanced Engineering as our chance to set ourselves up for a successful 2021.”

Every exhibitor package includes access to Advanced Engineering’s extensive marketing tools to increase exposure pre-, during and post-event. Especially now, it is important for exhibitors to feel confident that they can reach their target audience in the lead up to the show. For this reason, Advanced Engineering exhibitors will have access to additional marketing tools, free-of-charge, from the moment they register, to the day of the show and beyond.

This ranges from personalised postcard invites for exhibitors to send to clients or to attach to invoices or other printed communications, to personalised banners and unique links to track who has registered to visit a specific stand at the show.

Free marketing support encompasses mentions on social media and promotion in show guides. Exhibitors also have the opportunity to submit their own press releases ahead of the show, which are then made available to all key media partners.

On top of this, exhibitors get free access to AE Connect, the matchmaking service that allows visitors and exhibitors the chance to arrange on-site meetings with potential customers. Last year, £320,000 of deals were secured through the platform.

Jeremy Whittingham, head of community and content at Advanced Engineering, said: “To fully maximise the success of every exhibiting investment, Advanced Engineering works closely with its exhibitors to ensure that their ideal visitors attend the show. Exhibitors will have access to the show’s expert telemarketing team, which can contact up to 100 of every exhibitors’ top clients by telephone, inviting them to the show on their behalf.

“In these unprecedented times, it is important for the engineering industry to look to the future and continue to market themselves to ensure success following the Covid-19 crisis. Whether you have exhibited at Advanced Engineering before, or if you think the show could be the perfect place for you to forge new relationships and build on existing ones, get in touch with our team to discuss our exhibition options.”