The UK Government has recently endorsed the re-opening of conferences and exhibitions, releasing a series of guidelines to keep participants safe.

To guarantee that these are followed to the letter, Easyfairs, the organiser of Advanced Engineering UK and Lab Innovations, has partnered with SGS, the global leader in the verification of hygiene and disinfection protocols.

The shows, which will be co-hosted at the NEC in Birmingham on 4 and 5 November, will follow the highest standards of safety and cleanliness as a result.

On July 17, the Government confirmed that conferences and exhibitions will be able to safely re-open from 1 October. It also outlined specific conditions for the organisation of said that the new guidelines “will give the business event sector the certainty it needs to plan for the future.”

This is good news for Easyfairs which has been planning for months how to adjust operations to guarantee a pleasant and safe experience to visitors, exhibitors and staff, without compromising on the shows’ ability to maximise business opportunities and exposure for exhibitors.

In accordance with the Government's new guidelines, visitors will need to pre-register to attend. Registrations for both shows will be launched shortly and those interested will be able to register for free on the shows’ Web sites.

One badge will give access to both Advanced Engineering UK and Lab Innovations, allowing visitors to discover cutting-edge cross-sector innovations. Carefully phased time slots will be available for visitors throughout each day, and each slot will be capped to prevent overcrowding.

Contactless registrations systems, a digital-first approach and the limiting of paper brochures will ensure the absence of queues and the minimisation of contact between organisers and guests.



The two shows will provide guests with electronic badges. By tapping their badge to an exhibitor’s reader, visitors will receive all relevant information and contact details in digital format. As well as being safer, this complies with Easyfairs’ sustainability criteria and with its efforts to reduce paper waste.

Space between booths and aisle width will ensure compliance with social distancing requirements. With 20 interconnected halls covering 2,000,000ft² of floor space, the NEC can easily accommodate these measures.

All venues will also have enhanced cleaning procedures. For this purpose, Easyfairs has partnered with SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.

Easyfairs selected SGS to review and verify its enhanced cleaning protocols, ensuring that they continue to meet the highest international standards, including those to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Easyfairs Group CEO Eric Everard said: “We want to be sure that every visit to our events and venues is not only an easy visit, but a safe visit.

“Live events will play an important role in the economic recovery and it is therefore absolutely vital that we do everything possible to ensure cleanliness and hygiene to protect everybody’s health and safety, and build confidence in business communities.”

Peter Possemiers, Executive VP of SGS Environment Health and Safety services, said: “As the events industry has a high responsibility to address health and safety issues, we are very happy to partner with Easyfairs on implementing a monitoring programme that takes advantage of our technology solutions and provides a level of comfort to event visitors for years to come.”