Our comprehensive guide to exhibiting at the Executive Hire Show 2027
Your complete guide to exhibiting at Executive Hire Show 2027
10–11 February 2027, Coventry Building Society Arena
Executive Hire Show returns to the Coventry Building Society Arena on 10 and 11 February 2027, marking the show’s 20th anniversary. With 2,100+ attendees expected and 85% arriving with an intention to buy, it’s one of the most focused dates in the hire industry calendar.
In 2026, the show welcomed 153 exhibitors, including 30 exhibiting for the first time, with turnout up on the two previous years.
2026 was our first year building stands at Executive Hire Show, but we bring years of experience designing exhibition stands around machinery at shows across the UK and Europe. We designed and built exhibition stands for Trime UK and Mace at Executive Hire Show in 2026, Trime UK‘s ninth consecutive year at the show and their biggest stand yet, and Mace‘s first time working with a stand builder rather than building their own. We’re sharing our top tips in our guide to Executive Hire Show. Read on to find out all you need to know.
Need a price for your Executive Hire Show 2027 stand?
Executive Hire Show is a two-day, trade-only event for hire executives across the UK and Ireland, and it also attracts visitors from Europe and beyond. Most attendees are owners, MDs or CEOs, alongside directors, senior managers and depot or branch managers, with major hirers including Speedy Hire, Sunbelt Rentals and HSS ProService among those who attend.
91% of buying decisions at the show are made by a team of five people or fewer, so conversations on the day rarely get lost in a longer approval chain back at the office.
You’ll be exhibiting alongside established names like Atlas Copco and Altrad Belle, in front of an audience that’s already there to do business.
Want to reach the people who make the buying decisions? Make sure your stand is the one they remember.
Everything you need to know about exhibiting at Coventry Building Society Arena
It’s a smaller, more intimate venue than the NEC, so it works well for niche, targeted exhibitions, and it’s generally a more cost-effective venue to exhibit at as a result. It’s also where a number of shows have launched over the years, including InstallerSHOW, before moving to bigger venues as they grow.
The CBS Arena (Coventry Building Society Arena) sits at the heart of the UK motorway network, with easy access from the M6 and M40, and it’s close to Birmingham Airport, a major international hub. Its single exhibition hall covers 6,000 sq m, and can be divided into smaller 4,000 sq m and 2,000 sq m sections.
Pros of exhibiting at the CBS Arena:
- Central UK location, with easy access from the M6 and M40
- Close to Birmingham Airport, a major international hub
- A smaller, more intimate venue than the NEC, ideal for niche, targeted exhibitions
- Easier to stand out and be found by visitors than at a bigger venue
- 2,000 on-site parking spaces for exhibitors and visitors
- Free parking for exhibitors and contractors during setup and teardown (registration required)
- Ground-level loading doors right outside the hall, with unobstructed load-in access
- Reliable on-site traffic management. Book a 5pm slot and you’re on site at 5pm
- Its own train station, minutes from Coventry’s mainline station, with connections to the North and London
- On-site hotel
Cons of exhibiting at the CBS Arena:
- The venue’s ANPR system requires daily registration if you’re managing your own logistics
- Little to no on-site storage for packing cases and equipment
- No logistics equipment is provided, such as trolleys or pump trucks. If you work with us, the project costs cover this
- Train services run roughly once an hour each way between the arena and Coventry mainline station
- The on-site cafe isn’t the cheapest, though Arena Park shopping centre next door has cheaper options
Before you commit to exhibiting, get clear on your goals. Are you launching new equipment, meeting existing hire accounts, or opening conversations with new ones? Work out how many people you need to meet to make that worthwhile, whether that’s 50 new leads to follow up after the show or 10 decision-makers ready to place an order on the day. A focused plan helps you get the best return from your stand investment.
Next, set a realistic budget. You’ll need funds for the floor space and the stand itself, so decide how much of that budget goes on space versus the build. There’s no point spending most of it on a large floor space and having little left to fill it with, so balance the size of your stand against how you want it to look and feel.
If you’re bringing machinery onto your stand, plan power and safety early. We work out those requirements with you and liaise directly with the organiser, but if you’re managing your own stand, that’s something you’ll need to sort yourself well ahead of the show.
Once your goals are set, decide how you’ll measure success against them, whether that’s qualified leads, decision-makers engaged, or orders placed on the day. Read our guide to maximising exhibition stand ROI.
Finally, put together a proper exhibition brief. A clear, detailed brief keeps the whole project on track, whether you’re working with us or going it alone.
Exhibition stand brief: what to include? David Hennessy, Motive Exhibitions, shares his advice.
Sometimes it’s more worthwhile buying a smaller space and spending more on the stand, because the stand is going to do the hard work for you. If you spend around 60% of your budget on the space and 40% on the stand, it gives you far more options than spending 90% on the space and only 10% on the stand.”
Edward Marshall, Creative Director, Motive Exhibitions
Whether you need space to display heavy equipment safely, room for live demonstrations, or a stand that holds its own against louder neighbours, we’ll design something that reflects your brand and does the job on the day.
We’re a Made in Britain member, and every custom element is designed, manufactured and finished in-house by our own team, so you’re working with people who take responsibility for what goes on the floor.
Clients tell us we understand the brief quickly, then add ideas they hadn’t considered themselves. Rather than handing over a spec and waiting for it to come back finished, we work with you to build the brief out together, often making changes on the spot, which speeds up the process and keeps you involved in the creative process. We take the same approach through to the build itself: we build your stand in full before the show, exactly as it will appear on the day, so you see it with no surprises before it ever reaches the venue. It’s not something every stand builder offers, but it takes the worry away on a big day.
We’ll also help you think about who’s on the stand, not just what it looks like. As David Hennessy puts it: “Your exhibition stand staff need to be of an equal seniority and knowledge level to the people you’re engaging with.” Over half of Executive Hire Show’s audience are owners, MDs or CEOs, and 65% hold the budget or final sign-off, so it’s worth matching your team to them. Read our guide to choosing the right exhibition stand staff.
We’ll work with you to create a stand that’s built to compete on a busy show floor, and one you can keep using long after Executive Hire Show 2027 is over.
I came with a budget. They completely maximised every penny that I had to bring the elements I wanted to come to life.”
Marketing Manager, Trime UK, Executive Hire Show 2026
Exhibition stands we can build at Executive Hire Show 2027
If you’re planning on exhibiting, here are our recommendations for stand types to consider ahead of the Executive Hire Show.
Designed and built from scratch around your brand and your goals. If you need to showcase large equipment safely alongside a strong brand presence, a custom exhibition stand is usually the right option. It’s also the more cost-effective choice if you exhibit more than three times a year, since you own the stand outright rather than renting one each time.
Made up of reconfigurable components, so the same stand can be rebuilt and adapted for different spaces and future shows. A good fit if your equipment or stand sizes change from one event to the next, or if you don’t have the storage space for a stand you’d otherwise keep between shows. They’re also lightweight to transport, which means lower carbon emissions and lower shipping costs.
The most cost-effective option. Your booked space comes with a basic shell, walls, flooring, lighting and power as standard, and we design and build a stand within it that reflects your brand. A sensible starting point if this is your first time exhibiting, exhibit on a smaller scale, or if you’re working to a tighter budget.
Exhibition stand rental
Rent a whole modular exhibition stand or just the elements you need, furniture, screens, lighting, flooring, without the overheads of owning it outright. A sensible option if you don’t exhibit often, are working to a tighter budget, or don’t have anywhere to store a stand between shows.
Can’t decide which stand to opt for?
We build exhibition stands for exhibitors at the Executive Hire Show, working across shell scheme, island and space-only stands.
See how it works in practice. Read our case studies to find out how we’ve helped other exhibitors get more from their stand.
I couldn’t fault Motive – they’ve been absolutely fantastic, calming all doubts, really easy to work with.”
Marketing Manager, Mace Industries
Clients we work with
We'd love to hear from you
Simply fill in the below, and we will be in touch
FAQs
Do I need to handle the exhibition stand paperwork and logistics myself?
No. We handle health and safety, RAMs, planning, stand manufacture, installation, dismantle, storage and logistics, so you can focus on the show itself rather than the admin behind it.
When and where is the Executive Hire Show?
The Executive Hire Show takes place at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 10 and 11 February 2027.
How far in advance should I book my exhibition stand?
We’d recommend starting the conversation at least three to four months before the show. This gives enough time for design, approvals and build without rushing the final fit-out.
Watch our video on how long to plan for a stand and exhibition stand planning.
What exhibition stand types do we build at EHS?
Motive Exhibitions builds exhibition stands for exhibitors at the Executive Hire Show, working across shell scheme, island and space-only stands. Custom, hybrid and modular exhibition stands can go on either island or space-only space.
Can you reuse or adapt our existing exhibition stand for next year's show?
Yes. Many of our clients reuse elements of a previous stand rather than starting from scratch, which keeps costs down and speeds up the build.
Motive Exhibitions, 3 Orion Court, Ambuscade Road, Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, PE19 8YX
