Our comprehensive guide to exhibiting at Spring Fair 2026
Make the most of your stand at Spring Fair 2026
1-4 February 2026, NEC Birmingham
Spring Fair is the UK’s largest marketplace for wholesale home, gift, fashion, and everyday products. For 75 years, it’s been the UK’s leading retail trade show, bringing together buyers and suppliers of all sizes. This iconic event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your products to thousands of industry professionals, representing a massive £2.25bn in spending power.
Spring Fair will be packed with purchase-ready buyers looking to discover quality wholesale products like yours. Exhibit here, at the NEC Birmingham, and you’ll have four full days to connect with thousands of industry movers and shakers, all searching for the next big thing.
Read on for a taste of what’s in store at this unmissable event.
Need a price for your Spring Fair 2026 exhibition stand?
Get your products in front of the right people at Spring Fair 2026
Spring Fair 2026 is where the biggest names in retail, gifting and home come to find new suppliers. It’s the go-to event for sourcing fresh products, making connections, and striking deals.
Across 8 bustling halls, the NEC will be transformed into a vibrant marketplace featuring industry-leading speakers, catwalks, product pavilions, and buyer lounges. Over 38,000 visitors will flock to the show – from top chefs to the biggest supermarkets.
Spring Fair also features the exclusive Source Home & Gift show, an international sourcing hub that unites manufacturers focused on sustainable and responsible production.
You’ll exhibit alongside renowned brands like Sass & Belle, Portmeirion, Wrendale, Rock Luggage, and Garden Trading Company. And you’ll meet decision-makers from top retailers, including Scribbler, John Lewis, Centre Parcs, QVC, Paper Tiger, and many more.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to raise your profile, meet customers face to face, and create a lasting impression with an exhibition stand that showcases your brand’s unique story.
How to make Spring Fair 2026 a runaway success for your business
First, you need to get clear on what you want to achieve at Spring Fair, and weigh this up against the cost of exhibiting. The NEC Birmingham is a large venue, and a stand here is a serious investment, so you’ll want to make sure every penny counts.
Next, plan your budget. You need funds for floor space as well as your display. Try to find a balance between stand size and design, to make sure your space makes an impact without going over budget.
Have you thought about who you want to connect with at this event? Do you want 50 solid leads to follow up with after the show, or to meet 10 key decision-makers who can seal the deal right there and then? A clear target will help you measure your ROI and make strategic changes for your next event.
When it comes to showcasing your product, being able to touch it and feel it are huge crowd-pleasers, but need careful planning so your stand looks organised and enticing rather than busy and overwhelming. As experienced exhibition stand builders, we can cover all your logistical needs to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Finally, don’t forget the all-important stand brief. Whether you’re working with us or managing everything yourself, a clear, well-thought-out brief will keep everything on track and make sure everyone is working towards the same vision.
We’ve helped brands of all sizes bring their creative exhibition ideas to life. Our free guide to writing a stand brief is the ideal place to start planning. Download your free copy below.
Get your Spring Fair 2026 off to a flying start with a perfect stand brief.
With 85% of visitors decision makers, you need to put your product centre stage and make the sales process as smooth as possible. We’ve seen clients secure lucrative deals before the show has even ended.
Our advice? Don’t skimp on your stand planning. If you want to showcase your food products properly – best done with live demos – make sure you have the power and water resources to bring your creative vision to life. We handle these logistics on behalf of our clients, and it’s one of the things they most appreciate.”
David Hennessy, Motive Exhibitions Managing Director
Need an exhibition partner for Spring Fair 2026?
We’ve built a reputation for designing and building eye-catching exhibition stands that help home and gift brands make a lasting impression.
Whether you need space for product demonstrations, hands-on displays, live styling sessions, interactive displays, or product sampling – we know how to create an exhibition stand that will showcase your brand and reel in the right buyers at Spring Fair.
Bring your Spring Fair 2026 vision to life with a Motive Exhibitions stand.
Exhibition stands we can build for Spring Fair 2026
The NEC Birmingham is the UK’s largest exhibition venue – a spacious, modern site that can cater for a huge range of exhibition stand types and sizes.
Here are our top stand options to consider for Spring Fair 2026.
Bespoke exhibition stands are custom-designed for your event, and tailored to meet your brand’s specific goals and needs.
They offer the creative flexibility you need at busy events, where you’ll want space to store, meet buyers or display and demonstrate your products.
And we’re experts at fitting all your equipment and merchandise into the stand while maintaining a sleek, spacious design.
Modular exhibition stands offer unbeatable flexibility. Over the years, we’ve created a huge variety of high-impact modular stands that have impressed visitors at the NEC, Spring Fair.
A flexible, cost-effective solution, modular stands can be easily reconfigured for different events. Made of interlocking components, they create a seamless, professional display without the price tag of a fully custom build.
They’re perfect for companies that aren’t quite ready to invest in a permanent stand or don’t have the space to store one between events.
Shell scheme exhibition stands are
a budget-friendly option, and come in a range of sizes from 3m x 3m to 6m x 3m or 8m x 3m, often as part of all-inclusive packages.
These stands may be smaller, but they still offer plenty of room to get creative. With the right design, a shell scheme can be just as effective as a larger setup.
Ideal for those new to exhibiting or testing the waters at Spring Fair, shell schemes include flooring, lighting, and power (500 watts). You can also ask to remove the fascia board to help make the space feel more open. The larger the stand, the more you can add, such as product displays or video walls.
Exhibition stand hire
If you’re not ready to commit to a permanent stand, our exhibition hire service is the perfect solution.
You can rent an entire modular stand or just specific pieces, or even mix and match custom-made elements with rented items.
Hiring is both cost-effective and sustainable – a great budget-friendly choice, especially if this is your first big show. Even more so if your brand has a strong sustainability message.
Can’t decide which stand to opt for?
Everything you need to know about exhibiting at NEC, Birmingham
The NEC is one of the UK’s busiest exhibition venues, and hundreds of businesses will be vying for attention at Spring Fair. Having built and dismantled numerous stands at the NEC, we know exactly what works best for this venue.
Your stand location is really key – pitches near networking and presentation areas get the most visibility but also come at a cost. Our tip is to book floor space at the front of the halls (but don’t be tempted by being directly in front of the doors – people often rush by without stopping).
The pros and cons of the NEC, Birmingham
The NEC is a fantastic venue with plenty of facilities on offer, but there are a few things to bear in mind before you decide to exhibit:
Pros of exhibiting at the NEC:
- Central UK location, making it easy to get to.
- All stands are on the main show floor, ideal for networking and increasing visibility.
- Attracts a large audience of potential customers.
- Can accommodate a variety of stand sizes, from large custom builds to smaller, flexible shell-scheme.
- Ideal venue for showcasing food demos, with plenty of room for trailers and large displays.
- Free parking for exhibitors and contractors during setup and teardown.
- Complimentary shuttle buses between the car parks and exhibition halls.
- Free visitor Wi-Fi.
- A wide range of hotels nearby to suit all budgets.
Cons of exhibiting at the NEC:
- Floor space can be expensive.
- The venue’s food and drink are priced at a premium.
- The traffic management system can be a hassle.
- It’s a popular venue, so you need to book early – especially for large or custom stands.
- There’s no on-site storage, so you’ll need to arrange separate storage for packing cases, equipment, etc.
- The venue doesn’t provide logistics equipment (trolleys, pump trucks, etc.). However, if you work with us, the project costs will cover all of this!
- Smaller stands can sometimes be overlooked in such a vast space. But don’t worry, with smart design and the right partner, you can still make a big impact.
Don’t fancy building your own stand at the NEC?
“I highly recommend Motive Exhibitions. We worked with them to exhibit at IFE, the TUCO Summer Conference in and Lunch! They also assist us at smaller shows, where our resources are such that I need external support.
“They are adaptable, innovative, very helpful and really understand the demands of food exhibitions, especially those where we cook and sample on the stand.
“The design nous is exceptional as well.”
Scrocchiarella – Read our case study here
Clients we work with
We’d love to hear from you
Simply fill in the below, and we will be in touch
FAQs
Do you have any other clients exhibiting at Spring Fair?
Several of our clients have already signed up for Spring Fair.
We’ve a wealth of experience working with prestigious clients for Spring Fair and Autumn Fair. We’ve designed and built exhibition stands for Bluestem Group, Long and Sons, Inside Out Toys and Joe & Sephs to name a few.
Should I hire a stand or buy one?
It really depends on what you’re aiming for. Here’s why hiring might be the right choice for you:
- You’re new to exhibiting and want to test things out.
- Your teams exhibit regularly and need to frequently update the stand’s graphics.
- You want to experiment with new ideas and concepts.
- You’re looking for a more sustainable exhibiting solution than a permanent stand.
- You don’t have space to store a stand.
- You don’t exhibit enough to justify the cost of owning a stand.
If you’re planning to exhibit more than three times a year, owning a stand is likely to be the most cost-effective option.
What makes a custom exhibition stand effective?
A great bespoke stand shows off your brand’s personality and helps you achieve your goals for the event. And it’s not just about making an impact; it’s also about helping your audience understand how your products will be useful to them .
To get this right, we need to understand exactly what you’re looking for, which is why you need a strong exhibition stand brief. A clear brief means we can bring your vision to life and with a memorable display that truly represents your brand.
Can you help transport our supplies to NEC, Birmingham?
Yes! We know that carrying brochures, iPads, and products can be a hassle – especially if you’re using public transport.
When you work with us, just send your items ahead of time, and we’ll take care of everything. We’ll bring them to the exhibition hall and set them up with your stand, so you only need to bring the essentials!
Can you help transport our supplies to NEC, Birmingham?
Yes! We know that carrying brochures, iPads, and products can be a hassle – especially if you’re using public transport.
When you work with us, just send your items ahead of time, and we’ll take care of everything. We’ll bring them to the exhibition hall and set them up with your stand, so you only need to bring the essentials!
Motive Exhibitions, 3 Orion Court, Ambuscade Road, Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, PE19 8YX
