PATS is the UK’s leading trade show for the pet and aquatics industry, held every September at the NEC Birmingham. The 2025 show broke records, with over 6,000 visitors, 70% more than the year before, and 445 exhibitors from 15 countries. The New Product Showcase drew 450 entries, the most in the show’s history.
Entry is free for trade buyers, so the floor is full of independent pet retailers, groomers, garden centres, online sellers and distributors, all looking for new lines and show deals. It runs alongside BETA International, the equestrian trade show, and the timing matters, because September is when retailers lock in stock for Christmas.
Your stand has to sell your range to the people who’ll sell it on. Both shell scheme and space only plots are available, from small presences to large feature builds. Planning a space only stand? Working with exhibition stand contractors who know the NEC stops being optional.
The buyers at PATS aren’t shopping for their pets. They’re shopping for their shops. Every product they look at, they’re asking whether it will sell, where it will sit and what the margin is. Independent retailers and groomers make those calls themselves, often on the stand, often in minutes.
Product that looks the way it would on a shop shelf, with packaging, price points and point-of-sale support in view. A clear signal of what’s new, because with hundreds of launches in the hall, “new” is what gets people to stop. And somewhere to sit and write an order before the show deal runs out.
We design and build exhibition stands for PATS, from bespoke stand design to shell scheme and space only packages. We’ve built at PATS before, and we know what this floor needs. Three days, 440+ exhibitors and hundreds of new launches competing for the attention of buyers who are planning their Christmas stock. A stand that doesn’t show the range clearly, or give buyers somewhere to place an order, gets walked past for one that does.
So we build for selling to sellers. Product walls are merchandised like retail shelving, so buyers see your range the way their customers will. New launches get a hero spot at the front, and there’s an order desk where deals get written, not just discussed. Bright, confident branding stands out in a busy hall, and aquatic tanks and live displays are planned in from day one with the structure, water and power they need. Then we review what worked, so next September’s stand does even better.
We don’t build stands. We build the story your brand tells on the show floor. Every material, layout and lighting choice serves the narrative.
Heat mapping and visitor tracking available on request, plus a post-show review on every project. We prove what worked, not just what looked good.
LITE, READY and CUSTOM. Three clear ways to exhibit, three clear price points. You always know exactly what you’re getting, before you commit.
Your win is our win. We review the results together, and we’re genuinely invested in your next show being even better than the last.
Designed, made and installed by one in-house team in Lincolnshire. You’ll see 3D visuals before anything is built, and one project manager runs your stand from brief to debrief.
Everything you need to look the part, sorted.
Branded, professional, and ready to go.
The smart entry point.
from
£2,995
The clever way to exhibit.
A reusable backbone with Rocket-X craft on top, and it gets cheaper every show.
from
£8,995
Your story, built from scratch by the people who tell it best.
No limits, no compromises.
The full Rocket-X.
custom
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The NEC is the UK’s busiest exhibition venue, and a few of its rules change how your stand should be designed. There’s no storage on site, power and internet are ordered in advance, and anything overhead goes through the venue. We handle the logistics. Here’s what’s worth knowing for your stand and your team.
Halls have a sink for build and breakdown, but you can’t run hoses from it. For aquatic displays, we plan how tanks are filled, powered and supported well before build day.
There’s nowhere at the NEC to keep stock, literature or your team’s bags. We can build lockable storage into the stand itself, behind a wall or under the counter, so everything stays secure overnight.
It’s fine for email, not for anything your stand depends on. We spec and order a dedicated connection for screens, demos, lead capture and card payments.
Power, internet, water and furniture are ordered through the venue and its contractors, and late orders usually cost more. We spec everything with your stand and order it well before the deadlines.
A sign above your stand is the easiest way to be spotted across a busy hall. It’s rigged by the venue and needs ordering early, so we can design it in from the start.
Exhibitors can get into the halls before the doors open, so that’s the time to restock and brief the team. Birmingham International station is next to the NEC and on-site parking is charged, so plan your team’s travel in advance.
Three days, 440+ exhibitors and hundreds of new launches. Here’s how to make the most of it, from first plan to next year’s booking.
With hundreds of launches in the hall, “new” is what stops a buyer. Enter the New Product Showcase and put your launch at the front of the stand.
Show products the way they’ll sit on a retailer’s shelf, with packaging, price points and point-of-sale in view. Buyers should picture it selling.
Show-only deals, a table to sit at and a quick way to take the order. A buyer who has to email you later often doesn’t.
Tanks, water, power and any animal displays need planning and organiser approval well before build. Leave them late and they get cut.
PATS is when retailers plan their Q4 stock. Chase every lead within the week, before their budgets are spent elsewhere.
Many shows sell next year’s space before this one ends. Rebook, tell us your plot, and we can start on next year’s stand straight away. When we debrief the show, we’ll know what worked this time, so we can make your next stand work harder and give you better return on investment.
We build exhibitions to work harder over time. By reusing and refining crafted elements across multiple shows, we reduce waste, retain what works, and make every next build more efficient than the last. Show one makes an impact. Show two builds on it. That’s how exhibiting should work.
We build with reuse in mind from the start. That means fewer one-use builds, less waste, and exhibition stands designed to work harder over time. We use FSC- and PEFC-certified timber wherever possible and make smarter material choices at every stage. Because sustainability should be built in, not added on.
Got more questions? Check out our FAQs page or just get in touch. We’re always ready to help.
Tell us about your plot. We’ll show you what being noticed looks like.
This one's for you.
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