Care Show Birmingham runs every October at the NEC and is the social care sector’s biggest date of the year. More than 4,500 care professionals attend, mostly owners, directors and managers from care providers, alongside 300+ suppliers and 200+ speakers across seven theatres. It runs alongside the Retirement Living Show, so the same floor reaches retirement living operators too.
Entry is free for social care, healthcare, NHS and public sector professionals, which keeps the audience focused on the people who run services and sign off spending. Visitors come for answers on the pressures they live with every day, from workforce and funding to compliance and technology.
Your stand has to show you understand those pressures, not just what you sell. 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.
Care buyers don’t shop for themselves. Every decision has to work for the people they care for, stand up to an inspection and fit a budget that’s already stretched. So they’re careful, practical and quick to spot a supplier who doesn’t understand how a care service actually runs.
The stands that work here feel warm, calm and real. They show the product where it would be used, in a bedroom, a lounge or a care office, rather than on a plinth. The message is plain. It names the problem you solve, in the sector’s own words.
We design and build exhibition stands for The Care Show, from bespoke stand design to shell scheme and space only packages. We’ve built at Care Show Birmingham before, and we know what this floor needs. Care leaders spend time on stands that feel warm, calm and easy to move around, like a good care setting. They walk straight past anything that feels clinical or pushy. Over two days, the stands that win are the ones where a registered manager or owner can sit down and have a proper conversation.
So that’s what we build. Your product is shown where it would actually be used, in a resident’s room, a lounge or a care office, rather than on a plinth. We can build room sets around profiling beds, hoists and furniture, with nurse call, sensors and care software running live on screens. Layouts are step-free and accessible, with somewhere to sit and talk. Messaging is in plain English and names the pressure you ease, whether that’s staffing, funding or inspection. And because the NEC has no on-site storage, we can build lockable storage into the stand. Then we review what worked, so next October’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.
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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.
Many visitors use mobility aids. We can design step-free, wide-access stands with seating, so everyone can get in and sit down.
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, and our crates leave with us.
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.
Two days, 300+ suppliers and a floor full of care leaders who’ve heard every promise before. Here’s how to make the most of it, from first plan to next year’s booking.
Owners sign off budgets, registered managers live with the product day to day, and group buyers compare across sites. Design for the one that matters most to you.
Care buyers picture residents, not specifications. A room set, a dining table or a care office setting says more than any product shot on a wall.
Staffing, funding, compliance, inspection. Put the pressure you ease on the back wall in the sector’s own words, and let the product prove it.
Step-free access, somewhere to sit and signage that’s easy to read. It’s good design for any show, and in this sector it shows you share their values.
Managers and owners go straight back to running services. Agree the next step on the stand, not by email a week later.
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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