International Confex

At International Confex you can meet venues, destinations, suppliers and event technology companies over two days at Excel London, and registration is free if you organise events. Organiser Mash Media says International Confex has run for 44 years and brings together corporate planners, full-service agencies, associations, charities, government event teams and exhibition organisers with these suppliers.

International Confex 2027 dates and opening times

You get two full days to work the floor, Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 March 2027. Doors open at 09:30 on both days, closing at 17:30 on Wednesday and 16:30 on Thursday according to the opening times on the show website. The attendee FAQ names Hall S4 as the main entrance. You can bring a badge printed at home, and badges can otherwise only be printed at the International Confex terminals, even though the shows are co-located.

Free registration for event organisers

If you organise events, you register free; other groups have their own terms.

• Event organisers and buyers: free registration for anyone who organises meetings, conferences, incentives or events, including corporate, agency, association, not-for-profit, government and exhibition teams.
• Suppliers and venues: no free visitor pass. A Supplier/Venue pass costs £895 plus VAT for full show access, every attending staff member needs one, and the cost is deducted from a stand or sponsorship package booked for 2027.
• Students: admitted on Thursday only, through a programme run with AEME for around 350 students; places are arranged via universities and the general form is not for student applications.
• Children: welcome on show days with an accompanying adult, but under-16s are not allowed during build-up or breakdown.

Exhibitors, free sessions and features

You can compare 330 or more suppliers, venues and technology companies and attend free sessions from more than 150 speakers across nine theatres. The floor runs from event tech start-ups to global hotel groups. The home page says the 2027 conference programme launches in November 2026, covering leadership, recruitment, event strategy and innovation. Each theatre has live captions by MyClearText on screens, headphones and reserved wheelchair space at the front. An EventWell wellbeing room gives you a quiet space away from the floor, and the Mash Media app, powered by Grip, carries your digital badge, the agenda and networking tools. Mash Media reports 48,036 app connections made during Confex 2026.

You can also plan visits to fellow shows in the events and hospitality sector at the same venue, including Event Tech Live London from 11 November 2026 and The Meetings Show from 23 June 2027.

Three shows on one badge

Your Confex badge also gets you into The PA Show and the Event Production Show, which run alongside Confex just down the hall. The organiser says a change in carpet colour marks the boundary between the three. Our guide to what a co-located exhibition ticket covers explains how shared badges usually work.

The buying audience you reach

As an exhibitor you reach an audience the organiser puts at more than 6,000 attendees with £4.5 billion in collective buying power, and it says 68% of that audience holds a budget of £200,000 or more. It also states that over 88% of attendees come to connect with and book new suppliers and venues.

Edition	Dates	Venue
2026	25 and 26 February 2026	Excel London, Hall N4
2027	3 and 4 March 2027	Excel London, Hall S4 entrance

Exhibiting and sponsorship

You can choose anything from a bespoke stand to a turnkey pavilion, or sponsorship. After you complete an enquiry form, a member of the team emails the show brochure and discusses stand options, pavilion packages and sponsorship. Speakers can apply through a call for sessions. Our guide to building an exhibition budget may help with stand costs.

Getting there and staying nearby

You can get the quickest entry by taking the Elizabeth line or DLR to Custom House, the stop the organiser recommends. London City Airport is about 1.3 miles away, roughly 10 minutes by taxi or under 20 minutes by DLR, and Heathrow is about 45 minutes on the Elizabeth line. Excel has 1,800 parking spaces under the venue, open 24 hours and booked online in advance, with blue badge bays that still pay the standard charge. The show has partnered with Accommodations UK for discounted rates at hotels with easy transport links to Excel London, as a free service with no hidden charges. See more trade shows in London.

Source: international-confex.com, international-confex.com/about-confex, international-confex.com/attendee-faqs, international-confex.com/travel-accommodation