Lab Innovations

At Lab Innovations you can compare analytical instruments, consumables and reagents, laboratory automation and LIMS software, lab design services, and quality, safety and sustainability support from suppliers in one hall, with free entry. The two-day show is run by Easyfairs in Hall 2 at NEC Birmingham, and the organiser describes it as the UK’s largest annual event for the laboratory sector. It sits in our science and laboratory shows listings.

Lab Innovations dates and opening times

The 2027 show runs on Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 November 2027 at NEC Birmingham. Opening times for 2027 are not published yet; the 2026 edition gave you two days on the show floor.

Day	Opening times
Wednesday 4 November 2026	09:00 to 17:00
Thursday 5 November 2026	09:00 to 16:00

Entry costs nothing, but you must register in advance to reach the show floor, theatres and networking areas, and everyone attending must be 18 or over. You have nothing to print: show the confirmation email on your phone at registration and collect a Smart Badge. Tap that badge on readers around the hall to save exhibitor and feature details, and a summary is emailed to you afterwards. Press and students choose their category on the registration form. Once registered, you get the event app three weeks ahead to connect with other attendees and plan conversations before arriving.

If you are an invited VIP, you get a lounge with refreshments and lunch, networking drinks and a free parking voucher.

Free theatres, features and the Lab Awards

You can hear more than 60 speakers, the organiser says, across five free theatres. The 2026 theme was colLABorate, built around five topics: AI and automation, applied innovation, quality and compliance, sustainability, and skills and development. The five theatres are:

• Royal Society of Chemistry Theatre
• Insights & Innovations Theatre
• Quality Infrastructure Forum
• Biotech Forum
• Live Lab

On the floor, the Sustainable Lab, hosted by Green Light Laboratories, gives you guided tours of the showcased equipment and advice on simple changes that improve your lab’s energy efficiency and reduce waste. Guided Innovation Trail tours take you to products picked out from the exhibitors. Manufacturers can meet potential channel partners at Meet the Distributor’s five-minute speed pitching sessions, and participants receive a year’s Premium Member upgrade on the BCP Partnering Portal.

The Lab Awards, run with Laboratory News, cover 14 categories for individuals, laboratories and suppliers, with the 2026 ceremony held on 4 November.

Who you will meet

You meet people who buy, as the organiser says most visitors are involved in buying decisions. It names laboratory directors, chief scientific officers, lab managers, R&D and analytical scientists, quality assurance and compliance managers, procurement and supply chain staff, automation and informatics managers, and facilities managers and engineers. Visitors come from life sciences, pharmaceuticals, clinical and diagnostic testing, academia, food and drink, chemicals, environmental science and industrial research.

Show size

You can judge the show’s scale from last year’s figures.

Edition	Visitors	Suppliers
2025	4,871	219

According to the organiser, the 2025 edition logged 1,758 messages and meetings, and 71% of exhibitors rebooked at the show. The 2026 edition was promoted with more than 200 exhibitors.

Three shows on one badge

Your Lab Innovations badge also admits you to Advanced Engineering in Halls 3 and 3a and UK Metals Expo in Hall 4, on the same dates in 2026. Our guide to what a co-located exhibition ticket covers explains how shared badges usually work.

Exhibiting

As an exhibitor, you manage your profile, guest invitations and stand orders (power, lighting, flooring, graphics, AV and furniture) in the My Easyfairs portal. To ask about a stand or see the floor plan, use the exhibitor enquiry form and the sales team replies. You can choose shell scheme or space only; our guide to choosing shell scheme or space only compares the two. EasyGo packages give you the Visit Connect badge-scanning app and one, two or three Smart Badge readers on GoLeads, GoPlus and GoPremium respectively. Easyfairs also runs Packaging Innovations & Empack at the NEC from 24 February 2027 and Southern Manufacturing & Electronics at Farnborough from 2 February 2027.

Getting to the NEC

You can reach the hall from the train without going outside, as Birmingham International station is next to the NEC. Trains from Birmingham New Street run up to nine times an hour and take 10 to 15 minutes. The Air-Rail Link from Birmingham Airport runs every two minutes and takes 90 seconds. If you drive, pre-book one of the NEC’s 16,500 parking spaces, with a free shuttle bus to the halls, though the organiser encourages public transport. More shows at the venue are in our Birmingham trade shows calendar.

Source: lab-innovations.com, lab-innovations.com/lab-innovations-faqs, lab-innovations.com/why-visit/whats-on, lab-innovations.com/why-exhibit