Nursing Live

At Nursing Live you get two days of free CPD, plus an exhibition of medical devices, pharmaceutical companies, recruiters and lifestyle brands. Nursing Live is a professional development event for nursing staff, run by RCNi and held in Hall 2 at NEC Birmingham. Its CPD programme combines talks, panel discussions, workshops and keynote sessions. RCNi says the event is open to everyone in the profession, from students to senior leaders.

Nursing Live 2026 dates and free admission

You can attend free. The 2026 edition runs on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November. Doors open at 09:30 on both days, closing at 17:00 on Monday and 16:30 on Tuesday. Tickets are free and are obtained by registering on the official website. The event is in person only, with no virtual option.

The programme differs on each day, so you can come for one day or both; the organiser suggests looking at the programme before deciding. Sessions are not pre-booked and seats are taken on a first come, first served basis. Food is sold at a number of cafes, and the cloakroom in the NEC piazza charges £2 per coat and £3 per bag, opening 30 minutes before the event.

CPD programme and speakers

You can choose from sessions by more than 200 speakers, which RCNi describes as practical CPD that helps attendees prepare for revalidation. Topics announced for the two-day programme include:

• clinical excellence, patient safety and clinical updates
• long-term conditions, complex care and advanced or specialist practice
• medicines management, women’s health, and mental health and wellbeing
• prevention, public health, health inequalities and inclusive care
• national guidance, policy and evidence
• innovation, technology and digital nursing
• leadership, communication skills, career inspiration and workforce resilience

You can also meet recruiters and find discounts for nurses. The event is organised around four themes: careers, learning and development, with recruiters present; nursing today, covering evidence-based clinical practice; medtech and pharma, showing devices and research; and lifestyle and well-being, which showcases fashion and beauty. RCNi also lists exhibitors offering discounts to nurses, alongside yoga, networking and the Compassion Cafe. Industry sponsors may run their own symposiums, which are marked on the agenda; RCNi states that sponsors have no input into the rest of the content or the choice of speakers.

Exhibiting and sponsorship

If you exhibit, you meet nurses at all levels and from all specialties, along with decision-makers, NHS and private healthcare employers, and industry suppliers. You can request a media pack covering stand and sponsorship options through the enquiry form on the exhibiting page, and RCNi says discounts and flexible payment options are available for exhibitors who book now. If you are weighing up a first stand, our guides to choosing your first UK trade show and building an exhibition budget cover the planning side.

Show size and exhibitor results

You can judge the event by its 2025 results, when 90% of exhibitors said their objectives were met. The organiser publishes figures for the 2025 edition, which recorded the following:

Measure	Nursing Live 2025
Attendees	2,800
Speakers	240
Exhibitors	92
Association partners	10
Exhibitors saying objectives were met	90%
Delegates rating the event excellent or very good	82%

According to RCNi, 86% of 2025 exhibitors said they were already planning to return in 2026.

Getting there

You can drive or take the train. The NEC is signposted from the M42, M40 and M6 and uses the postcode B40 1NT. Once on site, follow digital screens showing Nursing Live to the nearest car park rather than satellite navigation. The venue has more than 16,500 parking spaces, including blue badge bays, you can pay for parking in advance, and a free shuttle bus links the car parks with the halls on show days. Birmingham International railway station is a five-minute covered walk from the halls. RCNi offers a free hotel booking service through Event Express.

Other healthcare events at the NEC

You can plan further NEC visits. Nursing Live is one of several events in our healthcare sector listings. Later the same month the NEC hosts the Occupational Therapy Show and the Therapy Show, both starting on 25 November 2026, followed by Digital Health Rewired from 16 March 2027. More events in the city are listed under trade shows in Birmingham.

Source: nursinglive.com, nursinglive.com/about, nursinglive.com/exhibiting-and-sponsorship, thenec.co.uk