Southern Manufacturing & Electronics

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics gives you three days to find suppliers across the manufacturing and electronics supply chain, with 571 exhibitors at its 2026 edition. Organised by Easyfairs and held in Hall 1 at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, the trade exhibition recorded 10,722 attendees in 2026, the show’s 28th year, with a manufacturing conference and an electronics and semiconductors conference running alongside the stands. The organiser bills it as the first major industrial event of the year.

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2027

You can attend free, provided you register in advance and are 16 or over.

• Dates: Tuesday 2 to Thursday 4 February 2027
• Opening times: 09:30 to 16:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday, 09:30 to 15:30 on Thursday
• Venue: Hall 1, Farnborough International, entered via Gate F
• Admission: free, with registration in advance required; visitors must be 16 or over

You need nothing printed before the day. Show your email confirmation on a phone at registration and you receive a Smart Badge, which you can tap on readers at stands and features to receive an end-of-day email listing everything you visited. Students and press select their category on the same form.

Who visits and who exhibits

As an exhibitor you reach the audience the show is aimed at: manufacturers and engineers looking for suppliers, electronics professionals sourcing components, systems and subcontract services, purchasing and supply chain managers, and business leaders. The organiser lists visitor job functions including design, production and quality, subcontract services, and works management and maintenance, from sectors such as aerospace, automotive, energy, metals processing, food and drink, rail, defence and marine. It names McLaren, Dyson, Rolls-Royce and Siemens among the companies exhibitors can meet.

As a visitor you can search the 2027 exhibitor list, which already holds more than 500 companies, by category, product or sector. Categories include:

• Electronics manufacturing services and PCB assembly
• Electronic components and modules
• Engineering, manufacturing and operations software
• Electronics design, engineering and test services
• Automation, robotics and motion systems
• Cables, harnesses, connectors and power supplies
• Extrusion, plastics, rubber moulding and composites

Exhibitors come from countries including Austria, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Israel, Poland and Sweden as well as the UK. The show sits in the manufacturing and engineering calendar alongside Subcon, which opens on 9 June 2027.

Free CPD conferences and competitions

You can collect free CPD certificates, as both conference streams are free for registered visitors and CPD-accredited. Personalised certificates are claimed by scanning QR codes around the hall. The manufacturing sessions cover operational excellence, digital transformation and process optimisation, while the electronics programme has covered how small manufacturers handle challenges, automation and Industry 4.0, and adopting additive manufacturing. In 2026 the speakers included Industry Minister Chris McDonald, Make UK chief executive Stephen Phipson, and specialists from 3M, Rolls-Royce, Siemens EDA and IBM. The Global Electronics Association ran the IPC Hand Soldering Competition and a Cable & Wire Harness Competition, which the organiser says was held in Europe for the first time.

Show history

You are visiting a show with 28 years behind it. Southern began as a family-run regional exhibition and grew into a national show before Easyfairs acquired it, and the organiser says it still works with the previous owners. Easyfairs also runs Advanced Engineering and Lab Innovations, both from 4 November 2026 at the NEC, and Packaging Innovations & Empack from 24 February 2027.

Edition	Dates	Attendees	Exhibitors
2025	4 to 6 February
2026 (28th year)		10,722	571
2027	2 to 4 February

Exhibiting

If you exhibit, your package includes badge scanning, and you can download the leads collected after the show. EasyGo packages include the Visit Connect badge-scanning app and Smart Badge readers, one with GoLeads, two with GoPlus and three with GoPremium. Companies enquire through the exhibitor form and can ask for the sales brochure, floor plan or sponsorship information, and the sales team then discusses stand packages and bespoke sponsorship. Booked exhibitors manage their profile, guest invitations and stand orders through the My Easyfairs portal. The organiser says it offers packages to suit different exhibition budgets.

Getting there

You can park free on site with no pass needed, whether visiting or exhibiting; set the sat nav to Gate F. The nearest stations are Farnborough (Main) and North Camp, which has step-free access, and free courtesy coaches run from both between 9am and 4.30pm (3.30pm on Thursday). A free cloakroom is available. Other events in Farnborough include the South East Homebuilding & Renovating Show from 16 January 2027.

Source: southern-manufacturing-electronics.com, southern-manufacturing-electronics.com/about, southern-manufacturing-electronics.com/exhibit, southern-manufacturing-electronics.com/plan-your-journey