The National Exhibition Centre Reviews 11

We were an exhibitor at a recent show - our first experience of the NEC.

You'd have thought that the NEC had plenty of experience of putting on exhibitions and it would all go like clockwork. It didn't. Disorganised chaos does the word "chaos" a disservice.

Setting up wasn't too bad - though we missed a window for unloading by 10 minutes due to hold-ups on the M6. The lady at the service car-park was polite - but inflexible. We ended up having to porter the goods from one of the public car-parks - 15 to 20 minutes away.

The exhibition was fine; we made some useful contacts but packing down. We knew it would be a free-for-all - but we hadn't expected that the priority would be for the show's contractors to dismantle the stands around us. The fact that their large vehicles took up much of the service car-parks made it difficult to get our van in - we were over an hour queuing even to move to the service car-park. Again, the NEC's staff were polite but inflexible - until they nearly had a riot on their hands - which resulted in them starting to release vehicles.

In the meantime contractors' were knocking down stands around us. There were fork-trucks and pallet trucks moving round along with parts of dismantled stands all over the floor as we were trying to move our materials out of the hall and pack the van.

Making those of us remaining in the hall wear high-vis jackets whilst there were high risk works and high risk movements happening round us smacks of tokenism rather than real concern for public safety.

The NEC may well say that the stand contractors are the responsibility of the show organiser - but that doesn't absolve the NEC management from their responsibility for allowing the organiser's contractors in before exhibitors had even started to pack down.

Would we do an exhibition at the NEC again? Yes - but only because they've really got a monopoly. Do they deserve repeat business? Absolutely not.

Definately the event lived upto its name. Attended the Mega-con event with my son 8n March and disgusted to be charged £18.95 f9r a registered blue badge disabled holder for parking. I was lost for words that disabled badge holders had to pay so much and the parking was a good 10min walk which is hard enugh using crutches.

i've been to a few exhibitions at the NEC over the years and it's terrible. £15 for a single day entry, you're forced to park where you don't want to park, i parked a mile away from the exhibition. for 2 hours parking it was £18.50 which is extortionate. The staff were rude and cocky. The events themselves are lacklustre, it was full of charities that were constantly trying to get into your pockets, it awful to say but it really did annoy the life out of me. i'm all for charity but i'm not going to an exhibition to talk to these people. There are some good deals on inside, but when you consider you have to spend a minimum of £35 just to get in, not including travel it's not worth it at all. I'd rather pay more money for a ticket, for a better experience.

£18.95 for 3 hours & then gridlocked for over an hour trying to get out

Don’t order the smoked hotdogs 🌭 at the Butcher and Grill outlet 🤯 really awful…

Expensive rip off
Car park charging is disgusting

Visited the classic and restoration show which was very good. I see lots of complaints of £18 to park, funnily enough it cost me £18 return on the train. My complaint is there were no working ATMs in the whole of the NEC, none. I asked a security guardcwho sent me on a long walk from one machine to another before I smelt a rat. I asked at the info booth and the chap just laughed, he told me all their machines had been down for days. So if any of the many stall holders wonder why their takings were low that could be one reason. I personally didnt spend anywhere near what I usualy would and 2 stalls told me they were cash only. Poor by the NEC.

Went to the Classic Car and Restoration show. £31.50 to get in £15 parking what a total rip off. The show was rubbish they have no clue on how to put on a good Classic Car show. Probably only worth about £15 plus free parking. If your going don't bother

Says you can save money booking ticket online. They charge a fee for booking online that actually makes it the same price. Total miss information.

Was looking to attend an event at the NEC (Sign & Digital UK 2025), but the NEC feel it acceptable to rip off the public by charging £18 to park (or £13 if you book in advance), what planet are these con artists on, we wont be bothering to attend the event.

As a regular visitor to the NEC who has mobility issues, I find it disgraceful that the Blue Badge area for the main centre, halls 1-5, takes second place in nearness, to the parking area for privileged reserved parking bays which I presume, one has to purchase and not available to all.
I have brought this up with the organisers but to no avail.

Went to the NEC for the Classic Car Show. We will not be going back because of the rip off prices for the car park, £18.95, and no signs whatsover for the car parks from the centre.
The centre is massive and we knew we had parked at the north car park but as we left one of the halls to go home we couldn't find the exit for the car park. There were no signs on the walls as you came out of each hall directing you to the car parks.
We walked the wrong way and found ourselves at the south car parks, tried to locate them on the occasional guide on the wall but didn't know which way we were facing. We also met others who had walked the wrong way and were looking for their car park.
There are no signs whatsover as you walk down each passageway only directions for hall numbers etc.
When we eventually found the exit for the north car park, guess what, absolutely not one sign outside directing you to any car parks.
Surely this place has been there for years.
Why are there no signs ?