UK Metals Expo

What UK Metals Expo does

UK Metals Expo organises a free annual exhibition and conference dedicated to the UK metals supply chain, held at the NEC in Birmingham. Founded in 2020 and acquired by Easyfairs in 2024, the event serves ferrous and non-ferrous metals manufacturers, processors, distributors, fabricators, and end-users by concentrating the sector's commercial and technical dialogue into a single annual gathering. The 2025 edition hosted 320+ exhibitors, 5,315 unique visitors from 55 countries, 7,000+ total attendees, 148 speakers, and 40+ sessions across four content theatres covering market outlook, technology, sustainability, and workforce issues.

The core product is the live exhibition floor, complemented by a multi-track conference programme, an online show guide, a recruitment platform connecting employers with candidates in the metals sector, and "The Metal Guys Talk Business" podcast. Smart Badges provide digital attendee tracking, and the Comton Cup functions as a community networking event. Distribution is anchored by endorsement partnerships with nine UK metals trade associations, including the UK Metals Council, UK Steel, ALFED, IOM3, BMRA, CMF, CBM, BSSA, and Make UK, which collectively supply an industry-validated attendee pipeline.

Revenue is generated primarily through exhibition stand sales to suppliers, headline and secondary sponsorship packages (Tata Steel, Hydro, MEPS, Peel Ports, and Epicor are named headline sponsors), paid conference and theatre sponsorships, and ancillary digital services. The operating model is event-cycle concentrated with a lean headcount of 1-10 employees, supplemented by Easyfairs' portfolio infrastructure post-acquisition. From 2026, the event will co-locate with Advanced Engineering and Lab Innovations, broadening its buyer audience across adjacent engineering and laboratory verticals.

Name

UK Metals Expo

Legal name

UK Metals Expo Ltd.

Website

https://ukmetalsexpo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UK Metals Expo organises a free annual exhibition and conference for the UK metals supply chain at the NEC in Birmingham, hosting 320+ exhibitors, 148 speakers, and 7,000+ attendees from 55 countries across four content theatres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Trade Show & Exhibition Services

akta.pro primary industry

Manufacturing, Industrial Equipment & Automation Shows Organizers (THAHABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Exhibition & Trade Show Management (Conference-Adjacent) (THAHACAF)

Keywords

• Trade show exhibitions
• Industrial conferences
• Metals supply chain events
• Business networking events
• Event management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Twickenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Stand Sales: Revenue generated from companies booking exhibition stands to showcase their products and services to the metals industry. Stand pricing varies by size and location within the exhibition hall.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Event sponsorship opportunities including headline sponsorship, theatre naming rights, and branding placement throughout the venue and marketing materials. Sponsors include Tata Steel, Hydro, MEPS, Peel Ports, and Epicor.
3. Conference Session Slots: Paid speaking opportunities within the seminar theatre programme across four dedicated theatres covering industry issues, sustainability, innovation, and supply chain topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

UK Metals Expo organises a free annual trade exhibition and conference held at the NEC Birmingham, bringing together the entire UK metals supply chain under one roof. The event features 320+ exhibitor stands across primary metal manufacturing, processing, fabrication, CNC machinery, surface finishing and recycling, supported by four dedicated seminar theatres with 100+ industry speakers. Revenue is generated through paid exhibitor stands, sponsorship packages and conference speaking slots, while visitors attend free via pre-registration.

Product overview

UK Metals Expo is an annual exhibition and conference event organized by Easyfairs, serving as the UK's leading marketplace for the metals and manufacturing community. The core offering comprises the main exhibition featuring 320+ exhibitors across the full metals supply chain, supported by four seminar theatres (The Big Issues, Sustainability & Circular Economy, Innovation & Technology, Supply Chain/Trade & Policy) with 100+ speakers. Supporting products include the Online Show Guide for digital event navigation, The Metal Guys Talk Business podcast series, and the Typical Vacancies recruitment service from Comton Group. The event also engages the community through initiatives like the Comton Cup football event. The 2026 edition runs 4-5 November at NEC Birmingham alongside Advanced Engineering and Lab Innovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UK Metals Expo Annual Exhibition The flagship annual trade exhibition bringing together the entire metals supply chain with engineering, manufacturing and construction sectors, featuring 320+ exhibitor stands across primary metal manufacturing, processing, fabrication, CNC machinery, surface finishing and recycling. Targeted at metals producers, fabricators, stockholders, recyclers and OEMs/end-users.
• Seminar Theatres Conference Programme A conference programme of 40+ sessions across four dedicated seminar theatres covering The Big Issues, Sustainability & Circular Economy, Innovation & Technology, and Supply Chain, Trade & Policy, featuring 100+ industry leaders as speakers. Free to attend for registered visitors and available to paid speaking slot sponsors.
• Online Show Guide Digital platform providing year-round access to exhibitor listings, product showcases and conference information for metals industry buyers and visitors.
• The Metal Guys Talk Business Podcast A podcast series featuring interviews with industry decision-makers and technical experts in the metals and engineering sectors, hosted by Comton Group.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.4/10 visitor satisfaction score, up from 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• UK Metals CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull endorsement and collaboration from the UK Metals Council and its member trade associations. UKMC represents the UK metals sector to government and organises the annual exhibition to foster community in the sector.
• Tata SteelflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadline sponsor of UK Metals Expo; CEO T.V. Narendran delivered keynote at 2025 event; showcasing low-carbon steelmaking and Electric Arc Furnace transition plans.
• HydroflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Sustainability & Circularity Theatre; Head of Innovation Marijn Rietveld featured speaker; showcasing aluminium recycling and sustainability solutions.
• UK SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirector-General Gareth Stace speaks at expo; represents all UK steel producers; key voice on policy, energy costs and decarbonisation.
• Aluminium Federation (ALFED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Nadine Bloxsome speaks at expo; represents the UK aluminium industry; active on policy advocacy around energy costs and CBAM.
• IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHead of Education Dr Diane Aston speaks at expo; professional membership organisation with Iron & Steel Group; endorses the event.
• British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents the £7 billion UK metal recycling sector; CEO James Kelly speaks at expo; 270 member organisations.
• Cast Metals Federation (CMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Pam Murrell speaks at expo; represents UK foundry industry producing £2.2B in castings; member of Metals Forum.
• Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresident Steve Morley speaks at expo; represents UK manufacturers of fasteners, forgings, pressings and sheet-metal products.
• British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased in Sheffield; promotes and develops stainless steel manufacture and use across UK and Ireland; member of International Stainless Steel Forum.
• Make UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner; represents UK manufacturing sector employing 3 million people; warns on energy costs and deindustrialisation.
• Materials Processing InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationStand F30 exhibitor; leads innovation support for steel and metals sector; manages PRISM Innovate UK programme for decarbonisation and digital technology funding.
• GTMAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStand K92 exhibitor; UK trade association representing precision engineering companies; qualifies incoming leads and connects with members.
• EasyfairsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent organiser; acquired UK Metals Expo in 2024; operates 110 event titles across 16 countries; manages eight venues in Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden.
• Advanced EngineeringflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located event running alongside UK Metals Expo 2026 at NEC; creates UK's largest gathering for metals, manufacturing and engineering.
• Lab InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located event at NEC Birmingham alongside UK Metals Expo 2026; expands platform for scientific and laboratory equipment sector.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EuroBLECH: International sheet metal working technology exhibition held biennially in Hannover. Comparable as a major metals-industry B2B trade show with exhibitor stands, conference content, and international visitor base.
• MACH Exhibition: UK manufacturing technologies trade show held biennially at NEC Birmingham. Comparable as a domestic UK industrial trade show with overlapping exhibitor segments (machinery, fabrication, automation) competing for similar UK metals and engineering exhibitor budgets.
• Advanced Engineering: An annual UK engineering trade show at NEC Birmingham also owned by Easyfairs. From 2026 it is co-located with UK Metals Expo, sharing venue, audience overlap, and organiser, making it the most direct comparable peer in terms of operating model and customer base.
• METEC: International trade fair for metallurgy and steelmaking technology held in Düsseldorf as part of the Bright World of Metals quartet. Comparable in scale, metals-industry focus, and exhibitor-driven revenue model, though significantly larger and global in scope.
• Southern Manufacturing & Electronics: UK manufacturing trade show also owned by Easyfairs, sharing the same organiser, sales model, and UK industrial audience. Provides a benchmark for Easyfairs' UK event portfolio performance and revenue scale.
• Made in Steel: Italy's leading steel industry trade show held biennially in Milan. Directly comparable as a country-focused metals supply chain exhibition with exhibitor stand sales, conference content, and industry association backing.
• FABTECH: North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, and welding event, held annually. Comparable as a B2B trade show serving metal manufacturers, fabricators, and OEMs, with similar exhibitor-driven revenue model and multi-theatre conference programming.

Regional players

• MetalMadrid: Spanish metals and metalworking industry trade show held annually in Madrid. Comparable as a country-focused metals supply chain exhibition with exhibitor sales model and conference content, but serving a different (Iberian) geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• Tube / wire Düsseldorf: Leading global trade fairs for the tube, pipe, and wire industries held biennially in Düsseldorf. Comparable as major metals-processing trade shows with similar exhibitor model, though focused on specific downstream metal product segments.

Emerging players

• Aluminium Two Thousand / Aluspectra: European aluminium industry congress and exhibition held in Italy. Comparable as a sector-specific (aluminium subsector) metals event with conference and exhibition format, though smaller in scale and more focused on primary aluminium production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UK_Metals
• Facebookfacebook.com/ukmetalsexpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ukmetalsexpo
• Instagraminstagram.com/ukmetalsexpo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UK Metals Expo