Southern Manufacturing & Electronics announces return

Throughout the ongoing crisis, the show organiser, European Trade and Exhibition Services has been in close contact with both exhibitors and visitors, many of whom had indicated their continuing strong support for the show.

Show director Phil Valentine commented: “Based on the feedback we've received it is clear that everyone is keen to get back to normal business, providing the circumstances permit and most importantly, it is safe to do so. The kind support and understanding we have received in these difficult times for the event sector has been humbling.

“The value of face-to-face meetings at shows and events cannot be overestimated as human interaction is undeniably the cornerstone of any successful business relationship. The option of staging the event in October 2021 followed by a return to our normal February timeslot in 2022 received sufficient interest for us to work alongside Farnborough International to identify a realistic and achievable timescale. Consequently, I'm delighted to announce that the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics Show will take place on the 6th & 7th October 2021 and 8th, 9th, 10th February 2022.”

Safety of both visitors and exhibitors is clearly of paramount importance. The show organisers are in continual contact with the venue management team to ensure that all possible measures are in place to ensure a safe environment, fully compliant with all current government and event industry guidelines. Farnborough International Exhibition Centre is one of Europe's newest exhibition venues. Its non-urban location, ease of access by private transport and fresh air ventilation system make it a relatively low-risk environment, ideally suited to running Covid-safe events.

Southern Manufacturing 2020, which took place before the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, achieved an all-time record attendance of 9,256 visitors over the three-day show, firmly cementing its position as one of the UK's key industrial technology exhibitions.