Return of the MACH
The manufacturing sector is already on countdown to the eagerly-anticipated return of MACH 2026 this April. As a biennial show, this essential meeting platform is only available to exhibitors and visitors alike every two years, and floorspace is already in demand nine months ahead of doors opening.
Organiser Manufacturing Technologies Association has revealed that less than 20 per cent of the floorspace remains for the five-day exhibition, which returns to the NEC on 20-24 April next year.
“MACH is a true testament to the collaborative spirit of the UK manufacturing community,” says James Selka, the MTA’s chief executive officer. “By working with our partners across the sector, we’re able to provide a unique environment where ideas flourish, partnerships are formed, and businesses thrive.”
Beyond its capacity as a transactional platform, MACH strives to be a hub of education and innovation, inspiring visitors with new capabilities across the supply chain to take forward into 2026 and beyond.
“It’s not just a showcase – it’s a celebration of what the UK manufacturing sector can achieve when the entire community comes together over 5 days,” says James Fudge, MTA’s Head of Operations.
With over 500 suppliers competing to attract the attention of a 26,000-strong visitor database, exhibitors are thinking ahead when it comes to securing the right sort of exhibition stand from which to showcase their latest collections.
“This is the only show that we do, so it’s essential that we have the right “shop window front” to showcase our product and maintain that brand awareness,” says Neil Jones, business development manager at Fintek and a regular client of Smart Display’s. ““We had shown at Mach many times before we enlisted the help of Smart Display, but we were keen to try out a new stand builder and the quote was very competitive. It’s been really efficient to re-use the same stand design for 2024, which has saved us going through the process of designing a new stand from scratch. We had that reassurance that we had used Smart Display before and that everything had run smoothly with excellent project management.”
Fintek is just one of Smart Display’s regular clients at MACH, and the exhibition stand specialist currently has capacity to take on further clients for this forthcoming 2026 edition.
“I think that, as exhibitors are looking for more in terms of stand design, reliability, service and sustainability, we are upping our games accordingly when it comes to delivering the best stands in the business,” says Smart Display’s sales manager Ben Rose. “We’ve come a long way since the last edition of MACH two years ago with a bolstered team of designers, project managers and installers and a lot of progression in terms of aligning with our industry’s best practice when it comes to sustainable stand build. Our increased resources have increased our capacity, and we are now in a position to bring more brands on board for their best stand – and best exhibition – to date.”
Exhibitors who have booked their space for the 2026 edition of MACH are advised to appoint their exhibition stand installer as a matter of priority. To find out more about partnering with Smart Display, get in touch today and ask to some of our past designs from your sector #wemakeevents.
FACT CHECK
- 93 per cent of exhibitors generated leads
- Deals worth in excess of £200m were concluded
- 83 per cent of exhibitors considered they had raised their profile
- 79 per cent of exhibitors considered they had improved relationships with their customers
- 80 per cent of visitors connected with exhibitors via our lead capture systems
- 97 per cent of visitors reported meeting their objectives
- 45 per cent of visitors did not attend any comparable trade exhibition
