Space to grow

Space-Comm Expo has confirmed its plans to relocate to London’s ExCeL next year following its best-attended event to date last month. The exhibition welcomed 4,605 attendees to its current location at the Farnborough International Centre on 6-7 March, cementing its position as the UK’s biggest and most influential event for the UK space industry, and its potential to grow into a bigger venue with a more central location.

The new London-based show – which will take place on 11-12 March next year – will also be part of a new trilogy of Space-Comm Expos, with new sister events planned in Glasgow and Dubai. Space-Comm Expo Scotland and Space-Comm Expo Dubai will debut on 11-12 September 2024 and 27-29 May 2025 respectively, heralding an exciting new chapter of growth and development for the UK space industry.

Scotland in particular has been identified as a key focus for the space industry by event organiser Hub Exhibitions. Cited as the best place in the UK to reach in-demand satellite orbits with vertically launched rockets, Scotland’s space sector is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK, and is predicted to grow in value to £4bn by 2030. The launch of Space-Comm Expo Scotland in Glasgow is being tipped as a catalyst for the Scottish space industry, and for the UK space trade in general.

“Space Comm Expo continues to get bigger and better each year and we are proud to be part of it,” says Doug Liddle, director at the exhibition’s key sponsor BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. “We see the event as a strategic opportunity for us to engage with existing and potential future industry partners and customers, but also for recruitment and STEM outreach.”

Smart Display was at the heart of the action last month, installing one of the exhibition’s most talked about stands. Having worked with space technology innovator SA Catapult for several years, Smart Display is the design vision behind the brand’s directional exhibition stand which has featured a 4m high video wall, decorative hanging globes and a neon map identifying the locations of its space stations.

Having also installed stands at UK Space in Belfast, Airspace World in Geneva, Farnborough International Airshow and Dronex in London, Smart Display is becoming the sky sector’s trusted partner for innovative exhibition stand design.

“We are seeing more briefs that request elements such as a video wall, which is made up of LED tiles that make for seamless graphics,” says Sarah Addison, one of Smart Display’s designers. “Features such as the neon map that we created for SA Catapult also lend themselves to a directional and innovative sector like the space industry. The overall impact is very striking, and it is particularly useful for brands such as satellite specialists that don’t have a product as such to showcase.”

Smart Display’s unique selling point is its full, in-house graphic design studio and warehouse which ensures full control over the entire design and manufacture process. The team of print, lighting and joinery professionals are leaders in their field, and well-versed in bringing even the most creative briefs to fruition.

“We used a V-groove router bit to cut into the acrylic and illuminated the channels with LED lighting for SA Catapult’s map,” says Smart Display’s print technician Gary Pickles. “The end result was very effective, and had people talking in the aisles of UK Space before the event had even started.”

If you are thinking of booking space at Space-Comm Expo Scotland this September, Space-Comm Expo in London next March or any other trade show with the space or aviation sectors, get in touch today. We can inspire you with our portfolio of past designs, and work with you to being your creative vision to life ahead of your next exhibition.