Plan your visit

The NEC aims to be fully user-friendly for visitors with access needs. This is a quick guide to some of their facilities – if you would like to know more, please call 0800 640 5001. 

See the guide here: https://www.thenec.co.uk/visitors/accessibility/ 

NEC cash machines are free of charge.

 

Canvassing for orders by unauthorised persons and the distribution or display of printed material, placards, handbills or circulars, except by exhibitors within the confines of their own stand is prohibited. 

The NEC charges £18.95 per day for parking. Pre-paid parking can be booked in advance at £13.95 per day but must be booked the day before attending the show (you can book until midnight). Shuttle buses operate throughout the day taking visitors from the car parks directly to the exhibition entrance. Please visit:   http://www.thenec.co.uk/visitors/parking/ 

The restaurant and coffee shop will be open at the back of Hall 17, offering hot meals, sandwiches, salads, snacks & drinks.  Outside of the hall, Subway, Wetherspoons and Bakehouse Café will be open.

There are cloakrooms situated directly outside the exhibition entrance for bags, coats and luggage to be left whilst you are at the show. Items are charged at £1 each and the cloakroom will close 30 minutes after the end of the show. Any items not collected by this time will be taken to Lost Property.  

Lost property should be reported to and collected from the Security Office on the Atrium near Hall 6. 

Cloakroom is £2 a coat and £3 for luggage/bags and open 30 mins before show open.

We have a fleet of mobility equipment available to hire on a pre-bookable basis. Pre-book your equipment here.

Wheelchairs are available to hire for £5 for all visitors. The number of wheelchairs we have available is limited, so if you’ve got your own, please bring it with you.

Scooters are available for £20 per hire for all visitors.

All pre-bookings will be held until 1100hrs on the day they've been booked for, unless otherwise advised.

For any visitors who have not pre-booked equipment and arrive on the day, any remaining stock will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. As collection location varies from show to show, please check the collection point when making a booking.

Please note: Mobility equipment hire is only available during show open times and we only accept payment by card for any equipment hired.

 

Entry to the show is FREE. Under 16s (including infants in pushchairs or buggies) are NOT permitted to enter the show under any circumstances, due to potential health and safety hazards.

For any first aid or medical emergencies please contact the Organisers Office or NEC Security staff in the halls.

Free to use the Meeting Hub to facilitate buying discussions.

The Organisers’ Office is situated near the entrance to the hall. If you have any queries, please come and speak to any member of the team.

There is a quiet space opposite Atrium 1, however, if this space is booked during your show, then visitors would need to use the room on the Piazza side of site.

Please visit the Sales Lounge (stand B20) for further information on next year’s show or to speak to a member of the sales team.

For security reasons, we request that visitors and exhibitors have access to their printed or digital badge at all times.

Free shuttle buses will operate between all car parks and halls during the show. These usually start running one hour before the show opens and stop one hour after the event closes. Service times can be found at the bus shelters.

There is a taxi rank outside the Piazza main entrance, Atrium 1 entrance and Atrium 3 entrance, where you will find TOA Taxis. To book simply call 0121 427 8888 or 0800 0142 729. 

There are toilets are located on the rear of the hall side and also outside in the Atrium, next to the exhibitor badge kiosk. 

Accessible toilets are available across the venue. Changing Places facilities are also available by Hall 20, on the Atrium side of site and by Hall 2, on the Piazza side of site (both of these are accessible with a radar key). The Changing Places facilities provide more space for up to 2 carers - and extra features to meet additional needs, including height adjustable adult-sized changing benches and a hoist system. 

For more details visit  Changing Places 

 

Remember to bring your refillable water bottle!

To help avoid single-use plastic, there will be two water bottle refill stations in the exhibition hall. One at the entrance and one near the Meeting & Coffee Hub. 

All visitors to the NEC can connect to WiFi across the entire venue completely free of charge. However, we recommend the service is for checking emails and posting on social media etc, not for streaming. If you’re unsure how to connect, or experience any difficulties, just head to the Visitor and Business Centres and they’ll get you surfing the web in no time.

If you are not a British citizen or a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), you will require a visa to travel to the United Kingdom. 

Once registered for the show, the confirmation email can be used to apply for your visa, but Utility Week Live does not provide visa invitation letters for prospective visitors under any circumstances. If you require further information regarding visas please visit the UK Border Agency website or contact your local Embassy.