Date Feb 4th – 6th 2025

Farnborough Southern Manufacturing Show – Reflections

The Southern Manufacturing Show is a modern, airy, spacious exhibition. Reflecting on Farnborough 2025 it stood out as a refreshing change compared to older venues like the NEC. It’s well laid out, thoughtfully organised for large footfall, and generally runs really smoothly thanks to the team behind it.

There were an incredible number of visitors again this year, and we’ve come away with new leads, new customers, and plenty of contacts to follow up on.

Positives and Negatives

This year we had a new stand – complete with a TV showing our scrolling videos – which meant we were properly ‘putting ourselves out there’. It’s a big deal for us to show off our brand and the work we’re proud of.

One of the biggest positives was getting to meet people from all over the country – not just the Midlands.

“When doing shows in different areas, we get to meet people from all around the country and not just locally,” Sue Fenn, Business Development.

We don’t just collect business cards for the sake of it though – “If we can’t do your job, we’ll tell you,” Sue said. “It’s not nice to turn down work, but we don’t want to waste people’s time or give false information just for the lead. Honesty is key, even if it means saying no.”

This year our show stand was looked after by Emily, Steve and Sue.

“Shows get you noticed – and if people have seen our website or socials, it’s good for them to finally put a face to the name.”

Are Shows Still Worth It?

Short answer: yes, for us anyway. Getting our brand out there makes a real difference. People get to see what we do and get to ask questions face to face. You can’t really replace that fully yet.

That said, Sue did mention that shows have changed a lot over the years. She remembers them being more fun with music, more engagement, and even women on motorbikes back in the day! Now, the strict no canvassing rule feels like a bit of a buzzkill.

“When we’ve paid all that money to exhibit, which isn’t cheap, why shouldn’t others be allowed to give us their card or chat for five minutes?”
Sue was approached by a supplier at Farnborough, and we’ve since bought from them. So why is that seen as a bad thing?

Are Exhibitions Being Replaced?

We haven’t attended many local networking events recently. Mainly because they often feel like the same format. Insurance brokers, solicitors, and tech software which are not really relevant to what we do. We need more manufacturing shows.

Sue personally thinks shows might slowly die out with time, especially with the younger generation growing up in a digital world. The rise of social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube allows companies to showcase factory tours, product launches and real-life work at a low cost. These might, one day, become a more preferable alternative to exhibiting at shows.

“In theory, you could sit at your desk, scroll the exhibitor list and call around. No parking, no hotels, no day out of the office,” Sue added.

What About Canvassing?

If someone drops off a card and doesn’t interrupt, isn’t that still a form of networking? Sitting at a stand with no visitors and no interaction isn’t much better.
Canvassing is optional, (you can allow it or not) but most stands seem to choose NO. It’s down to the exhibitor to chose what works for them.

Final Thoughts

Reflecting on Farnborough 2025, we made 74 positive new connections so it was definitely a success in our book. Our new stand went down really well. A big thank you to Display Link https://www.thedisplaylink.co.uk/ (they were brilliant!), and the whole experience felt worthwhile.

We’re definitely up for trying another show soon to compare and to see where exhibitions might be heading next.

Do you have any recommendations for shows or local networking events? We’d love to hear what works for you and what’s been a waste of time. Please leave us a comment below or contact us here.

Have a look at our video below showcasing our capabilities. Or have a read of our Guide to our Laser Cutting Process for more information.