Returning to the NEC in Birmingham from 16-17 September, the Emergency Services Show (ESS) marks 20 years at the heart of the UK’s emergency services community.
The annual event was first founded in 2006 to bring together suppliers and practitioners across police, fire, and ambulance services. It has since grown from a single-hall event with fewer than 100 exhibitors into the UK’s leading multi-agency exhibition.
Over two decades, the show has fostered collaboration, innovation, and practical learning across the sector. “The Emergency Services Show has always been all about the people, the moments, and the connections made across agencies and supplier,” according to David Brown, co-founder of ‘Emergency Services Times’ and ‘The Emergency Services Show’.
“From day one, we wanted to create a space where everyone in the emergency services community could come together under one roof,” he added.
This year, the ESS programme will be shaped around four strategic content themes:
*Lifesaving on the frontline
*Emerging threats and resilience
*The future of fleet
*Training and development
New for 2026, ESS will host a co-located conference in partnership with West Midlands Resilience Forum, focusing on strengthening national and local resilience across the disaster risk cycle.
The Collaboration Zone will give charities and voluntary organisations a platform to raise their profile and work alongside statutory services. Since 2022, the show has hosted free stands for 157 organisations, underlining the event’s focus on strengthening the wider emergency services ecosystem.
“Twenty years on, the show continues to deliver meaningful conversations, honest feedback on new kit, and a place for the emergency services community to learn, share, and work together. That connection, between suppliers and the people whose lives depend on their equipment, is what makes ESS unique,” noted David Brown.
Click here to register for ESS 2026 at the NEC, Birmingham from 16-17 September.
