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From 16-17 September, The Emergency Services Show (ESS) returns to the NEC, Birmingham, marking 20 years at the heart of the UK’s emergency services community.
Founded in 2006 to bring together suppliers and practitioners across police, fire, and ambulance services, ESS has 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 suppliers. From day one, we wanted to create a space where everyone in the emergency services community could come together under one roof.”
David Brown, Co-founder of Emergency Services Times and The Emergency Services Show.
This year, ESS continues that mission with a programme 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.
Confirmed exhibitors include leading names such as MSA Safety, Blue Light Services, Draeger, HAAS Alert, Ortus Technologies, and Stryker UK, alongside hundreds of organisations supporting frontline capability. The show also welcomes back its founding partners, MSA Safety, Barrus, HAIX Group, Interspiro, Keela International, and Vimpex, who have supported every edition of ESS over the past 20 years.
Central to ESS from the start has been the Collaboration Zone, giving 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.”
David Brown, Co-founder of Emergency Services Times and The Emergency Services Show.
Register your interest today and be part of 20 years of ESS. Join us at the NEC, Birmingham from 16-17 September.
Look out later this week for a fascinating interview with David Brown who talks to Caitlin Barr about the origins of the show and the inspiration for the future.
