The UK’s largest trade exhibition for the laboratory industry, Lab Innovations will drive innovation and sustainability by bringing together inspiring leaders and businesses in the industry in 2022. The show will take place on November 2 and 3 2022, at the NEC, Birmingham. After a successful show last year, with over 3,000 attendees, over 90 per cent of exhibitor space has already sold for this year’s show, so businesses will need to act fast to secure a stand.

Individuals can also register their interest in the show on the Lab Innovations website to find out when official registration is open and receive updates on the latest speaker and event news.

At Lab Innovations 2022, attendees can discover the latest innovations, source a variety of products under one roof and gain insight into data-driven case studies, such as those from Green Light Laboratories, which demonstrate the impact of sustainable initiatives in laboratories. This year’s Sustainable Laboratory will showcase the equipment and processes used to reduce a lab’s environmental impact, with a focus on reducing carbon and carbon equivalent emissions.

“Lab Innovations is a great opportunity for end users to see how our equipment works in a real laboratory environment and how the data we’ve collected can be replicated in their own labs to help them to be more sustainable,” explained Andy Evans, director at Green Light Labs and host of Lab Innovations’ Sustainable Laboratory. 

Attendees at last year’s show could earn CPD points from four free-to-attend theatre programmes – the Royal Society of Chemistry Theatre, the Insights & Innovation Theatre, the Cleanroom Hub and Live Lab. This year, to celebrate the shows ten year anniversary, there will be a focus on sustainability at the Insights and Innovations theatre which will be curated by Laboratory News and sponsored by My Green Lab. 

Visitors can also expect to see some engaging keynote speakers this year. In 2021 Timandra Harkness, science writer, broadcaster and comedian, was a keynote speaker at the show. She described her experience at Lab Innovations as ‘like playing at Glastonbury but with more pipettes!”

Lab Innovations will also partner with Laboratory News to bring back the Lab Awards, which will be held on the evening of November 2. It will celebrate the key achievements of the laboratory industry, with awards split between four categories: Innovation, Sustainability, Automation and Collaboration. 

One of 2021’s winners, Zoe Andrews from Harvey’s Gang, won the award for the most impactful health, safety and security development by developing Harvey’s Gang tours in Guernsey despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Harvey’s Gang aims to empower and reduce fear in ill children by teaching them about blood transfusions, Haematology and blood sciences in laboratories across the UK.

Anthias Consulting was another one of last year’s winners. Alana Thompson, website and marketing manager, commented, “We won two Lab Awards at this year’s event, so being recognised among the bigger names in the industry feels like a big achievement. We’ve already booked for next year and we would recommend the same to any new or previous exhibitor.”

The show also gave the industry’s leading professionals and companies the chance to meet face-to-face and network. Lab Connect, an online networking platform to connect exhibitors and visitors, recorded 466 confirmed meetings with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. This was higher than 2019’s show, highlighting the increase in the quantity and quality of meetings arranged using Lab Connect.

Last year’s event was a successful return for Lab Innovations after the pandemic caused the 2020 show to be postponed. Karl Robertson, managing director at ECH Scientific commented during Lab Innovations 2021, “We had a very good show. There was a very good turn out and we saw some old customers and some new customers. All-in-all it was absolutely worth it. It feels like things are back to normal and I love it. I can’t wait to come back next year and have signed up already.”

Once again, the show will be co-located with Advanced Engineering, which is supported by key industry associations such as The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Composites UK, Make UK and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. This year, Advanced Engineering will launch it’s Meet the Buyer scheme in collaboration with the ADS Group and The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. This will facilitate cross-sector collaboration and continued innovation by the UK’s leading laboratory and engineering industries.

“It’s clear that, after all the pain and disruption of the pandemic, the entire laboratory community thrived on the return of in-person meetings at last year’s Lab Innovations,” explained Alison Willis, Director at Easyfairs, the organiser of Lab Innovations. “More than ever, last year’s exhibitors and attendees were keen to do business at the show, having missed interacting in-person for nearly two years.”

Lab Innovations 2022 is celebrating its ten year anniversary and is set to be the biggest show yet. Businesses that want to showcase their latest products and solutions at Lab Innovations 2022 can still enquire to exhibit here.

Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News