About Childcare & Education Expo (National)
Run by Broadway Events, Childcare & Education Expo is a series of trade shows for the early years sector, with the National edition held in Coventry and a sister edition in London. The brand dates back to 2009, and the organiser says that over that time it has connected more than 60,000 nurseries and childcare businesses with ideas and suppliers.
The audience is made up of early years professionals: nursery owners and directors, managers, practitioners and leaders of childcare settings, from single nurseries to larger groups. Registration for visitors is free, and the show is built around professional development as much as shopping. Expert-led CPD sessions, practical workshops, outdoor activity demonstrations and advice points give practitioners a reason to spend the day on site, and peer networking areas encourage settings to share approaches with one another.
For suppliers, the appeal lies in who is walking the aisles. In much of the private and voluntary nursery sector, the owner or manager is also the person who signs off purchases, so a conversation at the stand can lead straight to an order or a trial. Exhibitors are the kinds of suppliers that nurseries rely on, from furniture and learning resources to software, training and business services.
The show is also a useful place for newer businesses to test how practitioners respond to a product, because visitors tend to give direct, practical feedback based on their own settings.
Show recap
How Childcare & Education Expo (National) 2026 went
The National edition of Childcare & Education Expo filled the Coventry Building Society Arena on 2 and 3 October 2026, and Broadway Events said in its review that more than 100 exhibitors took part. No visitor total had been published at the time of writing.
Seminar highlights included developmental psychologist Sam Wass on repetition, rhythm and attention in children under two, and two sessions from Dr Alistair Bryce-Clegg MBE on child-led learning and emotionally safe environments. Ofsted ran a session on regulation reform, giving managers a direct briefing on upcoming changes.
Away from the stages, practitioners joined workshops on creativity, wellbeing, movement and team development, and roundtables at the Share & Support Hub. A new VIP Lounge, sponsored by YPO, gave owners, directors and senior leaders somewhere quieter to network. Morton Michel was headline sponsor and Scope Training backed the Main Stage.
The organiser has confirmed the next National show for 1 and 2 October 2027 at the same venue, with the London edition moving to ExCeL on 5 and 6 March 2027.
Next edition
Childcare & Education Expo (National) 2027: what to expect
The next National edition returns to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October 2027, open from 10:00 to 16:00 each day. Broadway Events reported more than 100 exhibitors at the 2026 show, which added a VIP Lounge for owners and senior leaders alongside CPD seminars, workshops and the Share & Support Hub. The programme for 2027 has not yet been announced.
Running on a Friday and Saturday helps practitioners who cannot leave their settings midweek, so expect the Saturday to bring a different crowd from the Friday, with more frontline staff. Because the arena is a stadium complex, check door widths, lift sizes and vehicle access before planning furniture room sets. The London edition, now at ExCeL on 5 and 6 March 2027, comes first and can serve as a test run for new products.