About International Confex
International Confex is a long-running annual meeting point for the UK events industry, held at ExCeL London and organised by Mash Media, publisher of titles including Conference News and Exhibition News. It brings suppliers, venues, destinations and technology companies together with the people who plan and buy events.
Exhibitors include conference and exhibition venues, hotels and unique spaces, destinations, event technology and registration platforms, production and AV companies, caterers, staffing and experiential agencies, and suppliers focused on delegate and employee experience. Sustainability-focused businesses, including B Corps, have a growing presence.
Visitors are corporate event teams, agencies, exhibition organisers, associations and not-for-profit organisations from across the UK and beyond. Many hold significant budgets, and they come to source venues and suppliers, compare technology and pick up ideas for their own programmes.
A free content programme runs across multiple theatres, covering leadership, recruitment, strategy, creativity and innovation, which keeps visitors on site and gives exhibitors repeated chances to engage. Networking areas and an event app help visitors and exhibitors connect.
Exhibiting at Confex has a particular challenge: the audience is made up of event professionals who judge stands with an expert eye. A well-finished, thoughtful stand is itself evidence of what a supplier can deliver, so many exhibitors use the show to demonstrate their creative and production capabilities as much as to describe them.
Next edition
International Confex 2027: what to expect
International Confex 2027 takes place on 3 and 4 March at ExCeL London. For this edition the organiser lists more than 300 suppliers, venues and technology companies exhibiting, and a programme of more than 150 speakers across nine content theatres. It reported 48,036 connections made through the event app at the 2026 show.
The organiser also states that 68 per cent of its audience has an event budget of £200,000 or more, which explains the emphasis many exhibitors place on meeting space.
Two days at ExCeL pass quickly, so pre-booked meetings through the event app and a clear plan for following up leads make a real difference. Venues and destinations can use immersive graphics or sample catering to give visitors a taste of the experience they sell.