Lab Innovations 2015, the UK’s only event dedicated to laboratory equipment, technology and services, saw a record-breaking number of visitors through its doors, with over 2,000 in attendance.

The event, which took place at Birmingham’s NEC on 4 & 5 November, witnessed the UK’s largest collection of science and laboratory innovation under one roof.

Daniel Gray, Lab Innovations Event Manager comments: “The attendance figures for this year’s show have exceeded our expectations. The show has once again proven that it is the go-to event for all lab professionals. This year more than ever we saw the show bring together the best and brightest from within the industry, along with key trends and the very latest innovation on an international scale. We also had a phenomenal 75% of our exhibitors rebook stands for next year’s show, which just highlights how important Lab Innovations is to them. Bring on 2016!”                                                           

John Lenikowski, Information Scientist at Pharmawand, visiting the show comments: “Lab Innovation is multi-disciplinary and cuts across boundaries in lab work, so I would highly recommend a visit! All of the talks I have attended have been great and maintained the same high standard throughout.”

Similarly, Chris Tipper, Country Manager at Gas Control Equipment Ltd said: “Lab Innovations is really well set out, there is a friendly atmosphere, with a really great mix of equipment from hardware to software.”

The highly rated two day conference, which plays a pivotal role within the show, featured a more educational, content-rich seminar programme, with Campden BRI and The Royal Society of Chemistry both returning. New for 2015 were ELRIG and the British Measurement and Testing Association (BMTA) who hosted their own theatres, boasting an array of major lab names.

Headlining day one was Prof. Mark Miodownik, materials scientist, engineer, presenter and broadcaster. He hosted one of the keynote sessions, titled ‘Materials for the 21st Century’, which explored how humanity interacts with the material world looking at the effects and future implications on energy, cities, health and discovery. He suggested disciplinarians from across the development fields must come together in order to provide a solution to combat and sustain 21st Century materials.

On day two, Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, leading space scientist and BBC presenter, was the headline act, giving her keynote address on ‘To Infinity and Beyond’. She explored the advances in instrumentation and lab equipment, looking at how it is transforming our knowledge of the universe. She observed: “Instrumentation is truly taking us on a journey to infinity and beyond and behind every great scientific discovery there is an instrument taking data”.

Visitors were able to attend Lab Innovations’ inaugural Live Laboratory Demonstration, where leading suppliers provided practical live demonstrations of their latest technologies. This included demonstrations from the likes of Datech Scientific, Bibby Scientific, Xylem, Lovibond, Asynt, Esslab and Spectro.

Steve Knight, Director of Sales and Marketing at Porvair Sciences attended the live demonstrations and remarked: “It is a very interesting idea, which engages scientists with new technologies that may have otherwise been missed. It is a great opportunity to see the latest equipment in action!”

As well as a show stopping line up of speakers taking to the stage at Lab Innovations, the show was packed with more than 115 exhibitors and over 75 new product launches.

Adam Rucklidge, Director at Scientific and Medical Products comments on its outstanding experience at the show: “Lab Innovations 2015 was a great show for us.  We were able to catch up with a lot of our customers and also meet an array of new faces from companies we don't currently deal with. We are looking forward to 2016 all ready!”

Similarly, Rebecca Bailey, Marketing Manager at Scientific & Chemical Supplies, stated: “For the second year in a row we found Lab Innovations has brought in more leads than we could have hoped for. Over the two days our stand was constantly busy and we have had a great response so far.”

The next Lab Innovations show will take place on 2 & 3 November 2016 at the NEC, Birmingham.

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