Exhibition organisers and corporate planners know the challenge well: finding a venue that not only fits the brief on paper, but genuinely works in practice. Capacity, infrastructure, access, sustainability, catering, delegate experience – the checklist is long, and the stakes are high.
In recent years, the UK exhibition landscape has evolved rapidly. Demand has grown for venues that can flex between large-scale trade shows, conferences and live experiences, while also delivering consistency, professionalism and value behind the scenes.
At the same time, organisers are increasingly looking for partners who understand the pressures of delivery, not just the square metreage.
Traditionally, that has meant searching far and wide – comparing venues individually, navigating different processes, and building new relationships from scratch each time an event moves location or scales up.
But what if that approach is changing? Is there now a smarter way to find the right venue for your exhibition?
The shift in venue sourcing
With major convention and exhibition centres such as ExCeL London, the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow and now the NEC Birmingham under one portfolio, Lime Venue Portfolio is quietly reshaping what venue sourcing can look like.
Alongside these large-scale destinations sit a wider collection of venues of varying sizes and formats – creating a breadth that reflects how diverse the exhibitions market has become.
For organisers, that breadth matters. A national trade show may need the international reach and transport links of London. A specialist exhibition might thrive in Scotland’s established convention infrastructure. Another may require the scale, flexibility and central access that Birmingham offers. Increasingly, events are also looking to grow, adapt or move – and having continuity of approach across different venues can remove friction from that process.
What underpins this breadth is a continual and collaborative relationship between Lime Venue Portfolio and the venues themselves. Insight doesn’t sit in silos – it’s collective, current and constantly evolving. In fact, Lime Venue Portfolio has recently rebranded its central enquiry handling desk as The Hub where the team holds a deep, joined-up understanding of its venues and is able to counsel organisers with genuine, in-depth expertise – not just on availability, but on suitability. From operational nuances to audience flow, catering capability and long-term event growth, that knowledge helps move decision-making forward with greater confidence and speed.
What’s also notable is the timing. As more convention centres prepare to join the portfolio, the question becomes less about individual venues and more about the value of having choice without compromise. Choice that is underpinned by shared standards, highly experienced teams and a consistent approach to food, service and sustainability.
For venue-finding agencies and corporate planners, this can simplify conversations. It enables more informed recommendations, grounded in first-hand understanding rather than surface-level comparisons, and allows long-term relationships to develop across multiple destinations rather than one-off bookings.
Of course, no single venue is right for every event. But as planning becomes more complex, having access to a range of high-quality venues within one connected network can make the process more straightforward.
For organisers considering their next exhibition or event, the question isn’t just about where to hold it – it’s about how to make venue choice work smarter, not harder.
