News

Organisers of Materials & Finishes Show – formerly W Exhibition – are celebrating after the hugely successful return of the UK’s trade show for the furniture manufacturing and joinery industries, which took place at NEC, Birmingham from 19–22 May 2024.

Over 6,000 visitors attended Materials & Finishes Show marking a conversion rate of over 55% from pre registrants. The audience was made up of joiners, furniture manufacturers and professionals, carpenters and cabinetmakers, business owners and executives, who’d travelled to source the latest products and technology on the market.

The event marked the first time that every corner of the UK woodworking sector has had the opportunity to come together, see the latest products and innovations on offer all under one roof, network and do business, since 2018.

Everything in one place

Visitors had the opportunity to browse and choose from over 160 brands on the show floor, with running machinery displayed alongside the latest materials, components, software, tools, fixtures, finishing products and innovations for the woodworking sector. Over 45% of exhibitors were overseas brands who’d recognised the opportunities that having a presence at the UK’s trade show for the furniture manufacturing and joinery industries presented.

Visitor Josh Hudson, furniture lead for Rycotewood Furniture Learning Centre, said: “It’s great to be able to meet so many people in one place. You’ve got everybody here, which means you don’t have to trek around the country, and it’s the perfect place to make connections with the industry.”

Live Demo Zone, panel debates & seminar sessions

New features, such as the Live Demo Zone and CPD certified learning programme, proved a big draw for visitors who were able to participate in over 40 hours of live demonstrations from brands including AMS; Leitz Tooling; The Joinery Network; Lamello; GreCon; Trend Tool Technology; and Rubio Monocoat, as well as panel debates and seminar sessions.

Al Parra, BLOQS Co-founder and Materials & Finishes Show speaker, commented: “We’re really impressed that Materials & Finishes Show is thinking ahead regarding the future of furniture manufacturing, what that looks like, and were delighted to be invited to participate in the show and discuss this topic in particular.”

Brand ambassadors & content creators

The presence of Materials & Finishes Show brand ambassadors, which included self-confessed carpentry, joinery and building fanatic, Robin Clevett; media personality and carpenter, Tibby Singh; and fellow online content creators, Peter Millard; Alastair Johnson (Freebird Interiors); Derek Barrett Design; and the Welsh Woodworker, increased the event’s campaign reach by over one million and added a new dimension to the show.

Peter Millard, Materials & Finishes Show ambassador, and owner of 10 Minute Workshop, said: “What a great event this has been! We had a fabulous demo area set aside for us where I worked alongside my fellow content creators. We had some fantastic questions from the audience and I was able to demo my latest 10 Minute Workshop multi jig as well as talk about all of the great technology, such as CNCs, which help smaller makers/installers like myself work more efficiently.”

Event Director, David Todd, comments: “We’re absolutely delighted with the success of Materials & Finishes Show 2024. We set out to deliver an engaging event, with a broad line-up of brands showcasing thousands of the latest products and innovations for the UK’s furniture manufacturing and joinery industries, and Materials & Finishes Show did just that!

“The feedback we've received from the industry has been hugely positive. The new features that we developed – including the Live Demo Zone, CPD certified learning programme and networking bar – were all really well received by exhibitors and visitors alike. Over 115 people turned up for the first seminar session with Robin Clevett – his involvement as a brand ambassador in the run up to and during the show was invaluable in helping us to curate a programme that’d resonate with joiners and carpenters specifically.”

Increased event footprint & 2026 dates

Running machinery proved to be a big pull for visitors, with brands such as Advanced Machinery Services (AMS); AES Group; Felder; FEN; Vertongen; Kundig; Robland; MARTIN; and VWM putting on a fantastic showcase of the latest CNC, drilling, nesting, routing, sanding and cutting solutions. These brands received high levels of interest throughout the show, with four machines sold by the end of the event’s first day.

Owen Dare, Joinery Consultant for The Joinery Network, delivered a live demonstration of the end-to-end production of a timber window frame utilising an AMS distributed Wadkin Bursgreen woodworking machine and Lignum tooling supplied by Leitz Tooling. He said: “Our demo was designed to help joiners become more efficient so that they can make more profit with a very low investment model to grow their business portfolio.

“Materials & Finishes Show provided an ideal platform for joiners to see the latest products and innovations, as well as stay abreast of the latest industry legislation and regulations.”

Event Director, David Todd, concluded: “I’d like to extend my gratitude to our stakeholders – including our exhibitors, visitors, media partners, content creators, speakers and trade associations – who threw their support behind Materials & Finishes Show 2024.

“We’ve set extremely solid foundations in place to build on and deliver an even more successful event when Materials & Finishes Show returns for its next instalment in 2026. We’re increasing the footprint of the show by 60% for 2026 and have already secured a high percentage of re-bookings, which will be announced over the coming weeks.”

Materials & Finishes Show will return to the NEC, Birmingham from 17–19 May 2026; for further information, see www.materialsandfinishesshow.com.