Science, sustainability, and synergy: Lab Innovations 2024 sets the stage

Lab Innovations leads the industry forward

The UK’s foremost trade show for the whole laboratory industry is returning to the NEC, Birmingham, to champion the industry’s cutting-edge innovations and sustainability advances on 30 and 31 October 2024. Lab Innovations will see lab personnel from across Britain and Ireland convene to meet with more than 200 leading companies. Free visitor registration is open now for tickets to world-leading conference theatres, dedicated for qualitative infrastructure and biotechnology, and A-list keynote speakers.

A must-attend event for industry professionals

Lab innovations 2024, co-located with sister show Advanced Engineering, promises even higher attendance that last year’s show, with over 200 exhibitors staking claims to stands around the NEC. Many leading brands from the industry have been confirmed to exhibit, including Waters, Sartorius, Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS), Veolia Water Technologies, SciMed, Alpha Laboratories Limited, IKA, PerkinElmer, Integra Biosciences, Analytix and Bronkhorst UK.

In 2023, 4,362 attendees visited Lab Innovations, which was the show’s record attendance to date - this is expected to grow again for this year’s show. Hundreds of suppliers will be available for conversation and there will be more than 40 hours of content between the live theatre formats. Attendees will be able to earn continuing professional development (CPD) points from the talks and presentations at the show.

“It was another great show,” smiled Scott Marsden, Regional Sales Manager at Ohaus Europe, after the 2023 event. “We have been doing Lab Innovations for the past seven or eight years and, once again, we have had exciting leads and helped develop customer solutions. We have our stand booked to come back again next year and can’t wait.”

Theatre programmes and new stages

Lab Innovations offers five free-to-attend theatre stages: the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Theatre, the Live Lab and the Insights & Innovation Theatre. The RSC theatre is the home of the show’s keynote speakers each year, so visitors should be sure to check it out. In the past, it has hosted talks on everything from microplastic alternatives to conserving the Amazon jungle.

The Live Lab is the home of live technical demonstrations during the show. Manned by Lab Innovations’ own exhibitors such as Shimadzu, Monmouth Scientific and Labware, technical specialists will be on hand with best practice demonstrations and answers for any questions about their instrumentation.

Finally, the Insights and Innovations Theatre delivers the show’s key themes using two streams of content. One focuses on sustainability trends and challenges, such as manufacturers learning to address their Scope Three emissions, while the other platforms discussions on data, automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

Two new, exciting additions to the show are dedicated for biotechnology and Quality Infrastructure. The QI forum is hosted in partnership with the UK’s National Quality Infrastructure members including the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, the National Physical Laboratory & the British Standards Institution and is set to provide insights into lab accreditation, quality, technical assessments and the future of AI in labs.

The Biotech Exchange, sponsored by Waters, will see some of the world’s largest biotech organisations, such as Azenta Life Sciences, SLS and the NHS, assemble to discuss the pressing issues in this rapidly growing sectors. Topics on the agenda for this brand new forum include biobanking, personalised medicine, the future of genomics, AI’s place in biotech and sustainability in drug development.

The Sustainable Lab is also back, run as always by Green Light Laboratories. Andy Evans, Director of GLL, has been advising laboratory end users on environmental laboratory practices for sustainability and savings for over a decade.

“It’s a great place where everyone can share their latest innovations,” explained Evans in 2023. “You’ve got everything in one place, we get a lot of end users looking for solutions but also procurement people and those involved in energy-saving projects too.”

After attracting many environmentally conscious visitors in 2023, the Sustainability Trail will feature once again beside those exhibitors’ stands with the most sustainable solutions to offer. In 2024, show-goers will wander the trail at their own leisure, seeking products and services with low energy requirements, circular disposal routes and that use sustainable raw materials.

The Lab Awards

The Lab Awards are back once again to recognise the companies at the top of fields such as sustainability, collaboration and innovation. The presentation ceremony will take place on the show floor at 3pm on 30 October, the first day of the show. Though the deadline for submissions has passed, some award sponsorship places are open to support the lab industry’s stand-out performers.

All the most popular award categories from previous years will return. The full list includes: Outstanding Achievement; Laboratory of the Year; Smart Lab of the Year; Sustainable Lab of the Year; Lab Technician of the Year, sponsored by SLS; Rising Star, sponsored by Johnsons Laboratory Logistics; Supplier Excellence; Best Sustainable Innovation; Best Technology Innovation; Best Automation & Data Innovation; Best Consumables Innovation; Best Collaborative Project, sponsored by Innovate UK; and Commitment to Skills & Training.

“The Lab Awards, and the wider Lab Innovations show, don’t exist without the marvellous people that we want to applaud with these awards,” said Simon Farnfield, Event Director at Lab Innovations. “This is their opportunity to receive the plaudits that they deserve for tireless and innovative work all year round.”

“Recognising what companies are doing best is really important because it pushes everyone to strive to do better,” explained Dr Diane Turner, senior consultant and owner at Anthias Consulting, as she accepted the Supplier Excellence award in 2023.

Connect, collaborate and innovate

Lab Innovations is the meeting place for the UK and Ireland laboratory industry. Life sciences, robotics or pharmaceuticals – if you work in a lab, there are people at the show that you should know. In 2024, the showrunners will introduce the ‘Lab Square’ for the first time.

The Lab Square will be a dedicated space for professional connection situated right at the heart of the show. As a meeting place designed to fuel innovation and collaboration, regardless of badge type, it will be open to usage by anyone inside Lab Innovations.

The popular VIP Lounge, sponsored by Analytix, returns to the show for those who seek an exclusive environment for optimised networking with industry leaders, influencers, and decision-makers. Exclusive gifts, meet and greets, drinks and more will enhance the experience for visitors and exhibitors that take networking seriously.

This year’s show will once again co-locate with Advanced Engineering, which is endorsed by figure heads from leading industry names such as the UK Space Agency, JLR, GKN Global Technology Centre, Composites UK, Innovate UK and the Royal Institution Naval Architects. The collaboration will provide the perfect opportunity for visitors from both industries to network and expand on their ideas and knowledge.

“It is great being able to meet most of the industry’s big names in person under one roof and hear what they are working on and how it can help research laboratories like mine,” said Dr Simon Anderson, Research Officer at Keele University.

SmartLab area

The SmartLab area made its debut at Lab Innovations 2023 to great acclaim. This area showcases everything involving smart technologies, such as AI, digitisation, robotics and automation. If you’re going to find it in the laboratory of the future, you’ll find it in the SmartLab zone.

Automating rote processes, such as pipetting, co-bots that free up researchers’ time to focus on bigger challenges and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) to optimise workflow efficiency and modernise laboratories through organisation. The SmartLab area is the place to go for all of these things, with experts on hand to answer questions on the trends for laboratory’s future tech.

The SmartLab area is also home to a start-up innovation zone. Here, the most exciting tech start-ups from the UK and beyond display their products, inspiring visitors and demonstrating the radical innovations that are driving the lab industry forward.

“Lab Innovations has been really good this year,” enthused Rob Williams, Marketing Manager at GPE Scientific, in 2023. “The quality of leads we have had is really high, so clearly the organisers put a lot of work into making sure the right people came to the show. We also really like the open plan format, as it allowed us to take advantage of the high footfall. We’ve already rebooked for next year’s show.”

Visitor registration for Lab Innovations are open now, sign up for your ticket now. Join in and be part of the biggest convention of lab professionals from across the UK, Ireland and even further afield. The latest developments in sustainability and technology are on show, as well as fascinating keynote speakers and a chance to be recognised for excellence among your peers. See you on 30 and 31 October at the NEC, Birmingham for Lab Innovations 2024.

Lab Innovations 2024: FACTS & FIGURES

• Exhibition dates: Wednesday-Thursday 30th and 31st October 2024
• Venue: NEC Birmingham, Hall 2
• Opening hours: Wednesday 30th October from 9:00-17:00, Thursday 31st October from 9:00-16:00.
• More information is available online.
• Free tickets are available online.

International Labmate look forward to meeting you at Lab Innovations 2024