Farm Shop & Deli Show 2027 – Birmingham, United Kingdom

What to expect

Farm Shop & Deli Show is the must-attend speciality trade show for farm shops, delis and speciality food retailers. Returning to NEC Birmingham as part of UK Food & Drink Shows, it also incorporates National Convenience Show, Food & Drink Expo, Forecourt Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions all under one roof at NEC Birmingham.

Designed especially with specialist food retailer in mind, the show is free to attend for all farm shops, cafes, delis, food halls, garden centres, butcheries, fishmongeries and bakeries. It is perfect place to find fresh new ideas and inspiration, learn about latest trends, source winning new lines and meet suppliers face-to-face. Taking precious time out to attend this eclectic and comprehensive event is great investment in your business.

Over three days show will be packed with new launches, exciting live events and sessions, and trend-setting food and drink to give insight into industry and people driving market forward. With over 1,200 exhibitors, 75 sessions across five stages and thousands of products to discover across UK Food & Drink Shows, plus 30,000 trade visitors expected, it is event not to be missed. Exhibitors expected to generate on average over $94,000 USD based on £74k of business over next 12 months from people they met at show, with 86 percent of exhibitors agreeing they met good quality people.

Expect big-name exhibitors, live demonstrations, tastings, business advice and dedicated stages. Whether you are farm shop owner, convenience retailer, independent deli, wholesaler or buyer, UK Food & Drink Shows brings together people, products and ideas driving industry forward.

Event dates

Event Dates: April 12–14, 2027. The event runs Monday to Wednesday at NEC Birmingham, with opening times 10:00 to 17:00 on first two days and 10:00 to 16:00 on final day. Registration opens earlier for badge collection and networking.

Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.

Venue & exhibition site

The venue is National Exhibition Centre, NEC, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT, Hall 4 and surrounding halls. Tel +44 121 780 4141, email info@necgroup.co.uk. NEC is UK’s largest exhibition centre with more than 16,500 parking spaces, 20 interconnected halls and direct links to Birmingham International Railway Station and Birmingham Airport via covered walkway and Air-Rail Link.

Farm Shop & Deli Show occupies dedicated areas within six halls taken over by UK Food & Drink Shows. The site offers themed cafes serving light snacks within halls alongside numerous bars, restaurants and seating areas outside halls, plus cloakrooms in main piazza at all entrances, banking facilities at Natwest Bank located in Piazza outside Hall 4, and free WIFI throughout show halls.

The venue is located 8 miles east of Birmingham city centre at Junction 6 on M42, at heart of UK motorway network. Covered walkway connects Birmingham International Station to NEC in around five minutes, making it easily accessible for national and international visitors.

Full event programme

Full programme combines exhibition, live stages, awards and advice hubs.

• Exhibition: Focused choice for farm shops, delis and speciality food retailers, alongside food and drink, packaging and equipment relevant to shop. Over 1,200 exhibitors across UK Food & Drink Shows, with farm shop specific suppliers showcasing top-of-range bakery, cheese, charcuterie, condiments, drinks and sustainable products.
• Farm Shop & Deli Live Stage: Main highlight, host of industry experts covering most topical issues on everyone’s minds, all designed to help visitors increase businesses bottom lines. Includes how to establish brand, launch product and maximise shopper spend, giving point of difference and standing out from competition.
• Product Awards: Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards return and will be biggest yet, with 11 main categories judged by esteemed panel assessing sustainability, ethical brand narratives and provenance. Meat Product Awards with five sub-categories Convenience, Cured ‘n Dried, Hot Grill, Pastry ‘n Dough and Sausages, judging 10:30am to 1pm and announcement 2:30pm.
• Retailer Awards: Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards, now in fifth year and beyond, celebrating best specialist retailers, with one category or regional winner named Retailer of the Year. Judged by panel co-chaired by broadcaster Nigel Barden and food writer Elaine Lemm, looking at initiatives retailers implemented over past 12 months to develop and grow business.
• Business Advice Hub: Dedicated area providing exhibitors and visitors access to free business advice and services, including legal, financial, marketing and operations support, free for three days.
• Live Events: Q&A sessions after each panel discussion, gleaning insights from speakers knowledge and asking own questions, plus tastings and sampling.

Key speakers & keynote speakers

Speakers for 2027 will be announced closer to event, with 75 sessions across five stages in previous editions and over 60 speakers.

Previous editions featured:

• Nigel Barden: Broadcaster and food writer, co-chair of Retailer Awards judging panel, sharing insights on specialist retail growth.
• Elaine Lemm: Food writer and co-chair of awards panel, focusing on provenance and artisan products.
• Industry Experts from Arden Fine Foods: Showcasing top-of-range bakery products and trends in artisan bakery.
• Franklin & Sons: Displaying high-end water and soft drinks, discussing premium drinks trends.
• Blacks Cheese and Artisan Cheesemakers: Trendiest and tastiest cheeses found at show, with talks on cheese provenance and sustainability.
• Farm Retail Association Members: Invited free as sector leading event, sharing best practice in farm retail.
• Tina Mitchell, Paul Dobson, Renee Elliott: From Waitrose, Morrisons, Planet Organic sharing retail and wholesale trends across co-located stages.

Panels cover what retail buyers really want from brands, with sessions at Farm Shop & Deli Live stage.

Conference sessions & tracks

Conference sessions delivered across five stages: The Grocer Stage, Farm Shop & Deli Stage, Chefs Stage, Restaurant Stage, Convenience Store and Forecourt Trader Stage, presenting standout programme of seminars.

• Farm Shop & Deli Live: Core track for specialist retailers, covering how to establish brand, launch product, maximise shopper spend, standing out from competition, establishing point of difference, staff culture, community retailing.
• The Grocer Talking Shop Live: Venue for product awards and expert panels on retail trends, sustainability, ethical brand narratives and provenance.
• Business Advice Hub Track: Free business advice on marketing, finance, legal, HR, energy, covering retail challenges and solutions.
• Product Awards Track: Judging and announcements for Product Awards and Meat Product Awards, celebrating quality and calibre of produce supplied to farm shop and deli community, produce reared and produced exclusively in UK.
• Sustainability and Provenance: Sessions assessing sustainability, ethical narratives, provenance, free-from, organic, vegan, veggie and nutrition brands.
• Co-Located Stages Access: Access to Food & Drink Expo sessions on premium beverages, ingredients, front-of-house essentials, plus Convenience Store and Forecourt Trader Stage on food to go and future of retail.

Session times & schedule

Opening Times:

• Monday: 10:00 – 17:00
• Tuesday: 10:00 – 17:00
• Wednesday: 10:00 – 16:00

Daily Flow:

• Morning: Exhibition opens, Farm Shop & Deli Live stage begins with business advice sessions, Product Awards judging at 10:30am, Business Advice Hub consultations.
• Midday: Keynote panels on brand establishment and product launch, Q&A sessions after each panel, tastings and sampling across show floor.
• Afternoon: Continued seminars, Meat Product Awards announcement at 2:30pm, Retailer Awards ceremonies on designated day, meet suppliers face-to-face.
• All Day: Exhibition remains open with continuous new launches, exciting live events and trend-setting food and drink.

Sessions run first come first served, pocket maps available at entrance, detailed agenda via official app.

Ticket types & registration

• Visitor Pass: Free $0 USD when you register in advance online via www.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk. By registering for free entry to Farm Shop & Deli Show, visitors also have free entry to three other events taking place at same time under UK Food & Drink Shows banner: Food & Drink Expo, National Convenience Show and Forecourt Show, plus Foodex Manufacturing Solutions. One free ticket provides access to all five shows.
• Trade Only: Designed especially for specialist food retailer, free to attend for all farm shops, cafes, delis, food halls, garden centres, butcheries, fishmongeries and bakeries. Professional visitors only.
• Onsite Registration: Available but may involve queuing, pre-registration strongly recommended for free pass.
• Exhibitor Pass: For exhibiting staff, included with stand enquiry and booking via organizer William Reed Business Media.
• FRA Member Access: As member of Farm Retail Association, invited free to sector leading event.

Registration includes confirmation email to print badge, badge mailing closer to event, ability to collect from registration kiosks onsite if forgotten.

Registration deadlines

Registration for Farm Shop & Deli Show 2027 is open via official site.

• Online Pre-Registration: Open now, recommended to complete before arrival to avoid queuing. Register free today and secure stand for 2027 via exhibiting enquiry.
• Badge Mailing: Closes approximately one week before event, after that collection onsite in piazza.
• Awards Entries: Deadline for Retailer Awards typically Friday in September prior year, for example Friday 29 September 2023 for 2024 awards. Product Awards entries close few months before show, check awards website.
• Free Pass: Remains free throughout pre-registration period, no hard deadline but early registration ensures access to all five shows and better planning.

Exhibitor list & major companies

Event brings 25,000+ visitors and 1,200+ exhibitors across UK Food & Drink Shows, with focused selection for farm shop and deli.

Expected Exhibitors Include:

• Bakery and Fine Foods: Arden Fine Foods UK top-of-range bakery products, The Original Baker Norton bakery winning seven awards including gold for chicken bacon mushroom pie, chilli jam pork pie and hog roast roll, plus artisan bread and pastry suppliers.
• Drinks: Franklin & Sons high-end water and soft drinks, Folkington’s Elderflower Presse, Belvoir Farm Drinks, Britvic, Radnor Hills Mineral Water, Holy Soft Drinks, Remedy Drinks.
• Cheese and Dairy: Blacks cheese, Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses sponsoring awards, trendiest and tastiest cheeses, provenance-led dairy, Muller.
• Meat and Charcuterie: Ambry Free Range Turkey Bacon silver award, The Little Oinker Original salami bronze, plus meat product awards entrants across convenience, cured, hot grill, pastry and sausages.
• Packaging and Equipment: Food processing and packaging machinery, equipment relevant to farm shops, Worldpay 360 front-of-house essentials.
• Speciality: Andros Chef, James White, Innocent, Nationwide Produce PLC fresh produce.

Full list available via official exhibitor directory closer to event. Organizer William Reed Business Media Ltd, Broadfield Park, Crawley.

Exhibition halls & floor plan

Exhibition takes place at NEC Birmingham, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT, as part of six halls taken over by UK Food & Drink Shows, with Farm Shop & Deli Show in central halls.

• Location: NEC Pendigo Way, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT, Hall 4 and adjacent halls.
• Floor Plan: Available via official site and ExpoFP.com, showing 3D layout, stand numbers, Farm Shop & Deli Live stage location, Product Awards area, Business Advice Hub.
• Features: Themed cafes within halls, tasting areas, street food areas, book signing areas, business advice area, awards stage.
• Navigation: Electronic signage, traffic team guiding to correct car park, free shuttle buses from car parks, signposted footpaths, pocket maps at entrance.
• Facilities: Cloakrooms in main piazza at all entrances from $1.27 USD per item, banking at Natwest Bank in Piazza outside Hall 4, free WIFI via NEC Free Wifi.

Networking & business meetings

Networking is core to Farm Shop & Deli Show as single platform for specialist retail market.

• Meet Suppliers Face-to-Face: Perfect place to find fresh new ideas, learn latest trends, source winning new lines and meet suppliers face-to-face, with 86 percent of exhibitors agreeing they met good quality people.
• Business Advice Hub: Dedicated area providing access to free business advice and services, enabling private consultations on retail challenges.
• Farm Shop & Deli Live Q&A: Participate in Q&A sessions after each panel discussion, gleaning insights from speakers and asking own questions.
• Product Awards Networking: Awards ceremonies bring together winners, judges and buyers, creating networking around quality and innovation.
• Co-Located Shows Access: One free ticket provides access to all five shows, enabling cross-sector meetings with grocery, specialist retail, wholesale, foodservice and hospitality professionals, with halls filled with excitement as thousands connected and forged partnerships.
• FRA Member Networking: Farm Retail Association members invited free, facilitating peer networking among farm shops.

Industry sectors & highlights

Industry sectors covered:

• Farm Shops and Delis: Core sector, farm shops, cafes, delis, food halls, garden centres, butcheries, fishmongeries and bakeries, specialist food retailer focus.
• Speciality Food: Artisan food and drink, speciality food, Best of British Food, local food producers, regional producers, British producers, provenance and sustainability.
• Bakery and Fine Foods: Top-of-range bakery, cheese, charcuterie, condiments, premium beverages, ingredients.
• Retail and Wholesale: Grocery, specialist retail, wholesale, foodservice, hospitality, convenience, forecourt retail via co-located shows.
• Packaging and Equipment: Packaging and equipment relevant to farm shops, food processing and packaging machinery, front-of-house essentials.
• Awards and Recognition: Product Awards with 11 main categories assessing sustainability, ethical narratives, provenance, Meat Product Awards across five sub-categories, Retailer Awards with Regional winner and Retailer of Year.

Highlights include 25,000+ visitors, 1,200+ exhibitors, 4 to 5 shows, 3 days, 1 venue, 1 free pass, focused choice for farm shops, delis and speciality food retailers.

Event rules & visitor information

• Professional Visitors Only: Audience professional visitors only, trade only event, designed especially for specialist food retailer. General public not admitted.
• Admissions Policy: Available via quick links on official site, includes age restrictions, business ID required.
• Inclusivity & Accessibility: Information available via official site, accessible facilities at NEC.
• Badge: Bar coded badge issued on entry, must be worn, allowing scan consents to passing registration details.
• First Come First Served: Conferences run first come first served, arrive early.
• Cloakrooms: Available in main piazza at all entrances, prices start at $1.27 USD per item, large cases accepted within reason at own risk.
• Banking: Full banking at Natwest Bank in Piazza outside Hall 4.
• WIFI: Free WIFI throughout show halls via NEC Free Wifi.
• Behaviour: Organizers reserve right to refuse entry for inappropriate behaviour.

How to get there

NEC Birmingham is at heart of UK motorway network, 8 miles east of Birmingham city centre, postcode B40 1NT, North Ave Marston Green.

• By Car: Exit Junction 6 on M42, follow signs for NEC, electronic signage and traffic team guide to correct car park for Farm Shop & Deli Show. Follow signs for UK Food & Drink Shows.
• By Train: Birmingham International Station directly connected via covered walkway in around five minutes walk to halls. Services from London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Coventry, Manchester.
• By Air: Birmingham Airport adjacent to NEC, free Air-Rail Link monorail connects airport terminal to Birmingham International Station and NEC in 2 minutes.
• By Coach: National Express and Megabus serve Birmingham Airport and NEC, plus local buses.

Public transport & parking

Parking:

• NEC provides access to more than 16,500 on-site parking spaces that can be booked in advance via NEC website.
• Pre-book via NEC website or validate on day at pay-on-foot machines. Dedicated booking link typically goes live three months before show.
• Once parked, take free shuttle bus or walk via signposted footpaths to Hall 4 and surrounding halls.
• General parking adjacent to halls, disabled parking near entrances, electric charging points available.
• Parking cost typically $20 USD to $25 USD per day if not included in free parking promotion, but free parking promotion often available for UK Food & Drink Shows when pre-booked.

Public Transport:

• Train is recommended: Birmingham International Railway Station located five-minute walk away from NEC.
• Bus and coach: Air-rail link connects Birmingham Airport and NEC, so all buses going to airport fit purpose.
• Free shuttle buses between car parks and exhibition halls.

Accommodation areas

NEC area offers extensive accommodation:

• On-Site Hotels: Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Crowne Plaza NEC, Genting Hotel at Resorts World, Moxy Birmingham NEC, all within walking distance or short shuttle.
• Birmingham City Centre: 8 miles west, 15 minutes by train, hotels from $70 USD budget to $250 USD premium including Premier Inn, Holiday Inn, Clayton Hotel.
• ExpoBeds Service: Partnered with leading hotels near NEC to bring special rates during event. Contact with requirements and travel consultants send free quote based on group size, budget and location preferences.
• Booking Advice: Book early due to concurrent events, use official accommodation link on farmshopanddelishow.co.uk.

Previous year’s highlights

Previous edition of UK Food & Drink Shows marked busiest ever, with halls of NEC Birmingham filled with excitement as thousands of visitors connected, forged business partnerships and sampled products that will be delighting consumers in weeks and months to come.

Highlights for Farm Shop & Deli Show included packed programme of new launches, live events and sessions, trend-setting food and drink, Product Awards biggest yet with 11 main categories assessing sustainability, ethical brand narratives and provenance, with gold winners including The Original Baker chicken bacon mushroom pie and chilli jam pork pie. Business Advice Hub offered three days of free business advice, with retailers learning how to establish brand, launch product and maximise shopper spend.

Exhibitors included Arden Fine Foods showcasing top-of-range bakery and Franklin & Sons high-end water and soft drinks, while trendiest cheeses found at Blacks. 86 percent of exhibitors agreed they met good quality people and average business generated over $94,000 USD from people met at show.

Official registration & tickets

Official registration via https://www.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk/.

• Official Site: https://www.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk/
• Contact: +44 1293 610235, exhibitions.socialmedia@wrbm.com, reception@wrbm.com via William Reed.
• Tickets: Free $0 USD Visitor Pass when pre-registered online, provides access to all five co-located shows: Food & Drink Expo, Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show, Forecourt Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions. Register free today via farmshopanddelishow.co.uk.
• Venue: National Exhibition Centre, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT, Hall 4, Tel +44 121 780 4141.
• Organizer: William Reed Business Media Ltd, member of AEO, social media via official site.
• Cycle: Annually as part of UK Food & Drink Shows.