The Emergency Services Show (ESS) is returning to the NEC, Birmingham, bringing together the organisations and professionals shaping the future of emergency response, resilience and public safety.
Marking its 20th anniversary, ESS has become a key event for blue light professionals across the UK and beyond. Police, fire, ambulance and search and rescue teams attend to share knowledge, explore new technologies and strengthen collaboration across the sector.
The event will bring together senior leaders, procurement specialists, training teams and frontline responders, with the latest products and solutions for emergency services on display under one roof.
The National Police Healthcare Scheme (NPHS) team will be there as exhibitors (Stand CZ53), looking forward to interacting with lots of the more than 16,000 visitors at Birmingham’s NEC as ESS celebrates this milestone year. Here’s what to expect from the 2026 event.
In brief: The Emergency Services Show 2025
- When: Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September 2026
- Where: Hall 5, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Marston Green, Birmingham, B40 1NT
- Time:
- 9am – 5.30pm on Wednesday
- 9am – 4pm on Thursday
- Who for: All emergency service professionals, including from the voluntary sector
- Cost to attend: Free
What to expect from the event
As always, the ESS will be led by its world-class exhibitor base, which typically tops out at more than 500 individual suppliers and service providers. Over the course of two days, these industry leaders will put their products on display through walk-up viewings and exclusive live demonstrations.
On top of this, attendees will rarely get a better opportunity to expand their knowledge and network with each other on such a vast scale, thanks to the hours of CPD-accredited learning and education time on offer.
Among the topics set to be covered here are operational challenges and resolutions, emerging technologies, worker wellbeing, leadership and team dynamics, and interoperability among strands of the emergency services.
The full ESS exhibition programme primarily consists of a collaboration zone, indoor and outdoor demonstration zones, CPD and networking sessions, and an Immersive Skills Lab, which returns after a successful debut last year.
This year, the NPHS will be housed at Stand CZ53, where our team will be on hand to showcase how we keep the Police Family connected to accessible, affordable and high-quality healthcare.
Who is the event for?
The ESS is an exclusive event for emergency service professionals, where workers of all ranks, roles and responsibilities are welcome.
Alongside The ESS, The Emergency Tech Show will be co-located at the NEC on 16 and 17 September, zooming in on the technical evolutions of the sector in even greater detail with over 8000 attendees and 150 exhibitors of its own.
Tickets to both events are completely free and can be secured through online registration, guaranteeing entry to the full exhibition programme.
What’s new for 2026?
New this year, the ESS has welcomed in four core themes to shape conversations and experiences across its entire 2026 edition:
- Lifesaving on the Frontline
- Emerging Threats and Resilience
- Fleet of the Future
- Training and Development
All of these will be key principles found throughout exhibition content, delivered in a mixture of new and returning spaces.
The People and Skills and Protecting the Protectors stages will both be familiar to previous ESS attendees, as will an ambassador area for the #SheServesToo campaign, continuing to celebrate the strength of women in blue light roles.
Meanwhile, dedicated environments and zones set to be introduced at this year’s proceedings include:
- Local Resilience Conference Forum: A session where the most pressing questions around the emergency services’ unique disaster risk cycle will be addressed.
- ATTAC Group Life Saving on the Frontline: A live demonstration involving practical, scenario-based resuscitation training aimed at police, fire and ambulance workers.
- Fleet of the Future: A space dedicated to the discussion around keeping response vehicles ready, reliable and on the road.
- Resilience360: An initiative launched alongside this year’s ESS looking at how organisations can keep delivering critical operations while facing all kinds of internal and external disruption.
How to attend the event
You can register to attend The Emergency Services Show 2026 here.
More information on the exhibition is available on its official event website, which includes a full agenda and FAQs covering the event’s practical arrangements for guests.
Be sure to come and say ‘hi’ to the NPHS team at Stand CZ53!