The Emergency Services Show returns to the NEC in Birmingham on 16 and 17 September 2026, marking twenty years of the show. Chiltern Global will be exhibiting on stand G30 in Hall 5. This article explains what the show is, how it grew from a one hall event in London into the largest gathering of UK emergency services professionals, what is on the programme this year, and what visitors will find on our stand.
What is The Emergency Services Show?
The Emergency Services Show is a free to attend trade exhibition and conference for people who work in, supply or support the UK emergency services. It brings police, fire and rescue, ambulance, search and rescue, resilience teams and the wider blue light supply chain into the same hall for two days.
The exhibition floor covers operational equipment, vehicles, personal protective equipment, medical supplies, training services and digital systems. Alongside it runs a programme of CPD accredited seminars across several stages, plus the Collaboration Zone, a free exhibition area given over to emergency services organisations, charities and voluntary groups rather than commercial exhibitors.
For 2026 the organisers expect more than 16,000 emergency services professionals and over 500 exhibitors, showing in excess of 10,000 products and solutions. The published figures for the last show were 12,231 visitors and 563 exhibitors, so the scale is real rather than aspirational. It is the largest event of its kind in the UK, and for a significant part of the audience it is the only occasion in the year when the equipment they are asked to specify, test and issue is all in one place at once.
Twenty years of The Emergency Services Show
The show was founded in October 2006 by David Holden and David Brown, the publishing team behind Emergency Services Times magazine. The first event was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls near Victoria in London and drew roughly 100 exhibitors and 1,000 visitors.
It outgrew that venue immediately. The show moved to Stoneleigh Park in Coventry in 2007, and then to the NEC in Birmingham in 2013, where it has stayed. A management buyout in 2012 established Broden Media as the independent operator, and the show was acquired by Nineteen Group in 2019.
Two additions are worth noting for anyone who has not visited for a few years.
- The Future Policing Zone launched in 2021 to reflect the technology investment then flowing into policing. It grew quickly enough that in 2023 it became a stand-alone event running alongside the main show, The Emergency Tech Show, covering AI, data, communications and connected systems. One registration covers both.
- The Collaboration Zone has run at every single show since 2006, and remains free for emergency services and non-governmental organisations to exhibit in.
Twenty years is unusual for a UK trade event in this sector, and the growth from 1,000 visitors to more than 16,000 is the clearest measure of how the buying audience has consolidated around it.
What is on at ESS 2026
- Dates: Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September 2026
- Venue: Hall 5, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT
- Opening times: Wednesday 09:00 to 17:30, Thursday 09:00 to 16:00
- Cost: Free to attend, registration required in advance at emergencyuk.com
Who attends?
The audience is predominantly operational and procurement staff from UK police forces, fire and rescue services, ambulance trusts, search and rescue teams and resilience functions, alongside private sector security, event safety and industrial rescue organisations.
The organisers report that 60 per cent of visitors have buying authority or active influence over purchasing, 81 per cent are influencers or key decision makers, and 89 per cent have active buying requirements. Those figures are the reason the show is worth two days out of the diary for a manufacturer. The people walking the aisles are frequently the same people who write the specification, sit on the evaluation panel, or sign off the order against a framework.
Where to find Chiltern Global: stand G30
Chiltern Global will be on stand G30 in Hall 5. We have manufactured and supplied protective equipment to UK police forces since 2005, and we are an approved supplier on three national procurement frameworks covering helmets, gloves, batons, shields, limb protection, body armour and tactical vests. You can read the detail of those approvals in our guide to police procurement frameworks.
What will be on the stand
Vehicle stopping. We are the UK supplier for Stop Stick, and the full range will be on the stand, including the Barracuda, the Terminator, the Patrol Terminator and the compact Piranha. These are tyre deflation devices designed for controlled deployment at pursuits, checkpoints and perimeter positions.
Batons. The Camlock baton will be on the stand, alongside our wider baton range including friction lock. We hold Lot 1, friction lock baton, on the BlueLight Commercial Provision of Batons framework, BLC-0104.
Public order shields. Our interlocking public order shields will be there in the police, prison and commander sizes, along with the round shield. Our riot shields are tested to BS 7971-3.
Limb protection. We will have a guard range on the stand: shoulder and upper arm, forearm and elbow, thigh, shin and knee, metatarsal, and groin protection. This is equipment that has been in service with UK forces for years.
Footwear. The Tuffking Enforcer public order safety boot, certified to EN ISO 20345, alongside the YDS Patrol flame retardant public order boot.
Tactical vests and load carriage. Our tactical vest platforms in black and hi-vis yellow, the operational utility vest and the football spotter vest.
Flame retardant clothing. Fire resistant public order suits, base layers and coveralls.
Headwear. Police folding caps and bump caps, in the full range of rank and role colours including PSU commander, bronze commander and sergeants.
Getting the most out of two days
- Register in advance. Entry is free but registration closes ahead of the event, and on the day queues are longer than the online process.
- Book the seminars you want first, then plan the floor around them. CPD sessions fill, and the stages sit inside the same hall as the exhibition.
- Bring your current specification. The most useful conversations on a stand start with what you already issue and what is failing in service.
- Ask about framework routes on the day. If a supplier is approved on a lot you can already buy from, the procurement timeline for a trial or a refresh is materially shorter.
- Allow time for the Collaboration Zone. It is not a sales floor, and for anyone in resilience or multi-agency planning it is often the most useful part of the hall.
Five questions worth asking any PPE supplier at the show
Trade shows reward specific questions. These five separate manufacturers from resellers reasonably quickly.
- Which standard is this tested to, and can you send me the certificate? For public order equipment the relevant reference is usually BS 7971 and its parts, and for gloves EN 388 and EN 407. A supplier should be able to send the test report, not just quote the number.
- Are you approved on a framework I can buy through, and on which lot? Approval on the specific lot is what matters, not approval on the framework in general.
- What sizes does this come in, and have you fitted female officers in it? Fit is the most common reason issued protective equipment is not worn.
- Who manufactures it, and where? Lead times, minimum order quantities and the ability to modify a specification all follow from the answer.
- What is your current lead time on a force sized order? Worth confirming in September, before autumn and winter procurement cycles compress it.
Come and see us at stand G30
The full range covered by our framework approvals can be viewed in our Public Order and Control and Restraint collection, and a list of the frameworks we are approved on is on our frameworks page.
If you would like to arrange a specific time to meet the team at the show, or to discuss an upcoming refresh before then, get in touch and we will set it up.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is The Emergency Services Show 2026?
The Emergency Services Show 2026 takes place on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September 2026 in Hall 5 at the NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. The show is open from 09:00 to 17:30 on the Wednesday and 09:00 to 16:00 on the Thursday.
Is The Emergency Services Show free to attend?
Yes. Entry is free for visitors, and registration is completed online in advance at emergencyuk.com. A visitor badge also gives access to the co-located Emergency Tech Show.
Who can attend The Emergency Services Show?
The show is aimed at professionals working in or supporting the emergency services, including police, fire and rescue, ambulance, search and rescue, resilience and business continuity teams, alongside private security, event safety and industrial rescue organisations. It is a trade event rather than a public one, is not open to the general public, and under 16s cannot be admitted.
How long has The Emergency Services Show been running?
Since October 2006. The first event was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London with around 100 exhibitors and 1,000 visitors. It moved to Stoneleigh Park in 2007 and to the NEC in Birmingham in 2013. 2026 marks its twentieth year.
How big is The Emergency Services Show?
The organisers expect more than 16,000 emergency services professionals and over 500 exhibitors for 2026, showing more than 10,000 products and solutions. The last show recorded 12,231 visitors and 563 exhibitors. Of those visitors, 60 per cent have buying authority or active purchasing influence and 81 per cent are influencers or key decision makers.
What is the difference between The Emergency Services Show and The Emergency Tech Show?
The Emergency Tech Show covers technology for emergency response, including AI, data, communications and connected systems. It began as the Future Policing Zone within The Emergency Services Show in 2021 and became a stand-alone show running alongside it in 2023. The two run alongside each other and one registration covers both.
Where is Chiltern Global at The Emergency Services Show 2026?
Chiltern Global is on stand G30 in Hall 5.
What will Chiltern Global be showing at ESS 2026?
The Stop Stick vehicle stopping range, the Camlock baton and wider baton range, interlocking public order shields, the full limb protection guard range, Tuffking Enforcer public order boots, tactical vest platforms, flame retardant clothing and base layers, and police folding caps and bump caps.
Can I buy Chiltern Global equipment through a procurement framework?
Yes. Chiltern Global is an approved supplier on YPO framework 001204, the BlueLight Commercial PSU Clothing and Equipment framework, and the BlueLight Commercial Provision of Batons framework, BLC-0104. The lot by lot detail is set out in our guide to police procurement frameworks.
