Engineering Design Show 2026

The evolution takes shape

The Engineering Design Show returns to Coventry this October with a sharper focus, a completely revamped conference programme and new features built around the UK design engineering community.

7–8 October 2026  |  Coventry Building Society Arena

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Earlier this year, the Engineering Design Show (EDS) unveiled a new identity and a renewed sense of purpose.

But the evolution of EDS has always been about more than how the show looks.

Now in its 14th year, EDS has grown alongside the community it serves. Technologies have changed. Disciplines have become increasingly connected. The challenges facing engineers have become more complex. And the way people discover new products, exchange knowledge, find suppliers and build relationships has changed with them.

EDS 2026 has been shaped around that.

When the doors open at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 7–8 October, visitors will find that thinking running throughout the show: more than 200 exhibitors, three dedicated conference theatres, five new Tech Tours, new opportunities to meet UK manufacturers and plenty more to discover around the show floor.

200+ exhibitors across the design process

The exhibition remains at the heart of EDS, bringing together the components, technologies, tools and expertise involved in taking an idea through design, development and into production.

Across the show floor, visitors can explore everything from electronic components, PCBs, power and connectivity to embedded systems, test and measurement, EMC, simulation, product design, materials, enclosures and manufacturing.

That breadth matters because engineering rarely sits neatly within one discipline. Electronic design meets mechanical. Hardware meets software. Decisions around materials, testing, manufacture and compliance can influence a product long before it reaches production.

EDS brings those conversations, technologies and expertise together under one roof.

Three conference theatres. Two days of engineering insight.

The EDS conference has been completely revamped for 2026, with its structure now following the same three disciplines at the heart of the wider show.

The Engineer Theatre will focus on Mechanical Design, New Electronics Theatre on Electronic Design and Eureka! Theatre on Embedded Design, with each programme developed alongside the respective specialist editorial team.

Across the three theatres, the programme moves from the engineering challenges of today to the technologies beginning to shape what comes next.

From Physical AI to motorsport innovation

One of the opening-day panels, Beyond the Lab: Mapping the UK's Autonomous Frontier and the Rise of Physical AI, brings together experts from The National Robotarium, Airbus, MTC and Starship Technologies to explore the progress of robotics and autonomous systems from pioneering R&D towards commercial deployment.

Motorsport also features prominently across the programme. Bob Bhatti, Head of Mechanical Engineering and Design at Formula 1®, will bring a perspective from the very top of the sport, while Mark Preston, Team Principal and Motorsports Director at Lola Cars, will explore the journey from F1 precision to Formula E innovation. John Farn-Ramsay, Principal Engineer – Vehicle Dynamics at Lotus Cars, will examine how simulation and expert driver judgement come together in vehicle development.

Elsewhere, sessions will explore how AI is reshaping chip design, how engineering teams can bridge hardware, firmware and software, and what the EU Cyber Resilience Act means for security-by-design. Alexia Williams MBE, Chartered Engineer at Rolls-Royce and speaking in a personal capacity, is also among the speakers heading to Coventry.

Alongside the three main conference theatres, two dedicated workshop theatres will offer further technical sessions and focused learning across both days.

New: Five guided Tech Tours

With more than 200 exhibitors to explore, new complimentary Tech Tours will give visitors another way to navigate the show.

Five focused routes will cover:

• PCB Design
• Power & Connectivity
• Medical Device Design
• Test & Measurement
• Design for Manufacture

Each tour will last approximately 45 minutes, offering a simple way to explore a particular area, compare approaches and discover suppliers visitors may not already know.

The EDS app returns

Returning for its second year, the EDS app will give attendees the tools to plan their time at the show before they arrive and keep everything in one place while they are there.

Visitors can build a personalised schedule of conference and workshop sessions, favourite exhibitors and find them using the interactive floor plan, arrange meetings, and connect and chat with other attendees across the two days.

Plan ahead, find what matters and make more of your time at EDS.

Meet the Buyer

For visitors arriving with a manufacturing requirement, the new Supply Chain Lounge will create a direct route to potential UK subcontract manufacturing partners.

Visitors with live or upcoming projects can discuss requirements across CNC machining, sheet metalwork, fabrication, moulding, casting, electronics and complete manufacturing solutions.

Bring the requirement to Coventry and start the conversation.

More to explore across the show floor

There will be plenty happening between the stands and conference theatres too.

Bath Racing Electric, the University of Bath's Formula Student team, will bring its student-designed racing car to EDS, offering a closer look at the work behind a competition that brings together more than 600 universities internationally.

The next generation of designers will also have a platform through the returning Nottingham Trent University student showcase, while immersive VR design and 3D sketching will give visitors the opportunity to explore new ways of working.

The all-electric Swincar will bring its spider-like independent suspension system to Coventry, designed to keep the vehicle body level as its four wheels move across challenging terrain.

Visitors can also see an electric scooter built using 80 recovered disposable vape batteries, demonstrating the usable energy that can remain in batteries otherwise destined for e-waste.

A mobile showroom will offer hands-on demonstrations of industrial connectivity and automation technology, while a VR golf experience will give visitors the chance to test their swing and take on virtual courses during the show.

There will be plenty worth stopping for.

Engineering beyond the exhibition floor

The first day does not finish when the exhibition closes.

For the first time, the Institution of Engineering Designers' Engineering Design Awards will take place alongside EDS on 7 October, bringing the celebration of engineering innovation into both the show and the evening programme.

Throughout the day, shortlisted companies and engineers will showcase their work in a dedicated Innovation Area, giving visitors the opportunity to see the projects and innovations recognised in this year's awards.

That evening, the awards will celebrate achievement across engineering and technological product design, with engineer, author and broadcaster Dr Lucy Rogers MBE FREng delivering the keynote.

There will be more ways to continue the day too.

At 4:30pm, VIP guests and exhibitors will come together in the Dhillons Lounge for the EDS networking party, sponsored by Azego.

And for those who would rather finish the day in running shoes, the newly launched Electronics Run Club will host an inclusive 5km run from the Coventry Building Society Arena at 5:45pm, bringing people from across the electronics industry together away from the exhibition floor.

Together, these additions reinforce the wider purpose of EDS: to celebrate engineering innovation and bring together the people, ideas and expertise that make up the Home of UK Design Engineering.

It is a fitting reflection of how EDS has evolved for 2026. More to discover, more ways to connect, and a show built around the community that continues to shape it.