Bigger, Better... BSS Moves To Birmingham!

The British Shooting Show has enjoyed such growing support over the past few years that it has outgrown its venue. Find out what’s new at the 2018 event

This year has seen some big changes for the British Shooting Show; and when we say big, we mean massive! Over the years, the British Shooting Show has seen a steady growth of support from the global shooting industry, including countryside organisations. This has resulted in an increase in the number of exhibitors attending and record numbers of visitors year after year.

After the 2017 event it was clear that if the British Shooting Show was going to continue its controlled growth, something was going to have to change – and that something was the venue. Stoneleigh Park has been the home of the British Shooting Show since 2013 and has served it extremely well, but the organisers’ visions for its future and the shooting industry’s needs meant that Stoneleigh Park was no longer going to be big enough to host future events.

A new home for the British Shooting Show was going to have to meet certain requirements. It was going to have to offer sizeable, first-rate exhibition facilities and also be easily accessible, not only for UK visitors and exhibitors but also for those travelling from Europe and further afield. The first job was to compile a shortlist of potential venues, and that list was very short indeed. In fact, there was only one name on it: The National Exhibition Centre (NEC), in Birmingham.

With its central location, 75% of the UK is within a three-hour drive and, once you arrive, parking at the NEC is free for visitors to the British Shooting Show. If the thought of the UK roads is something that doesn’t fill you with joy, there are 43 direct rail routes from around the country straight into the NEC; with 25% off advanced fares from Virgin Rail, why not leave the car at home and let Virgin Rail take you within two minutes of the entrance to the show?