One month on from International Confex 2025, the buzz is still alive across the events industry — a testament to the show’s lasting impact.
Venue Correspondent Kristyna O’Connell caught up with representatives from ACC Liverpool, The Venues Collection (TVC), and Arena Racing Company’s (ARC) YourVenue and Doncaster Racecourse to explore why they exhibited, their highlights, and what they’d love to see next year.
Why exhibit at Confex?
ARC
YourVenue, part of Arena Racing Company, has been a long-time exhibitor at Confex. This year, it took things further by sponsoring the Association & Corporate Theatre. Doncaster Racecourse, its flagship venue, also featured a horse racing game to attract and engage attendees.
ACC Liverpool
A regular since 2008, ACC Liverpool attends to connect with clients and promote the city as a business events destination. “It’s always a great opportunity to catch up, learn about industry trends, and see what competitors are doing,” said Stephanie McFarlane, senior corporate and agency sales manager.
TVC
This year marked The Venues Collection’s first year exhibiting as a group with Lime Venue Portfolio. “We wanted to be front of mind for planners,” said head of sales Katie Whitby. “The quality of stands and the buzz made it an exciting community to be part of.”
What were your highlights?
ARC
Sponsoring the Association & Corporate Theatre stood out. “We secured over 100 appointments and received 19 qualified leads,” said national account manager Angela Colley‑Francis. “It was a brilliant chance to engage meaningfully.”
Conference & events senior marketing executive Tagho Avwunu praised the conference programme: “It had something for everyone – from strategy to marketing inspiration.”
TVC
“The daily kitchen disco takeover was a hit,” said Whitby. “It allowed us to showcase our catering and connect in a relaxed, memorable way.”
ACC Liverpool
Sessions on accessibility, sustainability and event impact were major takeaways. “We even got a shout-out for our work,” McFarlane noted. Their on-stand drinks reception also drew a crowd and sparked valuable conversations.
How did you maximise visibility?
ARC
From their stand to theatre sponsorship, YourVenue made its presence known. “We aligned with thought leadership and showed why our spaces blend business with high-energy experiences,” said Colley‑Francis.
ACC Liverpool
As part of Team Liverpool, they joined forces with local partners like the National Museums and Sodexo Live. “It’s all about elevating the region as a compelling business events destination.”
TVC
TVC took full advantage of the event app, networking opportunities, and their vibrant stand. “We left with strong leads and a clear message: our venues are ideal for a wide range of events,” said Whitby.
What innovations would you like to see in 2026?
ARC
“There’s growing demand for well-being-driven networking and outdoor event concepts,” said Colley‑Francis. “We’d love to see more of that reflected in future editions.”
“Next year, we’d love to see even more focus on well-being and outdoor event experiences – whether that’s offering more active and wellness-driven networking opportunities, outdoor events spaces, or showcasing venues that seamlessly blend work and play. This is a major trend that we’re seeing at YourVenue – there is a growing demand for embracing the outdoors for wellbeing-conscious organisers, and ‘bleisure’, such as mixing a corporate conference with the thrill of a race day experience to leave attendees feeling inspired and energised.”
ACC Liverpool
“We’re keen for Confex to continue to present diverse content, helping us innovate. It’s lovely see familiar faces at Confex but it would be good to see fresh faces in speaker sessions too.”
TVC
Whitby called for more pre-book appointments to be launched earlier in the process to provide more time to network online and invite buyers to meet.
“Tools like this are great to ensure exhibitors and buyers can maximise their time and have high-value conversations with the right people.”
She added that a greater cross-pollination between the different shows running alongside Confex would be good to see in 2026. “Enhancing the synergy between the different sectors represented at the show would create even more opportunities for meaningful connections.”
