Big brands and celebrated speakers confirmed for The Photography Show and The Video Show’s return to the NEC
As the biggest and best photography and moving image event in Europe, each year The Photography Show and The Video Show is a must-visit in the calendar for everyone from budding snap happy beginners to seasoned pros. Returning to its home at Birmingham’s NEC for the first time since March 2019, this year the co-located shows will open their doors from 18 to 21 September 2021 with heavyweight brands including Canon, Sony and Fujifilm already confirmed to exhibit.
As restrictions start to lift and momentum builds for the return of large-scale events, there’s a real appetite from fans to return to the live show, with feedback overwhelmingly showing how much visitors have particularly missed the atmosphere and kit browsing opportunities of the in-person event. Visitors will be able to check out the very latest photography gear and cutting-edge video production equipment, as well as taking in talks from a line-up of high-profile speakers, educators and experts.
There will be a full roster of exciting guest speakers including Dazed co-founder and inimitable British photographer and director Rankin, fine art photographer Brooke Shaden, award-winning blogger and food photographer Donna Crous, smartphone photography guru Mike Kus, and celebrity photographer Rory Lewis – all alongside a stellar line-up of stages, theatres and masterclass sessions soon to be revealed.
Big brands and the latest gear
Popularity of photography and videography has boomed in the last 18 months with many using lockdown to turn their hand to a new hobby or upskilling themselves. This year’s event is the first time that newbies and old timers will be able to see the industry’s biggest brands all under one roof, showcasing the latest launches and giving enthusiasts an up-close look at cutting-edge kit. The show’s organisers are pleased to be hosting over 150 brands on the show floor including major camera manufacturers Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and Olympus, alongside big names such as Hahnel, Epson, Tamron, PiXAPRO, Hahnemühle, Sigma, Vanguard, Fotopro and CEWE. Each is set to reveal their latest products, giving visitors an opportunity to get hands-on before they make a purchase at one of the show’s on-site retail outlets.
The home of video
The video industry is booming. Today, there are almost a million minutes of video-per-second crossing the internet, 82% of all consumer web traffic is via video and as many as 85 percent of businesses have used video marketing. With more people than ever before working in video, whether capturing weddings, sporting events or commercial content, there’s a need to keep up with the best recording devices, audio equipment, gimbals, drones, editing software, headphones and lighting.
This year’s The Video Show aims to provide videographers with a space to see their favourite brands first-hand, source the best kit, hone their skills and hear from inspirational speakers at the top of their game. Exhibitors will include Affinity Photo, RØDE Microphones, Acebil, FJ Westcott, Deity Microphones and Global Distribution.
Hearing from industry experts
The Photography Show and The Video Show’s highly anticipated stages and educational programme will return once again, headlined by the Super Stage and playing host to a series of talks from some of the world’s best best-known photographers and filmmakers. Popular stages Behind the Lens, Photo Live and Video Live will make a return with an exciting programme of talks and demos, and brand-new features include The Studio, offering insight into producing engaging video content, Shutter Street with sessions on street photography and all things urban, and Analogue Spotlight with talks from film photographers, tips, tricks and expert insights.
Meanwhile, helping visitors to upskill and network with peers, there will be a range of expert-led sessions to take advantage of in tailored Masterclasses, with sessions helping beginners to take those first steps right through to advising pros on tricky aspects of business and marketing. Visitors can also up their editing game in the Photo and Video Editing Suite.
Speaker and educational session will cover everything from capturing great headshots and getting lighting right to street photography on an iPhone, the art of composition, top tips on night photography, how to create a compelling Instagram channel, essentials for your video kit bag and more.
Ruth Folkard, Event Director, said: “There’s a huge amount of anticipation from the photography and video community to get back to the live show at the NEC and we’re delighted to see the industry’s biggest brands and key players already confirmed to attend, from leading manufacturers to a really exciting speaker line-up. Having hosted our first ever virtual version of the show last year, we can’t wait to host new fans and visitors in Birmingham for the first time in two-and-a-half years. The Photography Show and The Video Show has always been an inspirational event, bringing together people with a shared passion, and we’re working hard to deliver a top-notch programme of speakers and activities for 2021. We can’t wait to once again welcome budding and experienced photographers and video-makers back to the show, for what should be a fantastic event.”
The Photography Show & The Video Show will be following all government and industry safety advice to the letter, with the goal of ensuring its visitors’ and exhibitors’ peace of mind while running the live show in a format as close to normal as possible. As such, this year doors will be open from 9am until 5pm, to aid a relaxed flow of visitor arrivals and entry.
Professional photographers can apply for FREE entry to the show. All applications will be verified by the show team. Anyone who has previously attended as a pro should have received a pre-approved link to registration which will ensure they bypass the approval process.
