Planning your day at The Gadget Show Live 2014
As you gadgety fans are probably aware, it’s not long now until The Gadget Show Live will be upon us. So, if you’ve not already made plans, perhaps it’s time to do so.
The Gadget Show Live, which is held April 9th-13th this year, has managed to establish itself as one of the largest and most influential consumer electronics events in Europe – an awesome achievement when you remember that it’s only been going for five years.
As usual, I shall be there representing GadgetyNews on the preview day, or Gadget Show Live Professional as it’s known.
As with any huge event, planning your trip and the day itself can make everything a much more pleasant experience – also, it should ensure that you don’t miss anything.
I’m lucky as living in London my train journey to Birmingham International is pretty straightforward and there are services that hardly stop in-between.
For those of you traveling in from more tricky areas, it’s probably best to check for disruptions and your best route in by rail or car.
According to The Gadget Show Live’s own statistics from last year’s event, the average drive time of a visitor is only 1 hour 36 minutes, but 83.4% of visitors will arrive before 11am and stay for around 6 hours.
Now, if you come from further afield and intend on getting a full day of gadgety goodness in, it might be worth considering an over-night stay – perhaps adding another night to crash in your room afterwards too. Remember, those 6 hours will be mostly spent on your feet going from stand-to-stand and checking out the main arena. Something to definitely take in to consideration if you’re part of the 75% of visitors that bring your kids to the show.
You’ll be pleased to know that the Birmingham NEC is well serviced by hotels with some literally around the corner.
The Super Theatre is one of the main draws to The Gadget Show Live with the presenters from the Channel 5 programme putting on a “show like no other”.
There are plenty of other Zones to check out as well as loads of stands that will not only be offering a chance to buy the latest tech at special rates, but that will also give you a glimpse of what will be on offer over the next year or so.
Just to give you an idea of how big this thing is if you have never been before, here’s a floor plan. It’s also handy to have a look so you can plot your route.
Talking about plotting your route – here’s how to get there.
By Train
The NEC is connected to Birmingham International Station which is 10-15 minutes from Birmingham New Street. Upon arrival at the station interchange, the NEC entrance is on the right-hand side when exiting the station. Follow the bridgelink covered walkway and follow the signs to the venue site. The Gadget Show Live is held in Halls 7-11.
By Car
The NEC can be easily found from the M1, M5, M6, M6 toll, M40, or M42. To use a satellite navigation system, the postcode is B40 1NT. The cost of onsite car parking is from £10. Mini Buses are charged at £10.
Staying near-by
Being a national arena there’s plenty of choice when looking for a hotel. The Crowne Plaza is literally a 5 minute walk to the venue so is one of the most handy and you’ll be able to leave your car there instead of incurring more costs.