The National Exhibition Centre is a venue in Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands, England, that hosts exhibitions. It’s near the M42 motorway’s junction 6, and it’s close to Birmingham Airport & Birmingham International train station. In 197, the Queen declared it open.

It’s reasonable to assume that a lot of things have changed since HM was first released. The NEC was originally opened by the Queen in 1976. For starters, they’ve grown in size and recognition to become the most preferred venue for event organisers, exhibitors, and visitors in the United Kingdom. There were seven exposition halls previously, but today there are 18. There are also 32 meeting spaces and a range of outdoor spaces.

It hasn’t been easy, though. For the last 40 years, they’ve been challenging, questioning, and pushing the industry to guarantee that it continues to adapt and accept change, since only by doing so can they ensure that their customers will as well. Their adaptable venues currently accommodate over 2.3 million people and 500 events each year, proving that their plan has paid off. Some were small, others were large, and some were enormous, but they were all presented with the same care and ingenuity as the inaugural Spring Fair all those years before.