AE Logo
Book your stand
Register your interest

Meet the Buyer hosted by ADS

Hosted by ADS for the fourth consecutive year, the Meet the Buyer programme returns to Advanced Engineering 2025 with a bigger and better offering.

Following the success of previous years, the programme will once again run across both days of the show, providing an exclusive opportunity for pre-qualified suppliers to connect directly with senior decision-makers from across the advanced engineering sector.

In 2024, ADS welcomed 18 Buyer representatives from 10 leading organisations, including senior management, procurement professionals, and R&D and engineering leads. The event delivered a record-breaking 160 high-value B2B meetings, making it our most successful edition to date.

In 2025, ADS aims to surpass these achievements, expanding the scale and impact of the programme to offer even more meaningful connections and commercial opportunities with Buyers across aerospace, defence, space, motorsport & automotive, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Whether you’re looking to source innovative suppliers or position your capabilities in front of key industry players, the Meet the Buyer programme is the ideal platform to build new relationships and drive business growth.

Key Dates

  • Buyer Registration:
    Opens – 30 June
    Closes – 8 August
  • Supplier Registration:
    Opens – 11 August
    Closes – 12 September
  • Supplier Webinars:
    11 August & 27 August
  • Buyer Selection Deadline:
    26 September
Register Now as a Buyer
Register Now as a Supplier

Why participate?

Leading buyers

Arrange meetings with leading buyers with current projects to fulfil

Member hubs

Gain exclusive access to the association member hubs on the show floor

Brand awareness

Promotion across email, website and social media year-round

Networking opportunities

Network with key buyers from OEMs and tier 1 companies

Drinks reception

Celebrate at networking drinks at the end of day 1 of the show

Match-making

Alongside meet the buyer, benefit from concierge match-made meetings onsite

Participation as a Supplier in the Meet the Buyer programme at Advanced Engineering 2025 offers a unique opportunity to get in front of potential customers and showcase your organisation and it’s capabilities.

ADS believes in delivering value through meaningful engagements and at the heart of each event is a matchmaking process led by the ADS team. We work closely with buyers to define their current and future requirements and then match these to member capabilities drawn from detailed applications. This ensures every B2B meeting—typically 15–20 minutes—is focused, relevant, and tailored to real business needs. Registration does not guarantee a meeting(s).

ADS have onboarded a variety of companies as Buyers across aerospace, space and defence sectors; including Airbus Defence & Space, Safran Helicopter Engines & MBDA. Please note that some buyers have requested not to be listed and ADS are continuing to onboard further Buyers for this event.

To help suppliers understand the process more and provide insight into the opportunities this programme can deliver, please join us for our supplier webinar on 27 August.

What attendees have to say

"Advanced Engineering is a must-attend for anyone in manufacturing. It’s the perfect place to understand the challenges, explore key themes, and discover the latest innovations. The event has a great buzz, giving a clear picture of the status of UK manufacturing while creating meaningful connections and offering the convenience of catching up with clients and contacts all in one space."
Andy BensonRelationship Director - HSBC UK Bank plc
"I came to Advanced Engineering out of curiosity, its a great opportunity to explore what smaller companies are doing and have meaningful conversations in a relaxed, low-pressure environment."
Stuart LawsDIU Assistant Head - Ministry of Defence
"Advanced Engineering is where the best of the best come together. Unlike other shows, it brings together top industry leaders, truly the best in the business!"
Kin ChanSpecial Vehicle Operation - Toyota Motor Corporation
"This will be my 10th year attending Advanced Engineering. It’s the best place to connect with suppliers and witness the constant advancements in composites. It’s always great to attend and see what everyone else is working on."
Dean RidgwayChief Composite Engineer - Hill Helicopters
"This is my second year at Advanced Engineering, and I’m still amazed by the incredible innovations in the automotive industry showcased here. As someone with an automotive background, it’s especially exciting to see the F1 cars, it’s a real highlight of the event!"
Lushan NadanwarFC Associate - Amazon
"This is my first time at Advanced Engineering. The event feels incredibly vibrant and much busier than other exhibitions, which is great to see. There’s a strong focus on manufacturing and technology in the UK, and the high footfall sets it apart from other shows. I also love the mix of forums and stands, it offers a great balance."
Steve KingChief Engineer, Electrical Systems - Hofer Powertrain UK

Participation as a Buyer in the Meet the Buyer programme at Advanced Engineering 2025 offers a strategic opportunity for Primes, OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and other stakeholders to engage directly with a diverse, innovation-rich supplier base in one of the UK’s most dynamic advanced manufacturing environments.

ADS believes in delivering value through meaningful engagements and at the heart of each event is a matchmaking process led by the ADS team. We work closely with buyers to define their current and future requirements, and then match these to member capabilities drawn from detailed applications. This ensures every B2B meeting—typically 15–20 minutes—is focused, relevant, and tailored to real business needs. Registration does not guarantee a meeting(s).

With aerospace, defence, automotive, and high-performance engineering all under one roof at the NEC in Birmingham, the programme enables senior procurement and engineering teams to source new technologies, materials, and capabilities aligned with current innovation and sustainability goals—while building resilient, future-fit supply chains.

By joining as a Buyer, organisations can engage with emerging suppliers with solutions in areas such as lightweighting, electrification, advanced materials, digital manufacturing, and PFAS alternatives—critical to meeting regulatory and decarbonisation pressures. 

The curated 1-2-1 format ensures time-efficient, high-value meetings with companies selected for relevance, capacity, and innovation potential. It is also a chance to actively shape UK industrial capability, drive supply chain competitiveness, and support SME growth in strategically important sectors.

Join brands like...

Many top brands attend Advanced Engineering year on year. Here are some of the companies who were involved since the launch in 2022.

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
This exhibition has allowed me to make connections with people I would have never spoken to outside of this venue. I found solutions to problems through networking and discussing the current events in the industry.
Daniel ChambersLead Quality Engineer-Field Control, Lotus Cars
We are so happy with the results of the first day, Advanced Engineering is a great opportunity to meet people in the same industry and gain recognition as a brand.
Navraj BainsProject Manager, Warwick racing
It's a lot more fruitful than we even thought it could be. There's been a lot of people coming through the show. It's just been really good! We’ve got a new stand this year, so it's just been quite an exciting time!
Diane AlexanderEvents manager, Composites UK
Advanced engineering has been a great chance to meet everyone in the industry. Lots of engineers, and decision makers, and lots of buyers. It just makes it a fantastic opportunity to meet the wider industry. Great footfall. Good, good attendance at the show. Awesome.
Simon WrightHead of Business Development & Marketing, Optimas OE Solutions

Advanced Engineering 2022 saw the launch of the NEW Meet the Buyer scheme!

Leading industry bodies, SMMT and ADS, hosted the meet the buyer schemes at Advanced Engineering.

If you are interested in participating as either a buyer, or supplier in either meet the buyer scheme please fill out the form below to register your interest for 2023. 

Register your interest

Join brands like...

Many top brands attend Advanced Engineering year on year. Here are the companies who were involved in 2022…

Discover Advanced Engineering
Allowed me to make connections with people I would have never spoke to outside of here. I found solutions to problems from networking and discussing the industry.
Daniel ChambersLead Quality Engineer-Field Control, Lotus Cars
The event has been really useful, very nice to see lots of diverse companies sharing their knowledge and experience and lots of insight into sustainable practices within different companies. Thank you!
Jonathon TongueSustainability Manager, Jaguar Land Rover
We come every year, this year there has been a great quality of exhibitors and a great turnout
Kieron SalterCEO, KW Special Projects Ltd
Mainly attend for the composites area and it’s bigger and better this year. Very impressed with the footfall of the event and had a great time networking with old and new connections
Stephen BeecherTechnical Lead, AMRC
Biggest composites event I’ve been to in while. Very convenient to travel to. Made lots of client and supplier connections
Roberto GaldiniVice President, NTT Data Italy
First year we've arrived, and we really enjoyed the variety of stands available. It's great to see what new technologies are out there
Bethan MorganProject Engineer, Spirax Sarco
Really good day, lots of new companies to speak to. I felt the event has been organised very well!
William OuttenTool Maker, Martin-Baker
The exhibition showcased the best in engineering innovation and offered me the opportunity learn about the latest technologies in manufacturing. It also enabled me to network with SMEs with real international potential and to introduce them to our government support offer to assist them in their export journey.
Nick CorleyInternational Trade Advisor, Department for International Trade

Why participate as a supplier?

Leading buyers

Arrange meetings with leading buyers with current projects to fulfil

Member hubs

Gain exclusive access to the association member hubs on the show floor

Brand awareness

Promotion across email, website and social media year-round

Networking opportunities

Network with key buyers from OEMs and tier 1 companies

Drinks reception

Celebrate at networking drinks at the end of day 1 of the show

Match-making

Alongside meet the buyer, benefit from concierge match-made meetings onsite

Buyer commodities to date

Meet the Buyer November 2022 Buyer Commodities

EV powertrain

  • BEV powertrain components
  • PHEV powertrain components

ICE components

  • SCR tank and fillers
  • Flywheels (grey iron) – crack detection (i.e. MPI)
  • Exhaust manifolds (grey/ductile iron) – cleanliness and pressure tested
  • Pulleys (grey iron) – cast and machined
  • Engine brackets (alu/grey iron) – cast and machined
  • Oil pans / sumps (alu/grey iron) – pressure die alu / cast and machined iron

Infotainment

  • Infotainment systems
  • Infotainment software

Automated vehicle technology

  • ADAS
  • Autonomous capability

Paints

  • Satin 1k
  • Gloss 1k
  • Satin 2k
  • Gloss 2k

Vehicle finishing

  • Wraps
  • Foams and rubbers
  • Initial fills

Connectivity

  • Connectivity software
  • V2X
  • 5G
  • VaaS
  • Offboard platforms
  • Cloud computing services
  • Edge computing services