BID Services at DeafEXPO

May 22, 2026

Reflecting on DeafEXPO 2026

It’s been a whole week since the start of DeafEXPO and now that we’ve all recovered, we wanted to talk you through our time at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) in Birmingham! It was the first national event we’ve ever attended as an exhibitor so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect but based on feedback from our staff and some attendees, it was brilliant and everyone seemed really keen to stop and chat with us about our services for people who are deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind.

While our charity originally started out in Birmingham (pre-1900’s!), we now have services in 8 regions across England! One of our aims for attending DeafEXPO was to demonstrate that our knowledge and expertise expands beyond the West Midlands. We are really proud of our teams for coming together from various regions to represent our charity as whole, as well as their local services and specialities, to make this event a success.

Setting up – Thursday 14th May

Our marketing duo, Lisa and Georgia, arrived at the NEC mid-afternoon on Thursday to organise our stall (they claimed it was an attempt to make things easier for staff in the morning but really, we know it’s because the marketing team would be fussy about the set up!). After lots of rearranging – and a few friendly debates – they finally agreed on a layout, and we were very happy with the end results!

We want to say a big thank you to these two – everything you see in these photos was designed in-house by them, from the pull-up banners, table cloths, posters, leaflets and flyers!

Georgia and Lisa are stood together behind their table in yellow hi-visibility jackets and smiling. The stand is set up with many branded items including a table cloth, leaflets and tote bags. Behind them on the wall are lots of posters. — Georgia (left), Lisa (right)

A full shot of the set up for BID's stall at DeafEXPO. There is a table set up with BID branded items including a table cloth, tote bags, leaflets and pens. Either side of the table is a pull up banner representing info about the charity. — Georgia (left), Lisa (right)

Day One – Friday 15th May

Everyone arrived bright and early, giving them a chance to catch up with staff from other regions. After some final checks of the stall, straightening up the leaflets (as per marketing’s request!) and plugging in the monitor for our slideshow, our team was ready to meet everyone!

We were represented by Alex (Cumbria), Pauline (Milton Keynes), Vanessa (Cumbria), Jayne (Coventry), Kim, Ian and Jock (Birmingham) and Jo and Beth (British Sign Language Interpreters).

It was an extremely busy day and there was a great atmosphere around the exhibition hall from the moment doors opened, to the moment they closed, with plenty of opportunities to introduce themselves to people, see familiar faces, network and share information about our services.

Staff stood together, smiling behind the BID Services set up for DeafEXPO. In order: Kim, Jayne, Ian, Alex, Jock, Pauline, Vanessa, Beth and Jo. — In order (left to right): Kim, Jayne, Ian, Alex, Jock, Pauline, Vanessa, Beth and Jo.

Day Two – Saturday 16th May

In order (left to right): Jo, Bailey, Amanda, Paul, Emma, Sarah, Beth and Sarah.

BID's busy stall, with lots of attendees chatting with our staff in British Sign Language.

Saturday was aimed more at families and we’re happy to say that we came prepared! In anticipation of lots of young children attending, we packed our stall with activities for them to enjoy including colouring, games and lots of books with deaf characters (and maybe a few sweets!). This really helped to keep the kids entertained, leaving the adults free to have conversations about all the wonderful services we have to offer.

On our stall, we had BSL Interpreters Jo and Beth on hand to offer general communication support throughout the day and also share more information about our Interpreting and Communication Services! We also had Bailey and Amanda (Leeds), Paul (Lincolnshire) and Emma, Sarah and Sarah (Birmingham).

We’d like to say a massive thank you to Emma and Sarah for packing up our stall at the end of a long day and of course, to every member of staff who made the journey to Birmingham to help us showcase our charity. We are very grateful and proud to have each and every one of them as part of BID Services’ team!

A few words from our staff

White woman with shoulder length blonde and purple hair with glasses against a green background.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the Deaf Expo – for me, it felt more like a social event, as I had the chance to see familiar faces I hadn’t seen for years. It was also great to meet new people and reconnect with BID staff throughout the day.”

Amanda, Team Manager at Leeds Sensory Services

“I thought the event was brilliant – a great chance to network, catch up with people, and spend time with other services within BID.”

Jo, BSL Interpreter at BID Services

White woman with long brown, curly hair against a green background.

White woman with shoulder length brown hair against a green background.

“I think the day had a really good vibe and people were bumping into people they hadn’t seen in a long time. There was a good mix of organisations and tech companies with some really impressive kits. There was something for everyone!”

Alex, Team Manager at Cumbria Deaf and Hearing Loss Service

A special thanks!

We would like to give a special mention to Sunita, our Head of Business Development/Marketing who organised BID’s participation at DeafEXPO. From booking the stall, attending many meetings, making the important phone calls, organising the staff and coordinating marketing materials to completing all the important paperwork in order to ensure the day ran smoothly both for our teams and those coming to visit our stall. Thank you so much for all of your hard work!