A Tube strike couldn’t keep you away. The ABTT Theatre Show 2026 was our biggest yet
29 June 2026
The ABTT Theatre Show 2026 has come and gone, and what a two days it was. Despite a London Underground strike falling right across Day 2, more of you came through the doors at Alexandra Palace than ever before, and we couldn't be prouder of an industry that simply wasn't going to let a transport strike get in the way of being in the room together.
Total footfall was up 6.4% on 2025, with unique attendees up 4.5% to 2,810. And the most determined day of all? Day 2 — the strike day itself — where attendance climbed 11.6% on last year. If that’s not a sign of how much this show means to the people who make theatre happen, we don’t know what is.
The room itself
As ever, what made the show special wasn’t just the numbers, it was who was in the building. Manufacturers stood next to freelancers. Apprentices stood next to heads of department. Suppliers queued for the same coffee as the technicians who’d be specifying their kit next week. It’s the one time a year the whole of UK technical theatre is in one place, and this year, you turned out for it in greater numbers than ever.
One visitor told us: “It was exactly as I had anticipated. I met my needs of networking, learning about new kit and products — I got to meet a chap from a supplier I had been speaking with on the phone for years, and reconnected with someone I went to drama school with years ago! It was brilliant!”
That’s the show, in a nutshell.
Liz Sillett, ABTT CEO, said: “What struck me most this year was the room itself. We had manufacturers standing next to freelancers, apprentices next to heads of department, all in the same building, all genuinely there to learn from each other. There isn’t another event in the UK that brings the whole of technical theatre together like this, and this year, people made a real effort to get there.”
A programme built around what you actually need
Eight strands ran across both days : the ABTT Seminar programme, our Workshops track, the brand new Coffee Chats Stage (thank you, Charcoal Blue and Triple E), the Careers and Professional Development Hub, Demo rooms, the exhibition floor, Education Alley, and the Associations Area.
Seminars covered everything from Electrical Safety and Know Your Knots through to Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment: Updates for 2026, delivered in partnership with The Fire Surgery and Arup. 88% of you rated seminar content excellent or good, thank you to every presenter who gave their time and expertise.
Coffee Chats — our new unscripted conversation series for 2026 — drew some of the biggest crowds. If you missed it this year, we’ll see you on the front row in 2027. And our thanks, as always, to RB Health and Safety, who once again gave up their time to provide free on-site hearing tests for attendees.
Building the next generation
Now in its fifth year, the Careers and Professional Development Hub paired attendees at every stage of their career with working professionals for honest, one-to-one conversations about what it actually takes to build a life backstage. Education Alley brought training providers together in one place, and the Associations Area put our sector’s unions, professional bodies and charities exactly where they belong, at the heart of the show.
One early-career visitor told us: “As an early-career designer, I’m making efforts to attend more events and get comfortable with networking. ABTT had a very welcoming atmosphere and I’m looking forward to joining again next year.”
That’s exactly what we want this show to be.
The ABTT Annual Awards, sponsored by TAIT
Day 1 closed with the ABTT Annual Awards and Social on the Terrace, sponsored by TAIT — a brilliant night celebrating twelve winners across products and people, including the launch of two new categories this year: the ABTT Sustainable Product of the Year and the ABTT Apprentice of the Year. The Terrace stayed full long after the awards themselves wrapped up.
Read about all 2026 People and Product Award winners here.
Why you keep coming back
We asked, and you told us:
- “There are a number of great trade shows, but being entirely focussed on theatre makes the Theatre Show worth attending.”
- “The number, range and calibre of other attendees all under one roof.”
- “New gear, new people, new solutions offered to old problems.”
The numbers
- Total footfall up 6.4% year-on-year (3,479)
- Day 2 attendance — held during a Tube strike — up 11.6% on 2025
- 95% of visitors rated the show 4 or 5 stars, up from 90% in 2025
- 96% left having achieved what they came for
- Almost 9 in 10 would recommend the show to a colleague
- 93% of you are already planning to be back in 2027
See you at Alexandra Palace, 9–10 June 2027
Thank you to every visitor, exhibitor, presenter, volunteer and partner who made this year’s show what it was. We’ll be back at Alexandra Palace on 9–10 June 2027. Registration opens in due course, and if your organisation would like to exhibit, get in touch at office@abtt.org.uk.
See you there.