PestTech 2026 In Review

Shark-riding, cocktail-shaking and rage-rooming…with a bit of professional development thrown in for good measure. PestTech 2026 broke the mould once again!

With 1,640 visitors, 91 stands, over 1,000 free coffees served and not forgetting 50 Yeti travel mugs given out, this year’s event continued the NPTA’s target of ‘bigger and better’ year-on-year.

To the eternal credit of our loyal sponsors and supporters, the event was buzzing from the moment doors opened at Arena:MK.

Visitors explored the flow of new information, exciting products and networking opportunities, whilst also able to gather CPD points, catch up with old friends and let their hair down a bit too.

The always-popular Defender Bird Spikes took their stand up a notch with the inflatable shark rodeo, whilst Killgerm’s ‘In The Mix’ cocktail classes offered something different to the rambunctious but refreshing Rage Room sponsored by Lodi UK.

The NPTA were thrilled by the success of our new Knowledge Trail, which proved hugely popular for visitors who took part, gained CPD points and finished with our new Spin To Win game. Despite hundreds of pounds in Amazon vouchers being on offer, it was the aforementioned travel mugs which proved the real draw!

NPTA CEO Kevin Lawrenson summed up a fantastic day: “It’s been phenomenal – again!

“It’s our last time at Arena MK and it’s been brilliant. The doors opened at 9am and there’s been a really good footfall throughout the course of the day. We’re really, really pleased.

“Numbers are up on last year and you can’t ask for anything more than that. There’s been more stands, more to do and those on the stands have really brought their A-game.

“We’re able to have a bit of fun with a traditional trade show and really make it something that’s different – truly unique – and makes people want to come and exhibit or turn up on the day and enjoy what’s going on.”

Sponsor of the PestTech Gallery, Barrettine concurred, with product manager James Phelps adding: “It’s been really good; it’s the first year for us as part of the Knowledge Trail and it’s been great seeing people come through with lots of right answers and learning lots.”

Fellow supporters Opti-Catch got in on the fun festivities too with their Batak reflex game and sales director and NPTA chair Jasmin Emmerson said the vibe was noticeable.

“What a brilliant day,” she said. “There’s a real buzz from everyone visiting the stands and I really like that everyone’s incorporating games into it.

“The exhibitors are making it a lot more fun, which is brilliant.”

Killgerm brought back their cocktail masterclasses after the success of last year, offering some light relief to the professional purpose of the event.

Their UK managing director James Garrison described the day as “fantastic”, adding:   “There’s a really nice steady flow of people. We’re having really good, interesting conversations on the stand and it’s always good to network and see familiar faces.

“It’s been a really enjoyable day.”

The Lodi fun factory really came up trumps this year, arriving in Milton Keynes with the mobile rage room in tow.

Matt Towler, national sales manager, said: “As usual it’s been fantastic, we’ve had a really good response, as we do every year. It gets better and better for us – and even busier!

“There’s always fun when we’re around. We’ve reduced the emphasis on the beers this year and have given them out to take home as giveaways, but we’ve done the rage room which has been really good-  I need to get one for my house!”

Richard Moseley from Syngenta praised the introduction of the Knowledge Trail.

“We’ve been having great conversations with pest controllers coming to the stand, it’s been excellent,” he said.

“The Knowledge Trail has been really, really useful and we’ve had some great conversations. It’s allowed us to really describe our products to a lot of people we might not have been able to otherwise.

“The CPD aspect has been really positive. It’s been a really good day for us.”

Pelsis UK and Ireland sales manager Sarah Holt added: “We’ve seen lots of new faces as well as old faces and it’s been a really good show – and I understand next year’s PestTech is doing to be even bigger and better!”

Indeed, this year we said a fond farewell to Milton Keynes due to space constraints at Arena MK and will be moving to NAEC Stoneleigh in Warwickshire.

“We’ve outgrown it and it’s a shame because it’s a really good venue,” Kevin Lawrenson explained.

“We’re getting more and more people wanting bigger stands which we just can’t accommodate here, and more and more people wanting stands for the first time and we just can’t fit them in.

“Moving to NAEC Stoneleigh is a real opportunity for us to a purpose-built conference venue almost 50% bigger than what we’ve got here. So we can do so much more.

“It should be so much fun. It’s incredibly exciting because it’s a blank piece of paper and we can go and make something special happen.”