EVENTS
PestEx played host to around 2,100 people and over 1,600 visitors between 18 and 19 March, for the UK’s biggest pest control event in the calendar year.
Held at London’s Excel Centre, the event brought together delegates from all over the globe to network, discover new products, and attend seminars and debates on pest management and business topics.
More than 125 pest management manufacturers and distributors packed out the exhibition hall with incredible-looking stands, fantastic new products and creative games with giveaways for winners.
Exhibitors out to impress
The Defender Bird Spikes stand was rammed with people trying their hand at the Hammer the Nail competition; Opti-Catch brought their Retrofit Challenge to test people’s lamp-changing skills; and, of course, Pelsis’s Hogringing Challenge, which was a blast to watch.
Over on the BPCA stand, Resistance Wars returned with Resistance Wars 2: Double Resistance. Attendees tried their hand at a top-down dungeon crawler-style game, fending off various mutated pests. In the end, Andrea Boretti and Vito Smaldini from Pentra SMBH bagged a high score of 35,230 and the top prize of a £100 Amazon voucher each.
Among regulars like Lodi UK, Pelsis, Killgerm, Barrettine, IPC, Aldef Global and CRRU, there were lots of new additions this year. PestMinds, Microbe Investigations Switzerland, Middlesex University and Norwegian-based Skatek were just some of the companies making their PestEx debut. Plus, some exhibitors returning from a long PestEx hiatus, like Merlin Environmental and GVS.
We were also pleased to host organisations like the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and BPCA member benefit providers such as Quest, Logistics UK and CQMS.
The biggest floorplan ever
Lauren Day, Events Manager at BPCA, said:
“PestEx is the pinnacle of our events calendar, and once again, we were blown away to see all the effort our exhibitors put into making their stands exciting and engaging. The energy in the hall was electric, and we couldn’t do it without their enthusiasm and support.
“PestEx 2026 has been the biggest show yet; we expanded the floor plan, filled the theatres with more speakers than ever and gave ourselves a huge challenge. And we absolutely smashed it!”
Buzzing theatres and healthy debates
As well as hosting more exhibitors than ever before, PestEx had two theatres of technical seminars and debate sessions lined up.
New to the show this time was dedicating the entire Spotlight theatre to those debate sessions, with panellists from across the industry, government bodies, other associations or institutes, and even from businesses like Pret a Manger. Subjects ranged from surveying techniques to building amazing pest control teams, and even some pest-related politics.
Over on the Technical Theatre, we had talks from debut speaker Carl Hoult (Reaper Bird Solutions); Nicholas Donnithorne (Property Care Association) showcasing his deathwatch beetle impression and decades of wood boring insect knowledge; a challenging talk by Professor Seirian Sumner on rethinking wasp control; and returning favourites Alex Wade and Dr Belinda Stuart-Moonlight, among others.
Lauren continued:
“We also couldn’t bring PestEx to life without the support of our seminar speakers and debate panels, who delivered an amazing programme of discussions and technical content - a huge thank you to them.
“Thanks also go to our sponsors: dot., Syngenta, Pelsis UK, 1env Solutions and Bell Laboratories.
“And of course, the BPCA Staff team had a wonderful time meeting attendees and putting faces to names, and we can’t wait to do it all again next time!”
Reflecting on a busy few days
Rosina Robson, BPCA’s Chief Executive, was thrilled with her first PestEx experience, commenting:
“There was an incredible atmosphere in the exhibition hall over the two days. PestEx is a truly unique industry event; you really don’t get a better chance to meet this many pest professionals, suppliers, manufacturers, business owners, specifiers, government departments and member benefit providers under one roof in the UK.
“It was an absolute pleasure connecting with so many industry professionals at PestEx 2026. From in-depth discussions on legislation to quick catch-ups on the floor, thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with me.
“We had so many great conversations on the BPCA stand, with plenty of membership applications being filled in on the day and a renewed interest in BPCA's support for onboarding trainee pest technicians, in light of the success of our careers work.
“We’re passionate about driving professionalism in the pest control industry and we can’t do it without the energy and engagement of passionate pest controllers.”
She continued:
“Being new to the industry, I was encouraged by the number of international exhibitors and visitors. We welcomed guests from sister associations such as the African Pest Control Association (APCA) and Associazione Imprese Disinfestazione Professionali Italiane (AIDPI), international journalists from publications such as German magazine DpS, and exhibitors from countries like Greece, Turkey, India, China, the US, and many more. It’s a truly international event!
“Thanks again to everyone who made PestEx 2026 so memorable, and we look forward to seeing you again in 2028.”
Exhibitor and visitor feedback so far has been extremely positive, but we’re always looking to build on the events that we hold for the pest management community.
If you haven’t filled out the survey yet, check your email inbox and let us know what you think.
And don’t forget to look out for the full write-up in PPC123.
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