Make it British was to be held in the UK, March 17 to 18, 2020 but has been postponed because of COVID-19 and now a virtual event will take place online at the end of May. The virtual show will exactly be the same as the real show and will include everything that the live event does, including the conference, the networking and the workshops. Each exhibitor will have their own virtual booth that they will be able to man for the duration of the show using a webcam that can be attached to any computer. All visitor tickets will automatically be transferred to the virtual expo in May, as well as being redeemable against tickets for a rescheduled live show.

Make it British plays a vital service in championing manufacturing close to home. It draws attention to those who are operating in the UK and then encourages people to place orders that respect the unique position manufacturing in the UK can bring. Across the UK, fashion manufacturing employs over 43,000 people with nearly 3,900 companies. Textile manufacturing in the UK is also constantly developing.

Virtual trade shows could be the future of events in the coming months. They create a sense of community while everyone can’t be together.