Over 9,000 dental professionals attended BDIA Dental Showcase 2017, which took place at the NEC in Birmingham on 19-21 October.

This year marked the first time in which this prestigious event has been organised by its new owners MA Exhibitions, in collaboration with George Warman Publications. The result of the partnership between a professional show organiser and the dental publisher has been a tremendous success, seeing an 11.29% rise in visitor numbers to 9,080.

Ribbon cutting ceremony: (l-r): Stuart Thompson, George Warman Publications; Jane Kidson, Oral-B; Razi Hyder, EMEA, Oral-B; Ed Tranter, MA Exhibitions; Ben Pegram, Oral-B; Mark Allen, Mark Allen Group

In addition to the bustling show floor of 300+ exhibitors, three brand new features were a major draw for visitors to this year's event.

The impressive Dental Practice of the Future was the flagship feature at the show and gave visitors access to a fully functioning reception, patient lounge, surgery and decontamination room brimming with state-of-the-art equipment in a purpose-built practice setting. The surgery itself housed a 150-seat lecture theatre where packed out keynote presentations on topics such as medical emergencies, radiation protection and the future of dentistry took place.

The CDO Zone proved to be extremely popular, as it provided the unique opportunity for visitors to meet with the highest level of the dental profession. Chief Dental Officer England Sara Hurley and her team were on hand each day ready to discuss and answer any questions visitors had on NHS dentistry. This was a fantastic chance for GDPs and DCPs to engage face to face with the CDO and her team, who have never been so easily accessible to the profession.

The 150-seater Dental Update Theatre offered a balanced variety of clinical CPD and business orientated sessions led by leading experts, providing advice and guidance in each of their topics. On 19 October, the Dental Update Theatre hosted the annual Dental Update Study Day, organised by Professor Trevor Burke. Visitors also had another chance to increase their dental knowledge and top up their CPD in the Mini Lecture Theatre, which proved extremely popular over the three days.

BDIA Dental Showcase 2018 will take place at London ExCeL, 4-6 October 2018.