National Exhibition Centre — Attraction in Metropolitan Borough of Solihull

Went to Bear Grylls Adventure. Was expecting it to be busy and a whirlwind of excitement. Especially as it was half term.

We prebooked a shark dive for 15.30, which included the assault course for free. We arrived at 11.30, with it opening at 11.00, with the plan to do the assault course, have some lunch then do the assault course again before diving. We needed to be there 30 minutes prior to the dive (originally thought I'd booked 15.00 dive).

When we checked in we were greeted with warm welcome. We explained what we had come for and were issued tickets and wrist bands. We advised the 2 of use were qualified divers and one had completed multiple Discover Dives and Master Seal Team, along with confined water dives.

This is where things fell apart. They needed to check what was required with the dive supervisor, which is fine. Once that was completed, we needed to download the padi app to start the process for our non qualifies diver. There was next to no mobile signal and free WiFi was poor. We were unable to complete the registration.

We were not advised where anything was or given any details on lockers, how they worked, etc.. you need an electronic wrist band to activate the locker and you need to get these from reception. A wrist band only allows you to use 1 locker, but not made aware of this from reception. Had to queue up to get forst wrist band and then had to queue again as the stuff we had for 3 of us wouldn't fit in one locker.

We had a quick look round and found the entry points to each activity. Cafe is just behind reception to the right and sort of in the middle of some of the activities. Shark dive/snork and ifly are to the left on the 1st floor. Zip lines, axe throwing and high ropes are to the left of reception on ground floor along with viewing area for shark dive. Assault course and escape rooms were to the left and behind reception. Clip n climb, archery and shooting to the right of reception behind the cafe.

Attempted to go on to assault course, and advised not allowed to have any bags, key, wallets, etc in pockets, which is fine. Advised to use lockers and get wrist band from reception. Once gear stored away went back to assault course to be advised they were changing staff over and didn't have sufficient people so come back in 20 - 30 mins.

Went back and kids went on. Quick breifing and then they were let loose in pairs onto the course. I expected it to be bigger than it was. ~3 obstacles on ground floor then up an incline to get to 1st floor. There were about another 6 - 8 obstacles here before following round to the exit and a pole to slide down.

The kids (13 & 16) had completed it in less than 5 minutes...

Used cafe, but only a limited selection of sandwiches. Had hot food that could be ordered too. We had a sandwich, a panini a d 3 bottles of drink which came to around £13. We had the panini toasted, which we were given a buzzer for and advised to come and collect it when it went off. Cafe wasn't busy for half term. Panini took about 15 minutes before it was ready.

Kids did the assault course a couple more times and we waited around for our time slot for the shark dive.

We completed medical forms prior to arriving so saved time. Completed additional paperwork for us to register for the PADI Discover activity. Also managed to complete online forms for our non diver.

Shoe sizes taken for wet boots and sized up for wet suits. We were then taken to a breifing room and given a standard PADI Discover Scuba Dive breifing. This was mainly aimed at the non divers. Once complete, quick knowledge review then taken through to changing area.

When ready others in the group were provided with masks (we took our own which needed to be sanitised to protect marine life), then taken through to initial water area to kit up. Water was 24°C and although I had a rash vest and shorts on under the wet suit, it was cold.

Non divers were taken through 3 skills, theb we were off. A number of PADI violations of standards which need to be resolved for...

NEC Birmingham: A World-Class Venue Held Hostage by Extortionate Food Prices ​My recent visit to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham for the Highways UK event was, on the whole, an impressive experience. The venue itself is everything a major exhibition space should be: sprawling, logically laid out, and impeccably clean. Navigating the vast halls was seamless, the signage was clear, and the staff were uniformly helpful and efficient. The NEC's proximity to major road and rail links (especially the accessibility via Birmingham International station) makes it a logistical triumph, ensuring a smooth arrival and departure for thousands of attendees. For the exhibition, conference, or show itself, the NEC truly excels and deserves five stars for its operational quality. ​However, the moment one needs to pause, rest, and refuel, the experience takes a dramatic, and infuriating, turn. The pricing of food and beverages across the entire campus can only be described as absolute extortion. It feels as though the NEC views its captive audience not as valued customers, but as an opportunity for daylight robbery. ​To illustrate, a very standard, lukewarm hot dog or basic burger was consistently priced in the £10 - £12 range. A simple bottle of water cost upwards of £3.50, and a mediocre coffee (the fuel of any long event day) would set you back close to £5. The quality of this incredibly overpriced fare added insult to injury; we were paying gourmet prices for what amounted to little more than garage forecourt standard food. There is virtually no value proposition here. When you are forced to pay £35 or more for two people to have a basic lunch, it detracts severely from the overall enjoyment of the day. ​While I highly recommend the NEC for its facilities and capacity to host large-scale events, any visitor needs to be forewarned and prepared. The NEC's catering is its most significant downfall. My only advice to future attendees is simple: if you want to enjoy your event without being financially mugged, save yourself the enormous expense and queueing time by packing a substantial lunch and plenty of drinks from home. ​Rating (Venue: 5/5, Value...

I've been here 3 times now for the Classic car show and loved every minute. There are some problems though. The place gets hot. Don't take your coat (unless you want to that is) as you'll be carrying it most of the time. It's quite stuffy and humid at times. Everyone's breathing the same air as well as cars starting up/cooking/ product smells etc. For me it all adds to the experience but for some it probably doesn't. Also, there really isn't many places to sit other than restaurants or outside smoking areas. Same last year. I couldn't find any seats other than where the talks were being held. There's a hell of a lot of walking as well. We did 15.000+ steps in one day and didn't walk the whole place. My legs struggled at times. Food courts are expensive imo. Paid £18 for 2 small pork sandwiches which, tbf, were nice but not worth £9 each. Car parking for me, is way over priced. Last year £14, this year £19. Now if you look at it as over 7 hrs we stayed then that's £2.70 an hour so it depends on how long you stay really. You can of course, pay in advance at a discounted £5 off making it a little bit more bearable. You also get free buses to the front door and back if you chose to use them. For me the show itself was £34 (discounted) each and I think that's its pretty fair. After all, if you went to Alton Towers say, they charge now £68 and I'll bet that you don't get on everything due to queue sizes. With this show you can see, experience everything if you choose as well as talks and demos. You also get a wealth of knowledge from the participants and contacts, show details, an auction and of course, an auto jumble if you need parts. All for £34( in my case). Bargain. I'll be back next year as well as future years because I love living in the past and this is heaven for me. I have a smile from ear to ear when I'm at this show. Getting close up to iconic cars/vehicles you no longer have access to is just the best. Fantastic and long may...