The UK’s most powerful hub for the creative industries united for two days of engaged networking, passionate debate and exceptional insights into AI, the creator economy, production craft and more – helping attendees stay ahead-of-the-curve for the year ahead.
After two exceptional days of conversation, collaboration and community, the biggest and buzziest MPTS yet welcomed a record 13,000 attendees from 50 countries, uniting the UK’s media and entertainment industry together in the heart of London, like never before.
Hosted at London’s Olympia on 14 – 15 May, the red-hot editorially driven programme delivered 100+ free-to-attend sessions across eight theatres,showcasing the insight and passion of more than 350 expert speakers and guest keynotes. The bustling show floor was packed with more than 300 exhibitors and sponsors, showcasing imagination, determination and standout talent of the UK’s creative and technical communities – at a time of both global challenge and immense opportunity.
Setting the agenda for MPTS, a State of the Nation Production keynote outlined a media and entertainment landscape in which storytellers had to embrace screens, formats and creators of all kinds. “TV doesn’t exist anymore in the way we knew it,” asserted Kate Beal, CEO, Woodcut Media. “We are in the middle of a decade of profound transition, and we’re past the tipping point,” said Derren Lawford, CEO, Dare Pictures. “TV is part of a wider, connected series of industries around the creation and distribution and funding of content.”
Headliners at MPTS included:
- Producer and presenter Ross Kemp, who took us on an exhilarating tour of investigative documentaries on the front lines of conflict, drug cartels and organised crime gangs. “They will know in a second if you are not telling the truth,” he said. “I specialise in telling the truth, it is as simple as that.”
- Georgie Holt, whose company Flight Story produces the world’s second biggest podcast ‘Diary of a CEO’, declared “We are in the era of the Founder Creator” — creators who are now in charge of media content and able to monetise spectacularly outside of traditional gatekeepers.
- NFL professional turned American Football broadcaster Jason Bell explained how sports coverage was evolving into the F1 Drive To Survive model, in which athlete personalities and back stories were the keys to growing audiences.
- Blockbuster editor Eddie Hamilton gave a masterclass about the precision involved in making Top Gun: Maverick and five Mission: Impossible movies with Tom Cruise. He said, “Every nuance is refined hundreds of times. Sometimes we watch a 10-minute scene 40 times in a day, checking to see where your eye is moving in the frame.”
Diverse representation is a vital sign of the industry’s health and MPTS is proud to set the benchmark to secure equal representation and attendance from the next generation, not only across the programme, but also something clearly witnessed across the show floor amongst exhibitors and attendees.
MPTS also prioritises the crucial importance of sustainability and, in continuing association with BAFTA albert brought this conversation to the fore with experts including Peter Okell, Sky Studios Elstree; Luke Seraphin, Sky Studios and Claire O’Neill, A Greener Future speaking in the Sustainability Series
Sam Street, Marketing Officer, BAFTA Albert commented, “MPTS is a really key moment in our calendar. It is always so great to connect with suppliers, companies, studios and creatives who share our common passion for sustainability within screen industries. It has also been really valuable to curate our sustainability series of panels across this year’s show, we’ve had some really insightful discussions and emphasised the importance of environmental focus throughout the screen industries.”
We didn’t need a machine to predict the high demand for news and information about AI. The brand-new ticketed AI Training programme and the expanded AI Media Zone drew exceptional attendance, with exhibitors such as Dot Group, Moments Lab and Software. Conversations in these packed-out sessions revolved around the impact of AI from ideation to VFX, featuring real-world insights and discussions on bridging the gap between theory and practice from speakers including Pete Archer, BBC; Jon Roberts, ITN and Damien Viel, Banijay Entertainment.
With a record number of exhibitors already rebooking for 2026, MPTS continues to prove its value as the UK’s number one event for media and production professionals, where brands, creatives and decision-makers come together to connect, collaborate and grow.
Jane Shepard, Senior Channel Marketing Manager, Sandisk, said, “MPTS 2025 was a spectacular showcase of innovation, bringing together the brightest minds and cutting-edge technology in the industry. An unforgettable experience for all attendees.”
Tom Rundle, Application Engineer, Yamaha Music, said, “It has been very busy for us. We have seen a huge mix of customers from the broadcast sector here, but also customers from the other industries which we serve, whether that’s live or theatre who have deliberately come to the show to seek us out to speak to us. Will we be back next year? Yes, absolutely, this is the first year for us, so it was always a bit of a toe in the water, but it’s been vastly more successful than we thought it was going to be.”
Peter Alderson, Business Manager, Nikon, said, “This is our second year at MPTS, we’ve gone a little bit bigger on our stands, almost doubling it, and I think it’s definitely been worthwhile doing. We’ve partnered with RED, who we recently purchased, and MRMC so it’s making a lovely statement about where we are in the market, and I think we’re in the right place to make that statement here at MPTS.”
Jennifer Hudson, Marketing Executive, Videndum, said, “This show is really important in our calendar – we attend nearly every year and find so much value in it. We get to meet with so many different professionals within the industry, and this year has been really, really positive for us. We’ve walked away with quite a few leads and made new relationships. It’s a fantastic show, and we would thoroughly recommend anyone thinking about coming and having a stand here to definitely do it – you won’t regret it.”
Will Pitt, Head of Sales Solutions, Techex, said, “My impression of the show is that it’s been incredibly busy and very positive. Techex particularly specialise in solving some of the headaches that a lot of the broadcast industry is grappling with at the moment, namely, how they transition into an IP-led architecture from a legacy architecture and what that journey looks like. As such, our standards have been packed pretty much throughout the show to come and look at products, but also to come and talk about ideas and lean into what that journey looks like specifically for them. So not a generic journey, but specific to their drivers and their wants and needs in the short and medium term. We particularly like MPTS because it’s London based and many of the engineers that we speak to and collaborate with are based here and therefore it’s an easy journey for them to take half a day, a day out to come and investigate what we have to offer, but also to have those conversations. And so for organisations like WBD or Sky, the BBC, ITV, etc. They can come here quite easily and engage with us, spend some time talking in real life and not over teams or Zoom.”
Charlotte Wheeler, Event Director, MPTS said, “Without doubt, 2025 was the most stimulating, ahead-of-the-curve MPTS yet. At a time when we are seeing the industry under real pressure from budget cuts to talent shortages and perpetual change, the conversations and connections on the show floor were positive and demonstrated infectious community spirit. The level of attendance and the quality of attendees from across all sectors of the industry was incredible – not just stakeholders in technology but representatives from production and commissioning, the creator economy, those new to the industry and freelancers were all brought together by MPTS under one roof.
A huge amount of work goes into making sure that there is equal representation across our extensive conference programme. I am proud that MPTS is one of – if not the – most diverse shows both in terms of attendees and panellists.
Thank you to everyone for exhibiting, sponsoring, speaking, attending and engaging with the show to make MPTS such a thrilling success. We are already planning for 2026, which marks MPTS’ 10th edition, so look forward to a landmark celebration!”
Save the date for MPTS 2026 when we return to Olympia Grand Hall, London on 13 – 14 May 2026.