The NEC is enjoying a bumper autumn with a number of high profile events reporting record attendance figures.

So far this autumn the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham has hosted many shows that exhibitors say have been bigger and better than ever before.

As event organisers turn to the heart of the country to boost their investment, the NEC has hosted a variety of shows from a wide range of industries since the start of September, with less than 10,000 visitors to around 50,000.

One of the earliest successes of the season was Autumn Fair International (AFI), which was staged at the NEC from September 4-7 and attracted more than 1,500 exhibitors.

AFI is an essential diary date for the retail trade sector and more than 60,000 new products were showcased to over 32,000 visiting buyers who were keen to make deals on new lines for winter and spring. Attendance was up by three per cent on last year and organisers reported the highest footfall since 2006.

The Dairy Event and Livestock Show, September 6 -7, built on the success of 2010's inaugural event at the NEC with a 10 per cent increase in visitor numbers, and the Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition in partnership with the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (September 13-15) saw 13,000 visitors in Birmingham.

Nearly 9,000 attendees were recorded at Interplas - a show for the plastics industry - between September 27 -29. It was such a resounding success that many exhibitors have already reserved their space for the next show in 2014.

The Cycle Show celebrated its 10th year in its new home at the NEC, and its move from London to Birmingham was rewarded with the attendance of thousands of visitors from all over the UK. Visitors queued up to try out a new purpose built outdoor mountain bike track.

Paul Byrom, of Cycle Show organiser Upper Street Events, said: "The fact we had the space to offer an amazing track like this is one of the main benefits of moving to Birmingham.

"Birmingham has been a fantastic host and we've been delighted by the response to being at the NEC."

In October, Grand Designs Live saw TV host Kevin McCloud opening proceedings at the popular home show with a record-breaking predicted crowd of around 50,000 over the three-day event.

Welcoming around 2.1 million visitors each year, the NEC stages around 138 trade and consumer exhibitions, from family favourites such as Crufts, to massive trade exhibitions such as Autumn Fair International's counterpart Spring Fair Birmingham.

Kathryn James, Managing Director of the NEC, said: "We are extremely pleased to see our clients doing well, as witnessed by the large number of hugely successful shows that have been hosted by the NEC so far this autumn.

"Exhibitors are much more demanding than they ever have been, and rightly so: they must make careful investments in their events calendar. Hosting events at the heart of the UK's motorway network in Birmingham, instead of asking visitors to travel to London, has benefitted many organisers who are seeing higher attendance figures. The move to the Midlands also means that exhibitors, such as the Cycle Show, can fully explore their event possibilities by doing things like building outdoor bike tracks."