The two-day multi-professional conference and exhibition was attended by physiotherapists, sports therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, soft tissue therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, physical training instructors, sport rehabilitators, exercise rehab instructors, MSK healthcare professionals, and more for evidence-based training and hands-on learning from acclaimed speakers and innovative front-running solution providers.  

We were proud to see delegates including influential professionals from elite sports clubs, Ascenti, Ramsay Healthcare, Nuffield Health, Hinsta Performance, Leidos, BUPA, Defence Medical Services, Police Rehab, and Smartech Selfridges, among other key industry figureheads walking the floor.  

Representatives from the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists, Sports Therapy Association, The ST School, Sports Massage Association, Association of Soft Tissue Therapists, Society of Sports Therapists, and BASRaT were also in attendance, following their support in the development of the programme and speaker faculty.  

A programme packed with popular professionals  

Highlights from the conference on day one included a standing-room only session in the STA Therapy Updates Theatre to kick off the day, with Christien Bird and Jo McEwan from Menopause Movement and their session around the importance of pelvic health during the menopause. During a packed main theatre session, Steph De'ath, Head of Dance Science & Healthcare at the London Contemporary Dance School, explored working with clients with hypermobility and what practical advice clinicians can implement directly into their practice. Bringing day one to a close was Martin Christensen, having travelled from Norway, who delivered a very popular session in the Hands-on Hub sharing his findings on the concept of professionalism and opening the floor for an interactive reflection with our delegates.  

“There were plenty of presentations for everyone from any discipline but it was especially a goldmine of up-to-date stuff for soft tissue and manual therapists. Looking forward to next year! “- James Earls, Therapist, Born to Move  

 Highlights from day two included a keynote talk from 2023’s World Strongest Man and accredited exercise physiologist, Mitchell Hooper, who spoke on his experience as a world-class athlete, providing insight on his mental journey of becoming a world champion. A main session presentation from Anna Maria Mazzieri, Founder of The ST School, focused on the neurophysiology of touch and how massage matters to the brain, and finally a high-energy session from Paul Coker, specialist physiotherapist, on neuro-sensory integration and how it can be included in the treatment of pain. 

“Therapy expo always offers a varied and interesting lineup, with brilliant speakers throughout the two days. I especially enjoy the multi-disciplinary nature of the conference, which brings a variety of different professionals together from many clinical backgrounds. This is a key strength of the conference as I believe we all work better in collaboration.” - Sean Lowton-Smith, Senior Lecturer in Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation, Program Lead MSc Clinical Exercise Science, University of Derby.

Similar to previous editions, this year’s programme featured two action-packed partner theatres, bursting with new content. The Hands-on Hub, in partnership with The ST School and organised by Anna Maria Mazzieri, delivered several standing-room-only sessions covering topics such as chronic pain, hypermobility, lymphatic drainage techniques and so much more! Equally as busy was the STA Therapy Updates Theatre, in partnership with the Sports Therapy Association, organised by Matt Phillips and Gary Benson. Facilitating in-depth Q&A discussion sessions to follow-up from main theatre content, attendees were able to access more exclusive insights from popular speakers such as Sonia Fierro, James Earls, and Steph De’Ath.  

   

Strength training for the clinical population: workshops with Mitchell Hooper 
Mitchell also delivered two exclusive, hands-on workshops for a small number of delegates focussing on how to connect high-performance powerlifting techniques with practical strength training for everyday life, highlighting how similar they are. Mitchell’s unique combination of being a world-class strongman and a clinical practitioner allows him to bridge the gap between elite-level strength training and practical rehabilitation for individuals.  

Sam Hall, Osteopath, said: “He is someone I really feel like I can learn from. It was amazing. He taught really well. I had no idea he was a clinician either, so his real-life experience made it amazing.” 

Read more about the workshops on the website.  

Featuring as both a special guest speaker in the main theatres and hosting his own intimate training session, Mitchell Hooper thoroughly enjoyed Therapy Expo experience, stating: “From a vendor and from an attendee perspective, it’s one of the best events I’ve been to.”

 

MSK Conference 
This year’s conference, co-located with Therapy Expo, focused on the pivotal theme of ‘Health inequalities: closing the gap’ curated in partnership with Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), Versus Arthritis, and the UK MSK Partnership Group. The conference, for clinical professionals in MSK, provided a platform to showcase some current work in tackling inequalities in MSK health, innovative projects at local and national levels, and an opportunity for delegates to network and share knowledge in the breakout rooms. 

Amanda Hensman-Crook, Consultant Physiotherapist (MSK Practitioner), Visiting Fellow HSU and MSK Conference Programme Lead, said: “The feedback we have received about this year’s MSK Conference focussing on Health Inequalities so far has been incredible. It was fantastic to see another successful event and are thrilled that the number of delegates has grown for the 3rd year running, all fully engaging with all the sessions delivered by our expert speakers, and with our authors at the Poster Zone.” 

Speaker, Sue Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, said: “Having an event like this where lots of people get together, ideas spark of each other. The energy levels were high in the room.” 

Overall, the 2024 edition of Therapy Expo was a raging success, with high levels of satisfaction from attendees, exhibitors, and speakers alike.  

"Therapy Expo 2024 was truly the best edition we’ve ever coordinated! I could not be more grateful to our incredible exhibitors, partners, delegates, speakers, and, of course, my amazing team for making it such a success. We’re already gearing up for the 2025 edition, and I can’t wait to see how we’ll take things to an even higher-level next year!" – Charlotte Speer, Show Manager 

The next edition of Therapy Expo is taking place on 26-27 November 2025 at NEC Birmingham. To find out more and secure your early bird ticket today for only £125, please visit: therapyexpo.co.uk 

If you are interested in speaking opportunities at the show, please get in touch with our Content Producer, Molly Benson: m.benson@closerstillmedia.com  

If you are interested in exhibiting or other sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch with our Show Manager, Charlotte Speer: c.speer@closerstillmedia.com