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BETA and BETA International explained

For 31 years, BETA International has been run by the trade, for the trade. It’s organised by Equestrian Management Consultants (EMC) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA).

This strong link ensures that BETA International is an integral part of the industry it serves, and run by people who care passionately about its furtherance.

BETA was established in 1978 and today its membership comprises more than 800 equestrian manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

One of the new trade association's first initiatives was to launch what was then known as the BETA Trade Fair in 1980. The following year, the already fast-growing exhibition was placed under the remit of a separate limited company (EMC Ltd), controlled by BETA.

Early fore-runners of BETA International moved from venue to venue across the UK. Standholders would pack up after one show to travel, sometimes overnight, before re-erecting their stands to embark on another day's business.

Three decades on, the camaraderie generated by those original travelling fairs remains crucial to BETA International's famously friendly atmosphere.

In 1995, BETA International moved to a permanent home, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK.