The National Outdoor Expo is the UK’s go-to event for outdoor enthusiasts showcasing kit, technology, nutrition, and various activities such as watersports, cycling, hiking, climbing, camping, outdoor cooking and more. Since its inception in 2022, the Expo has continuously developed and now attracts in excess of 20,000 visitors from all over the UK in two days.
Navigating preparations for The National Outdoor Expo 2026, 21-22 March N.E.C. Birmingham, is new Event Director Dan Leyland. Dan brings over 20 years’ experience in event and exhibition management and delivery to the role. We recently sat down for a fireside chat to find out more about him and how preparations for the 2026 event are developing.
Tell us about you, what is your background?
I have been in the events industry for a very long time. I started in the 90s. I was organising events in Europe and beyond, and even set up the first ever travel show in the Ukraine, in Kiev. You’ll also find ‘restaurateur’ on my CV; I started a pizza restaurant in South London, which is still going strong today.
What attracted you to the Event Director role with Raccoon?
There were several different factors that I found appealing. A major one is the size of Raccoon. In comparison to some of the large event corporates I have worked for, Raccoon is smaller, and that makes you feel like you are part of something and more connected to the energy and the vision. The team is fun, vibrant, agile and growing. It’s an exciting moment to be a part of. And to be honest, I love that the commute for me is out of London.
Are you personally keen on outdoor pursuits and if so, which ones would we be most likely to see you doing of a weekend?
I love outdoor swimming. I find it invigorating and swim in either an outdoor pool, or the sea when I have the opportunity. Outdoor cooking is also a long-held passion of mine. I worked in a Swedish pizza restaurant when I was much younger and now have no less than three outdoor pizza ovens. Pizza making is something I have been endeavoring to perfect from an early age.
I also love a good, long dog walk, with my 12-year-old cocker spaniel called ‘Crumble’. Watching and listening to cricket has been known to occupy many weekends for me too!
We know you are busy planning The National Outdoor Expo 2026, what information can you let us know at this stage?
We have been incrementally announcing our incredible star-studded line-up of speakers for 2026. I can reveal our confirmed headliners so far are: TV presenter, extreme explorer and wildlife conservationist Steve Backshall; runner and adventurer ‘The Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook; Olympian, world-class British competition climber and five-time UK national champion Molly Thomson-Smith; TV personality and endurance athlete Spencer Matthews; plus comedian, actor and presenter who is passionate about history, adventure and the great outdoors, Hugh Dennis.
We also have an assortment of speakers and special guests from a range of outdoor specialisms including mountaineering, cycling, conservation, outdoor cooking, trail running and more. Visitors will be inspired, informed and motivated over two days of fireside chats, practical workshops and opportunities to meet and question their heroes.
The team are also currently looking at revamping the floorplan to allow for some thrilling activations we have planned for 2026. The website will be getting a fresh new look too!
What defines a successful event for you?
Primarily, it is about the visitor experience. I love the part where the doors open and the crowds flood in. From there you hope that they feel they are part of something bigger than them, a community, with shared knowledge and shared experiences. Ideally, visitors will support the retailers exhibiting, will leave having learnt something, and will have the desire to return.
It is important to me that exhibitors also get full satisfaction from the event. That it is something they really want to be part of, they rebook quickly, and make it a staple part of their business planning and calendar.
What would be your luxury item on a desert island?
Probably a bed, a Ritz Hotel five-star bed, with crisp linen. Or… a freshwater shower…. Or a beer pump, as refreshment to watch all those island sunsets.
Do you have any Personal idol? My great uncle Theodore Howard Somervell OBE, FRCS was an Olympian, a mountaineer, surgeon, painter and missionary. I have been to talks about him and his life was fascinating and so admirable. He was awarded one of the first Olympic gold medals for alpinism (mountaineering) in early 1924 at the inaugural Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. He was born in Lake District and developed an interest in mountaineering at a young age, going on to play a key role in attempts to summit Everest. He also served as a surgeon in the First World War. In addition to this, he was an esteemed artist, painting iconic landscapes of mountains, including Everest.
Other idols of mine include cricketer Ben Stokes, rugby player Joe Marler, actor Jack Lemmon and a Film Director named Billy Wilder.