Can a companion who isn't sourcing anything come along?

The fair’s whole structure runs on the badge system covered elsewhere in this guide, and that doesn’t bend for a companion who isn’t there to source anything — worth planning around rather than assuming they can simply tag along.

Access runs through the badge, not through you

The fair is a trade-only event for registered buyers, and that applies to anyone entering the halls, not just the primary applicant on a registration. A companion without their own badge or documented registration isn’t automatically covered by yours.

This isn’t built as a retail or tourism experience

Unlike a consumer expo, the fair isn’t set up for casual browsing or personal-quantity retail shopping — it’s a wholesale, business-to-business event, and someone attending without that purpose is working against the grain of how the whole venue is organised, not just missing out on a minor perk.

There’s a real cost to entering without proper documentation

This guide found evidence of a fee that applies to entry without a badge or documented registration, separate and distinct from the free registration route available to a genuine buyer.

Treat this as a genuine cost to plan around if a non-business companion wants to enter with you, not as a technicality that resolves itself at the door.

If a family member genuinely needs to travel with you for visa reasons

That’s a different question from on-site access, covered specifically on the dedicated page about visas for accompanying family members — worth reading if your companion’s visa status, rather than their access to the halls, is the actual concern.

What’s next

Read what the badge itself requires, or check the broader eligibility question if you’re unsure whether your own situation qualifies.