ExCeL London

ExCeL London

ExCeL Exhibition Centre west entrance
Address One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL
Location London Borough of Newham, London
Owner Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company
Opened November 2000
Expanded 2010
Enclosed space
 Total space 100,000 m²
Website Official website

ExCeL London (Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibitions and conference centre in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located on a 100-acre (0.40 km2) site on the northern quay of the Royal Victoria Dock in London Docklands, between Canary Wharf and London City Airport.

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History

The centre was built by Sir Robert McAlpine, opened in November 2000, and in May 2008, was acquired by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. Phase II was completed on 1 May 2010. This £164m expansion increased ExCeL's event space by 50% (to nearly 100,000 m²) and added further meeting space, banqueting facilities, and event space. The extension also includes a flexible 5,000 seat International Conference Centre.

The Royal Victoria Dock closed to commercial traffic in 1981, but it is still accessible to shipping. The centre's waterfront location is used when it hosts the annual London Boat Show, with visiting vessels able to moor alongside the centre; for example the 2005 show was visited by HMS Sutherland The exhibition building itself consists of two column-free, rectangular, subdividable halls of approximately 479,493 square feet (approximately 44,546 m²) each on either side of a central boulevard containing catering facilities and information points. There are also three sets of function rooms, one overlooking the water, another above the western end of the central boulevard, and the third on the north side of the building. These are used for smaller meetings, seminars, presentations, and corporate hospitality. There are 6 hotels, more than 30 bars and restaurants, plus 3700 parking spaces on the campus. In April 2009, ExCeL played host to the 2009 G20 London summit.

ExCeL London has hosted numerous consumer and trade, private and public events including exhibitions, conferences, concerts, weddings and religious events since its opening in 2000. Among these have been London Boat Show, British International Motor Show, Grand Designs Live, Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show, The MCM Expo, London International Music Show, Star Wars Celebration Europe, London Marathon registration, World Travel Market, London Wine & Spirits Fair, The Clothes Show London, The Dive Show, and Global Peace and Unity Event.

Capacity and usage figures

Award Wins

ExCeL London has won numerous awards over the years. In 2011 it become the first UK venue to ever win all three major industry awards in the same year. These include Exhibition Venue of the Year (Event Awards 2011), UK Venue of the Year (aeo Awards 2011) and Best UK Venue (Exhibition News Awards 2011). [1]

In 2011 ExCeL London was also awarded:

Corporate Social Responsibility

ExCeL London sponsors a variety of initiatives that make social and economic contributions to the local community in Newham, where levels of social deprivation are high.[2]

In 2007, ExCeL declared a commitment to uphold the principles of the United Nations Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption. It is a member of the Mayors Green 500, a London Development Agency initiative to encourage the Capital’s top organisations to collectively cut carbon emissions.

The Environment ExCeL London was rated number 44 in the Sunday Times top 60 Green Companies 2009 in the UK – the only venue to be listed and official recognition of the ExCeLs ongoing commitment to the environment. ExCeL has adopted best practice initiatives in the following areas:

Food waste Since 2007, ExCeL London has operated the UK's largest commercial wormery which it uses to recycle food waste which converts all food waste into nutrient rich soil. In addition, the onsite recycling facility for the other waste materials produced as a result of our business activities has enabled the venue to recycle 78% of the waste produced.

Energy In 2008, ExCeL London reduced gas consumption by 64% and electricity by 17% compared to 2006 which was the nearest equivalent year in terms of number and size of shows held at the venue. Using The Carbon Trust's Greenhouse Gas conversion figures, this equates to a 33% reduction in total CO2 consumption for 2008. In addition, CO2 emissions have been cut by a large 3,937 tonnes (27.15%). Further energy-saving and emission-reducing initiatives are in the pipeline.

Community In 2008, more than £400,000 was invested in local activities, most of which focused on making a difference to the people of Newham with projects aimed at education and employment, health and nutrition, sports promotion, plus charitable and in-kind giving. These projects include:

ExCeL has also recently supported:

Employment In 2008, ExCeL London contributed more than £800m to the London economy and was responsible for supporting 26,000 jobs. Nearly 2/3 of ExCeL's employees live in East London and over ¼ are from Newham.

Transport links

ExCeL London is served by two light rail stations. The main western entrance is directly linked to Custom House for ExCel station and the eastern entrance is connected to Prince Regent station, both of which are served by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). During major shows with large visitor attendances, extra shuttle trains are run between the venue and Canning Town station, with interchange at Canning Town station to London Underground's Jubilee Line. ExCeL London is located near London City Airport station. The DLR and a number of dual-carriageway roads connect the centre to the airport and the important nearby office-and-commercial district of Canary Wharf.

Sport

For the 2012 Summer Olympics, ExCeL London will be divided into four sports halls with capacities ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 that will be used for boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling. Previous sporting events which have taken place at ExCeL London include:

Other events

ExCeL London has hosted the following events:

References

External links