DESTINATION | London, United Kingdom

“London is a city that is constantly reinventing itself,” says Suzanne Singleton, head of associations at London & Partners, and never before in its long history has this been so critical. Business events are worth billions of pounds to the capital’s economy and have a vital role to play in the country’s post-pandemic recovery.

“Over the past year we’ve seen many examples of how venues and hotels have adapted and innovated in the face of an extremely challenging environment to ensure events can return safely and securely, from the quick adoption of virtual event technology to investment in smart stages and hybrid event studios,” says Singleton.

Both the industry and associations agree that the engagement and atmosphere of face-to-face events cannot be replicated by a purely online environment. “Going forward there will still be a virtual element to congresses but London is a world leader in technology, innovation and live communications and an ideal destination to host hybrid events,” she explains.

During the pandemic, the convention bureau run by London & Partners continued to bid for international conferences with attendances between 1,500 and 13,000. “We have an active funnel of bids for congresses to be held between 2023 and 2028 and received a healthy number of enquiries for future events which makes us confident in the recovery,” says Singleton.

Another factor the UK faced early last year was Brexit coming into force and at the time, before lockdown, the convention bureau was reassuring clients there would be absolutely no restriction to visitors or delegates coming to the country.

Nevertheless, in 2017, a year after the vote to leave the EU, it was seen as a great vote of confidence when the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) chose London for its 2021 congress. In the event that had to be changed to a virtual meeting out of Paris, where the ESC is based, but it will return in 2024 to ExCeL London exhibition and convention centre. The last time, in 2015, more than 32,700 delegates attended, generating millions of pounds for the city and cementing its reputation for life sciences.

“In coming back to London, the ESC is making a strong statement that supports all members and health professionals so active and hard-working throughout the UK,” says CEO Isabel Bardinet. “London has proven itself a dynamic and reliable partner in this fight for health and we feel sure that it will do so again.”

At the end of this month, ExCeL is hosting the 18^th European AIDS Conference (EACS), its first time in the capital. “EACS selected London over other European cities thanks to a strong bid led by an engaged local committee and the wealth of leading professionals based here,” says ExCeL executive director James Rees. “To maximise reach and experience EACS organisers have opted to stage a hybrid event mixing face-to-face and digital experiences and anticipate around 1,000 delegates on site with three times that joining online.”

When many venues were forced to close their doors in the last 18 months ExCeL remained operational, offering its flexible facilities in London’s docklands to sectors such as the film industry, and was proud of its role supporting the NHS both as an emergency Nightingale Hospital and covid vaccination centre.

“Central to this was to maintain constant and open dialogue with our clients, informing them of the planned safety measures we were taking in line with government guidance,” says Rees. “It has been key for us to talk to organisers about our stringent cleaning regimes and covid safety procedures and highlight the benefits of our integrated campus with the many hotels, bars and restaurants all within walking distance. In addition, we have made significant investment in the venue such as new digital infrastructure, an enhanced food and beverage offering and cashless operations.”

ExCeL’s return to hosting world-leading events was kick-started at the end of July with Formula E motor racing. The business events show International Confex followed last month, “a seminal moment as we welcomed our industry colleagues through our front door once more,” says Rees.

He adds, “We are very confident in the future of our business, with ambitions to increase the event space by 24 per cent by 2024, allowing ExCeL and London to attract the very best international events.”

The opening of the new Crossrail Elizabeth Line now scheduled for the first half of next year will speed up travel to ExCeL from Heathrow Airport, hopefully in time for several major association congresses taking place there next year.

In Westminster, central London, the QEII Centre has been hosting national, international and regional association and governmental meetings for 34 years. It’s now able to host indoor events at full capacity again, a maximum 2,500.

Over the past year the venue has introduced many Covid-secure measures, the latest being the installation of 185 air purification units in all publicly accessible areas. Even before the pandemic, the in-house AV team, QEII Live, had developed innovative hybrid packages. “We had already invested in equipment specifically for running multi events across several rooms and floors every day, with varying price points suitable for all,” says chief executive Mark Taylor. This meant new and existing clients were able to run fully streamed events.

In July the centre hosted its first major in-person event since early last year. The one-day meeting on food sustainability was attended by 150 delegates on site and 400 virtually, including world-renowned climate experts. Those lucky enough to be present were treated to a special low-carbon menu created by QEII Taste, the in-house catering team.

In the City of London, the capital’s central business district, the Barbican Centre remained in the public eye throughout the pandemic with an ongoing programme of live-streamed cultural events. The multi-arts and conference venue also launched a range of virtual, hybrid and socially distanced event packages for clients looking to run meetings.

Like the other venues, it has continued to monitor international and large association business, according to Sue Etherington whose responsibility this is. “Future business enquiries are being discussed but decision-making and confirmations are generally still being reviewed in light of global travel restrictions.”

Recently it was announced that the Grade-II listed centre is to have a multi-million pound revamp as part of the City of London’s plan to remake itself into a wider cultural destination.

Contact

Suzanne Singleton
Head of Associations
London & Partners

T: +44 (0)203 761 4085
E: ssingleton@london&partners.com
www.conventionbureau.london