London’s Business Design Centre (BDC) has been acquired by
ADNEC Group which owns Excel London and several other exhibition and meeting
venues.
Jack Morris CBE, who is retiring as chairman of Business
Design Centre said he and his family had to make the emotional decision to sell
up. “Selling the Business Design Centre, the Morris Family’s flagship business
which was founded by my visionary father Sam Morris 40 years ago, was never
going to be an easy decision. But it’s the right time.
“My brothers and I are not getting any younger and now is
the moment to hand over the baton to new proprietors who understand and respect
what we have built.”
Originally the Royal Agricultural Hall dating back to 1862,
BDC is a Grade II listed venue now spans a 4.5-acre freehold estate and hosts an
array of leading events, awards and product launches, as well as long-standing
shows such as the London Art Fair, HIX and the Surface Design Show.
With more than 130 events and more than 900,000 visitors a
year, the North London venue is a multiple award winner and the current
Exhibition News Venue of the Year. In addition to its 6,000 sqm of dedicated
event and conference space, BDC also provides over 12,500 sqm of let-able space
for showrooms, offices and serviced offices.
The estate also includes the freehold title to the Hilton
Hotel land located in Islington, London.
The BDC will become part of ADNEC’s venue portfolio, marking
it as the fourth venue under the Group's umbrella, which includes ADNEC Centre
Abu Dhabi, ADNEC Centre Al Ain and Excel London.
In addition to adding to ADNEC’s asset base. Since ADNEC’s
acquisition of Excel in 2008, the venue has continued to expand, operating 125,000
sqm of space and becoming London’s first International Convention Centre in
2010. With the most recent expansion of 25,000sqm, Excel has become the largest
integrated conference and exhibitions venue in Europe.
Excel also houses Immerse LDN, the UK’s largest immersive
entertainment district, which opened recently.
Jeremy Rees, CEO of Excel, said: “Since acquiring Excel more
than 15 years ago, ADNEC has demonstrated unwavering support for London’s event
and business tourism industry. The acquisition of the prestigious BDC further
underscores this commitment. We look forward to integrating BDC into the ADNEC
ecosystem and will continue to invest significantly to ensure both Excel and
BDC offer the highest-quality platforms for the events industry, reinforcing
London’s status as a leading global events destination.”
