With Excel London set for a record year in 2026, generating
billions for London’s business economy, the capital’s senior politicians have
woken up to the value of the events industry
Events have long been the life blood of cities, attracting
often high-spending delegates that fill hotel beds, convention centre halls and
support local businesses whether that’s restaurants, taxis or attractions. And
that’s before you factor in industry suppliers and the legacy of knowledge
exchange between the brightest and the best in their fields. Despite being important
drivers of investment, it can take time to garner political support to aid the
huge economic importance of the sector. That now seems to have happened in the
UK’s capital.
At a tradeshow in May, London’s deputy mayor for business,
Howard Dawber, recognised meetings and events as a “crucial part” of London’s
economic strategy and said they now occupied a “supreme” position in the
capital’s plan for growth.
“The step change for the meetings and convention sector for
London is that we now see this not as a nice to have but a crucial part of the
strategy,” said Dawber. “It should have always been there, but we are finally
recognising it, putting it in its supreme position where it belongs.”
He added that the mayor’s office sees meetings and events as
a crucial component of developing economic sectors such as life sciences.
“Being the place that people come to talk about something
and being the showcase of that space really does help drive investment in that
sector,” he said. “It gets people to think about London as the place that they
put their second office or they bring their drug testing or where they can talk
to scientists.”
Hawber also outlined London’s commitment to the events
industry by unveiling a 10-year experience economy growth plan.
London has long been proud to be home to global leaders in
technology and innovation. Major sectors include education, fintech, finance,
AI and technology. Offering exceptional opportunities for event organisers to
access talent and experts as speakers and sponsors or networking, there is now a
high level of government and international support.
Excel London – making connections
And perhaps it’s no wonder the industry is getting noticed. Excel
London’s executive director James Rees, also President of JMIC and ICCA
Past-President, says that with his venue set to host 10 major associations in
2026, a record for a single year, the city is “well and truly back on the map”.
These 10 congresses alone are estimated to generate £250
million to London’s business economy, in addition to the £4.6 billion Excel
brings annually through its 400-strong event calendar.
With more than 20 million international visitors a year,
London remains one of the most popular and well-connected cities on earth. And
Excel London provides an ideal venue for all manner of business events.
“Planners watched what was happening in London and waited to
see that London would come back, which it now has,” says Rees. “Like red double
decker buses, you wait for one for ages, then they all come at once. In 2026,
we have 10 major international associations coming to Excel. Pre-Covid we would
get two to three per year.
“London is booming,” said Tracy Halliwell, director of
tourism, conventions and major events for London, adding that the pipeline for
business in London was the busiest she had ever known it.
Excel’s record-breaking year
The large congresses taking place at Excel next year include
the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons and the European
Association of Urology (EAU).
Marije Koops, EAU Congress Manager, says: “As one of the
world’s largest urological events, London is a crucial market for us. It’s not
just an incredible destination with world-class transport links, but it’s also
home to many of the leading medical professionals and institutions. This, together
with the amazing new facilities that Excel has to offer, makes London an
obvious choice and one that we’re very much looking forward to welcoming
thousands of healthcare professionals to."
In fact, the majority of next year’s congresses will use
Excel’s new state-of-the-art 25,000 sqm ICC Expansion, including the EAU
Congress (13-16 March), the FTTH Conference (14-16 April), the INTA 2026 Annual
Meeting (2-6 May), the ESHRE 2026 Annual Meeting (5-8 July) and the EuMW
2026 (4-9 October). They are expected to attract some 80,000 delegates to the
UK capital, many from overseas.
The first event in the new ICC Expansion will be the FIA
Formula E World Championship at the end of July, followed by a large-scale international
exhibition and several global tech conferences during the autumn.
Built to leading BREEAM sustainability standards, Excel’s
£220 million expansion development will
increase the venue’s existing world-class facilities by 25 per cent, totalling
125,000 sqm and making it the largest fully integrated conference and
exhibition centre in Europe.
Offering stunning views of London’s skyline, the expansion
gives Excel an additional International Convention Centre, together with
ultra-modern exhibition halls, conference spaces and breakout rooms.
“Up to £10 billion is
being invested into London’s experience economy over the next 10 years, with
Excel London alone having already invested more than £350 million in recent
years across its venue, infrastructure and facilities,” says Rees. “Combine
this with London’s recent accolades including TripAdvisor’s ‘2025 World’s Top
Destination’ and Cvent’s Top Meeting Destination, and it’s easy to see why the city
and Excel are experiencing burgeoning interest across the business events
industry.”
Gateway to the world
Excel London is located at London’s Royal Victoria Docks,
gateway to the world for generations and recently benefiting from a
multi-billion-pound government redevelopment investment. With an on-site
station for the new Elizabeth Line and DLR, it is now just three minutes from
Canary Wharf, 17 mins from Bond Street and 43 mins from London Heathrow
Airport. London City Airport sits on the opposite side of the docks and is just
12 mins away on the DLR or five mins by taxi.
Alongside the excellent connectivity, there are now 13
hotels on the campus site offering 2,800 bedrooms.
The award-winning venue offers versatility and a range
of fully integrated space options including event halls, ICC
suite, Hall and auditorium, the stand-alone Platinum Suite conference centre,
Meeting and Training Centre (CentrEd) plus the brand-new ICC Maritime
Suite and Halls. All of the spaces can be hired separately or in combination to
accommodate from 20 people to up to 70,000.
Situated on London’s historic docks, the Waterfront
development - including Immerse LDN and Waterfront Street Kitchen & Bar -
provides a new after-hours destination on campus offering increased hospitality
options.
Sustainable leader within the events
industry
Excel London has earned the ‘Triple Crown of Sustainability’
– part of the net zero carbon events pledge – and was the first venue in the UK
to offer the TRACE carbon calculating tool.
Committed to achieving Net Zero by 2045, Excel procures 100
per cent renewable electricity, sends zero waste to landfill (and has done for more
than 10 years) with 71 per cent of its waste recycled and the remaining turned
into fuel. It is on track to reduce
emissions by 50 per cent in the next five years. All digital signage is
provided by LED screens thus reducing energy consumption.
Plant power
Excel London Hospitality, the venue’s catering provider, uses
a minimum of 25 per cent plant-based menus with all organic waste being
composted or fed to the on-site worm colony, the largest wormery in the UK.
Visitors arriving by train enjoy the 9,000 plants on the
living wall that makes up the walkway from the station.
Legacy and impact
Excel works with seven Newham-based partners to provide
support to organisations, schools and charities to help them grow and develop
their full potential. It also offers a programme to provide space to these and
other similar organisations in which to hold community events.
Excel also works with Meet4Impact, a non-profit organisation
that helps event organisers develop a
legacy programme or add impact to their event during its time at the venue.
Click
here for details
For more information on hosting an event at Excel London,
click here
