ExCeL London (
Exhibition
Centre
London)is an exhibitions and conference centre in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. It is located on a 100-acre site on the northern quay of the
Royal Victoria DockThe Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of three docks in the Royal Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:Opened in 1855 on a previously uninhabited area of the Plaistow Marshes, it was the first of the Royal Docks and the first London dock to be designed specifically...
in London Docklands, between
Canary WharfCanary Wharf is a large office and shopping development in East London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Rivalling London's traditional financial centre, The Square Mile, Canary Wharf contains the UK's three tallest buildings: One Canada Square ; 8 Canada Square and the Citigroup...
and
London City AirportLondon City Airport is a single-runway STOLport, an airport for use by STOL airliners, and principally serving the financial district of London. It is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in East...
. The centre was built by
Sir Robert McAlpineSir Robert McAlpine Ltd. is a private British company headquartered in London. It carries out engineering and construction for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, nuclear, pharmaceutical, defence, chemical, water and mining industries.-History:...
and opened in November 2000; its name is a contraction of Exhibition Centre London. In May 2008, ExCeL London was acquired by
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions CompanyThe Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company is the UAE capital's most prestigious exhibition centre and is currently undergoing an investment programme which will culminate in 57,000 m² of exhibition , a 21,000 m² visitor concourse and 7,500 m² of multi-purpose halls...
and Phase II will be completed in Spring 2010. This £164m expansion will increase its event space by 50% (nearly 100,000m²) and add further meeting space, banqueting facilities, event space and include a flexible 5,000 seat International Conference Centre for London.
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 SutherlandThree ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Sutherland:*HMS Sutherland was a fourth-rate of 54 guns launched in 1704 as HMS Reserve. She served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean 1741, and was condemned in 1744...
The exhibition building itself consists of two column-free, rectangular, subdividable halls of approximately 347,136 square feet (approximately 32,250 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 5 hotels, more than 30 bars and restaurants plus 4000 parking spaces on the campus. In April 2009 ExCeL London 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 ShowThe London Boat Show is held each January at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in the heart of London, just opposite the O2 and the centre of London's business and entertainment centre. It is a very large event, now in its 54th year, which uses ExCeL's two 32,500 square metre halls. It is one of the two...
,
British International Motor ShowThe British International Motor Show is an automobile show held biennially in the United Kingdom. It is recognised as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles...
,
Grand DesignsGrand Designs is a UK Channel 4 TV series covering unusual architectural house-building projects, presented by Kevin McCloud and produced by Talkback Thames. The properties featured in the series vary wildly from homes underground to converted water towers, with the only common factor being that...
Live, MCN Motorcycle Show, The MCM Expo,London International Music Show,
Star Wars CelebrationStar Wars Celebration is an official Star Wars convention held during banner years of the franchise. Beginning in May 1999, Lucasfilm held a Star Wars convention in Denver, Colorado to celebrate the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
Europe,
London MarathonThe London Marathon is a popular road marathon that has been held each year in London since 1981, usually in April. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money, as the Virgin London Marathon...
registration, World Travel Market, London Wine & Spirits Fair,
The Clothes ShowThe Clothes Show is a British television show about fashion that can currently be seen weeknights on Really. It was formerly broadcast on BBC One from 1986 to 2000.-BBC series :...
London and The Dive Show.
Capacity and usage figures
- £300 million international events venue
- 90,000m2 (65,000m2 event halls) with additional 23,590m2 gross column free space from Spring 2010
- £13 million investment in IT infrastructure including bandwidth >90Mb
- The Platinum Suite (conference suite) has a capacity of between 400 and 1,100 delegates
- 45 meeting rooms - 50 to 200 delegates
- Capacity: 50,000 visitors per day
- 5 on-site hotels, providing 1,500 rooms
- 6,000 car parking spaces - 4,000 onsite
- Since 2000, ExCeL London has hosted over 2,000 events and welcomed over 5 million visitors from over 200 different countries
Corporate Social Responsibility
ExCeL London sponsors a variety of initatives that make social and economic contributions to the local community in
NewhamThe London Borough of Newham is a London borough in East London, within Greater London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames...
, where levels of social deprivation are high.
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 AgencyThe London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority. Its purpose is to promote London's economy, with an emphasis on small and medium enterprises...
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 ExCeL London’s ongoing commitment to the environment. ExCeL London has adopted best practice initiatives in the following areas:
Food waste
Since 2007, ExCeL 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 recycled 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 CO
2 consumption for 2008. In addition, CO
2 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:
• The ‘ExCeL in Arts’ Camp; an annual festival run in association with the London Borough of Newham, the Newham Academy of Music and the Festival of Youth Arts (FYA). In 2008, more than 180 Newham youngsters took part in a series of workshops including Advanced Chamber Music, Beginners Chamber Music, Dance, Drama, Music Production and Fashion. ExCeL London also awarded scholarships to children taking part, enabling them to develop further by funding the purchase of instruments and more coaching.
• In 2007 ExCeL joined forces with Community Food Enterprise (CFE) to launch Juice4Life; an initiative seeking to improve nutrition among teenagers living in the Borough by giving them access to tasty, healthy and affordable drinks. Part of its on-going role is to help establish ‘mobile juice unit’ enterprise schemes as a viable business.
ExCeL London has also recently supported:
• Newham Academy of Sport – Talent Identification programme in local schools
• Under The Stars – Newham Council’s four day musical extravaganza
• Sponsorship of potential 2012 judo athlete – 17 year old Theodore Spalding - as part of the ‘Britain's got Talent’ project
• Eastside Young Leaders Academy (EYLA) nurturing leadership potential of young African
and Caribbean males, empowering them to become the next generation of successful leaders.
• Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders (AEC)
• Young Enterprise Scheme
• Newham Sixth Form College Community Service Awards
• Britannia Village Primary School
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 London’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 station and the eastern entrance is connected to Prince Regent station (although this entrance will be closed during the construction of Phase 2 which is due to open Spring 2010), 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 is located near London City Airport. 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 OlympicsThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, are due to take place in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, ExCeL will be divided into four sports halls with capacities ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 that will be used for
boxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
,
fencingFencing is a family of sports and activities that feature armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning weapons that are directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned. Examples include swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, and similar weapons...
,
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
,
taekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, "taekwondo" may be loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the...
,
table tennisTable tennis is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth with rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, players must allow a ball played toward them only one bounce on their side of the table and must...
, weightlifting and
wrestlingWrestling is an ancient martial art that uses grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, generally between two people, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
.
Previous sporting events which have taken place at ExCeL London include:
On 22 April 2005, ExCeL hosted
World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's SmackDown!, featuring wrestling matches such as
John CenaJohn Felix Anthony Cena is an American actor, hip hop musician, and professional wrestler currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand....
and
The Big ShowPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand where he is one half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions with Chris Jericho.In professional wrestling, Show is a...
vs
John "Bradshaw" LayfieldJohn Charles Layfield is a retired American professional wrestler and a current commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League...
and
Orlando JordanOrlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. Jordan is best known for working for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand...
, a Cruiserweight Championship Battle Royale,
Eddie GuerreroEduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family...
and Rey Mysterio vs
MNMMNM was a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
for the WWE Tag Team Championship and
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
vs The Undertaker.
On 10 December 2005, the centre hosted two
boxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
matches: The first, between British heavyweights
Danny WilliamsDaniel "Danny" Williams is a retired British professional heavyweight boxer. He was the former British heavyweight title holder and Commonwealth champion.-Amateur:...
and
Audley HarrisonAudley Harrison is a British professional boxer who fights in the heavyweight division. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he became the first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal in the superheavyweight division....
; the second, between
Amir KhanAmir Iqbal Khan is a British boxer from Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.He became the WBA World light-welterweight champion after defeating Andreas Kotelnik on 18 July 2009, making him Britain's third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed and Herbie Hide...
and Daniel Thorpe.
On 2 February 2008, it hosted a
boxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
match between
Amir KhanAmir Iqbal Khan is a British boxer from Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.He became the WBA World light-welterweight champion after defeating Andreas Kotelnik on 18 July 2009, making him Britain's third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed and Herbie Hide...
and
Gairy St. ClairGairy St. Clair is a professional boxer in the junior lightweight division. He is the former IBF world junior-lightweight champion....
for the
World Boxing OrganizationThe World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. Its offices are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-History:...
intercontinental lightweight title.
On 1-2 August 2009, it hosted the 2009
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.During 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
London TriathlonThe London Triathlon is the largest Triathlon in the world....
, with one of the halls acting as and the waterfront area being used for the exit of the swimming leg.
Other events
ExCeL has hosted:
• The G20 London Summit on Stability, Growth & Jobs in April 2009
• Each May and October, the London MCM Expo for comic, anime, manga and sci-fi fans with different guests each time.
• Since 2001, the biannual U.K. arms fair DSEi, most recently on 11-14 September 2007.
• In 2005, the Bollywood cultural event, the 2005 Zee Cine Awards for the first time in the event's history.
• British International Motor Show 2006 & 2008 attracting over 400,000 visitors to the venue and included a Music Festival with live performances in a 5,000 capacity purpose-built arena each night of the motor show.
• Between 27-29 April 2007, the 2007 London Guitar Show (LGS). The show featured two masterclasses on the Saturday with Steve Vai, in which time he answered questions asked by fans through the LGS website prior to the show, and from fans at the masterclass.
• Between 13-15 July 2007, the Star Wars Celebration Europe; the first Star Wars fan event of its kind held outside the United States which attracted nearly 40,000 visitors over the three days.
• In October 2007, the 2007 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, the first time it was held in the U.K.
• In 2007, was the Permanence - the operational and media headquarters - for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France.
• On 26 April 2008, the Bollywood cultural event, the 2008 Zee Cine Awards for the second time.
• On 27 May 2008, one of the biggest events in
AhmadiyyaAhmadiyya is a religious movement founded towards the end of the 19th century and originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad...
Muslim history, the Khilafat (Caliphate) Centenary.
• On 31 October 2008, Stuff Live, a yearly show sponsored by the magazine, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision.
• On 2 April 2009, annual G-20 Leaders' Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, commonly called The London Summit 2009, the largest gathering of world leaders London has seen since the first United Nations General Assembly in 1946.[3]
• Between 29 May - 31 May 2009, Clothes Show London returned to the capital.
External links