2020 will be the venue’s best year ever – building on a decade of growth
Twenty-four relocated or new shows are coming to ExCeL London, part of Lime Venue Portfolio, for the first-time this year, meaning 2020 is going to be the venue’s best year on record for exhibitions.
The arrival of these shows coincides with it being 20 years since ExCeL opened its doors for the first time. The last decade has seen exponential growth, both through the number of events hosted and visitors attending.
The shows are a mix of relocations from other UK venues or high-profile launches, demonstrating that ExCeL and London are the epicentre of the country’s events industry.
Among the relocations and new shows are Mash Media’s International Confex, Clarion Events’ Counter Terror Expo, CloserStill Media’s shows Technology For Marketing and E Commerce Expo, Terrapinn’s The World Aviation Show, Easyfair’s Clinical Cosmetic Regenerative Expo and PPS Publications Ltd’s British-Irish Airports EXPO.
It builds on the 14 new shows and launches at ExCeL in 2019, which saw Brand Licensing Europe and EGX hosted at the venue for the first time. Both of these events are returning in 2020, along with world leading events like World Travel Market, ICE Totally Gaming, BETT and MCM Comic Con.
ExCeL is currently the host venue for 400 events, welcoming 40,000 exhibiting companies and four million people, from every corner of the globe. These events are responsible for delivering £4.5bn in economic impact, support 37,600 jobs and driving 25 per cent of London’s inbound business tourists.
And as growth in use of the venue for major events continues, ExCeL is committed to sharpening its focus on operating sustainably, by working with partners to substantially reduce single-use plastic and energy consumption, whilst increasing recycling rates – building on the work already completed to date.
Simon Mills, Executive Director - Exhibitions, ExCeL London, said: “We are continually seeking to improve the guest experience by investing in the venue and working collaboratively with our partners in London.
“As a result of this work, we’re delighted to confirm that 24 new shows will be either relocating to or launching at ExCeL in 2020.
“As the number of events here continues to grow, we look forward to working with new and existing customers on achieving their objectives through our flexible, high-quality event space and London’s unique offering.”
Sean Willis, Managing Director, Terrapinn, said: “We are really excited to be bringing three more shows to ExCeL London this year. Spark, taking place from June 30 to July 1, will be an engaging, collaborative and global event, with carefully curated content about disruptive innovation in relation to the world’s energy challenges. The World Aviation Festival is a fast-growing event, which has seen attendee numbers increase by 340 per cent since 2016, bringing together all types of global airlines, airports and industry tech providers. It will be at ExCeL September 23 – 25. WLTH, a wealth & asset management show, is also launching at ExCeL this year, on October 21 to 22.
“The hard work begins now, working with ExCeL to ensure we deliver the very best events that will spark ideas, innovations and relationships for our sponsors, exhibitors and attendees and we’re certain ExCeL is the right place for us to grow these events while making them highly-engaging and relevant. We can’t wait for the year ahead!”
Graeme Howe, Director, Closer Still Media, organiser of Technology For Marketing and E Commerce Expo, said: “The growth of E-Commerce Expo, in particular – but both shows, since we bought them – has been amazing. Visitors have increased by over 30 per cent and the reality is that we have outgrown Olympia.
“Given the cutting-edge nature of the events and the two industries that they cater for, it is also important that the venue we use is modern. So we’re hoping that visitor and exhibitor experience will be better in that regard at ExCeL.
“It’s already looking like the decision to move the shows has been a good one. We have already seen year-on-year growth of stand square meterage, which is up 56 per cent year-on-year and it will definitely be the biggest these two shows have ever been. That’s great for us, great for exhibitors and great for visitors.”
