UK Volume 20

excel.london superbrands.uk.com ExCeL London Superbrands UK Annual Vol.20 20 new retail units being opened, catering for a multitude of palates and dietary requirements. The technology infrastructure has also been invested in with Ruckus wifi increasing the performance and capacity of the venue’s wifi as well as the resiliency of internet provision. Furthermore, a new Content Management System now supports the future vision for the digital media estate at ExCeL. The new system will provide greater flexibility to clients, allowing them to display more creative content, and benefit from functionality, including day parting. Finally, to help combat single-use plastics, ExCeL has launched a ‘No Plastic’ campaign to outline its commitment to tackling this global issue. Steps taken to date include the removal of plastic straws from point-of-sale, the installation of water fountains and discounts for guests using reusable coffee cups. Promotion At the beginning of 2018, Marketing and Communications was restructured to create a central team. This resulted in the ability to share resources, unify planning and consolidate communications. In 2019, the ambition is to build on the progress made last year, creating a more streamlined approach to communications and focusing on ExCeL’s key audiences – organisers, exhibitors and visitors – to maximise budgets and resources, generating a bigger impact for ExCeL. To communicate its key messages effectively, PR, client and guest HTMLs as well as social media will all be used. All key events taking place at ExCeL have been scheduled to ensure that the opportunity each brings, in terms of PR, photography and case studies, is maximised. PR forms an important part of ExCeL’s marketing strategy. In 2018, 156 features were placed with the industry press, representing a reach of 1.23 million views. In 2019, PR will continue to support disseminating key messages to customer audiences in the UK, Europe and North America. The Marketing and Communications plan is also designed to support the commercial ambitions of both sales teams across Exhibitions and C&E. Whilst there is a desire to centralise marketing, it is recognised that the wide variety of clients that ExCeL has, do at times, have different needs. The marketing plan therefore includes activities for distinct audiences. Brand Values ExCeL’s vision is to be the home of world-leading events, hosting the very best in the industry, from global brand showcases and exhibitions to international association meetings and everything in between. Everyone at ExCeL is united by a common purpose, working together to deliver the best experience for everyone who comes to the venue and, using its knowledge and expertise, help all clients achieve their goals. ExCeL is also mindful of tackling the challenges of sustainable development and operating as a responsible corporate business, ensuring that it has a positive impact on the local community and beyond. Bringing people together, face-to-face, is a proven way of doing business . It is ExCeL’s vision to be ‘The Home of World Leading Events’ . By continuously investing in the experience and providing the best facilities , the venue brings people together to share ideas, showcase new technologies, solve problems and do business Market ExCeL has two key commercial divisions, representing the markets that it operates in, namely Exhibitions and Conferences & Events (C&E). Each year, the venue welcomes four million people to more than 400 events, including global brand showcases, world-leading exhibitions and international association meetings. With over one million visitors travelling from outside of the UK, ExCeL is responsible for driving 25% of London’s inbound business tourists. What happens at ExCeL generates £4.5bn in economic impact for London and supports 37,600 jobs, every year. The global exhibitions industry is responsible for driving £11.5bn of economic impact annually, attracting and engaging 13 million visitors each year. The international conference and events market is highly complex and competitive, with venues and destinations competing for what is now a £1tn global business. ExCeL’s Exhibition customers are mainly based in the UK. With C& E, half of clients are from the UK alongside 25% based in Europe and 25% in North America. Product Located in London’s Royal Docks, ExCeL is the capital’s largest events venue and home to the city’s International Convention Centre (ICC). The space encompasses multi-purpose event halls and state-of-the-art conference facilities, as well as smaller meeting rooms. The ICC hosts globally recognised brands and associations and includes a fully flexible auditorium, catering and exhibition space, as well as a variety of meeting rooms, from a 10-person boardroom to a 1,000-delegate theatre-style set-up. In 2016, a dedicated meetings and training venue, CentrEd at ExCeL, opened with views overlooking Royal Victoria Dock and Canary Wharf. ExCeL’s event space is complemented by a wide variety of services including catering, IT, branding opportunities, AV and rigging, providing everything required for a tailor-made event experience. ExCeL sits within a 100-acre site, with a variety of hotels, bars and restaurants, within walking distance and London City Airport five minutes away. In addition, three onsite stations link directly to London Underground, providing access to London’s key stations and major airports. Achievements During the past 10 years, ExCeL has won more than over 35 national and international leading industry awards, including The World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre from the World Travel Awards; Venue of the Year at the AEO Excellence Awards; and the Carbon Saver Gold Standard Award. In 2018 it was re-certified to both the ISO 14001 and ISO 20121 environmental standards, which set sustainability management benchmarks in the events industry. Recent Developments The success of ExCeL is inextricably tied to that of its customers and constant innovation and investment is essential. Every year, ExCeL has a significant budget for capital expenditure, which has enabled the venue to listen to clients’ feedback and make the necessary changes to maintain its position as an internationally competitive venue. In 2018, investment took place across several areas with the aim of delivering the best possible experience for guests. In food and drink, new retail concessions Urban Garden and Brilliant Punjabi were launched to expand on the already extensive food and drink offering. This builds on ADNEC’s £15m investment in the catering experience at ExCeL, which took place in 2015 – a redevelopment that saw more than 2000 ExCeL London opens in November. 2008 ADNEC acquires ExCeL and phase two construction begins. 2010 Phase two opens following a £165m investment by ADNEC, creating an additional 35,000m 2 of event space. 2011 Following ADNEC’s further £50m investment, the Aloft Hotel opens, bringing ExCeL’s total onsite hotel capacity to 1,400 rooms (2,722 rooms by 2018). 2012 ExCeL is named as the most complex venue in the history of the Olympic Games. As the host venue for seven Olympic and six Paralympic sports, it welcomes 1.5 million visitors and is the only venue to host daily events during the Games. 2013 ExCeL sees the acceleration of world- leading events, including ICE Totally Gaming and Bett, as well as corporate events for global brands including Salesforce, Microsoft and Adobe. 2014 ExCeL London welcomes its 20 millionth visitor. 2015 ExCeL hosts Europe’s largest medical association meeting and the world’s largest cardiovascular event, with over 32,000 delegates. It also hosts one of Europe’s largest corporate events, HPE Discover London. 2016 CentrEd at ExCeL, a £1.5m, state-of- the-art meeting and training venue, located onsite, opens overlooking Royal Victoria Dock. 2017 London moves to fifth in the global International Congress and Convention Association rankings, rising from 19th since 2010. 2019 ExCeL continues preparations for the opening of its onsite Elizabeth line station at Custom House. It is set to transform travel across London, allowing ExCeL to welcome an extra 18,000 visitors per hour. Brand History

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzM4MjU2