ExCeL London

Not to be confused withXL CenterorXcel Energy Center.

ExCeL London
ExCeL London in June 2021
Location	Custom House,Docklands,London,E16 United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′29″N0°01′44″E
Owner	Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company
Built	November 2000
Architect	Sir Robert McAlpine Moxley Architects Ltd.
Opened	November 2000(November 2000)
Renovated	2010
Expanded	2010 (Phase 2) 2023–2024 (Phase 3)
Construction cost	£550 million
Former names	The ExCel
Enclosed space
• Total space	100,000 m2
Parking	5,500 spaces
Bicycle facilities	60 racks
Public transit access	Custom House Prince Regent
Website
www.excel.london

ExCeL London(an abbreviation forExhibition Centre London)is an international exhibition and convention centre in theCustom Housearea ofNewham,EastLondon.The facility is situated on a 100-acre (0.40 km²) site on the northern quay of theRoyal Victoria DockinLondon Docklands,located betweenCanary WharfandLondon City Airport.

History

Aerial view of ExCeL in 2008, before its first extension

The Centre was designed by Moxley Architects and built bySir Robert McAlpine.It opened in November 2000.In May 2008 it was acquired byAbu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.Phase II of development, which included building London's first International Convention Centre (ICC) and creating an "eastern arrival experience", was completed on 1 May 2010.Phase 3 is expected to be completed in October 2024.

In 2015, CentrEd at ExCeL was opened,which expanded the centre's facilities to incorporate training and meeting space near the western entrance of the venue overlooking Royal Victoria Dock.

The Royal Victoria was closed to commercial traffic in 1981, but it is still accessible to shipping. The Centre's waterfront location allows visiting vessels to moor alongside the Centre. An example of this isHMSSutherlandvisiting the 2005London Boat Show.

The design of the exhibition building consists of two column-free, rectangular, sub-divisible halls of approximately 479,493 sq. ft. (44,546 sq. m.), 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 which are used for smaller meetings, seminars, presentations and corporate hospitality. The property is surrounded by six hotels,bars and restaurants, and 1,800 parking spaces situated underneath the property with 85 accessible spaces.

ExCeL London has hosted numerous consumer and trade, private and public events, including exhibitions, conferences, concerts, weddings and religious events. Among these have beenWorldSkills London 2011,theLondon Boat Show,theBritish International Motor Show,Grand DesignsLive, the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show,MCM London Comic Con,the London International Music Show,Star Wars CelebrationEurope,London Marathonregistration, theWorld Travel Market,The Clothes ShowLondon,Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEi),The Dive Show, theGlobal Peace and UnityEvent, the2009 G-20 London Summit,IP Expo Europe and Summer in the City.

In 2011 ExCeL London was awarded the Business Super brand,and welcomed its 20 million^thvisitor on 18 June 2014.ExCeL has also been awarded 'Venue of the Year' on several occasions at various industry ceremonies.In 2012, ExCeL hosted several events for theOlympics and Paralympics,and has since erected a "legacy wall" featuring the handprints of athletes who won Gold at the venue and the former Mayor of LondonBoris Johnson.

In 2014 ExCeL hosted the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict,chaired by American actress and UN Special EnvoyAngelina Jolieand attended by 79 ministers from 123 country delegations.

Aerial view of ExCeL in 2015, after its Phase 2 extension

From 1 to 8 July 2019, 150 events took place as part of London Climate Action Week 2019.

It was announced on 24 March 2020 that the Centre was to be temporarily converted into the 4,000-bedNHS Nightingale Hospitalas part of the response to the2020 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.Military engineers and contractors supported the erection of the facility, and army medics assisted the NHS nurses, doctors and other staff.The Nightingale was opened on 3 April 2020 byCharles, Prince of Walesvia video link.

Transport

ExCeL London is served by twoDocklands Light Railway(DLR) stations, which span the full 600-metre length of the venue. The western entrance is directly linked toCustom House for ExCeLstation, which serves the Platinum Suite and the event halls and is located next to the glass pyramid. Since 24 May 2022, the western entrance of ExCeL has been served by theElizabeth line(known as theCrossrailproject during construction), connecting the venue to central London in 12 minutes.

The eastern entrance is connected toPrince Regentstation. The eastern entrance serves the International Convention Centre (ICC at ExCeL), which was opened in 2010 by then-MayorBoris Johnsonand is London's first and currently only ICC. During major shows with large visitor attendances, extra shuttle trains are run between the venue andCanning Town station,which connects withLondon Underground'sJubilee line.Since June 2012, theEmirates Air Line cable carnow links ExCeL toThe O₂on theGreenwich Peninsula.

ExCeL London is also located nearLondon City Airportstation, which is linked by the DLR and a number of dual-carriageway roads which also provide onward access to the office and commercial district ofCanary Wharf.

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility

ExCeL London participates in the UN Global Compact Scheme,the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative which invites companies to align with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. As part of this scheme, ExCeL hosts annual events to communicate on progress addressing the issues of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption. Since joining the scheme in August 2007,ExCeL has undertaken a series of initiatives to reduce energy usage, increase recycling efforts and increase transparency across the business, such as the introduction of awhistleblowinghotline in May 2015.

ExCeL publishes details of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts publicly in the UN Global Compact report and on their website. Currently ExCeL invests in the local community of Newham by supporting select charities, chiefly Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) and Community Food Enterprise (CFE).ExCeL also provides space free of charge to local schools and sports teams, in addition to hosting an annual event called 'ExCeL in the Arts' for local children to attend. In 2016, ExCeL welcomed London celebrity chef, musician and entrepreneurLevi Roots,who in collaboration with a local food initiative organised a cooking class for local children

Sport

Olympics

ExCeL London hostingtable tennisevents at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

For the2012 Summer Olympics,ExCeL London was divided into five sports halls with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 that were used forboxing,fencing,judo,taekwondo,table tennis,weightlifting,andwrestling.

Boxing

ExCeL hosted twoboxingmatches on 10 December 2005, the first between British heavyweightsDanny WilliamsandAudley Harrisonand the second betweenAmir KhanandDaniel Thorpe.

ExCeL also hosted theboxingmatch on 22 April 2008 betweenAmir KhanandGairy St. Clairfor theWorld Boxing Organizationintercontinental lightweight title, and theboxingmatch on 29 November 2014 betweenDerek ChisoraandTyson Furyin aWorld Boxing Organizationheavyweight championship eliminator.

Triathlon

TheVirgin ActiveLondon Triathlonis held at ExCeL London on an annual basis, with the cycling and running legs taking place within and around the venue and the swim taking place inRoyal Victoria Dock,adjacent to ExCeL.

Tennis

ExCeL will host the inauguralUltimate Tennis Showdowngrand final in December 2023, a series of exhibition matches held during the professional tennisoff-season.

Motorsport

ExCeL London Circuit

Formula E Circuit (2023) Formula E Circuit (2022) Original Formula E Circuit (2021)
Location	Custom House,Docklands,London,E16 United Kingdom
Time zone	GMT(UTC+0) BST(April–October,UTC+1)
FIA Grade	3E
Opened	24 July 2021(2021-07-24)
Major events	Current: Formula E London ePrix(2021–present)
Website	https://www.excel.london/
Formula E Circuit (2023–present)
Length	2.086 km (1.296 miles)
Turns	20
Race lap record	1:11.701 (Mitch Evans,Jaguar I-Type 6,2024,F-E)
Formula E Circuit (2022)
Length	2.141 km (1.330 miles)
Turns	22
Race lap record	1:14.349(Nick Cassidy,Audi e-tron FE07,2022,F-E)
Original Formula E Circuit (2021)
Length	2.252 km (1.400 miles)
Turns	22
Race lap record	1:21.635 (Robin Frijns,Audi e-tron FE07,2021,F-E)

TheFormula ELondon ePrixwas held with two back to back races at ExCel, in July 2021 with part of the circuit running around the arena and part of the circuit in the exhibition hall itself.It was also due to be held in 2020, however the event was cancelled after the ExCeL was repurposed as a temporary NHS hospital namedNHS Nightingale,to deal with theCoronavirus pandemic.It held the final 2 rounds of the2022-23 Formula E World Championship,after holding the penultimate round in 2022.

COVID-19 pandemic

Main article:NHS Nightingale Hospital London

On 24 March 2020, the ExCeL was announced as a temporary NHS hospital, containing 5000 beds and namedNHS Nightingale,to deal with theCoronavirus pandemic.Thisalternate care sitewas planned to shut down in early May 2020,but was also used as a mass vaccination centre as part of theCOVID-19 vaccination programmefrom 11 January 2021.

Other events

ExCeL waterfront south side.

ExCeL London has hosted the following events:

• Since 2001, the biannual UK arms fairDSEi.
• In 2003 filmmaker Dominic Leung filmed the music video ofColdplay'ssingleClockshere with a laser show in front of a staged audience including university students.
• Each May and October,The MCM London Comic Conmulti-genre convention is held at ExCeL.
• In 2005, theBollywoodcultural event, the 2005Zee Cine Awardsfor the first time in the event's history.
• British International Motor Show2006 and 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 withSteve 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, it hostedStar WarsCelebrationEurope; the firstStar Warsfan event of its kind held outside the United States which attracted nearly 40,000 visitors over the three days.
• In October 2007, the 2007Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards,the first time it was held in the UK
• In 2007, was the Permanence – the operational and media headquarters – for the Grand Départ of theTour de France.
• On 26 April 2008, the Bollywood cultural event, the 2008 Zee Cine Awards for the second time.
• On 27 May 2008, theAhmadiyyaKhilafat(Caliphate) Centenary was held.
• On 31 October 2008, Stuff Live, a yearly show sponsored by the magazine,What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision.
• On 2 April 2009, annualG-20Leaders' Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, commonly calledThe London Summit 2009,the largest gathering of world leaders London has seen since the firstUnited Nations General Assemblyin 1946.
• The2009 G20 London summiton Stability, Growth & Jobs
• Between 29–31 May 2009,Clothes Show Londonreturned to the capital.
• In 2009 and 2010, it played host to the London audition stages of theITVsinger search programmeThe X Factor.
• Between 1–2 May 2010,The X Factorheld open auditions which attracted over 10,000 people.
• On Sunday 16 December 2012 it played host to the2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
• In late 2012Olly Mursfilmed the video toArmy of Twohere.
• From 22–24 November, the ExCeL played host to the Doctor Who Celebration convention, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of theBBCtelevision series,Doctor Who.
• In April 2014, 49th annual meeting of theEuropean Association for the Study of the Liver.
• The building's halls are used byUniversity College LondonandKing's College Londonfor many of their exams.
• Between 14–18 August 2014, Loncon 3, the72nd World Science Fiction Convention.
• BRICK 2014, a Lego event for Lego fans, took place between 27 and 30 November 2014. The event also happened in December 2015.
• The ICC Auditorium also hostedMiss World 2014on 14 December 2014.
• It hostedMiss World 2014finals on 14 December.
• On 4 and 5 July 2015, the ExCeL hostedMinecon,the fan convention of the video gameMinecraft,for the year.
• Between 15–17 July 2016, it hostedStar WarsCelebrationEurope III.
• ExCeL hosted IP Expo Europe on 5–6 October 2016, Europe's largest IT event
• It hostedRedeemed Christian Church of GodFestival of Life twice a year. It was last held on 21 October 2016.
• It hosted the2016 BBC Music Awardson 12 December, broadcast live onBBC One.
• ExCeL hosted the inauguralRTX Londonbetween 14–15 October 2017, as well as the upcoming RTX London between 15–16 September 2018.
• ExCeL hosted the final weekend of the14th series ofThe X Factoron 2–3 December 2017.
• ExCel also hostedMiss World 2019finals on 14 December.
• University College Londonhas held its graduation ceremonies at Excel since 2022 (including the postponed 2020 and 2021 graduations).
• The 2022Pokémon World Championshipswas held at ExCeL on 18–21 August 2022, becoming the first edition of the World Championships to be held outside of North America, as well as the first edition to be a four-day event.
• ExCeL hosted theRuPaul's DragCon UKevent, from January 6–8, 2023.
• Star Wars CelebrationEurope IVwas held at ExCeL from April 7–10, 2023.

Protests

In 2017 and 2019 there were demonstrations outside ExCel to protest against theDSEIfair.In 2017 a number of arrests were made for obstructing the highway.

External links

• Official website
• ExCeL London What's On guide