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ADNEC’s Excel London Adds To City’s Added Competitiveness |
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ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company) officially inaugurated the second phase expansion of ExCeL London, signalling a new chapter in ADNEC’s emergence as a rising star of the global events industry. ExCeL London’s AED 900 million (GBP 165 million) expansion creates a world class ICC (International Convention Centre) for the UK capital with facilities including a 5,000-seater auditorium, a breakout area for 2,500 delegates and London’s largest banqueting hall with a 3,000-seat capacity. Additionally, exhibition space at ExCeL London, the venue for leading exhibitions including World Travel Market and DSEi, has grown by 50 percent, to 97,500sqm to become one of Europe’s largest exhibition centres, according to ADNEC. David Pegler, ExCeL’s Managing Director, in statements, said this investment added to London’s competitive edge in the global events industry. ExCeL has contracted AED1.64 billion (GBP300 million) in economic benefits for London, 1,000 new jobs have been created with an additional 2,200 expected to be created by next year, says ADNEC. Additional areas of mutual growth for ADNEC and ExCeL are being identified, according to Pegler who cited ADNEC’s building of a 252-room Aloft Hotel at ExCeL London, in time for the London 2012 Olympics. ExCeL is host venue for seven Olympic and six Paralympics disciplines for the London games. This expansion catapults ExCeL into one of the world’s leading venues. ExCeL has proved a prestigious addition to ADNEC’s portfolio, staging a number of global events including last year’s G20 Summit; both ExCeL and ADNEC have won significant new business and various awards; and there has been an ongoing exchange of best practices. We will build on these achievements in coming years, according to ADNEC. The ADNEC Group maintains the expansion of ExCeL sends a signal to the global events industry of its dedication and ability to be true partners in every sense of the term. ADNEC says since it was inaugurated in 2000, ExCeL London has staged more than 2,800 events, attracting more than 5 million visitors from 200 countries. In 2012, ExCeL will host seven events during the 2012 London Olympics. Key features of ExCeL’s expanded facilities include: Additional 32,500sqm of flat-floor event space - equivalent to 14 football pitches. 9,500sqm of the 32,500sqm will be dropped floor space with 15m high ceilings 4,500sqm semi-permanent auditorium with retractable seating for up to 5,000 delegates (equal to the largest ICC in Europe - Berlin) Further conference, banqueting ’&’ meeting space accommodating up to 2,000 delegates 20 conference/meeting rooms bringing total to 65 break out/meeting rooms Additional F’&’B and retail area An extra 625 underground car parking spaces bringing the total to 2,225 Largest production kitchen in the UK 25000m3 (cubic metres) of concrete has been used on the new phase - enough to fill 10 Olympic sized swimming pools 7,500 tons of structural steelwork 70,000m3 (cubic metres) of excavated soil reused on site 75-85 percent recycling rate for materials removed from site. |
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