Thursday March 25, 2004

According to the Office of National Statistics, the population centre of London is slightly east of Tower Bridge. As little as 5 years ago it was Charing Cross. Over the next decade East London is expected to grow dramatically.

What this means to ExCeL London's organisers and exhibitors, is that ExCeL London's catchment area, currently at 12.2 million (the same as the NEC and Earls Court), is still growing year on year. All the improvements to London's Eastside means travelling to ExCeL London will be even easier and quicker and there will be an even bigger buzz about the area.

Already home to Docklands success stories such as Canary Wharf, London City Airport and ExCeL London, London's Eastside offers many reasons to visit and do business. Over the next ten years there will be even more on offer.

Thames Gateway is Europe's most rapidly growing region. There are a projected 23,000 new homes annually, a population increase over the next 10 years equivalent to another new city and over 600,000 new jobs in the same period.

The DLR opened in 1994 carrying 8.2 million passengers. For 2004 they are forecasting 60 million. By 2012 there will be 45% more capacity on the Jubilee line and extensions are planned to both the East London and Docklands Light Railway. London City Airport carries 1.6 million passengers a year and due to the demand, new airlines such as British Airways, establish an East London operation and existing airlines improve their schedule and frequencies.

The prospect of hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 will also see the regeneration of Stratford, already the hub for the Channel Tunnel Rail link project, and the Lea Valley. The Mayor of London's 'London Plan' envisions major infrastructure projects for the area such as Crossrail and 4 new Thames crossings which will connect above ground stations across London and the South East, making journey times from Central London to East London around 12 minutes. Crossrail is seen as the most important project for a generation

At the heart of the Olympics would be the new 500-acre Olympic Park, set in 1,500 landscaped acres. It would be one of the largest new urban parks seen in Europe for 200 years, built around a network of reinvigorated rivers and canals.

Says Jamie Buchan, ExCeL London Chief Executive: &"The regeneration of the Thames Gateway and the potential of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games means that ExCeL London is located in the commercial heart of Britain, in Europe’s most vibrant and rapidly growing business district. Currently, ExCeL London is the venue of choice for business-to-business trade shows taking place in London and this trend looks set to continue."

For more information, please contact Gemma Parkhouse at ExCeL London on 020 7069 4739 or email gemmaparkhouse@ExCeL-london.co.uk