Conferences and Exhibitions - Information, Everyday Tips

Conferences and Exhibitions

Three main centres for conferences and exhibitions are located in London. Two of them, Earls Court and Olympia, are now run in tandem, but retain their own identity.

Earls Court, located in Warwick Road, hosts over 100 shows and attracts around two million visitors a year. Located in the heart of West London the centre is well placed for access by air, rail (West Brompton) and road and is also convenient for many of the London main attractions.

Regularly on offer at Earls Court are such events as large concerts, the Sunday Times Home Show, The Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show, the London Boat Show and The Daily Mail Ideal Home Show.

Much the same can be said for its stable-mate, Olympia, in Kensington West London which pulls in about 160 events and one million visitors through its three exhibition halls and specially-built conference centre, conveniently located near Kensington Olympia station.

Go to Olympia for the Chinese Catering Trade Fair, The Nursing Show, The National Cat Club Show, and The Spring Olympia Fine Arts & Antiques Fair.

However, causing a flutter in the conference and exhibition world is the glittering newcomer down at Docklands is ExCel, describing itself as a "world-class, state-of-the-art venue with 90,000 sq. m. of spectacular event space", and over the immediate future there are going to be some major shifts of loyalty and venue.

Close to Canary Wharf and set well within the waterfront environment of Docklands, ExCel aims to be self-sufficient for the average attendee at one of its events, with on-site hotels, bars and restaurants and a nightclub. Central London is only a Docklands Light Railway's ride away, but on a stunning site such as this people may not wish to move that far.

Excel has already hosted large concerts, fashion shows organised by EMAP and the London Triathalon; the London Boat Show and World Travel Market have announced that they are moving to Excel, though not immediately.

A great future is being predicted for this sparkling addition to the Docklands scene, designed by Moxley Architects.