Since the start of the year, the London venue has hosted the likes of the MCN Motorcycle Show, The Baby Show, Bett, Future Build, MOVE IT and Business Revival to name but a few, with most seeing strong exhibitor and visitor numbers.
This month (April) also saw other big hitters taking place such as the Property Investor Show – which marked its 20th anniversary at Excel – together with the Franchise Show and the National Wedding Show.
More recently, Excel played host to ICE London, together with iGB Affiliate, after a 26-month hiatus. It’s first day saw attendance figures on a par with those experienced back in 2020 (pre-pandemic) with 56% of attendees coming from outside the UK – even as far as Jakarta.
Speaking to the ICE Daily publication on the opening day, Stuart Hunter, Managing Director for event organiser Clarion Gaming, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to open ICE London after a 26-month hiatus. As a team we are totally blown away by the positivity in the venue, by the energy and the enthusiasm. The atmosphere is palpable, business meetings are already taking place, with visitors travelling to London from every corner of the globe. This kicks off a new era for ICE as we plan for 2023.”
The revival for face-to-face events is backed by Nathan Garnett, Event Director for 100% Optical, which ran at Excel from 23-25 April and attracted a record-breaking 9,680 attendees. Speaking to Exhibition News, Garnett said: “Compared to this time a year ago it’s a whole different world. You just had to hold your nerve. I think most people have seen face-to-face is the only way. If you’re selling eye wear you can’t do that on a Zoom. If you’re selling £100,000 pieces of optical machinery you can’t do that on a Zoom either. You can’t even do that on a store visit. This is the best place to do that.”
He added: “100% Optical has been a phenomenal hit. Having postponed the event twice, it is amazing to see we have managed to match our 2020 attendance level. This is an even greater achievement when you hear that we are the first show back at Excel London to recover fully.”
Next month sees the momentum continue with leading shows such as IFSEC (17-19 May) and Grand Designs Live (30 April–8 May) taking place where once again visitors numbers are expected to be strong.
