ExCel London

WOW, this place is humongous! It looks big from the outside but seems even bigger once you step in. They have a helipad outside and two helicopters parked well. The conference I was here went off very well. They are very organized and clearly have this down. Just wish they were at a better location, since there is not a lot to do in this area.

El lugar es grande así que es ideal para congresos, por suerte no esta mal comunicado aunque si un poco a las afueras de la ciudad por lo que dependiendo de donde te hospedes la cosa se pone difícil.
La comida es extremadamente cara, no encuentras nada por menos de 5 pounds, así que si trabajas a diario durante varias semanas en el sitio y quieres cuidar tu bolsillo te recomiendo que salgas por Custom house y vayas al supermercado más cercano.
Las salas e seminarios están bien equipadas y los baños siempre limpios, no hay quejas en ese aspecto.

Not my favourite place in the world and its next to impossible to find out where you need to go.
It’s quite an un-​inspirational venue regardless of there being adventurous exhibitions such as Comicon.
But hey, some where’s got to do it and if you fancy popping into a trade show about gastro-​intestinal health at the same time as a talk on the advancements of South Korea’s high speed internet, then you’re in the right place!

If I were writing a review of the ComicCon Expo that was held here it would be a massive five stars. I’ve been going to it for the past five or six years now and I must say the beautiful location adds to the magic. Situated on the Royal Victoria docks of London, it is a spectacular large open space and building full of cafes restaurants and all sorts.
The ease of transport there is a bonus too, with the DLR taking you practically to it’s doorstep.
I’d have a look at the conventions and expos held here as it’s always a good time.

I have only ever come here for MCM ComicCon and it does it so well. The space is huge and clean, there are even enough toilets despite the additional time it takes with bulky costumes! Be prepared to wait a long long time in queues, if there are enough people to cause a queue in such a huge space, rest assured it will be a long one. You usually move pretty fast for the longer running and more prepared events. One downside is the lack of sufficient ATMs. Considering cons have a lot of stalls that won’t necessarily take card I would recommend bringing more cash than you think you ought. As the queues get dull when you’d rather be at the con.
The food stalls in ExCel are a tad overpriced, but when they are earning from a captive audience who can blame them? The transport links are excellent with DLR for speed and value or the cable car if you want to throw your money away for a view.

Sehr gute Messegelände. Modern und gut ausgestattet ausnahmsweise bekommt man auch vernünftiges Essen hier für zwischendurch. Gute U-​Bahn Verbindungen machen die Anreise erträglich.

Went to the ExCel centre for the Classic Car show — decided to make it a bit more interesting by take the Emirates Cable car across the river (entertained the kids at least). Looks like there is a lot more choice in terms of food outlets but we didn’t stop at any. It’s big old place, which I hadn’t realised when I went for the Olympics.

I’ve been here twice now. Once for the relatively small Destination Star Trek Convention and a second time for the massive World Travel Market.
This place is pretty good as far as convention centres go. It’s modern with nice facilities. There is a main concourse with loads of cafes that splits the north and south halls. The layout is simple and getting here is a breeze — take the DLR to Custom House or Prince Regent and follow the covered walkway.
In the warmer months it can get pretty gosh darn hot inside, so remember to dress accordingly. Also, the food lines can get pretty atrocious during a large event. My advice would be to eat before 11am or after 2pm. If you do that, you’ll be fine.

A great facility I have been doing hair shows here over the last few days and have been very impressed with the facilities and the genuine kindness of 90% of the staff.
Two things that could be improved to make it 5 star; £15 for car Parkin is quite high & the taps in the bathrooms do not go far enough into the sinks (small detail I am getting picky now)
Great facility & great staff = happy Daniel

It’s a conference hall. Not much else to say really.
However, if like me, you went there for an exam, there are a few things you can say about what is around.
Firstly, there is a large bar pretty much at the centre’s doorstep which is good for that much needed post-​exam drink. It was rammo last time I was there (bad day, lets not relive it :-(
There are a few restaurants in the area and importantly a few hotels if you need to stay.
The DLR gets packed on exam/​convention days and if you’re coming on the DLR its worth knowing that there are a few Oyster readers upstairs, so need to queue for ages for the ones by the stairs when you come off the train.
I cant imagine looking up a convention centre before to see if it is worth coming to… but here you have it. Enjoy!
Oh, and yeah, it’s fcuking humungous.

ExCel is by all means like most large, generic conference centers… with the added bonus of being just far enough from the the heart of London to be a bit of a pain to get to.
Depending on who is running the event, the place is generally pretty cold. I’m relatively convinced it’s to keep people awake. It’s worth bringing a jumper.
The food selection is not terrible — although if you spend more than a few days at a conference, you might find yourself yearning for slightly more variety in food.

I’ve been coming to the ExCel ever since I came to London and the first ComicCon was held here. It’s a trek, but it’s always worth it.
I prefer the ExCel to any of the other giant venues around London. Yes, it can take forever to to get there but easy enough through the tube and the DLR. And it’s massive. Massively massive. They often times have three or four giant events going on at the same time and it’s still feels small. Giantly massive.
It also feels clean. So many other giant spaces were made so long ago, when windows were not in fashion, and they feel dark and sort of depressing (and the florescent lights don’t help.) I always feel that the ExCel is open and filled with light and just a really fun place to be at.
I’ve never tried to set anything up here so I can’t talk about it from that side. But for attending, I’ve never had a bad time.

We came over and stayed at ExCel for a multi-​night conference; we were at the Novotel hotel that’s affiliated with the ExCel convention centre.
The actual space is huge — extremely spacious and filled with all sorts of convenient spots and food stores. There is a huge variety of food places, from cafes to bars to a more «upscale» pizza wine bar. There’s free wifi over most of the campus/​convention centre, which is definitely useful if you’re going to be toting a computer around.
ExCel is located right by the river which helps keep the area cool and the air fresh. I mostly traveled via the subway, but I do get the sense that parking could be a pain — there weren’t really many visibly close, large parking lots.
As a destination, ExCel is pretty self sustaining — there’s a lot of food places to check out and if there’s a large convention going on the nightlife is definitely very active. The distance from central London is immediately noticeable when you try to get out, through. ExCel has its own stop on the Docklands Light Rail system, but since it’s not connected directly to the tube it can be a hassle to travel. It took us almost 90 minutes to subway over from Heathrow, and going almost anywhere will definitely involve at least two transfers and at least 40 minutes.
Overall, pretty solid convention venue, but inconvenient if you want to regularly travel into central London.

I went to a conference here and thought it was a great venue. There are plenty of food vendors to satisfy everyone’s food cravings. I like that ExCel is easily accessible from public transportation. You literally get dropped off in front of the venue.
ExCel is huge so be prepared to walk far if you’re need to get to the middle or other end of the building. After the trade show I was attending was over for the day, there was a networking event up stairs at a bar. I went and enjoyed the company, but needed to use the restroom because of all the drinks I had. EVERY restroom was locked… and it was only 7:00pm. There was no where else to go. This was my only disappointment!

One of England’s major exhibition centres. Facilities are good here. Travel is via Docklands Light Railway. There are numerous Wi-​Fi networks here but no information for visitors about which can be used so I failed to connect.

A pain to park as the parking ticket machine is ridiculously far from the parking spaces, particulary outside. It takes a lot of time to get a parking ticket, especially if you drive a large vehicle. This should change!!!
However, the trade shows are so worth time and I am definetely coming back. Some of the items pricey but really interesting to view or just dream of :)

We went here for the Star Trek convention (ZOOOOMG — major dorks!) and the venue was pretty cool. I like the layout of the convention hall. The eateries though, were less than impressive. We tried a handful of different places over a few days and all were pretty disappointing. Hate to say it, but I’m sure subway would have been better!
I do like that everything is in close proximity (leave the con, walk 50 feet, order/​eat, walk back in) but I mean, c’mon, this is London. Bring some variety goodness!

The only real advantage of the ExCeL facility is its proximity to the Underground station. Otherwise its just another big convention hall.

Attended the weightlifting and judo here.
When you think about it, the ExCeL was never really designed to accommodate this many people. The vast exhibition halls were designed for things, not seats. Objects and display stands, with people moving around them.
That said, the building copes much better than one might expect. Visitors for the Olympics are required to get off the DLR at Custom House and onto the DLR at Prince Regent stations. They’ve been made one-​way stations for the duration of the games. Thanks to this curious and (at first) perplexing arrangement, the building can cope.

Amazing location by the water. Easy access from the DLR and home to 2012 Olympics Taekwondo Events!
I remember there being only 3 coffee shops so when it’s rush hour or before certain events it’s just too crazy. Get your coffee fix before.
I was here on 2 different occasions and didn’t eat inside Excel but opted for really good Chinese across the street at China Palace Excel
. Horrible name but good dim sum.
The Excel is huge and it’s up to the Show’s producers to make something of the space so each event will be different but if they’re big enough to make it to the Excel it must be something good!

Attended World Travel Market here in November 2010 in the new ICC halls. Opened in July, they up the capacity of for Exhibitions and events by another 30,000 square feet. A new entrance on the Eastern side of the complex from Prince Regent DLR stop opens into a central concourse with glass roof. In the concourse there are many food retailers selling everything from pie and mash to sandwiches and sushi.
The new halls are on either side of the main concourse and link through into the existing facilities and Platinum business suites.
The design is very modern with white floors and red and yellow accents in the media suites etc.
Great modern centre, the only thing that help it to lose a star is the price of the food — pretty exorbitant for the captive markets at trade shows. To be fair that is the case at most centres at Birmingham and Manchester too.