Why is the fair moving next year from the Olympia in Kensington to Excel in the Docklands?
We’ve had wonderful years at Olympia and are now the largest show they hold there, but the space hasn’t kept up with our needs. The
redevelopment of Olympia has actually reduced the space we have available, so we can’t expand. We cannot add more tables to the International Rights Center, for example. And we can’t fix the other problems, like insufficient toilets and catering. Plus, as organizers, we have an appetite for something more ambitious.
The LBF was held once at Excel in 2006. Fairgoers hated it. Reassure those with long memories.
That was 20 years ago. The area hosted the Olympics in 2012, and there are 2,500 hotel rooms that are a five-minute walk from Excel. The building is also better. For example, the IRC will be hosted in a new £320 million convention center. Most critically, the Elizabeth line has gone in. It’s a major railway, fit for purpose, direct to Heathrow, running through the middle of London.
How will the move make the fair better for attendees?
The floor plan will make all the areas of the fair more accessible, with everything on one floor, and we can have larger spaces for events, stands, and talks. We will add, for the first time, private meeting rooms for organizations that need them. London City Airport is a short walk away and has direct connections to every capital in Europe, so people can fly in just for the day. And I’ve been working on the floor plan, and part of it will be quite a significant bar. After people are done popping champagne, Soho is just 20 minutes away.
