Meetings and events are a “crucial part” of London’s
economic strategy, according to deputy mayor for business Howard Dawber.
Dawber said it was a step change for the sector, which now
occupied a “supreme” position in the capital’s plan for growth.
He said: “The step change for the meetings and convention
sector for London is we now see this not as a nice to have, but a crucial part
of the strategy. It should have always been there, but we are finally recognising
it, putting it in its supreme position where it belongs.”
He added that the mayor’s office sees meetings and events as
a crucial component of developing economic sectors such as life sciences.
“Being the place that people come to talk about something
and being the showcase of that space really does help drive investment in that
sector,” he said. “It gets people to think about London as the place that they
put their second office or they bring their drug testing or where they can talk
to scientists.”
Dawber was speaking on the London stand at IMEX Frankfurt
alongside Excel London executive director James Rees and director of tourism, conventions
and major events for London Tracy Halliwell MBE
“London is booming,” said Halliwell, and added that the
pipeline for business in London was the busiest she had ever known it.
Rees pointed to the fact that Excel London is set to host 10
major associations in 2026, saying that the city is “well and truly back on the
map”.
He said: “Planners watched what was happening in London and
waited to see that London would come back, which it now has. Like red double
decker buses, you wait for one for ages, then they all come at once. In 2026,
we have 10 major International associations coming to Excel. Pre-Covid we would
get two to three per year.”
The 10 events include the European Society Of Cataract &
Refractive Surgeons and the European Association of Urology and will bring £250
million of economic benefit to London.
“London is well and truly back on the map and being chosen
by international planners”, said Rees.
