Adnec inaugurates £165 million ExCeL London Phase II Development

London:  The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) yesterday officially inaugurated Phase 2 of ExCeL London built at a cost of £165 million (Dh902 million).

ExCeL is an international exhibition and conference centre wholly owned by Adnec.

"ExCeL is a cornerstone for the development of the Adnec brand, helping to open new trade links to the UAE capital and promoting it to the world," said Adnec chairman Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, who inaugurated the expanded facility along with London Mayor Boris Johnson.

ExCeL London was bought by Adnec for Dh2.3 billion in May 2008 from its Malaysian owner. It's expansion creates a world class international convention centre (ICC) for the UK capital with facilities including a 5,000-seat auditorium, a breakout area for 2,500 delegates and London's largest banqueting hall with a 3,000-seat capacity.

"ICC London is a landmark development for this great city, for the global events industry and for Abu Dhabi," said Shaikh Sultan, adding that ExCeL London is a symbol of the continuation of Abu Dhabi's strong ties with the UK.

"These ties, which are decades old, encompass culture, education, the arts as well as trade and industry. It is a solid relationship born out of mutual respect. London is a preferred destination for many UAE students studying abroad as well as for UAE travellers and there are well over 100,000 Britons living and working in the UAE," said Shaikh Sultan.

"The ties between us are to be enhanced over the next five years with our two governments looking to boost bilateral trade by more than 60 per cent by 2015. Successful partnerships such as Adnec and ExCel will have a significant role in realising this ambition," he added.

Tourism targets

Shaikh Sultan said the UK is key to Abu Dhabi's international tourism ambitions.

"In the first quarter of this year over 31,200 UK nationals stayed in hotels in our emirate — which was a 19 per cent rise on the same period last year. That is quite a result in these challenging times," he noted.

Johnson said the capacity of Dockland's light rail will be increased by 50 per cent by the end of this year, which would increase accessability to ExCel London.

Separately, ExCeL London's chief executive officer Kevin Murphy told Gulf News on the sidelines of the event that the building of the Phase 2 project was funded through the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD). He added that the construction of a 252-bedroom Aloft hotel at the venue, due to be completed by September 2011, is also being funded through the NBAD.

The £48 million hotel will play host to exhibitors and event participants.

Murphy said ExCeL London is expected to bring £1.6 in billion economic benefits to London next year and support 38,000 jobs.

As reported, ExCeL London has been hired by the London Organising Committee for Olympic Games to host as many as seven sporting events at the venue during the 2012 games.

The opening ceremony was attended among others by Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade; Mohammad Ahmad Al Bowardi, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, John Penrose, UK Minister of Tourism, and ExCeL and Adnec board members.