London is set for an exciting year in 2023, with a range of new hotels, venues, and transport options making it an even more attractive destination for event planners. According to a press release, new developments in the hospitality and events sector include the reopening of Battersea Power Station with new event spaces and hotels like Art’otel.
Highly anticipated international hotel brands like The Peninsula London and Raffles will also open their doors in 2023. It will be Raffles’ first UK brand that opens at the OWO, on the historic royal site of Whitehall Palace.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will introduce East Bank, a new cultural quarter featuring renowned universities, the V&A, BBC, and Sadler’s Wells. Additionally, the ABBA Arena, a custom-built venue for virtual concerts, has recently been established in the area.
Olympia London is undergoing expansions to increase their capacity. ExCeL is in the final stages of a £200 million, 25,000 squaremeter expansion programme, set to open in October 2024.
The city’s connectivity is also being enhanced, with additional routes opening and improvements in rail travel options. The Eurostar connects London to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, and a new merger with Thalys now offers even greater connectivity to European cities. A new European Sleeper service was also launched on May 25th, taking visitors from Berlin to Brussels, with just a quick transfer to the Eurostar needed before arriving in the UK-capital.
The Eurostar and the new European Sleeper service will offer better connectivity to European cities. The new high-speed Elizabeth line has transformed travel within the city, connecting Heathrow Airport with the city centre in just 30 minutes, and other key venues like ExCeL. The new train line, which reported more than 125 million journeys in its first ten months, is set to also connect passengers in Essex and east London to Heathrow directly.
Sustainability is a key focus for London, with the aim of becoming a net-zero carbon city by 2030. The city already boasts numerous hotels and venues with Green Tourism accreditation. London will host the London Climate Action Week, aiming to attract thousands of attendees. The city offers sustainable venue options, such as the carbon-neutral Oceandiva and ExCeL London, the first UK venue to achieve carbon-neutral certification.
Tracy Halliwell, Director of Tourism, Conventions & Major Events at London Convention Bureau, highlights the continuous evolution of London and its ability to offer new experiences while preserving its heritage. James Rees, Executive Director at ExCeL London, anticipates a busy year ahead, with the events industry performing better than ever before. Barbara Jamison, Head of Europe at London Convention Bureau, invites event planners to explore the new offerings and support available through the bureau.
