Royal Docks conference and exhibition centre diversifies its offering with immersive experiences along a kilometre of waterfront
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Something momentous is underway at Excel London.
Despite a footfall of more than 4million visitors each year, the Royal Docks exhibition and conference centre has historically been somewhat inward-looking.
As a venue, it was built to contain and host temporary gatherings, often appealing to a very specific audience, rather than being a perennial attraction.
If you’re on the DLR or Liz Line, MCM Comic Con’s cosplayers are easy to spot when the show comes to town.
A gathering of property professionals or cardiovascular surgeons, not so much.
But all this is set to change, with Excel gearing up to attract an additional 2.5million people to east London with a significant change in strategy.
Along a kilometre of waterfront, the venue has created Immerse LDN, a new entertainment district with purpose-built spaces to host both attractions and hospitality offerings.
It’s set to open in August 2024.
evolving Excel
“Excel can be very busy, whether it’s Comic Con or the World Travel Market, but then we have quiet periods when exhibitions are being put up or broken down,” said Damian Norman, director of immersive entertainment and events at the venue.
“That doesn’t work well for attracting quality hospitality businesses, because they need consistency of footfall.
“I joined Excel about five and a half years ago, with a background in consumer events, to look at capitalising on the arrival of the Elizabeth Line – the big transport game-changer for us.
“There are things that are done exceptionally well in London – theatre in the West End, Westfield’s shopping centres and live music at The O2, for example.
“So what is Excel’s niche? What do we want to be?
“I’d been thinking about an always-on entertainment offering and there are trends so I went to see an immersive Van Gogh art exhibition in Hyde Park.
“It was very impressive, with pictures projected on the walls.
“But there was also a light-bulb moment for me when I was watching a lady in her 70s and a child of about five – and I saw their interaction with the images and with the music that went with them.
“It clearly had universal appeal for different demographics.
“Something cool that was different to looking at a static painting with various elements blended together to make it immersive.”
testing the water
In 2022, Excel tested the theory, hosting Jurassic World: The Exhibition, which broke European records for ticket sales.
This was followed by Disney 100: The Exhibition – a celebration of a century of creativity featuring 250 objects from the Walt Disney Archives – which was a similar commercial success.
“These gave us the impetus to approach our owners with a strategic development opportunity to redevelop the waterfront,” said Damian.
“Previously it was an area that had been under-used, with little investment made in it. Instead we wanted to create spaces – we refer to them as chapters – that are blank pages for great storytellers to come and do their thing.
“We’ve found best-in-class operators who have committed to those spaces and that’s how we will set a new benchmark for immersive entertainment as a destination in the capital.”
the very first attractions
Initially Immerse LDN will launch with two experiences, one inspired by evergreen sitcom Friends and the other a collaboration with Formula 1, featuring rare cars and a plethora of singular exhibits from the history of the global motorsport brand.
“Friends has now become a multi-generational sitcom – not many have stood the test of time, but this one has,” said Damian.
“A similar immersive experience has been running in New York for four years with a consistent annual audience of about 230,000 people.
“The London one will be 40% bigger with a number of new sets for visitors to explore.
“It’s about going and being in that thing that you loved, grew up with and watched your children grow up with.
“It’s an experience that encourages visitors to open the fridge in the apartment, to buy a coffee in Central Perk or sit on the sofa.
“F1: The Exhibition was a long time in the making, with hugely successful runs in Madrid and Vienna.
“It has simulators for people to drive the tracks and unique cars for people to see. Going to a Grand Prix can be expensive – not accessible for a lot of families and enthusiasts.
“People might have a Sky subscription to watch the races, but not a physical connection to them.
“I think this brings that accessibility – something they can touch and feel – at a price point that will be really welcome.”
Immerse LDN: more than the experiences themselves
As welcome for local residents, visitors to Excel and those working in Royal Docks will be Waterfront Street Kitchen And Bar.
Curated by Kerb, this market hall will feature the likes of Duck Shed, Masa Taqueria, Nazari and coffee from Hej to help keep people refreshed.
Ambitions for the future include making use of floating amenities on Royal Victoria Dock to complement the brick arch frontage, inspired by the epic regeneration of Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross.
Damian said: “We don’t take this development lightly. We want to create jobs and boost tourism locally, which is very important.”
Further attraction announcements are expected in September and November, 2024.
Watch these spaces…
key details: Immerse LDN
Immerse LDN is located on the Excel London Waterfront, overlooking Royal Victoria Dock. It’s most easily accessed via the Elizabeth Line or DLR to Custom House.
The Friends Experience: The One In London opens on August 12, 2024.
The first five days are sold out with tickets available from August 17 costing £32. Tickets start at £20 for other dates.
F1 The Exhibition opens on August 23, 2024. Tickets start at £25 with prices dependent on date.
Find out more about what’s coming here
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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
