30
Big Interview
Getting back to business
James Rees, executive director at ExCeL London and ICCA
president, talks to Martin Fullard, reflecting on the venue’s transformation
into a hospital and looks ahead to a brighter 2021
Can you summarise
your experience over
the last few months;
what has it been like
for you having ExCeL as a hospital?
It has been a privilege for our teams
to work with the NHS during this time
and we are extremely proud to have
played a role in supporting the many
staff involved in reacting to the need
created by the Covid-19 crisis.
In late March, ExCeL was asked if
we would offer our venue to support
the Government and the NHS as part
of their response to the growing
surge of Covid-19 patients. The plan
was to transform ExCeL into the
world’s largest field hospital, with a
capacity of up to 4,000 beds. We
immediately agreed and, with the full
support of our owners Abu Dhabi
National Exhibitions Company
(ADNEC), work began immediately.
A team of 360 people worked
round the clock to install the first
500 beds, fully equipped with
ventilators and oxygen. The build was
completed in just nine days, ahead of
an official opening in the (virtual)
presence of HRH The Prince of
Wales, on the 3 April. Even by events
industry standards this was a
remarkable achievement and
something we are very proud to have
been part of.
The vast majority of the venue
(90%) has now been restored to its
original state with the remaining
space allocated for equipment and
bed storage for the hibernated NHS
Nightingale. Following the
Government announcement that
business events and conferences
can resume, we are busy with final
preparations to reopen the venue to
host major events from the 1
October and begin to play our part in
restarting the industry and playing
our part in the recovery.
The Government guidance has
been a bit confusing, with regards
to the reopening of smaller (up to
30) events. Have you had many
enquiries for smaller events in
CentrEd; if so, for when?
There has been a big increase in
enquiries, particularly from
organisers who recognise that
ExCeL’s range of meeting rooms and
suites will be able to host almost any
number of delegates, because the
different sizes will allow us to operate
under the Government guidance
rules for distancing. Yes, this includes
our CentrEd facility and we have
confirmed some small events for
those areas in September and
October already.
Additionally, we are always looking
at ways to expand our event portfolio
and one area that has proved
successful in recent years is use of
ExCeL for film location shoots. This
has seen actors such as Tom Cruise
being on-site for the Mission:
Impossible film series. In the current
climate, with the likes of Pinewood
Studios currently full and demand for
studio space high, we are able to
provide a very flexible, alternative
solution.
Consumer and corporate
confidence is pretty fragile at the
moment, how are you working with
organisers during this time?
My role as ICCA president has
provided me with an invaluable
opportunity to speak to numerous
colleagues and ICCA members,
around the world. Throughout these
discussions there has been one
consistent message: we are missing
the camaraderie, the interaction, and
the face-to-face contact that events
provide. The crisis has reminded us
that physical presence, the sense of
belonging and the building of trusted
relationships by meeting in person is
irreplaceable.
Throughout the pandemic, we
have remained committed to
supporting our customers. Our
teams have managed a huge
rescheduling programme, finding
suitable solutions, as quickly as
possible. ExCeL is a long-term events
partner and we have approached
these negotiations with our clients
with this foremost in our minds and
have also sought to find practical
contract arrangements should we
face further restrictions in the future.
As we work towards the 1 October,
the health, safety, and wellbeing of
everyone who visits ExCeL is our
number one priority. Our team has
been working with the Association of
Event Venues (AEV) and other
stakeholders to develop the All
Secure Standard, the industry-wide
benchmark to enable the safe return
of organised events and have
developed our own set of principles
to help guide customers through the
event planning process, including
new social distancing measures,
cleaning regimes, processes for food
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