His Excellency Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, ADNEC MD, said:

"The acquisition of ExCeL London was designed to directly support the Abu Dhabi Government's economic diversification strategy.  For us to do this we must ensure that ExCeL London can compete with other major European venues in cities such as Paris, Frankfurt and Vienna - ADNEC's expansion plans for ExCeL make this possible." 

Commenting on the development progress Simon Horgan, ADNEC Group CEO said: 

"Development of ExCeL London Phase 2 is proceeding well and is ahead of schedule in many key areas. The construction contractor is almost one third of the way through its 90 week programme and despite recent poor weather in the UK, they have maintained their momentum."

ADNEC acquired ExCeL London in May 2008 as the first stage of developing a world-wide network of state-of-the-art exhibition and conference venues.  It is widely acknowledged that by developing this network, ADNEC will be able to serve the needs of an industry which is increasingly global in its outlook.  

ExCeL London was recently chosen as the host venue for the prestigious "The London Summit; Stability, Growth & Jobs" which will bring together leaders of the world's advanced and emerging economies and representatives of international financial institutions to work cooperatively to restore stability and stimulate global economic growth.  Leaders will travel from around the globe to attend this crucial event.

For further information contact:

Ben Collins
Marketing & PR Manager
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company
Ben.collins@adnec.ae
Tel: +971 (0) 2 444 6900