Excel London — Attraction in London

I've been attending tech exhibitions at ExCeL London for the past 2-3 decades, most recently for Oracle CloudWorld London. This massive venue continues to evolve and improve, though it comes with some typical large exhibition center challenges.

The Elizabeth line has transformed accessibility from Central London, offering a vastly superior experience compared to the previous DLR-only options. I deliberately avoid driving as parking can be quite challenging and expensive. The venue's scale is impressive - capable of hosting multiple major exhibitions simultaneously, which means it can get extremely crowded during peak events. Inside, the facilities are well-maintained with decent food and coffee options throughout, though expect typical exhibition center pricing. During my recent visit, I was particularly impressed by the security and help staff coordination - efficient, professional and present exactly where needed. The surrounding area outside ExCeL has seen noticeable improvements in recent years, with several new places to sit and relax when weather permits. This makes for a welcome break from the exhibition halls, which can become overwhelming after several hours.

While ExCeL isn't perfect - the sheer size means significant walking between halls - it stands as one of London's premier exhibition venues with continuously improving infrastructure and services. Just plan your transportation carefully, wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared for the crowds if attending a...

This is the 2nd time I've been here. The 1st time was for the dinosaur Exhibition, which was just incredible. However, this time I went for Comic-Con. It probably didn't help that in my mind because it's Comic-Con and you do expect it to be this incredible experience like on TV. I'm sad to review that it's just a huge jumble market ... we went with a wheelchair user and the only accessible thing about the experience was the parking. Finding a lift then a door to the car park that worked was a nightmare. The stools aren't organised really and we didn't buy anything because you couldn't get to a till it was so busy. We constantly lost one another. You can pay in advance to meet the celebrity guests but if you don't it is just a massive messy market, I did want a top but the prices as you can imagine are ramped up so I didn't :-) To be fair though, a ton of people dressed up and if your going to meet like minded people, there's a real sense of community there, and I imagine people created their own fun amongst what was on offer. The event took up the entire halls so we definitely got out steps in, and there's even a reset room so if your feeling overwhelmed, which is easily done because you can't move at time, so that was good. I'd recommend as I said if your a massive fan and are going to dress up and go for the community but if your just sort of browsing or going with someone it's unfortunately not as enjoyable...

Visited the ExCel for the F1 exhibition. I thought that the exhibition itself was very good, spending 4 hours reading the information, watching the videos and enjoying the artifacts and we could have spent longer... However, there were a few issues which I will briefly outline. First, the organisation was poor on arrival. There was only one lady trying to greet guests, give information and check bags. This led to some confusion for those visiting. Another issue is that you aren't allowed food or drink (except for children's water) in the exhibition. With an average visit time of 1 hour 45 minutes, this is a long time to not have drinks - especially given that you could easily spend longer there! This isn't due to the selling of refreshments inside but rather protecting the exhibition. Some designated drinking zones would manage this more sensibly. This combined with the disorganisation on arrival, meant that some visitors threw away drinks and food before being told there were lockers for storing bags etc for a small price of £3. There is only one set of toilets too - at the entrance and exit. Not a problem if you were allowed to use the facilities and then re-enter but this doesn't seem to be the case. So overall, the exhibition itself is very good but the organisation and some of the logistics need work - something I hope would be rectified if the exhibition moves on as it is now coming to its close...