A major events venue in east London has announced a 12-month countdown to a new expansion.

The ExCeL is set to expand another 270,000sqft in a year's time, with a goal of “paving the way for it to become the future of conferencing in Europe.”

The scheme is part of a £220 million development that ExCeL says will make it “the largest fully integrated conference and exhibition centre in Europe” when it opens in October 2024.

A spokesperson said: "This 25 per cent growth in space will allow the venue to compete for and welcome some of the largest congresses in Europe, with the first contracts already signed for future years."

The expansion will include convention facilities, exhibition halls and conference rooms, together with high-end meeting rooms and catering facilities.

ExCeL London first opened in November 2000 in the Royal Docks and the spokesperson said it hosts around 400 events annually, welcoming four million visitors to the venue.

They added it is currently experiencing its busiest ever year, beating its previous record in 2019 by 10 per cent.

Jeremy Rees, chief executive of ExCeL, said: “This year is set to be a record-breaker for ExCeL and our biggest and busiest ever year. It is this growth and market confidence in the events industry that has led to us to expanding the venue further with a £300m investment programme.

“London has always been a world-class event destination, and now with the high-speed Elizabeth line, it continues to be the city of choice for the global business events industry.”

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The extension will see ExCeL make “a substantial investment” into the public realm. This is said to include improved landscaping for cyclists and pedestrians, a new pocket park, and new greenery by the dock edge.

The next major construction milestone is set to be the completion of the steel structure this month.