A year after its launch as the capital’s first International Convention Centre (ICC), ExCeL London has contributed half a billion pounds to the economy and hosted more than 50 conventions and events.

The convention centre has welcomed nearly 500,000 visitors since last June and has 42 future congress events confirmed to be staged at the venue and a further 50 at various stages of bidding. Highlights for ExCeL include the largest ever medical event to be held in London - EULAR - which was attended by mroe than 16,000 delegates and Cisco Live which attracted 6,000 delegates.

Endorsed by The Mayor of London and promotional agency, London & Partners, the ICC is boosting London’s appeal as an events destination. Kevin Murphy, CEO at ExCeL London is aiming for the centre to be “Europe’s leading convention centre”.

He said: “The ICC’s opening marked a new era for London’s business tourism offering. Investing in our event industry’s core infrastructure, the ICC at ExCeL is key to future business growth for the city and the UK economy.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson added: “The ICC has proved beyond a doubt that it can do this and do it brilliantly. Its success proves yet again the tremendous value the regeneration of London's East End will bring in increasing the city's attractiveness as a place to do business and sharpening our competitiveness on the international stage.”