Thursday, August 1, 2024
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ExCeL London announces the new appointment amid record growth, gearing up for a busy 2024 with major events and a £300 million expansion underway.
ExCeL London has announced the appointments of Diana Fredericksen, Declan Cassidy and Cornelia Kaczynska to its Conferences and Events team, responding to growing client demand. With a combined 35 years of MICE industry experience, Diana joins as Head of Business Development, Declan as Head of Sales Development and Cornelia as Account Executive. These new hires will strengthen ExCeL’s commercial team and business development, with a particular focus on the venue’s upcoming 25,000 sq m expansion, set to make it the largest fully integrated conference center in Europe.
Diana began her career at the Stockholmsmasson Congress and Exhibition Center and worked with well-known brands such as the Hilton London Metropole, where she also led the hotel’s ESG committee. As a founding member of ICCA’s Future Leaders Council, Diana will focus on long-term, large-scale, city-wide conferences and events.
Declan previously led the sales team for nearly 15 years at brands such as PPHE Hotel Group, Strand Palace Hotel and Kia Oval. He will review ExCeL’s commercial offerings, develop inclusive packages for a central meeting hub and new maritime suite.
Cornelia, who has years of experience at venues such as the London Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, will support the C&E team particularly with inbound enquiries.
James Rees, Executive Director of ExCeL and President of JMIC, added: “2024 is undoubtedly a milestone year for ExCeL, with over £300 million invested in our venue, infrastructure and subsequently London’s events industry. This is due to growing demand from event planners across the UK, Europe and North America, with 65% of space already booked by 2025 in our new expansion.
“As such, we are also investing in our people, so we are delighted to welcome Diana, Declan and Cornelia who will further strengthen our existing team, helping to deliver the best experience to our customers.”
Hosting approximately 400 events annually and attracting four million visitors, including one million from abroad, ExCeL experienced its busiest year ever in 2023, continuing through 2024. Notable upcoming events include the European Society of Cardiology (August 30 – September 2). , Elevate24 (September 11-12), PCR London Valves (November 24-26), Hyrox London (November 29 – December 1), along with numerous key corporate events.