The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has announced that its ESC Congress, the world’s biggest gathering of heart specialists, will return to London in 2021.
ESC chief executive Isabel Bardinet told CN the decision to return followed a successful congress in 2015 in the capital and was not affected by the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Bardinet noted that the ESC needed a host city that had at least 100,000sqm of event space and 30,000 hotel rooms.
City Hall and London & Partners, who worked with venue ExCeL London to win the 2021 bid, all welcomed the ESC decision as a huge vote of confidence in London’s position as a world-class city for conferences and events, as well as a leading centre for medical research.
When the ESC last came to London in 2015, it generated £100m of economic benefit for the city, attracting more than 32,700 delegates from 140 countries.
The decision to stage the congress in London comes as the mayor, Sadiq Khan is pushing forward the Healthy Streets Approach, a campaign prioritising health in transport and planning decisions, and which is seeing £2.1bn invested into street schemes that promote walking, cycling and public transport over private car use.
Analysis from the Mayor’s office shows that if every Londoner walked or cycled for 20 minutes a day it would save the National Health Service £1.7bn in treatment costs over the next 25 years and result in 16,400 fewer cases of heart disease.
Leading cardiologists including professor Kim Fox, professor of clinical cardiology and head of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, and professor Simon Ray, president elect of the British Cardiovascular Society were also at City Hall, 3 November, to meet the mayor and make the announcement.
Sadiq Khan, said: “Cardiovascular disease remains the world’s biggest killer, and the European Society of Cardiology and its members are at the forefront of the crucial battle against heart disease. I’m delighted that London will be hosting so many of the world’s top heart disease specialists from around the world, and as Mayor I’m proud that we’re investing record amounts in increasing physical activity, and preventing heart disease among Londoners. We all know someone who has been directly affected by cardiovascular disease, and I want London to be a world leader in our approach to preventing heart problems.”
Isabel Bardinet, ESC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “ESC Congress is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of cardiovascular medicine so that people can lead longer, healthier lives. For one week in August 2021, London will be the hub in this battle against heart disease, the number one killer in the world today, and we are proud to join forces with such a dynamic, forward thinking city.”
Tracy Halliwell, director of business tourism and major events at London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency and convention bureau for the city, added: “This is also a great vote of confidence in the city’s ability to organise and host a high-profile, very large-scale congress, following the incredibly successful 2015 event. We look forward to welcoming delegates to London and to play a small part in the great strides they will no doubt be making in cardiovascular science.”
James Rees, executive director, ExCeL London added that his venue team was “delighted that ESC has chosen to return to ExCeL and London for their 2021 Congress. In 2015, the way ESC used ExCeL was truly spectacular, resulting in a record-breaking event.” He noted that when the congress returns, ExCeL will have an onsite Elizabeth line station, “allowing delegates to access the rest of London in record time”.
