The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has chosen Excel London to host its annual congress in 2015, which is expected to attract 35,000 medical professionals and is worth £120m.
Excel London’s CEO Kevin Murphy described the win as “a changing moment for business tourism in the capital”.
Isabel Bardinet, CEO of ESC, told CN that five or six years ago London would not have been considered as host venue for the event.
“We chose London for the 2015 congress after an in-depth study into the city,” Bardinet said. “The determining factors in our choice were a combination of the international attraction, local competence and an often underestimated factor that the language of the congress is also the language of the country, which is important for delegates.”
Speaking at a press conference to announce the win, Professor Kim Fox, Past President of the ESC and Head of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said: “The Congress is immensely important to re-establish London as the leading city in medical healthcare. London is the natural home of medical science and medical education and is the dominant medical academic city in Europe.”
Fox added that London would have the opportunity to host the Congress again after the 2015 event. “This Congress is not a one off. If it is successful, which I’m sure it will be, it will happen again in London,” he said.
London & Partners, the official promotional organisation for London, is looking to target a number of medical conferences in the upcoming years. Mayor of London Boris Johnson, said: “The effect of the Olympics is that it has put London on the map, and London & Partners have been working hard to secure conferences in the city.”
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