New look ExCeL shows lots of promise
There’s a lot more colour in the ExCeL extension
When we went to ExCeL all those years ago, it was on the understanding there would be developments that would see, among other things, an increased ceiling height in parts of the venue. BB went to take a look.
ExCeL: The first party of boat show people was allowed to take a look around the new ExCeL on Monday June 7. And it’s really quite impressive, writes Peter Nash.
For a start, it’s no longer just ExCeL. It’s now ExCeL and the ICC, as in International Conference Centre. And this bit of the ExCeL complex is where the ‘dropped floor’ halls are.
There are two, one an extension of the North Hall; the other an extension of the South Hall. Each has 15m ceiling height. The North Hall dropped floor is where the Watersports Action Pool will be. The South Hall dropped floor area will be the Boardwalk Hall will be. Both are enormous. As is the rest of the ICC part of the complex.
But we get ahead of ourselves. First, the entrance to ExCeL is now via the Prince Regent DLR station into the East Entrance. This is definitely a more welcoming entrance.
The entrance hall is wide. On the right hand side (left in this picture) is a glass wall. Looking through it (not easy to photograph), visitors will look down on whatever’s going on in the pool. And all the pool action starts before the show opens each day, so there’s lots going on by the time the first visitors come in.
The pool will be around 70m x 25m x 1.1m. There will be (we’re assured) very quiet fans along part of one wall to power sailing craft. The photograph shows the sheer size of the hall. And remember, this is the extension to the North Hall. People will be able to stand in the North Hall looking into the Watersports Hall.
The same goes for the Boardwalk Hall, where people can look over the guard rails down onto the boats below – and National Boat shows (NBS) wants as many sailing boats as possible. Companies need only pay for the slot on the boardwalk – no stand building costs are involved.
There were surprisingly few people taking advantage of National Boat Shows’ invitation to take a look at the new ExCeL. If you’d like to take a look, contact apilfold@britishmarine.co.uk and register your interest. Ms Pilfold will organise another date if enough people want to take a look round – it takes about 45 minutes and is well worth the trip.
Read more about the new ExCeL in the July issue of BB.
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