- Client - Diabetes UK
- Event - Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference (APC) 2011
- Delegate numbers - 3,500
- Requirements
The Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference (APC) is the largest event of its kind in the UK run exclusively for healthcare professionals and scientists working in the field of diabetes. It is one of the largest healthcare conferences in the UK and provides delegates with an opportunity to explore different aspects of diabetes, share best practice, network and find out about the latest research.
The 3-day event includes plenary sessions for up to 1,500 delegates, an exhibition, hospitality and cyber café facilities, satellite symposia and delegate catering; hence the chosen venue needs to offer a variety of flexible event space.
Diabetes UK brings together 3,000 attendees from all over the UK as well as international speakers, therefore a venue with good national transport links both within the UK and internationally was also an important consideration.
2011 was the first time Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference has been held in London, prior to the completion of the ICC there was no London venue that could offer the size and flexibility of space required.
- Event Solution
ExCeL London's International Convention Centre (ICC London ExCeL) provided the event organisers with the flexible space they needed in order to accommodate the various aspects of this event. The ICC Auditorium was used for the plenary sessions, whilst the ICC Capital Suite hosted satellite symposia, hospitality suites and parallel sessions. The venue's multi-purpose Event Halls were used for the exhibition and delegate catering.
The event hosted over 3,500 attendees from across the UK, who were able to take advantage of fast transport connections to the venue. With 3 onsite DLR stations, access to London Underground and 3,700 onsite parking spaces, ExCeL London provided easy access for all attendees.
ExCeL London has 5 onsite hotels, ranging from luxury to budget, all within just a few minutes walk of the main entrance. In addition, there are over 10,000 hotel rooms within 20-minutes of the venue, which helped to accommodate attendees during their visit.
- Results
"The Annual Professional Conference 2011 was a huge success, recording our highest ever attendance and greatest profit margin. Diabetes UK used ICC London ExCeL for the first time and was impressed with the flexibility the ICC Capital Suite provides, which allowed us to create parallel session rooms to match the conference's requirements all within close proximity to the exhibition and auditorium. This allowed us to offer delegates a compact conference experience and reduced confusion and time needed to move between sessions.
The auditorium offered a flexible space which allowed us to tailor the seating to our needs. The event halls are vast providing adequate space for catering and exhibitor stands.
With the support of the ExCeL London team and onsite services, we were delighted with the way in which the event was planned and delivered and will certainly be giving ICC London ExCeL serious consideration as a future venue for our event."
Susie Searle, Head of Conferences and Care Events, Diabetes UK
- Floorplan
