Royal Victoria Dock · 1 Western Gateway · London E16 1XL
ExCeL London transfers, and which end of a kilometre you need
ExCeL is essentially a very long building with an entrance at each end. Which one you want depends on your hall number, and getting that wrong means walking the length of the venue with a case in your hand before you have started.
Western Gateway and Eastern Gateway, roughly a kilometre apart, with the halls numbered between them. Tell us the hall number rather than the venue name and the drop happens at the right door.
Exhibitors, delegates and visitors need different things
Most operators treat ExCeL as one destination. It is really three separate services, and which one you need changes the vehicle, the timing and the entrance.
Build and breakdown days
Early starts, late finishes, and a vehicle sized for stand materials, samples and literature rather than passengers. Build day is usually the day before the show and breakdown is the evening it ends.
Multi-day conferences
The same people, the same journey, several days running. Booked as a block on account, with the return timed to the closing session rather than the published finish.
One day, one hall
In for the morning, out mid-afternoon. Straightforward, and the group most likely to be dropped at the wrong gateway if the hall number was never mentioned.
Client entertaining
Collections from several offices or hotels, a day at the show, dinner afterwards. One vehicle, one invoice, one contact.
One of our easiest London runs
ExCeL sits in the Royal Docks, which from north Kent means the A2 and a tunnel and very little else. It is materially closer than most people assume, and considerably easier than the west London venues.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Morning journey | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 23 miles | 45–70 min | 40–60 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 18 miles | 40–65 min | 35–55 min |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 11 miles | 30–50 min | 25–40 min |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 12 miles | 30–50 min | 25–40 min |
| Bromley & Orpington | 15 miles | 35–55 min | 30–45 min |
| Swanley & Swanscombe | 17 miles | 40–60 min | 35–50 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 28 miles | 55–80 min | 45–65 min |
| Rochester, Chatham & Gillingham | 31 miles | 55–85 min | 50–70 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 35 miles | 60–90 min | 55–75 min |
| Sittingbourne & Faversham | 44 miles | 70–100 min | 65–85 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 58 miles | 85–115 min | 80–100 min |
| London City Airport | 2 miles | 10–15 min | 10–15 min |
Vehicles for exhibitors
Stand kit is the part that catches people out. A team of four with three flight cases and two rolls of graphics does not fit in a saloon, and finding that out at seven in the morning on build day is not the moment.
| What you are bringing | Vehicle | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Two people, laptop bags | Saloon | Delegate travel. Straightforward. |
| Four people, sample cases | Estate or MPV | The most common exhibitor booking. |
| Six people plus literature and pop-ups | 8-seater | Seats fold to make load space if we know in advance. |
| Full stand crew and build materials | Minibus | Tell us the volume, not just the head count. |
| Large team across several days | Minibus on a block booking | Same vehicle daily, priced as a series, invoiced monthly. |
Working an exhibition properly
Give us the hall number, not the venue
This is the single most useful thing you can tell us. ExCeL's halls run the length of the building with entrances at either end, and a drop at Western Gateway when your stand is in the far hall means a long walk through a crowded concourse. It takes you two seconds to include and it saves you a quarter of an hour at the start of a working day.
Build days start before the trains do
Stand construction usually happens the day before a show opens, and the access windows are early. Getting a crew from Medway to the Royal Docks for a seven o'clock start by public transport is unpleasant and often impossible, which is why build-day runs are a steady part of what we do here. The same applies to breakdown, which happens late in the evening when the network is thinning out.
Multi-day shows work better as a block
If your team is at a three-day show, booking three separate return journeys is more expensive and more hassle than booking the block. Same vehicle, same driver where we can manage it, consistent pricing across the days and one invoice at the end. We hold the vehicle for the duration rather than treating each morning as a fresh job.
The airport connection
London City Airport is about ten minutes from ExCeL, which makes a combination a lot of exhibitors need: fly in, go straight to the stand, fly out after breakdown. We run that pairing regularly, and because the two are so close it is one of the cheaper airport legs we quote. Worth mentioning at the booking stage if there is a flight involved at either end.
ExCeL London travel questions
Exhibitor and delegate specifics for E16.
Which entrance should we be dropped at?
It depends on your hall. ExCeL runs roughly a kilometre with gateways at each end, and the halls are numbered between them. Give us the hall number when you book and the drop happens at the correct door rather than a long walk from it. This is the most common avoidable annoyance at this venue.
Can you carry stand kit and exhibition materials?
Yes, and you should tell us the volume rather than just the head count. Flight cases, pop-ups, graphics rolls and boxes of literature change which vehicle we send. A crew of four with a full stand needs a minibus, not an estate.
Do you cover build and breakdown days?
Regularly. Build access is usually early on the day before a show opens and breakdown runs late on the closing evening, both at times when public transport is least useful. These are among our steadiest ExCeL bookings.
How far is ExCeL from Kent?
Closer than most people expect. Around forty-five minutes to an hour from Gravesend, half an hour from Bexleyheath, an hour from Medway. The A2 and the tunnel routes feed almost directly into the Royal Docks.
Can we book several days as one arrangement?
Yes, and it is cheaper than booking each day separately. A block booking holds the vehicle for the run of the show, keeps the pricing consistent and produces a single invoice at the end.
Do you invoice on account?
Yes. Corporate customers can book on account with monthly invoicing and a VAT receipt for expenses, and the person making the booking does not have to be the person travelling.
Can you collect from several offices on the way in?
Yes. Multiple pick-ups across Kent and London on one job are standard for exhibition work, and it saves a team converging on one address at half six in the morning.
Can you connect with London City Airport?
Easily, it is around ten minutes away. Fly in and go straight to the stand, or breakdown then straight to a flight. Tell us about the flight when we quote so the timings are built around it.
What if the show overruns or breakdown takes longer?
The driver waits and the fare does not change. Breakdown in particular rarely finishes when it is supposed to, and we plan for that rather than charging for it.
Do you cover consumer shows as well as trade shows?
Yes, both. Consumer weekends bring family groups and a different traffic pattern to a trade Tuesday, so the timings differ, but the service is the same.
Other venues and guides
The rest of the exhibition circuit, covered from Kent.