Broadcast Video Expo, and sister event The Production Show, will move to a new home in 2013. Prompted by uncertainty over the future of Earls Court, ExCeL is seen as the best venue to support planned investment in the shows’ content and growth, writes David Fox.
“BVE and TPS have grown rapidly over the last few years and now is the perfect time to move to a bigger home,” said Event Director, Charlotte Wheeler. “We need a venue that will allow us to offer better, state-of-the-art facilities for more exciting seminars and features. Visitor numbers to this year’s show were up 35% year on year [with 15,964 visitors over three days in 2011], with 70% of our exhibitors rebooking onsite. We have huge ambitions in growing the show and the move to a new, purpose-built exhibition venue is just the start.”
The move also represents a major opportunity for BVE and TPS to expand its international audience, offering a wide variety of speakers, a comprehensive seminar programme (with more than 300 seminars over three days in 2011) and some exhibitors that don’t take part in other shows. ExCeL offers good links to Europe and other parts of the UK via London City Airport, and a range of local hotels and restaurants make it an obvious choice for the relocation.
“We are moving to ExCeL at a great time. The area will have been transformed by the hospitality and transport infrastructures which are currently underway in preparation for the London Games next year; the Olympics have certainly accelerated the immense improvements to this part of London,” added Wheeler.
“In addition, the certainty offered by a new venue will allow us to take the shows to another stage in their development and underscore their position as the essential exhibitions for broadcast, video and audio professionals.”
ExCeL is located in London’s dockland, by the Thames, in easy reach of central London, with three onsite DLR stations, easy access to the tube (Jubilee Line) and London City Airport, parking for 3,700 cars, five on-site hotels and numerous on-site bars and restaurants.
BVE is expanding beyond London this year, with BVE North, which takes place at Manchester Central on the 16 and 17 November, to mirror the arrival of Media City in Salford Quays and the BBC’s partial relocation to the area.
BVE 2012 will take place from 14-16 February at Earls Court 2 in west London, while BVE 2013 will take place 26-28 February 2013 at ExCeL.
