Excel London has welcomed the first of 10 major international congresses – a venue record for a single year – as its newly-opened 25,000sqm expansion continues to help drive global events to the UK capital.
The 41st European Association of Urology Congress returned to London in March for the first time since 2017, becoming the first major medical event to be hosted in the expanded Excel.
The four-day EAU Congress is the largest urology event in Europe, bringing together thousands of healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry experts to share the latest scientific developments.
As well as staging the event and hosting 12,366 delegates from 132 countries, Excel also collaborated closely on EAU’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives including its charity run in aid of Prostate Cancer Awareness, and its ‘Urge to Act’ campaign. The latter aims to highlight the needs of those dealing with incontinence, with Excel helping to raise awareness across its venue by installing special sanitary bins in cubicle toilets.
In addition to EAU, some of the nine remaining association congresses being hosted this year include the FTTH Conference (14-16 April), the INTA 2026 Annual Meeting (2-6 May), EULAR 2026 (3-6 June), ESHRE 2026 Annual Meeting (5-8 July) and ESCRS 2026 (11-15 September).
In total, the 10 events are expected to attract some 80,000 delegates to the UK capital and generate £250m for London’s business economy.
James Rees, Excel’s executive director, said: “It has been an honour to welcome the EAU Congress back to London and to do this in our new expansion, which has been designed with delegate experience at its heart. London continues to be a magnet for landmark European conferences, with organisers drawn by the city’s culture, transport connectivity, universal appeal and sector-specific professionals. This, combined with our unrivalled venue facilities and guest experience, has resulted in record bookings for Excel, not just for 2026 but for 2027 and beyond.”
The venue has delivered a £350m investment programme over the last five years and a further investment programme is now underway to enhance digital infrastructure, wayfinding, food and beverage and the overall visitor experience.
