'Pre-tax profits at Excel, the exhibition centre in London that is home to the Boat Show, rose by 22.7pc to a record £31.1m in the year to Dec 31, 2017 after it hosted a string of new events.
At 100,000 sq metres, (119,600 sq yds) Excel is London’s biggest exhibition centre making it a magnet for large shows.
In 2017 it added the world’s largest gathering of Alzheimer’s researchers to its roster and for the first time was home to the annual congress of sports regulator the International Association of Athletics Federations. It also benefited from hosting one of its biggest events – the biennial DSEI arms fair – which took place last year.
The new events helped to boost revenue by 13.9pc to a new high of £84.2m. It outstripped the 9.1pc increase in costs to £38.5m with one of the biggest single expenses being the £13.1m paid to its 197 staff....