2008 CSR Brochure (PDF) - ExCeL London

making adifferenceCorporate Social Responsibility report 2008

page 2investing in our future 2preserving our environment 4contributing to our community 8ExCeL in Arts 11Juice4Life 11‘… 2008 hasbeen a terrificyear forExCeL Londonwith some keydevelopmentswhichstrengthenour businessoffering.’Smaller Community Projects 12Under the Stars 12Banking on Talent 12Eastside Young Leaders Academy (EYLA) 12Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders (AEC) 13Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) 13page 4ExCeL London Tours 13Newham Sixth Form College 13Free Tickets & Competitions 13A commitment to CSRpage 8Britannia Village Primary School 13Carpets 13facts & figures 14our industry awards for 2008 16Last year we published our first everCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR)report. It underlined ExCeL London’scommitment to sustaining a wellmanaged,profitable business that isethical and responsible in terms of itsimpact on the environment, employmentpolicy, social and economic contributionsto the local community of Newham.In our report for 2008, we detail our CSRinitiatives and achievements for the past12 months and our plans for the future.2008 has been a terrific year for ExCeLLondon with some key developmentswhich strengthen our business offeringand will have a positive effect on thecommunity in which we operate.In the run up to the 2012 Olympics, weintend to capitalise on the unrivalledopportunities this event offers to acceleratethe regeneration of Newham and establishLondon as the destination of choice forbusiness around the world.page 14Kevin Murphy, CEO, ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 1

ExCeL London is already the Capital’slargest and most flexible exhibition &conference centre. We now provide70,000m 2 of event space and hostworld-class events of all kinds.This year we housed many of 2008’s mostspectacular events, including the BritishInternational Motor Show, Grand DesignsLive, Gordon Ramsay’s Taste of Christmas,Marks & Spencer, Skills London, WorldChampionship Boxing, MPI InternationalConference, Kiss Awards, Toyota and Game.In May, ExCeL London was acquired byAbu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company(ADNEC); a move that will accelerate ourmission to become Europe’s pre-eminentevent centre. ADNEC’s investment inExCeL London is part of a global strategyto become the world’s leading providerof international exhibitions, conferencesand live events venues. By creating anetwork of world-class event centres –characterised by consistently highstandards of facilities, management andclient relations – the ADNEC Group willbe able to satisfy the increasingly globaloutlook of our industry sector.Our economic contributionIn 2008, ExCeL’s contribution to theLondon economy exceeded £800m. Anindependent study by corporate financeaccountants, Grant Thornton, estimatedthat by 2011 our economic impact on theCapital would be double that at £1.6bnand create 3,400 jobs. Currently wesupport 26,000 jobs and our projectionis that this will rise to 38,000 by 2011.Our employee profileExCeL London employs 164 permanentstaff. Of these, 65% are from East Londonwith 26% being Newham residents. As anequal opportunities employer, 39% of ourpermanent workforce is female. We workhard to earn our reputation as a goodemployer that provides a rewarding careerpath and tangible benefits. This is borne outby the number of staff who choose to remainwith us long-term. More than a quarter ofour workforce (28%) has been with us forfive years or more and a further 12% hasworked for ExCeL for eight or more years.ExCeL staff resident in Newham61%male26%39%femaleEmployee gender2 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 3

The GreenAwardWe are delighted to report significantprogress in terms of our sustainablebusiness practices and energyconsumption savings.Progress on sustainabilityExCeL London is 100% committed totackling the challenges of sustainabledevelopment and operating as aresponsible corporate entity. It is our policyto continuously evolve and implementpractices that deliver economic security,social and environmental benefits.In keeping with this, we are now developingthe following best practice initiatives:• putting a sustainable business strategyin place for our direct in-house operationsi.e. essentials such as lighting and heating;• setting a benchmark for our sector throughthe nature and rate of our sustainabledevelopments and innovations;• partnering with our clients to developand promote the most sustainableevents possible;• reporting annually on our sustainabilityperformance and achievements;• ensuring that our Executive and SeniorManagement Teams continue to championthe implementation and measurementof our sustainability performance so itbecomes a truly seamless part of ourbusiness operations.‘…we are now partnering with ourclients to develop and promote themost sustainable events possible.’4 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 5

Complying with theUN Global CompactThe United Nations Global Compact is theworld’s largest corporate citizenship andsustainability initiative, with more than 4,700corporate participants and stakeholdersfrom 130 countries. Its purpose is to ensurethat markets, commerce, technology andfinance advance in ways that benefiteconomies and societies across the globe.The results published in this reporttherefore compare like with like i.e.2006 with 2008. A reduction of 64%in terms of gas consumption and 17%for electricity was achieved. UsingThe Carbon Trust’s GreenhouseGas conversion figures, this equatesto a 33% reduction in total CO2consumption for 2008.Adopting BS8901Complying with the principles and standardsof the BS8901 Implementation Programmeis part of ExCeL’s long-term strategy tohave a positive impact on our environment,community and business offering. It willalso help us work more effectively andsustainably across the supply chain.The programme sets benchmarks forplanning and managing sustainable eventsof all sizes and types from the 2012 Olympicsto music festivals and air shows. Itsguidelines apply to all aspects of the supplychain – encompassing venues, organisingcompanies and industry contracting firms– and focus on improving sustainableperformance by reducing carbon emissionsand waste, improving resource efficiencyand the positive social impact of exhibitionsand events. We aim to be fully compliantand BS8901 certified by May 2009.In April we teamed up with Organise This,a specialist in sustainable event management,and the organisers of this year’s MeetingProfessionals International (MPI) conference.The conference theme was ‘sustainability’and the system we collectively developedto manage this event was the first to obtainBS8901 certification.Enrolling in the Mayor’s Green 500Also in 2008, ExCeL London signed upto the Mayor’s Green 500, a LondonDevelopment Agency leadershipinitiative to encourage the Capital’s toporganisations to collectively cut carbonemissions. The aim is to inspire cities allover the world by slashing the Capital’scarbon emissions by 60% by 2025.Being part of this scheme not only helpsto trigger positive environmental changein London but also enabled us to reap thebenefits of working with a “Carbon Mentor”and so add value to our ongoingEnvironmental Policy.‘… theMayor’sGreen 500will encouragethe Capital’stoporganisationsto collectivelycut carbonemissions.’This year, ExCeL formally committed touphold its ten universally accepted principlesin the areas of human rights, labour, theenvironment and anti-corruption; aligningour operational and commercial strategiesaccordingly.Food WasteSince 2007, ExCeL has operated the UK’slargest commercial wormery which it usesto recycle food waste. This holds more than300,000 Dendrobaena Veneta and EiseniaFetida worms which are capable of eatingat least twice their body weight every day.Earthworms are nature’s ultimate recyclingmachine and our onsite wormery convertsour food waste into nutrient rich soil.We also operate an onsite recycling facility forthe other waste materials produced as a resultof our business activities. In total for 2008, werecycled 75% of the waste produced utilisingboth on and offsite facilities.Energy consumption savingsDue to the changing nature of our calendarof events, we can only truly represent ourenergy consumption by comparing 2006with 2008. This is due to the impact of themajor biennial shows we host, like the BritishInternational Motor Show. This, our largestevent, occupies the entire site and attractssome 500,000 visitors during one of thehottest months of the year. As there wasno Motor Show in 2007 our consumptionwas much lower that year making anymeaningful comparison impossible.EnergyExCeL made substantial energy savingsin 2008, by comparison with 2006.• A saving of 1,767,656 KWh in electricityconsumption, which represents a9.95% reduction. Cutting electricityconsumption is a key focus for 2009with several initiatives in the pipelineincluding:- staff awareness and educationcampaigns;- increased links with The Carbon Trust;- the installation of LED lighting,occupancy sensors and voltageoptimisation;- BMS control strategies; and- CHP operations.• A saving of 16,150620 KWh in gasconsumption, which represents a60.18% reduction. These savingsare the result of several initiativesincluding:- setting consumption targets forevent management teams;- implementing effective measurementcontrols;- micro management of our businessplant and systems;- raising staff and client awareness.CO2 EmissionsCO2 emissions have been cut by astaggering 3,937 tonnes (27.15%) –equivalent to the amount carried bya fully laden supertanker sailing fromSingapore to Lisbon.Electricity consumptionGas consumptionCO2 emissions6 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 7

Making positive contributions tothe community in which we work issomething we work hard to deliver.8 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 9

Making positive contributions tothe community in which we work issomething we work hard to delivertogether with our staff and businesspartners.In 2008, more than £400,000 was investedin local activities, most of which focusedon making a difference to the people ofNewham. Our projects typically fall intofour categories:• education and employment;• health and nutrition;• sports promotion;• charitable and in-kind giving.ExCeL in ArtsThe ‘ExCeL in Arts’ Camp is an annualfestival run in association with theLondon Borough of Newham, theNewham Academy of Music andthe Festival of Youth Arts (FYA).In 2008, more than 180 Newhamyoungsters took part in a series ofworkshops including Advanced ChamberMusic, Beginners Chamber Music, Dance,Drama, Music Production and Fashion.The three-day event culminated in a‘Fun Day’, sponsored by Caribbean Scene,with performances by each workshopgroup as well as the Ascension Eaglesand other community groups.ExCeL London awarded £8,000 inscholarships to children taking part,enabling them to develop their skills andambitions further by buying instrumentsor having individual coaching. The eventrated highly with participants:• 90% said the event was ‘great’ or ‘good’;• 90% reported improvement in their skills;• 81% said they had learned somethingnew; and• 79% believed it was a good opportunityto meet new people.Juice4LifeIn 2007 ExCeL joined forces withCommunity Food Enterprise (CFE)to launch Juice4Life; an initiativeseeking to improve nutrition amongteenagers living in the Borough bygiving them access to tasty, healthyand affordable drinks.Part of our on-going role is to help establish‘mobile juice unit’ enterprise schemes as aviable business. In 2008, the first Juice4Lifemobile unit operated at Newham’s ‘Underthe Stars’ event. By the 2012 Olympics, wehope to have around 15 mobile juice unitsoperating within secondary schools in theOlympic Boroughs.Newham Academy of SportsDuring 2008 ExCeL backed an idea byTessa Sanderson’s Newham Academyof Sport.The Newham Talent IdentificationProgramme will visit 15 local schools toassess those with exceptional sportingprowess, make 10 ‘talent identification’visits to existing community estate basedsports sessions, hold five ‘disability talentdetection’ days, two ‘gold factor days’which are open to anyone and host anevent at ExCeL London’s exhibition centre.‘… in 2008, more than £400,000was invested in local activities,most of which focused on making adifference to the people of Newham.’‘… we awarded £8,000 in scholarshipsto children taking part in ExCeL in Arts,enabling them to develop their skills.’10 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 11

Smaller Community ProjectsUnder the StarsExCeL was the main sponsor for NewhamCouncil’s ‘Under the Stars’ event.This free, 4-day musical extravaganzashowcasing everything from soca andswing to asian ‘popular and classical’ plusa performance by the Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra. The event drew a record crowdof more than 45,000.Banking on TalentIn 2007 we sponsored a potential 2012judo athlete – 17 year old TheodoreSpalding - as part of the ‘Banking onTalent’ project which funds 51 athleteswith the aid of 16 companiesincluding ExCeL and the JackPetchey Foundation.2008 was a promising yearfor Theo. He won Silver atthe Eastern Bloc prize fight inNorfolk, then both Gold andSilver at the CommonwealthJudo Tournament inMauritius. If Theo keeps upthis form, he should makethe 2012 British Team.Eastside Young LeadersAcademy (EYLA)EYLA exists to nurture and develop theleadership potential of young Africanand Caribbean males, empoweringthem to become the next generationof successful leaders.It provides educational and emotionalsupport for boys aged 8-18, particularlythose identified as being at risk of socialexclusion. Students are referred to EYLAby local schools, faith groups, SocialServices, youth agencies, etc.EYLA is not a school but an educationaland leadership development organisation,which works alongside schools to motivatestudents to stay in class and keep focused.In 2008, ExCeL agreed to help fill EYLA’sstudent library with relevant texts. Our rolewas to prompt ExCeL staff members, atevery level, to donate at least one suitablythemed or inspirational book. So far nearly200 books have been added to EYLA’slibrary by ExCeL staff.Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders (AEC)The AEC was formed in November 1996as an outreach of the Ascension ChurchCentre in Newham.Reverend Jonathan Brice and his wifeShara started it as a way of keepingNewham’s youth off the streets andengaged in an activity that promotesboth fitness & social interaction.Over the past decade, AEC has beenrecognised as one of the UK’s mostsuccessful youth programmes, and Britain’sbest all-round cheerleading company.ExCeL has an ongoing agreement to providehall space for AEC training throughout theyear. We are also arranging permanentstorage space for a sprung board floorand flat bed container, so the AEC hasthe tools of the trade on hand to preparefor competitions and events.Young Enterprise Scheme (YES)ExCeL donates free meeting rooms forYES to run their Master Classes, as wellas providing tours of the venue andpresentations about careers in theevents industry.ExCeL London ToursWe provide ‘behind the scenes’ venuetours, event management presentationsand careers advice to schools, collegesand universities across the UK. We alsooffer local schools and colleges access toevents with an educational bent or whichare of relevance to the curriculum.Newham Sixth Form CollegeFor 3 years, ExCeL has been a sponsorof the ‘Community Service Awards’special diploma, part of the college’sannual awards ceremony.Free Tickets & CompetitionsExCeL has a dedicated page on its websitefor Newham residents. The passwordprotected site gives discounts to upcomingevents and features competitions to giveaway free tickets. During the Motor Showand Grand Designs Live – when there weredisruptions and closures which affectedBritannia Village residents – we providedfree family tickets to every resident inBritannia Village.Britannia Village Primary SchoolBritannia Village is the closest primaryschool to our venue so we involve thepupils in as many events as possible. Allstudents can enjoy free entry during theLondon Boat Show and pupils also receiveda PE bag courtesy of the MPI conference.CarpetsAs part of ExCeL’s environmental policy,where possible carpets remnants aregiven to local families for their homes.‘ExCeL havehelped usraiseaspirationswith creativesolutions.They recognisethe maturityand potentialin these youngleaders,rewarding themby providingspace to performin this amazingOlympic venue!’Shara Brice MBEDirector, Ascension EaglesCheerleaders12 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 13

ExCeL London CSR achievements;27%reduction in CO2 emissions£400,000financial contribution to the local community2,200direct and indirect jobs£800milliontotal contribution to London economypredicted to rise to£1.6billion9.95%reduction in electricity usage in 200865%of workforce from East London300,000worms chomping through wastefood products60%gas reduction in one year39%ExCeL London staff are female28%of staff have been at ExCeL for 5 years+75%of waste produced was recycled in 200814 ExCeL Londonmaking a difference 2008 15

In recognition of our CSR andprofessional achievements, ExCeLLondon was presented with thefollowing six awards in 2008:The Green Award2008 Exhibition News AwardsBest Event Celebrating CSR2008 Eventia AwardsBest Venue Support2008 Exhibition News AwardsBest Venue (over 500 delegates)2008 Eventia AwardsBusiness Venue of the Year2008 Visit London AwardsBusiness Superbrand 200916 ExCeL London

About ADNEC GroupADNEC Group is an international venuedevelopment and business management company.ADNEC Group’s portfolio currently includes the AbuDhabi National Exhibition Centre, the Gulf’s largestexhibition centre; ExCeL London, the UK capital’slargest conference and exhibition centre; the Al AinConvention Centre, a brand new development in thehistoric city of Al Ain, Capital Gate, the UAE capital’siconic, gravity defying tower and a number of hotelprojects. In addition ADNEC is master developer ofthe Capital Centre project, the world’s first fullyinterconnected exhibition lifestyle destination.ADNEC Group is developing its network boththrough acquisition and construction. The company’sobjective is to become the world’s leading venueprovider to the international exhibitions,conferences and live events industries by providingconsistently high standards of venue facilities,management and client relationships, whilstcapitalising on the synergies which exist withina global venue network.ADNEC Group’s Executive Office is located in AbuDhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.ExCeL LondonOne Western GatewayRoyal Victoria DockLondon E16 1XLT +44 (0)20 7069 4602F +44 (0)20 7069 4747E salesenquiries@excel-london.co.ukW www.excel-london.co.ukFor more information on ExCeL London’sCSR Programme, please contactGemma Parkhouse on 020 7069 4000