London’s leading event venue ExCeL has commissioned a new hyper-realistic digital twin to further aid event organisers in making decisions about the location and flow of their event, becoming the first of its kind in the UK to harness this technology.
Working in partnership with OnePlan, the world’s leading event and venue planning platform, the pioneering software creates a 3D replica of the venue – bespoke to the client’s needs – allowing them to better visualise, plan and share their event.
The service is designed to support client decision-making, reduce the need for in-person site visits, as well as allowing organisers to easily share bespoke visuals of their event with stakeholders and potential partners – wherever they are in the world. The platform also has multiple additional applications such as road-testing arrival and departure points, showcasing media opportunities and mocking up of room layouts, all from a visitor perspective.
This technology is set to be of particular interest for clients looking to visualise what their event could look like in ExCeL’s forthcoming 25,000sqm expansion project, currently in the final construction phases and opening in October 2024.
Speaking on the new project, ExCeL’s Executive Director James Rees said: “Through OnePlan, organisers can now have a ‘digital twin’ of their event space, to not only help them plan better, but to optimise elements such as entrance and exit flows and placements for signage and sponsorship activations. It can also be used as a sales and marketing tool and importantly for ExCeL has allowed us to bring to life our new expansion project for event organisers across the world.
“We also know from experience that conducting in-person site visits, especially for those outside the UK, can become costly, timely and carbon heavy, so bringing ExCeL to their screens at a click of a button is something that we believe will make a real impact.
He added: “As a carbon neutral venue, using OnePlan aligns perfectly with our new ESG Strategy and our ambitions to be Net Zero by 2030, as well as meeting the increasing interest we’re receiving from international organisers and stakeholders.”
Founded in 2019, OnePlan’s technology has been used to power over 25,000 of the world’s best live events at iconic venues in 107 countries, including Intuit Dome, home of the LA Clippers, and Silverstone. It is also the Official Supporter of GIS Mapping and Digital Twin Software for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Paul Foster, CEO and founder of OnePlan, said: “We’re delighted to see ExCeL London, one of the UK’s largest venues hosting 400 shows per year, benefit from our digital twin solution. Our 2D and 3D platform is well suited to large scale convention and exhibition centres and their event organisers, with different room layouts and rapid planning needed.”
He added: “OnePlan enables virtual site visits any time, and we’re excited to see how ExCeL London will help their customers plan more efficiently and sustainably, especially given their venue expansion and international client base.”
The tool is the latest in a number of technology investment initiatives by ExCeL such as the opening of its new checkout-less convenience store powered by Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ AI technology.
