ExCeL London has announced the appointments of Diana Frederiksen, Declan Cassidy and Kornelia Kaczynska to its Conference & Events team in response to growing client demand.
Bringing more than 35 years’ MICE industry experience between them, Diana joins the venue as Head of Business Development, whilst Declan becomes Head of Sales Development and Kornelia Kaczynska as Account Executive. The three will further bolster ExCeL’s commercial team and business development, focusing on the venue’s forthcoming 25,000 sqm expansion opening later this year that will see it become the largest fully integrated conference centre in Europe.
Beginning her career at Stockholmsmässan Congress & Exhibition Centre, Diana has also worked for leading brands such as the Hilton London Metropole – the largest outside the US – where she also headed up the hotel’s ESG committee. Diana, a founding member of ICCA’s Future Leaders Council, will focus on longer-lead, large-scale, city-wide conferences and events.
James Rees, ExCeL’s Executive Director and President of JMIC, added: “2024 is undoubtedly a milestone year for ExCeL, with more than £300 million being invested in our venue, infrastructure and, subsequently, London’s event industry. This is due to increasing demand from event organisers across the UK, Europe, and North America, so much so that 65% of 2025 space in our new expansion has already been booked.”
“As such, we’re also investing in our people, so we’re delighted to be welcoming Diana, Declan and Kornelia who will further strengthen our existing team, helping to provide the very best experience to our clients.”
Declan has worked for brands including the PPHE Hotel Group, the Strand Palace Hotel and the Kia Oval, as well as heading up the sales team at etc. venues – a leading provider of meeting venues in the US and UK – for almost 15 years. Declan’s role will see him focus on reviewing ExCeL’s commercial offering across its key convention spaces, and developing inclusive packages for the state-of-the-art meeting hub CentrEd, and the new Maritime Suite.
Kornelia, who boasts several years of experience gained at various venues and Park Lane’s London Hilton Hotel, will provide wider support for the C&E team, particularly across inbound enquiries.
Hosting around 400 events a year and welcoming four million visitors – one million of those from overseas – ExCeL experienced its busiest-ever year in 2023 with that trend already continuing into 2024. Key upcoming events include the European Society of Cardiology (30 August – 2 September), Elevate24 (11-12 September), PCR London Valves (24 – 26 November), Hyrox London (29 November – 1 December), plus a variety of major corporate events.
Learn more about ExCeL London here.
