The £18.8 bn infrastructure project which opened in May 2022 links Custom House, the dedicated station at EAG’s ExCeL home with Tottenham Court Road in a journey taking 15-minutes with Liverpool Street now just 10-minutes from ExCeL. Heathrow airport is connected with the exhibition centre courtesy of a 43-minute journey via London Paddington. 

Stergides, a five-decade supporter of EAG and before that its predecessor ATEI, said: “The Elizabeth line means that visitors can get to ExCeL from central London in a matter of minutes and without having to change trains which is the case when using the DLR. 

“In practical terms visitors can now take advantage of all the many hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and hospitality options that exist in central London and aren’t available in and around ExCeL. 

“Bond Street underground - which is the ideal place from which to access the shops in Oxford Street - is 17-minutes from ExCeL.” 

He added: “Attending EAG will be around a 30 minute ‘hotel to venue’ experience for most attendees using trains that are modern, clean and frequent. For exhibitors it opens-up a huge number of opportunities to host their customers and take advantage of what London can offer. 

“January will be the first edition of EAG to benefit from the Elizabeth line and it will transform the entire experience.”

Toby Hoyte Commercial Director at jukebox specialists, TouchTunes is equally upbeat about the opportunities. He said: “The Elizabeth line has been a long time arriving but the wait has definitely been worth it. Getting to and from ExCeL has always been an issue and not just for international visitors. 

“Connecting Docklands with central London and what that means in terms of easy access to west end hotels and hospitality are powerful reasons for visitors to make EAG into a two or three day experience which would represent a fantastic boost for the industry and a springboard for the year ahead. 

“A lot of business is done outside the venue and it’s about exploring how to maximise the amount of time that the industry is together.”

Nicola Lazenby, who took over as Director of EAG in September said: “For such a sociable, fun-loving industry the Elizabeth line opens up the capital for everyone involved in the event. With the Elizabeth line  joining two underground lines, an airport, road links, bus services, water taxis and even a cable car ExCeL is among the best connected event venues in the world!”

Tiziano Tratezi, Owner, Elmac stated: “Our experience with the Elizabeth line was wonderful: we walked 10-minutes from the recently renovated President Hotel – which was excellent value for money - and took the Elizabeth Line at Tottenham Court Road. The line is new, clean and bright it’s really a pleasure to travel.”