Mayor of London opens WorldSkills London 2011
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, yesterday officially opened WorldSkills London 2011, and hailed the capital as “the Worlds global event destination”.
Over 1,000 young people from 57 countries will take part in the international skills competition taking place at ExCel London, while over 150,000 delegates attend and watch.
WorldSkills is the latest in a long list of major events to be held at ExCel London, since the multi award winning venue opened its privately funded International Convention Centre (ICC) last year, and is on target to deliver over £1.7 billion of direct economic benefit to the City during 2011.
Commenting on the opening of WorldSkills, The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said; "It is a real privilege for London to host this year’s World Skills competition, with Excel London giving us a fantastic forum in which we can warmly welcome thousands of competitors from across the world."
"Since its launch last year the ICC at London ExCel has attracted some really high-profile events to the capital and boosted London’s business offering and its economy. Located in the heart of the Royal Docks, it has played a key role in the ongoing transformation of this part of the city and has become an internationally renowned venue for conferences and events”
Kevin Murphy, CEO, ExCel London, said, “Cities around the world are becoming more competitive in wanting to win events, especially in tough economic times. Events such as WorldSkills and following that the London 2012 Olympic Games, help to keep the world’s attention firmly focused on our fantastic city."
“ExCel London, which is privately funded, continues to invest in our facilities and infrastructure to help maintain our position as a world-class events venue. In 2011, we will not only generate £1.7 billion in economic impact but will also support 38,000 jobs and employ 3,500 people, both directly and indirectly.”