Company Culture
Pulling
together
Jeremy Rees, CEO of ExCeL London, on uniting
the whole venue with a common purpose
A
“We recognise
that everyone
plays a part
in creating a
diverse and
inclusive place
to work”
s we all know, running events is an
incredibly complex business and without
the support of a great team, shows simply
wouldn’t open.
At ExCeL, we are passionate about hosting
events that matter, for people who care. Like other
venues, the environment is incredibly dynamic,
with a multitude of events building-up, breaking
down and opening their doors, week in, week out.
Every day we welcome thousands of people,
from all over the world, to meet, trade and
do business, from the world’s biggest trade
exhibitions and consumer shows to Europe’s
largest medical congresses and global showcases
for world renowned brands.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by world-class
people and recognise that our achievements are
the result of everyone’s dedication and hard work.
At ExCeL, we truly believe in the power of
people and know that we’ll achieve our goals by
empowering our team to reach their full potential.
We are committed to working towards shared
aspirations, recognising the part everyone plays in
achieving them.
Our success is inextricably linked to that of
our customers and is dependent on having a
creative and collaborative culture. We welcome
four million visitors and over 40,000 exhibiting
companies every year and events at ExCeL simply
wouldn’t work if all our teams didn’t pull together.
We have an internal engagement programme
that we refer to as ‘Good to Great.’ When it was
launched it represented a cultural shift, giving all
ExCeL employees a voice in how the business was
being run and what could we could do to make it
better.
Teams were brought together to share their
views via focus groups, surveys, one-to-one
meetings and a workshop, with the entire
company. The results reflect everyone’s input and
provide employees with the opportunity to share
thoughts and feedback on future projects.
As a result of Good to Great, everyone at ExCeL
is united by a common purpose, to work together
every day to deliver great guest experiences. To
support this, we have defined ways of working,
which describe how we aim to work together, as
individuals and as teams.
Together our ways of working set a standard,
by which we measure ourselves, helping us to
create a diverse, collaborative and inclusive place
to work. If I had to sum up our approach in a few
words, I would say we are engaged, collaborative,
informal and focused on attracting and retaining
the best talent.
Within our organisation, we make time to get
to know and understand each other, encouraging
staff to ask questions and listen. We recognise
that everyone plays a part in creating a diverse
and inclusive place to work.
As Walt Disney famously said: “You can design
and create and build the most wonderful place in
the world. But it takes people to make the dream a
reality” and I think that is very true.”
I am exceptionally proud of the fact that our
teams continuously receive great feedback from
our customers, and they take pride in what
we deliver at ExCeL. Having a highly engaged
workforce, who genuinely care about what we do,
makes all the difference.
September — 53