Events for London

In a new move to attract, develop and stage more world-class sporting and cultural events for the capital, ‘Events for London’ was launched in 2007.

A partnership between the Mayor’s Office, the London Development Agency (LDA) and Visit London, Events for London acts as the central point of co-ordination and leadership for delivering events.

Sports events

The year 2007/08 saw the successful staging of a number of major events including Le Grand Départ of the Tour de France, the first ever competitive National Football League (NFL) game played outside North America, National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball and National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey at The O2.

Together these events delivered over £100m in economic benefit to the capital. The 2007 American  NFL game alone boosted the capital’s economy by £20m and will be returning to London again in October 2008.

Cultural and community events

We also continued to deliver a broad programme of cultural and community events, including London Pride, St Patrick’s Day, China in London and Liberty, London’s Disability Rights Festival.

These events are designed to celebrate the diversity of London, especially the culture and contribution by its diverse communities, and promote London as a leading global destination. In 2007/08 over £1m of sponsorship was raised, enhancing and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the programme.

Future events

In 2007/08 Events for London won the opportunity (in partnership with Badminton England) for London to host the World Badminton Championships in 2011. The event will provide a major TV audience, especially in key emerging markets such as China and India.

Other major events confirmed for the coming years include the London X Games in September 2008, the World Gymnastics Championships in 2009 and the ATP Tennis Masters from 2009 (for four consecutive years).

The LDA has also been working with the Football Association (FA), coordinating key London stakeholders, to support the FA’s bid to host the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley in 2011.

For further information please visit the Events for London website.