If you’ve ever arrived at ExCeL London thirty minutes late because your cab got stuck in Docklands traffic, you already know the problem. Trade shows are brutal on your schedule. You’ve got back-to-back stand meetings, a supplier walkthrough at 11, a lunch you can’t miss, and someone from the team texting you from the other end of the hall asking where you are. The last thing you need is a transport situation that’s adding friction to an already full-on day.
Getting around London during a trade show week is genuinely one of those things that looks simple on paper and absolutely isn’t once you’re living it. This guide is for the exhibitors, delegates, and buyers who want to arrive on time, move efficiently, and use every spare minute productively — not stand on a kerb refreshing Uber.
Why ExCeL specifically catches people out
ExCeL London sits in the Royal Docks, well east of the City and nowhere near the hotel clusters in Canary Wharf, South Bank, or the West End. Many first-time exhibitors assume it’s a quick trip. It isn’t, and the maths often surprises them.
The Jubilee Line gets you to Canning Town, where you switch to the DLR — but if you’re carrying exhibitor cases, samples, or a laptop bag, that journey becomes genuinely unpleasant. Taxis from central London can take 45 minutes to an hour in morning traffic, and the cab queue outside the North Entrance at 5:30pm on day one of any major show is a painful experience.
There’s also the entrance problem. ExCeL’s two-mile footprint means the entrance you choose actually matters. Custom House DLR serves the western halls; Royal Victoria DLR serves the eastern end. Getting that wrong costs you an unnecessary ten-minute walk with equipment in tow.
What professional exhibitors do differently
The people who work London trade shows regularly tend to book transport in advance rather than wing it. Not because it’s fancy, but because they’ve learned that winging it costs time they don’t have.
Many have switched to using a London chauffeur service for show days — not as a luxury, but as a practical business decision. The vehicle comes to you, not vice versa. You confirm your hall number at booking, and a knowledgeable driver drops you at the correct entrance. You’re not searching for your platform on the DLR app with a bag on your shoulder.
More importantly, the journey itself becomes a useful time. Wi-Fi-enabled vehicles mean the forty minutes between your hotel and ExCeL can be a working meeting room — reviewing supplier terms, running a quick call with the team back home, or simply clearing your inbox before the doors open.
Making multi-day shows work
London Packaging Week runs across two full exhibition days at ExCeL, which means you’ve got the same logistical problem twice. For companies sending multiple delegates, or for a single person attending both days plus an evening trade dinner, the transport calculation starts to add up.
Booking a London Packaging Week chauffeur service with a standing rate for both days removes the daily hassle entirely — same driver, same vehicle, same pick-up time each morning. That consistency matters more than it sounds. When you’ve got a 7:45am start and back-to-back commitments from the moment the show opens, not having to think about your morning transport is genuinely worth something.
For team travel, a seven-seat vehicle like a Mercedes V-Class also keeps your group together. Rather than three people taking separate cabs and one of them arriving late, everyone travels together, the briefing happens in the car, and you walk into the hall on the same page.
Planning your day around the show
A few things worth building into your schedule:
Allow more time than you think for the approach. Morning traffic on the A13 and Commercial Road is unpredictable, and matchday-style congestion can build around ExCeL during large shows. A professional driver monitors live traffic and routes accordingly, but you should still build a buffer into your morning.
Don’t assume evening transport will be easy. The post-show cab situation at ExCeL is consistently underestimated. If you have a client dinner in Mayfair or a flight to catch from Heathrow, having a confirmed pick-up time with a driver who’s already waiting makes the difference between making it and not.
Use the journey time. Whether it’s reviewing presentations, sending follow-up emails from the first day, or simply having a quiet debrief with a colleague on the way back to the hotel — a private vehicle gives you space that public transport simply doesn’t.
The bigger picture
London is a world-class city for trade shows and business events. The infrastructure, the venues, the networking opportunities — all of it is genuinely impressive. But the city doesn’t make getting around easy, especially for visitors who aren’t familiar with the geography or the traffic patterns.
The exhibitors who have the best experience are the ones who treat transport as part of the event plan, not an afterthought. Booking a London chauffeur in advance, confirming your specific requirements with whoever you’re using, and building realistic transit times into your schedule will make your show significantly more productive — and considerably less stressful.
If you’re heading to ExCeL this September, plan your transport early. The best options fill up quickly as show week approaches, and scrambling for a cab when there are thousands of other exhibitors doing the same thing is a situation worth avoiding entirely.
