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Celebrating 40 Years of BDC

This year, the Business Design Centre (BDC) is celebrating 40 years since the site’s acquisition and reopening by Sam Morris and the Morris family. From the outset, the vision was to create a central hub where business, design and innovation could thrive under one historic roof. Today, that vision continues to shape everything we do and our role as one of London’s leading venues.

Over the past four decades, we have welcomed a wide range of organisers, exhibitors, visitors and tenants. This diverse community has helped create a vibrant and ever-evolving events calendar that reflects key industries, emerging trends and a broad range of audiences. 

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Our Heritage

The Royal Agricultural Hall

The Business Design Centre began back in 1862 as the Agricultural Hall. The building was originally designed to house the ever-growing Smithfield Cattle Club Show, and it was the perfect site for it – three acres of unoccupied land on Upper Street. The large indoor space, with an enormous single-span roof, was tailor-made for agricultural shows, with a record attendance over one event of 134,669 guests. 

Over the coming years, the venue welcomed many different events, and became such a success that its patronage soon earned it the ‘royal’ prefix. Circuses, balls, military tournaments, walking races and motor shows made the Royal Agricultural Hall an early destination for events in London.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, such activities were brought to an end and after being requisitioned by the Post Office in 1943, the building fell into neglect.

Becoming the BDC

The Acquisition by Sam Morris and Family

In the 1980s, Sam Morris, founder of the Business Design Centre Group, identified the potential of the Islington site and rescued it from demolition . He set about restoring the building to its former greatness. In October 1986, the new Business Design Centre opened its doors.

Business Design Centre has since established itself as one of London’s most iconic venues for exhibitions, conferences and events. What began as a visionary restoration of historic Islington landmark has, over four decades, grown into a thriving hub where industry gather, ideas are shared and businesses grow.

The BDC Today

Over the last 40 years, the BDC has hosted an extraondinary breadth of events, from interationally renowned exhibitions such as London Art Fair and New Designers, to leading industry confereces and large scale product launches. 

Continuously evolving to meet the needs of a changing events landscape, the venue has expanded its portfolio to include cutting-edge design shows and globally recognised technology conferences, reinforcing its position at the forefront of London’s events industry. 

La Dolce Vita event 2010
The Business Design Centre at night for an evening event
Historical Events at the BDC
Event June 2009
university fair at the business design centre
vintage wine exhibition at the business design centre
career fair at the business design centre
exhibition at the business design centre
Smaller auditorium space at the BDC for a conference
Conferene in the Mezzanine Space of the BDC London

The initial concept of the BDC being a destination for the design industry to meet and grow has been enhanced in recent years with a range of events including the Surface Design Show, the Workspace Design Show, LiGHT and The Podcast Show. Tech has become a strong focus in the portfolio of conferences, including the large scale Devoxx UK and Droidcon events that have been hosted annually at the venue for many years.

Today, the Business Design Centre hosts more than 130 events each year, attracting over 900,000 visitors and maintaining its reputation as a dynamic destination for creativity, collaboration and innovation.

A Thriving Business Community

The BDC is also home to over 120 resident businesses, creating a unique ecosystem where companies can grow, connect and collaborate.

Over the years, businesses based at the venue have launched game-changing products, built recognised brands and formed valuable partnerships, both through events and within other offices and showrooms. 

Today with a diverse portfolio of events and residents, a wide range of industries benefit from this distinctive environment, where collaboration and innovation thrive side by side. 

A New Era under Excel London

In 2024, following almost 40 years of family ownership, the BDC Group was acquired by Excel London and now forms part of the wider ADNEC Group. You can read more on this in our insights section.

For more information on Excel London and the ADNEC Group visit: adnecgroup.ae  | excel.london