How to Successfully Deliver a Rebrand in the Events Industry

This month’s guest editor is Michelle Kemp, director of marketing and communications at Excel, who outlines the steps events businesses can take to successfully rebrand using examples from the work she and her team undertook last year.  

In the fast-moving events industry, staying relevant is essential. A rebrand goes beyond a new logo—it tells a compelling story that aligns with an organisation’s purpose. At Excel London, we recently rebranded to reflect our growth, our future, and our ambition to be the best event destination in the world.

Our brand had remained relatively unchanged across our 25-year history, while the business and the events industry around us evolved. With major developments like the launch of Immerse LDN - our new Immersive Entertainment District - and a major 25,000sqm expansion to the venue, our existing identity no longer reflected the journey we were on. We needed a refresh that aligned our visual identity with the business we are today, as well as reflecting our future ambitions.

The foundations

Our starting point was to consult with staff, stakeholders, and clients to ensure the brief for the project would deliver the best possible outcomes. We wanted to understand how our staff felt about Excel London; what our sales teams needed to help tell the evolving story of Excel to existing, new and prospective clients; and what our event organisers needed from a venue brand to support their events. We started with a series of workshops to review and refine our purpose, vision, mission and values and in doing so we were able to create a final brand blueprint that felt like a collaboration with our stakeholders and provided a strong basis to also start the design process for a new visual identity.

We then partnered with the right experts (design agencies Kemosabe and DRPG) to  develop a digital-first brand identity that works across all platforms, and collaborated with our parent company, ADNEC Group to align the new brand with the wider group portfolio, while maintaining Excel London’s unique identity.

The new brand design had to be powerful and functional in both print and digital formats. We also wanted something that felt rooted and connected to our home on the Royal Docks – something that could only be Excel London. The refreshed logo incorporates a diamond feature to align with the ADNEC Group brand, while the ‘X’ graphic creates visual connectivity between brand elements.

Alongside the new look, we refreshed our photography and film assets, providing event organisers with high-quality visuals to engage exhibitors and visitors.

The execution

Rebrands don’t happen overnight, and rolling out changes strategically is key to sustainability and impact. Instead of replacing everything at once, we adopted a phased approach— identifying high impact and essential rebrand assets first, as well as updating assets in line with standard ordering cycles and existing projects such as our Wayfinding Masterplan.

Internally, we prioritised staff engagement, ensuring our team embraced the new brand and could represent it effectively, appointing rebrand champions across all departments and externally we maximised the use of PR and social channels (see #TakeTheTimeForFive to see our brand film exploring our brand purpose, vision and mission).  

A rebrand should serve the needs of your customers. For event organisers, we developed high-quality photography and video assets to help them engage exhibitors and attendees. A digital-first approach ensures our brand is impactful across traditional and digital platforms.

Beyond the visual refresh, we’re working across the business to better articulate our investments, innovations, and expertise—so our brand is not just a promise, but a proven commitment to excellence.

More than a refresh

A successful rebrand in the events industry requires more than just a fresh design; it must be deeply rooted in strategy, storytelling, and audience engagement. At Excel London, our transformation was driven by our growth, our mission, and the evolving needs of the industry. By approaching our rebrand with careful planning, collaboration, and sustainability in mind, we’ve created an identity that truly reflects our ambition to be the best event destination in the world.

If you’re considering a rebrand for your event business, start with a strong foundation, involve your key stakeholders, and ensure your new identity tells a story that aligns with your mission. The right rebrand doesn’t just change how you look—it elevates how you connect, innovate, and create impact.