What did the G20 do for East London?

East London’s capability to host a global event was tested last week with the G20 meeting in London.

What does the community gain from hosting such as event? Some could argue nothing directly. Local business people interviewed on BBC London complained that because certain areas had been cordoned off, customers could not come to their shops, and hence they had to close early because of no business. A lot of police resources were spent on the event as well. Because of the conference, a complete train network – the DLR – was shutdown, meaning hundreds of commuters, if not thousands, were inconvenienced.

On the other hand, for others like the local council Newham and the Excel Docklands Centre, it will serve their books well. For these the benefit is more likely to be long term. For example, because it has successfully hosted an event of this nature, the Excel is likey to attract more global events, and this will boost business confidence in Newham.