London Calling Why London?
London needs little introduction. It's an astonishing global city, with something for everyone. A city of enterprise, of cultural diversity, change and growth.
Here are a dozen more reasons to answer the call:
No.1 European city for business. London was voted top city for the 18th year running in 2007, ranking first for easy access to markets, qualified staff, external and internal transport links, telecommunications, availability of office space and languages spoken. It's the springboard to Europe, the biggest single market in the world.
Booming economy. London's economy is expected to grow at a faster rate than New York, Paris or any other established global city.
Excellent transport links. There are direct flights to 530 destinations worldwide from London's five international airports and high-speed rail services to Paris and Brussels. London boasts one of the world's largest overground/underground rail networks and is the hub for the UK's domestic transport networks. The 80-terminal port of London is one of Europe's largest sea freight centres. Compared to other global destinations, London can be reached by more people from more destinations in less time.
Top talent. London has Europe's largest regional workforce (10 million), with major local investment in employer-led skills training. London is also a magnet for highly-experienced senior managers. Of the top five universities in Europe, two are in London and two just an hour’s train ride away in Oxford and Cambridge.
Europe's leading financial centre. Every leading financial institution on the planet is represented in London, one of the world's leading financial centres.
Hub for global brands. One in three of the world's largest companies are headquartered in London.
Magnet for foreign investment. A quarter of London businesses are foreign-owned – 13,510 overseas-owned companies from 92 countries. London attracts more inward investment than any other European country
Wealthiest area in Europe. The average disposable household income in London is the highest regional figure in Europe.
Continued growth and investment. London continues to develop and invest in itself: the Thames Gateway development is the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. Major development projects, including £9.3 billion worth of investment in the Olympic Park, will transform London over the next decade. Stratford City will offer 140,000m2 of exciting retail space, the same again of hotel and conference facilities, homes for 11,000 people and half a million square metres of office and business space.
International political, diplomatic, cultural and media hub. Out of the UN's 191 member countries, 175 of them have embassies in London. It's home to the Financial Times, the BBC, News International, CNN, CNBC, Reuters and many others. London has more museums than Paris or New York and more UNESCO world heritage sites than both those cities combined.
Thriving world city. London is a microcosm of the planet – more than 300 languages are spoken here and one in four Londoners was born outside the UK. The Olympic Park is in London and the UK's most culturally diverse region – 110 languages are spoken and 41% of the workforce is under the age of 25.
Sustainability and innovation. London is working to become a world leader in environmental and climate change issues.
