OLYMPIA
The New Olympia: Reshaping London ' s Live Events Scene
As Olympia completes its £ 1.3 billion transformation, it’ s set to become far more than a venue; it’ s evolving into a global cultural destination where live music, entertainment, food, culture and business coexist. Access All Areas spoke with Olympia Events business development director Gareth Lloyd about how this regeneration will reshape London’ s live events landscape and reclaim its reputation as a worldclass home for live entertainment.
Tell us more about this new era for Olympia?
Olympia has hosted remarkable events for over 139 years, but this transformation elevates it to a new level. We are creating a 14-acre destination where live music, culture, hospitality, and business sit side by side in one interconnected environment. The major shift is the scale and ease of movement across the estate. Organisers, promoters, and audiences will experience a unified experience from the heritage halls and new ICC to the hotels, restaurants, theatre, and AEG-operated music venue. Events can naturally extend into food, leisure and entertainment. We are not simply transforming a venue, we are redefining what a live events destination can be for London and beyond.
Olympia’ s redevelopment introduces a“ breathe in, breathe out” approach. What does that mean for organisers?
It gives organisers a new level of flexibility across Olympia’ s event spaces. The‘ breathe in, breathe out’ concept is about creating fluid, scalable event formats.
Star Live creation The Centenary You can‘ breathe in’ by keeping a comedy show or awards ceremony contained in the ICC. Then, you can‘ breathe out’ by extending across the estate, using the Central and West Halls for activations or hospitality, followed by a private dinner in our new membership club, The Addison, or a 3,800-capacity gig at the music venue. It turns Olympia into a living environment where content, networking, entertainment, and hospitality flow together to create bigger, more immersive experiences.
As Olympia begins to enter a new era of content and experiences, what can audiences and organisers expect?
We’ re strengthening and diversifying our offer, where music, sport, and consumer experiences stand alongside our worldclass exhibitions and conferences. Through our partnership with SJM, major live music and entertainment will come back to Olympia, and we are actively progressing plans for largescale sporting events and new consumer festivals. This shift has already begun, as Winter Funland sets to open our doors to new audiences, while the
Titanic Exhibition next year marks our move into immersive, experience-led content. Our vision is clear: for Olympia to be recognised by both the public and the industry as a diverse, yearround, destination for events, culture, and entertainment.
How will this redevelopment impact London’ s global live events market
London is already one of the most desirable destinations in the world for live events, but the new Olympia pushes the boundaries even further. By combining business, culture, and entertainment, we are creating a destination that serves multiple audiences simultaneously. It supports longer stays, deeper engagement, and higher value outcomes. For the UK events industry, this is a major step forward. Olympia will help future-proof London’ s status as a global leader in live entertainment and large-scale experiences. We are not just part of the conversation. We intend to set a new benchmark, and we cannot wait to show the industry what is now possible.
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