UK venue
New era for Olympia Events beckons, and exhibitions remain at the core
A £ 1.3bn transformation is underway at Olympia London and CEO of Olympia Events Andy O’ Sullivan explains how the 138-year-old venue complex remains committed to its exhibition heritage
here’ s a curious
T assumption that sometimes comes when a venue updates itself.
When investment extends beyond exhibition halls – introducing new event spaces, hospitality, entertainment, workspaces and public realm – some people ask,“ Are you moving away from exhibitions”?
Let me be clear: at Olympia, we are certainly not.
Exhibitions are our bread and butter. They always have been, and remain to this day, the foundation of Olympia’ s core business and identity.
The exhibitions industry is not one to stand idle. It has evolved, and continues to evolve, through economic cycles, digital disruption, global uncertainty and changing audience expectations.
What’ s different now is the pace of that evolution. Exhibitors are demanding clearer ROI and visitors are more selective with their time. Experience matters more than ever.
When we talk about the brilliant elements of the redevelopment at Olympia, it’ s because we believe the investment being made around them will truly strengthen and expand the ecosystem they sit within.
These days, an exhibition can’ t exist in isolation. It is content, community, commerce and culture intertwined. It is the networking drinks, the restaurant meeting that seals the deal, or the chance encounter in a shared space. Increasingly, exhibitor value is created in the margins, in the moments before and after the show floor opens.
“ Exhibitor value is created in the margins”
Left: Andy O ' Sullivan, CEO, Olympia Events
That’ s why what is being built at Olympia is not a pivot away from exhibitions; it is an infrastructure of reinforcement. Hotels allow delegates to stay on site and extend dwell time whilst restaurants and public spaces encourage networking to continue naturally. Cultural and live entertainment spaces bring fresh audiences into the campus, and improved connectivity makes the visitor journey seamless rather than segmented.
Critically, all of this feeds back into the core show.
The mission is simple: help the exhibitions industry evolve for the better. That means asking organisers what success looks like in today’ s market. It means recognising that growth won’ t always come from adding more stands; sometimes it comes from deepening engagement, increasing the quality of the interaction and broadening the audience ecosystem.
Olympia is not replacing exhibitions with something else. It is strengthening the conditions in which they operate, elevating the experience at every touchpoint.
There is also a responsibility here – Olympia has been an integral part of the UK exhibitions landscape for well over a century. With that legacy comes an obligation to evolve and adapt. The issue is one of perception; evolution can sometimes be misread as abandonment.
Olympia would not be undertaking one of the most significant redevelopment projects in its history if there wasn’ t complete confidence in the future of exhibitions. The new destination is being built around us because exhibitions remain central to what Olympia does.
So yes, Olympia is evolving and diversifying, but the heart of what we do remains unchanged. Exhibitions are not a legacy product to be managed; they are a dynamic platform to be strengthened. EW
20 Issue 2 2026 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk