Earl’s Court and Olympia in west London are best known around the country, if not globally, as being the location of high profile events venues. Both attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors annually in their heydays. Interestingly, both locations – which are less than one mile apart – have been the subject of major redevelopment plans in recent years. It has taken these one time rivals off in very different directions. So in this report we will look at the current state of play in both of them.
First, since it is well on the way to full completion, let’s look at Olympia. Olympia in West Kensington first opened as the National Agricultural Hall in the late 1800s. It is synonymous with major national events such as the London International Horse Show and the Ideal Home Show. However, by the early 2000s the venue had become outdated. It was struggling to attract the high profile events it once did. For what is a prime London location it suffered from poor utilisation, being something of a ghost town outside event days.
The Olympia site was bought by Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International (DFI) in 2017 at a cost of almost £300m. Shortly afterwards the new owners announced ambitious plans to both refurbish and considerably expand the facilities here and transform Olympia into what they called a ‘world leading arts, events, entertainment and experiential district fit for the next 100 years plus’.
The overall aim has been to recreate a venue of international standard, attract new types of events that could not previously have been accommodated, and enable full time utilisation of the site.
The redevelopment plans obtained planning approval from the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in early 2019. The work here has taken a little longer than originally anticipated, with Covid likely a factor, but is now well on the way to completion. The £1.3bn scheme has restored and revamped the existing exhibition halls behind their historic facades and added new events spaces, office space, leisure amenities, retail, dining, hotels and public realm. While events have continued to be held the full range of new facilities is now undergoing a phased opening over the next year or so.
Key elements of the ‘new’ Olympia include four large scale events spaces and a new International Convention Centre, taking the destination’s total capacity for events to around 20,000 people. The British Airways ARC is a new 3,800-capacity music venue, named in a sponsorship deal with the airline. It is being operated by AEG Presents and will host its first music event this June. Separately the British Airways Theatre, the largest new theatre built in London in 50 years, will open in 2027. There will ultimately be 25 new and unique places to eat and drink, with flagship venues set in the historic Pillar Hall.
