Event exclusive: Olympia to get multi-million facelift

Event exclusive: Olympia to get multi-million facelift
Event exclusive: Olympia to get multi-million facelift

EC&O is to give Olympia a multi-million pound facelift as it prepares for the demise of sister venue Earls Court.

The venue will be overhauled, preserving ‘the fabric of the historic buildings while also making the internal space both easier to access and more flexible for organisers to use', according to the venue owners.

A recent exhibition at Olympia allowed residents to discuss plans and the Olympia team is now consulting with organisers. The process forms part of its consultation in advance of submitting the proposals for planning permission to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in the near future.

Redevelopment will include adding a floor to the West Hall within its existing footprint, and creating links to the Grand Hall and Olympia Two. The Hall will be designed to be used in conjunction with other spaces or independently, giving Olympia extra versatility. Plans include incorporating a visitor entrance on Blythe Road to improve the street frontage and improved pedestrian access around the building.

Olympia Two will also be refurbished to ‘create better exhibition and conferencing space'.

"We believe the investment will provide organisers with new found flexibility for their events and enhance the visitor experience," said EC&O Venues group managing director Nigel Nathan.

As Event has revealed in a series of stories throughout this year, sister venue Earls Court looks set to head in the opposite direction, with multi-billion pound development plans for the grounds looking to turn it into a residential area. Plans for the post-2012 changing of Earls Court accelerated last month with the introduction of architects, backed by key stakeholders, onto the project

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