Olympia – an event venue in London – is all set to return to the rock concert scene after it was recently revealed that the £1.3bn redecoration of the exhibition center will include in its scheme of things a 4,400-capacity live music venue.
The new venue will be built above the existing west exhibition hall and will be the biggest in West London, overtaking the Eventim Apollo (the live entertainment performance venue in London), which has a seated capacity of 3,341.
It is envisioned that the music venue will be the focal point of the new £1.3bn culture, entertainment and business development at Olympia due to open in 2023, creating a world-class district of creativity and innovation. The development will boast four-screen art house cinema, a 1,500-seat theater, eateries, shops, cafés, hotels and 550,000sqft of office and co-working space.
Olympia London, sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition center, event space and conference center in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England.
The who’s who of the music world appeared at Olympia in its prime including American musician Jimi Hendrix, British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, British rock band Pink Floyd, English rock bands Status Quo, Procol Harum, The Cure and the Scottish rock band Primal Scream.
The Olympia has staged few major music events over the past decade, although British rap star Skepta performed a sellout show in the venue last year.
Olympia London owners Yoo Capital (based in Central London) and Deutsche Finance International (pan-European private equity real estate platform) said they have struck a deal with the live entertainment company AEG Presents UK, which promotes events such as British Summer Time at Hyde Park, and the Coachella festival in California, as well as artistes such as the English rock band The Rolling Stones, and the English singers-songwriters Ed Sheeran and Elton John.
AEG Presents is one of the world’s leading companies in live entertainment, promoting memorable, smash hit UK tours. AEG Presents’ parent company AEG Worldwide runs The 02 London and the Eventim Apollo.
Steve Homer, Chief Executive, AEG Presents, stated, “This is a very exciting opportunity. Olympia is steeped in British music history as far back as Jimi Hendrix in the ‘60s. AEG Presents are delighted to be part of the new development and we plan to create more iconic shows for London audiences.
A statement sent out by AEG read, “This announcement represents AEG’s commitment to growing live entertainment in the UK. AEG’s award-winning AEG Europe Global Partnerships team will oversee all of the naming rights and partnership opportunities for our new music venue, as well as the entire Olympia campus on behalf of the developers.”
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