Olympia Events has appointed Karen Cmela as food and beverage director, to run catering across Olympia’s heritage halls, its new International Convention Centre (ICC) and The Addison, which is yet to launch.
Cmela has held senior roles at venues including Ascot Racecourse and The O2. She joined Olympia Events, which is managed by Legends Global, on 7 September.
Olympia Events brought its catering in-house in January, under Legends Global, and appointed Steven Morris as executive chef the following month. Following the ICC’s launch this year, the venue says Cmela will focus on growing its catering for conferences and corporate events, from banquets and dinners to awards ceremonies, alongside its exhibitions.
Cmela said: “Food and beverage should be a core reason organisers want to bring their events back to Olympia.”
Alex Lewis, COO of Olympia Events, said: “Her appointment comes at an important time for the business as we continue to strengthen our F&B offering across exhibitions and scale our approach across conferences and live events.”
The big redevelopment
The appointment comes as Olympia’s £1.3bn redevelopment continues. The site now has new bars, restaurants and hotels and a 3,800-capacity music venue, British Airways ARC, with London’s first new theatre in 50 years due to open in 2027.