Olympia London

I went to last year’s London Film And Comic Con which was held at the Olympia London. It’s a massive event space and I felt it was quite a good fit for the London Film And Comic Con. I’m looking forward to going there again next month. :)

There aren’t many places that can handle a sex show, a baking show, and a food show all in the same place — but Olympia does, and with aplomb.
I always find events at Olympia to feel slightly less frenetic than at other places. We were there for the BBC Good Food show, which was running until 6pm on a Friday. We arrived at 4.30pm and it was pretty much empty. We went down every aisle, and did the attached Baking Show, and got to try samples, talk to vendors, and buy things without any pushing and shoving — a revelation. Sure, part of this is down to the show and the time we were there, but we also went to a cruise show in February this year on a Saturday and we had a similar experience. There just seems to be something about the flow of Olympia that makes being there quite pleasant.
I might change my mind after the Ideal Home Show Christmas in a couple of weeks!
The only downside is that Olympia is a pig to get to/​from.

Big event space located in Kensington, the only problem is getting there. Last time we went I found the best option was to walk from Barons Court. There are several exhibition spaces spread over a large area so the next issue is knowing which one the event you are going to is in. Turns out the event we were going to didn’t want to specify which one it was and we ended up walking all the way round as they had decided not to signpost it to the very last minute either.
As this is now the only exhibition space that is in central London, the other one is at the Excel centre and that is even more of a pain to get to and they’ve decided to eventually knock down Earls Court (boo). The venues are spacious but there isn’t much else around here and not many facilities inside (guess it depends which one you go to).

It was nice to learn about the new and upcoming 2016 trends for fashion. I witnessed a few catwalks and a few entrepreneurs approached me and we exchanged pleasantries…
The fashion appears to be centered for women and I did not observe much men’s fashion wear. The reception area has a host of fun and good-​humoured info personnel. I was given a badge and free Pure London fashion tote bag.

Olympia London is a huge events hall, well made up of many different halls in West Kensington, London. I attended for The Allergy and Free From Show in The «Grand» hall, the train and tube stations are very close to here, with the same name as the event hall — well Kensington Olympia and it is easy access on the bus, with the 17 bus to Warren Street and then the 27, if you are coming from Euston.
I am trying hard to review the place, not the event and it is quite difficult to do so, but it is a great place for hosting the events, and I shouldn’t let a slightly poor opinion on the event, effect my scoring for Olympia.
Wheelchair access is not a problem with a very basic lift up the stairs, in the Grand Hall at least, and they is a small ticket office to buy tickets for the event, I feel charging for this event in particular is a rip off considering that you can get them for free, and everyone must have a local library/​office/​friend/​shop printer they can use and then they are paying under 1 percent of the price charged here (well around that…)
The location of Olympia is quite poor, with a few closed down businesses or at least money-​ridden places which could really do with some work done, but that fits in to the style of Olympia, with it being quite Old Fashioned in some parts.
I can only give 3 stars as it is a great, huge place to host events and probably can do many at a time, however I can’t give more because:
— I would like to see how different events cope with Olympia, I don’t want to mark this conference up or down because of something the event has asked for, when in The Ideal Home Show for example it might be totally different, for example horrible smells at certain parts of this event, may not exist there
— The surrounding area is pretty poor
— It is very hard to get to for disabled, with buses and of course being stuck in London Traffic
— It could be slightly better signed posted in which hall the event is in; I wasn’t confused however I did get asked (Why would someone think I knew where I was going when I have never been to Kensington before?) what hall it was in, and it would save people a lot of hassle if it was better signed posted, this isn’t a big issue here (unlike Euston) but still it would be a key factor in making a 3 star a 4 star, or a 4 a 5.

I love this venue and prefer it to Earls Court when that was open. It’s a huge space with really beautiful architecture and lots of light. I visited for the Ideal Home Show and it worked so well with the different floors. There were plenty of toilet facilities so there weren’t huge queues and it was really well laid out to get thousands of people around it without being cramped.
The only downside is getting there. I live near the district line so thought it would be easy but it’s not. You have to change to a different branch and those trains aren’t all that regular. I had a 20minute wait for it on the way home, which is a long time in relation to other tube services.

An exhibition centre for shows like the Ideal Home Show, Good Food Show, Travel Show, The Horse Show, The Baby Show, you name it, it is held here! But it is annoyingly awkward to get to. The station next to it, Olympia, is the terminus station from Earl’s Court, one stop away, is the most convenient, but it does not always run, so a shuttle service is used instead. Otherwise it is the Overground from Shepherd’s Bush or West Brompton.

I was here for London VegFest, so I can only judge on that — I’m not sure if it was the event coordinators or Olympia itself responsible for the setup, but it was just too crowded, especially the first floor. For an event that’s centered around food, it was strange that there was almost nowhere to sit and eat it — no tables, only a few chairs stuck in a corner. It’s super echo-​y and loud, and the signage was not good at all for where to get into VegFest and where to go once you’re inside. It was overall a good event, but I feel like it could’ve been set up much better and used a bigger space.

Good, open, venue. (I went to an event in the «modern» wing) Terribly heating/​cooling. We were all melting on 13 March at the Knitting and Stitching Show! Otherwise, seems a nice, bright, and useful.

London Olympia is the Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde of exhibition halls.
Olympia 1 is beautiful, bright and grand. Its tube station (High Street Ken) affords the visitor a lovely and picturesque walk past a parade of boutique shops and stately homes.
Olympia 2 is a shithole — dark, cavernous and miserable. Its tube station (West Kensington) affords the visitor a grim walk past council estates and betting shops.

Everything everyone has said previously is true. More than true.
This is a grand space for a giant event. I was here for the Great British Beer Festival and it was perfect. Giant enough to hold thousands and thousands of people but still give enough room to walk around and see what’s going on. It’s a beautiful old building with grand architecture and multiple floors so you really can see everything.
However, getting here is a giant pain in the ass, made especially annoying because there is an underground station literally right outside of the hall, but since trains run few and far between (or at all, during the week they don’t unless it’s a very special event) then you’re screwed.
So five stars for a great venue, minus one star for being stupid to get too. And now you know.

Olympia is the best-​connected exhibition centre located next to Olympia station and it has all the fcilities that you would expect. Olympia 2 is one of the smaller exhibition halls in the complex with access from the main road rather than the station area.

I like this venue, I promise I do, but it’s such a sod to get to. It should be simple but when the District line is being stupid, arriving on time is a bit of a challenge, and lets face it, the District line is a bit of a little sod most of the time. Actually not quite fair, it’s not as bad as some (i.e. the Circle Line), that think it is perfectly acceptable to run one service every 10 or so minutes. Grrrr!
Rant over, the architecture is beautiful, ornate and decretive designers. Which is always a pleasure to gaze upon when you’re rushing around stall and displays eating and drinking lots.
Generally speaking you are guaranteed a good day because you really only go out that way for something that you really want to see and experience.

Came here for the MasterChef Live event. The venue is large and has very decent access to toilets. Things were laid out nicely and the event was well organised. Plenty of light, both artificial and natural. Pretty easy to get here. I suppose these are all the major things a big exhibition centre needs, and this place has them.

A really nice facility that has clearly been around for a very long time. Wikipedia says it was built in 1885. On the inside, the exhibition floor is around the size of an Olympic pool or maybe a football pitch («soccer field» to Americans). Very light and airy with a high arching roof.
It’s located right next to Kensington Olympia Underground station, but Olympia is on a spur that does not get served very well. You might be better to exit the Underground at Kensington High Street and take a bus or taxi.
Depending on the event, there may or may not be food offerings. Today for the Unified Communications Expo, there is a coffee and pastries bar in the center of the floor, plus two «permanent» sandwich stores where the prices run towards expensive.
No organic wifi, unfortunately. For this event, O2 is here and has set up a social media lounge and provided free access.

As Olympia is quite a confusing location at the best of times, quick caveat here to say that I am alluding to the London’s Olympia Grand Hall which is famous for its stunning Victorian architecture, magnificent galleries and barrelvaulted roof. Usually home to sprawling exhibitions, such as the recent La Dolce Vita.
However the real beauty of this venue is the 19,325sqm of exceptional space and flexibility, which makes this once of the best gig venues in London. Choose where you stand and how much you want to see, long live the mosh pit and no queues for the drinking hoards!

The Olympia is a great venue. If you’re there it’s likely to be for an exhibition of some kind. I was there for the ‘Vitality Show’ — which I wouldn’t have gone too if it wasn’t for me getting free tickets. It was great though, as everywhere I turned people were handing out free things, it was like being in Tesco all over again (I’ve just found out the things in Tesco weren’t free, but how was I to know at the time?).
Anyways, the venue is lovely to look at, it’s clearly been around for years. Hold on, let me google and find out how many years. Okay, the google search hasn’t gone so well. But trust me when I say it’s been around for ages, you can tell by the smell and by the way old people seem to enjoy being there. And the smell of the old people.
The annoying thing about Olympia is how impossible it is to get there. Well not impossible, I mean — if it was — how would the man get there in the morning to unlock the doors?. But it’s certainly more impossible than getting to your bathroom. The reason is that it is on this curious part of the District Line that only runs about once every 40 minutes; and it’s sole destination is Olympia. Even when you’re on this train it seems to sit around for about 10 minutes, teasing you, pretending it’s going to go to Olympia. Of course, it eventually does.
Event-​wise, it’s probably the best. It’s got more character than the Excel Centre, and it’s got a more personal, likeable tone to it than the other sized King-​Of-​Exhibitions, known better as Earls Court.

What can I say? I’ve been here a couple of times. Both visits, I hated the event but was in awe of this beautiful Victorian Structure. Last time was for the BBC Good Food Show:

I suppose if you’re like me, then you’re not one for large convention style events, but find yourself at such happenings from time to time. Well, if so, at least Oympia’s a cool building to roam around.

Olympia is one of the oldest, largest and most famous exhibition centres in the UK.
History
Its history goes back to the success of the Agricultural Hall built in Islington in 1862. This staged all sorts of shows and events, but it became clear that a larger venue was needed to house the sort of impressive spectacles the public increasingly demanded. To this end, the National Agricultural Hall Company was founded and in 1885 purchased over 6 acres of land — then used for market gardens — just over Kensington’s border in Hammersmith.
Henry E. Coe (who designed the Islington hall) was chosen as the architect, and built the original Great Hall. This opened in 1886 with the Paris Hippodrome Circus, which included some 400 performers, 300 horses and six elephants. In 1922 – 23, a smaller additional hall was built on the south side, named the National Hall, and in 1929 – 30 the Empire Hall was added to the West. The Great Hall was subsequently renamed the Grand Hall, and the Empire Hall is now known as Olympia Two.
The venue became the site for a number of high profile exhibitions, including the Ideal Home Show and — as early as 1905 — the Motor Show. Both later moved to the newer Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre, along with events like the Great British Beer Festival (and in the case of the Motor Show, then on to the NEC in Birmingham).
In 1936 the Olympic Garage was built on Maclise Road, with parking for 1,200 cars — the UK’s first multi-​storey car park.
The venues
The original Grand Hall is an impressive structure, and resembles the overall roofs of the railway stations then in vogue: 152 metres long, it has an iron glazed roof 52 metres in span, with braced lattice ribs. The façade, which faces the railway station, is an attractive classical composition of red brick walls with stone dressings, albeit somewhat obscured by later accretions.
The National Hall is built in a similar style, and contrasts markedly with the modernistic style of the Empire Hall built just 6 years later and which fronts Hammersmith Road. By Joseph Emberton, this is an uncompromising modernist design and takes it accents from continental buildings such as the Einstein tower in Potsdam.
Even more sensational in architectural terms, however, is the car-​park. Completed in 1936, also by Emberton, this concrete and brick faced building looks incredibly modern, and still fulfils its original function.
Practicalities
Today, the venue is still busy with exhibitions, fairs and other events, from travel shows and career fairs to the BBC Good Food Show. Although it can get incredibly stuffy in the height of summer — all that glass — there’s no doubt that the original halls are impressive pieces of architecture.
The halls are adjacent to the railway and underground station at Kensington Olympia, which provides the best means of access for most people. There are also buses along Hammersmith Road.
The venue has a wide range of food and drink outlets, although they tend to be a little expensive. Most of the areas have step-​free access — but not all. The website provides a large amount of information about accessibility.

I visit Olympia for the craft shows including the one at Christmas, which is my favourite. The tickets are over £10, which seems a lot but you can find things here you have to really search for in London without the hassle. They have christmas decorations, cards, gifts of all kinds and a food hall too, where you can try everything from toffee vodka to pickled garlic. You can buy for young and old here.
I have also been to the baby show, which is delightful. Even though the bit I enjoyed most were the german sausages, probably because I don’t have a child though. If you do, they have everything you could ask for and more.