Olympia Events has promoted experienced venue executive Carly Gibbs to general manager of the new International Convention Centre (ICC) being developed as part of the wider Olympia London regeneration. The move comes during the launch year for the ICC, a key element in the £1.3 billion transformation of the historic exhibition complex and one of the most substantial venue redevelopment projects currently underway in the UK capital.
The ICC, managed by Olympia Events under the stewardship of global premium experiences company Legends, is being positioned as a new large-scale meetings and conventions hub in west London. Gibbs, who has more than two decades of experience in the events and venue sector, will take responsibility for leading the convention centre as it comes to market and begins hosting its first wave of business events.
Background and industry context
Olympia London is in the midst of a multi-year redevelopment programme intended to evolve the historic exhibition halls into a mixed-use destination combining events, hospitality, creative workspaces and entertainment. The scheme, valued at around £1.3 billion, is designed to enhance Olympia’s role in the city’s event ecosystem while adding new revenue streams and amenities.
The ICC forms a core part of this strategy, expanding Olympia’s traditional trade and consumer show offer into larger conferences, association congresses, corporate meetings and hybrid events. For organisers, the development adds a new purpose-built convention option to London’s existing portfolio of large venues and hotels with meeting facilities, at a time when demand is returning and event formats are diversifying.
Legends Global, which manages Olympia Events, brings a background in operating major venues, sports arenas and live entertainment destinations internationally. Its involvement is expected to inform the commercial positioning and operational model of the ICC, particularly around premium experiences, event services and technology enablement.
Key appointment to lead the new ICC
As general manager of the new ICC, Carly Gibbs will oversee all aspects of the convention centre’s operation once it opens, including event delivery, client relationships, commercial performance and team leadership. Her remit will span pre-opening planning and mobilisation through to day-to-day venue management.
Gibbs brings more than 20 years of experience across venue operations, sales, and event management roles. That background is expected to be important as Olympia seeks to attract a mix of international associations, corporate planners and exhibition organisers to the new space, while integrating the ICC’s calendar with the wider campus and its longstanding exhibitions business.
The promotion also signals a focus on continuity and internal expertise as Olympia upgrades and expands its offer. Gibbs has been involved in the existing Olympia operations, giving her familiarity with the location, client base and operational culture that will need to align with new facilities and services introduced through the redevelopment.
Potential industry impact
For the wider business events industry, the ICC’s launch under experienced leadership could alter the competitive dynamics for large conferences and multi-day events in London. A new convention facility at Olympia increases capacity in a market where prime dates at major venues are often booked years in advance, particularly for large association congresses and global corporate meetings.
The project is expected to appeal to organisers seeking a venue that combines purpose-built convention infrastructure with direct access to exhibition halls, hospitality spaces, hotels and leisure offerings on a single campus. This aligns with broader trends in venue design, where integrated districts are being developed to keep delegates on-site for longer and provide more options for networking, sponsorship activations and ancillary events.
The redevelopment could also support hybrid and digitally enabled formats as the ICC brings in modern AV, connectivity and broadcast infrastructure. Although specific technology details were not disclosed in the appointment announcement, new-build convention centres typically prioritise robust digital capabilities to serve content-rich programmes and global audiences.
Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers
For event planners, the combination of a new ICC with established exhibition halls offers additional flexibility when designing programmes. Conferences can be paired with product showcases, expos or experiential activations under one roof, simplifying logistics and potentially reducing reliance on off-site venues. This can be particularly relevant for sectors such as technology, healthcare, finance and professional services, where events increasingly blend plenary content with demonstrations and partner showcases.
The appointment of a general manager at this stage suggests the ICC is moving from construction into operational readiness, which typically precedes more detailed communication with the market about space specifications, booking timelines and service models. Organisers considering London for late-2020s events may now begin to factor the ICC into long-range venue sourcing.
Technology providers, meanwhile, may see opportunities tied to a major new convention footprint in a global gateway city. New venues often prioritise partnerships around:
- Digital signage and wayfinding solutions across campus-style developments
- Hybrid event platforms and on-site broadcast production facilities
- Advanced Wi-Fi and networking infrastructure to support dense delegate usage
- Data and analytics tools for tracking attendee flows and engagement
- Sustainable operations technology, from smart building systems to energy monitoring
With a senior venue leader now in place, conversations between the ICC, organisers and suppliers around these aspects are likely to intensify as the opening approaches and the operating model is finalised.
Looking ahead
Carly Gibbs’ promotion to general manager of the new Olympia ICC marks a significant step in bringing one of London’s most ambitious event infrastructure projects to fruition. As the convention centre moves towards launch, the focus will shift from construction milestones to how the venue will be programmed, serviced and differentiated within a crowded international market.
For the business events community, the development offers the prospect of additional capacity, new formats and fresh collaboration opportunities across venue operations, technology, and content delivery. The effectiveness of leadership appointments such as Gibbs’ will play a central role in determining how successfully the ICC converts Olympia’s large-scale physical transformation into long-term value for organisers, exhibitors and delegates.