Olympia Events, managed by Legends Global, has appointed Karen Cmela as Food & Beverage Director to lead the next phase of its in-house food and beverage operation.
Cmela brings experience across hospitality, sport and live events, having held senior leadership positions at venues including Ascot Racecourse and The O2.
Her experience includes large-scale food and beverage operations, premium hospitality and guest experience across major live event and entertainment venues.
At Olympia, Cmela will be responsible for shaping the food and beverage proposition across its heritage halls, new International Convention Centre (ICC) and The Addison.
The appointment follows Olympia Events’ investment in developing its in-house food and beverage operation, drawing on expertise from across Legends Global’s wider portfolio.
Following the launch of the new ICC this year, Cmela will focus on developing the culinary offer across conferences and corporate live events alongside Olympia’s exhibition calendar.
The venue plans to broaden its food and beverage proposition across large-scale catering events, banquets, dinners and award ceremonies.
Alex Lewis, COO at Olympia Events, said: “Karen joins Olympia Events with a wealth of experience leading food and beverage across some of the UK’s most complex and high-profile venues. 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. Her understanding of large-scale hospitality, customer experience and evolving audience expectations will be invaluable as we build on the changes already underway, evolve our conference offering, and prepare to launch The Addison.”
As Food & Beverage Director, Cmela will also be responsible for developing concepts suited to the different venues and audiences across the wider Olympia destination.
Commenting on her appointment, Cmela said: “Food and beverage should be a core reason organisers want to bring their events back to Olympia. What excites me most about this role is the scale of the opportunity, with the chance to shape the F&B offer across multiple venues, each with very different audiences and needs. I want us to challenge expectations of what event catering can be and create food and hospitality experiences that feel relevant, high-quality and genuinely add to the overall event, rather than feeling like a functional add-on.
“What the team has achieved over the past 12 months, from bringing catering in-house under Legends Global to relaunching the retail offer across our heritage halls, is testament to the great progress already underway. I’m excited to build on that momentum, support the team and help shape world-class culinary experiences across Olympia.”
Cmela joined Olympia Events on 7 September 2026.
Olympia’s redevelopment is opening in phases and includes new bars, restaurants and hotels, the 3,800-capacity British Airways ARC music venue and new public spaces, with further additions scheduled for 2027.
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