Olympia Events Appoints Karen Cmela: Will In-House Dining Reshape Venue Success?

London venue operator Olympia Events appoints Karen Cmela as food and beverage director to lead in-house culinary operations and elevate guest hospitality across its expanding multi-venue destination.

In a strategic move to strengthen in-house catering operations, London venue operator Olympia Events appoints Karen Cmela as food and beverage director. The venue, which is managed by the venue management company Legends Global, brought its catering services in-house earlier this year to improve guest hospitality. Cmela took over her position of responsibility on 7 September 2026 and was in charge of the culinary strategy for the heritage halls, the new International Convention Centre, and the forthcoming hospitality sites.

Strategic Oversight and Operational Experience

Cmela, who has held a number of senior positions at Ascot Racecourse and The O2, is in charge of expanding the high-capacity dining services, her leadership extending across a variety of event types including international trade exhibitions, banquets and awards ceremonies.

• Oversees culinary operations across historic heritage halls and newly launched convention spaces.
  
  
• Expands in-house catering capabilities following Legends Global's operational transition.
  
  
• Strengthens dining services for business-to-business conferences and live entertainment shows.

Driving Value and Venue Differentiation

Reflecting on her new responsibilities, Cmela emphasized the strategic role of culinary experiences in driving venue selection: “Food and beverage should be a core reason organizers want to bring their events back to Olympia.”

She added, “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.”

Scaling Hospitality Infrastructure for Multi-Format Events

The leadership addition aligns with an ongoing overhaul of London's landmark event destination. The objective of venue management is to integrate hospitality elements into visitor engagement rather than considering it as an additional requirement of operations.

• Offers tailor-made dining solutions to corporate visitors and attendees at consumer expos.
  
  
• Integrates retail dining across upgraded public areas, hotels, and music venues.

Elevating Guest Experience Across Live Events

Given that venue operators prioritize retention of visitors and high standards of hospitality delivery, the role of management is to oversee implementation of hospitality services across all locations. Cmela's industry background provides the operational structure required to manage complex catering logistics at scale. CIO Bulletin views this development as a key operational step in transforming landmark exhibition spaces into comprehensive multi-format entertainment and business destinations.