21-654: Olympia Events , formerly known as Olympia London and sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre , is an exhibition centre , event space and conference centre in West Kensington , in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham , London , England. A range of international trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and sporting events are staged at the venue. There is an adjacent railway station at Kensington (Olympia) which
42-527: A convention center. In Francophone countries, the term is palais des congrès (such as the Palais des Congrès de Paris ) or centre des congrès (such as the Centre des congrès de Quebec). The original convention centers or halls were in castles and palaces . Originally a hall in a castle would be designed to allow a large group of lords, knights and government officials to attend important meetings with
63-601: A much larger scale and made more easily accessible by railway from across London and the rest of the country. The site chosen was a former market garden in West Kensington, immediately adjacent to Addison Road station , already a major passenger station on the West London Railway, which became an important method of transport for visitors to Olympia. The building was branded as Olympia even before it opened as its commercial rationale quickly evolved beyond
84-689: A personal gun salute . When Hasan Ali Shah , the first Aga Khan, came to Sindh (which is now in Pakistan ) from Afghanistan , he and his army were welcomed by Mir Nasir Khan Noori of Baluchistan . In 1866, the Aga Khan won a court victory in the High Court of Bombay in what popularly became known as the Aga Khan Case , securing his recognition by the British government as the head of
105-684: A scholar of the Isma'ili movement, Aga Khan is an honorific title bestowed on Hasan Ali Shah (1800–1881), the 46th Imām of Nizari Ismai'lis (1817–1881), by the Iranian king Fath-Ali Shah Qajar . However, Daftary apparently contradicts what the Aga Khan III noted in a famous legal proceeding in India: that Aga Khan is not a title but instead an alias that was given to the Aga Khan I when he
126-572: A solemn place of prayer clad in red and green textile and the Imamat crest adorned with fresh flowers. Olympia Hall was the venue for the Aga Khan's silver jubilee visit to UK on 5 July 1983. The darbar was attended by members of the Imamat family. Convention center A convention center ( American English ; or conference centre in British English ) is a large building that
147-527: Is both a London Overground station, and a London Underground station. The direct District Line spur to the station only runs at weekends. The complex first opened in 1886. The Grand Hall and Pillar Hall were completed in 1885. The National Hall annexe was completed in 1923, and in 1930 the Empire Hall was added. After World War II , the West London exhibition hall was in single ownership with
168-504: Is designed to hold a convention , where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees. Very large venues, suitable for major trade shows , are sometimes known as exhibition halls . Convention centers typically have at least one auditorium and may also contain concert halls , lecture halls , meeting rooms , and conference rooms . Some large resort area hotels include
189-527: The 20th Century, however its distinctive façade was listed. In May 2021, demolition started on the non-listed parts of Olympia Events as part of a comprehensive mix-used redevelopment of the complex by its current owners, while still retaining significant exhibition space. In May 2021, the Olympia Theatre was announced with 1,575 seats, making it the largest new theatre in London since the completion of
210-480: The National Theatre in 1976. This is in addition to previously announced and consented hotels, rehearsal spaces, cinemas, 4,000 seat music venue, retail, dining and public spaces. The major 21st Century redevelopment of Olympia is within the same site boundaries as the historic event spaces. Olympia Hall was the venue for the Aga Khan 's UK Padhramni from 1–7 September 1979. Olympia Hall was transformed to
231-599: The United Kingdom, and around the world. The Olympia Exhibition Centre consists of: In 2003, The Grand Hall and the Pillar Hall of 1885, designed by Coe and Edmeston, were given historic status, listed at Grade II* for their historic interest and their architectural value. Olympia Central, a large concrete building in the Moderne architectural style was not fully listed due to the number of changes made through
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#1732775401810252-730: The holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini, Aga Khan IV (born 1936). Aga Khan claims to be a direct descendant of Muhammad , the last prophet according to the religion of Islam . The title is made up of the titles " agha " and " khan ". The Turkish "agha" is "aqa" (Āqā) in Persian . The word " agha " comes from the Old Turkic and Mongolian "aqa", meaning "elder men", and means something like "master" or "lord." " Khan " means king or ruler in Turkish and Mongolian languages. According to Farhad Daftary ,
273-605: The king. A more ancient tradition would have the king or lord decide disputes among his people. These administrative actions would be done in the great hall and would exhibit the wisdom of the king as judge to the general populace. One of the most famous convention center debacles happened in France on June 20, 1789. King Louis XVI locked a group known as the Third Estate out of the meeting hall in Versailles. This led to
294-517: The larger nearby Earls Court Exhibition Centre . The latter was built in the 1930s as a rival to Olympia. In 2008, ownership of the two venues passed from P&O to Capco Plc which sold it off as a going concern, while Earls Court was being demolished in 2014 as part of an ambitious regeneration scheme to create more luxury housing. In 2012, Olympia celebrated 125 years of events by commissioning British artists Peter Blake , Rob Ryan , Sanna Annukka and Paul Hicks to create their interpretations of
315-684: The revolutionary group holding their meeting in an indoor tennis court. This was the first modern democratic conference center and lead to the Tennis Court Oath and the French Revolution . Aga Khan States People Centers Other Aga Khan ( Persian : آقاخان , Arabic : آغا خان ; also transliterated as Aqa Khan and Agha Khan ) is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias . Since 1957,
336-559: The staging of agricultural or military shows into an open-ended exploitation of what was the largest such venue in England at the time. Intended as a large indoor space for exhibitions, tournaments, sporting competitions and entertainments of various kinds, the building followed in the tradition of large-scale exhibition halls popularised by the Great Exhibition in 1851, the inspiration for various imitators in London, elsewhere in
357-557: The venues. In January 2013, a £40 million investment was completed and the company re-launched with a new brand; subsequently the business was awarded the Best Marketing Campaign at the Exhibition News Awards 2014. In May 2021, demolition work started at the site as part of a significant overhaul of the complex, which includes new construction and refurbishment of listed historic aspects. Olympia
378-707: Was a young man. During the latter stages of the First Anglo-Afghan War (1841–1842), Hasan Ali Shah and his cavalry officers provided assistance to General Nott in Kandahar Province and to General England in his advance from Sindh to join Nott. For these and for other diligent efforts made by him in the service of the Empire, the British Raj recognised him as a "Prince". This title
399-596: Was based upon his claim to leadership of an entire sect of Islam. Imperial Britain saw great possibilities in having under their control and patronage the head of a major Shia sect; it could even be used at some later stage to counterbalance the influence of the Ottoman Caliph , the head of Islam as recognized by the Sunni sects. The Aga Khan was the only religious or community leader in British India granted
420-492: Was less extraordinary in that time and place than it seems today, because the British while consolidating their hold on India, had been handing out similar titles liberally to any large landowner or tribal chieftain with local influence who made himself useful to them. The Aga Khan was exceptional in that, while it was the local tribal influence that had enabled him to serve the British and gain their favour, his claim to nobility
441-733: Was originally conceived in the early 1880s as the National Agricultural Hall, a larger version of the Royal Agricultural Hall (1861–62, Grade II) in Islington. The project of building a National Agricultural Hall was conceived by Edwyn Sherard Burnaby (1830-1883), MP for Leicestershire North, who primarily wanted to see shows such as the military Royal Tournament , held at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington since 1880, staged on
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