General Manager - The Addison - London

Olympia Events is more than an exhibition venue, conference centre and live-event space - it is an inspiration. Against a backdrop of grand Victorian architecture, the seven connected spaces inspire engagement and enjoyment. Olympia Events is recognised in the industry for exceptional levels of customer service and support, and our numerous awards are testament to our clients' satisfaction. Beyond the walls of our venue, Olympia is on the ground, working to invest in people, strengthen our communities, and protect the environment.

As part of Olympia's exciting evolution, we are introducing The Addison - a versatile, multi-experiential space designed primarily as a private members' club. In addition, it will provide exclusive hospitality experiences for live events across the Olympia estate. The Addison will feature a tiered membership model, providing a variety of benefits, including private dining and premium food and beverage packages. Members will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for theatre performances, music events, and other live entertainment across the estate.

Job Purpose: We are seeking an exceptional General Manager to lead the launch and day-to-day operations of our brand-new exclusive members' lounge - The Addison, located within the dynamic Olympia destination. The General Manager will be the face and driving force behind the lounge's success - creating an unmatched member experience, owning the P&L as a standalone business, and building a vibrant and engaged community of members. This is a unique opportunity to shape one of London's most exciting new venues from the ground up. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will be responsible for strategic leadership, operational excellence, membership growth and retention, event curation, and world-class service delivery.

Key responsibilities:

• Business Ownership: Full ownership of The Addison's P&L, delivering revenue and profitability targets. Lead day-to-day operations, ensuring financial health and strategic business growth. Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to drive membership acquisition and optimise occupancy.
• Membership and Community: Deliver an outstanding membership experience, tailored to London's market. Develop a compelling membership benefits program, focusing on retention and value. Personally manage top-tier members, ensuring a bespoke, world-class concierge service. Work alongside the sales team to identify key industries and target audiences, aligning with wider estate goals. Evolve the membership offering to support future additions (e.g., theatre, gym, nightlife, new F&B concepts).
• Sales, Hospitality, and Service Excellence: Demonstrate deep expertise across sales, hospitality, front-of-house service, and operational delivery. Lead a team to consistently deliver five-star service standards, exceeding member expectations. Develop and enforce SOPs to ensure seamless operations and guest satisfaction. Oversee F&B operations, including menu collaboration, service delivery, and procurement of best-in-class products.
• Events and Entertainment: Curate and manage a dynamic 7-day-a-week calendar of internal and member-exclusive events. Procure entertainment talent and partnerships to deliver an exciting, relevant event program. Collaborate with the wider venue team to synergise lounge events with music and conference programming.
• Leadership and Team Development: Recruit, inspire, and develop a high-performing hospitality and membership team. Foster a culture of service, innovation, and excellence. Build strong internal collaborations across the wider estate. Develop, implement, and continually evolve a Sustainability Plan tailored to the lounge's operations, ensuring alignment with broader estate-wide sustainability goals.

Person specification: A proven understanding of London's membership house landscape, hospitality trends, and the entertainment industry. A dynamic, modern hospitality leader with a proven track record in private members' clubs, high-end F&B, luxury hospitality, or lifestyle venues. Commercially astute with demonstrable experience managing a P&L. Deep understanding of membership acquisition, retention strategies, and benefit programming. Experience running F&B operations, front-of-house service delivery, and high-end procurement. Passionate about world-class customer service and creating memorable member experiences. Strong background in event curation, entertainment programming, and community engagement. Comfortable working at pace, with flexibility across evenings, weekends, and events. Excellent relationship builder, capable of navigating high-profile environments with discretion and flair. A strategic thinker who thrives in a creative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative environment.

Sustainability Responsibilities: Continuously improve your knowledge of Olympia Events' sustainability programme - the 'Grand Plan'. Complete all training provided and promote sustainability practices to meet our Grand Plan objectives. Follow and promote all sustainable workplace policies and procedures and seek ways to make your department more sustainable by taking an active role to initiate change.

Olympia Events is fully committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children, young people and adults at risk (vulnerable groups) that attend our premises. As a consequence, Olympia Events may require any successful applicant to complete a DBS Check prior to working in our business. Olympia Events is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and expects all its people to have a positive commitment to EDI by treating others fairly and not committing any form of discrimination, victimisation or harassment and to promote positive working relationships amongst employees and stakeholders.

This Job Description is not intended to be exhaustive; the duties and responsibilities may therefore vary over according to the changing needs of the business.