Earls Court & Olympia Group Appoints Former Ministry of Sound CEO Mark Rodol and Announces Joint Venture

Earls Court & Olympia (EC&O) has appointed former Ministry of Sound Chief Executive, Mark Rodol, as Director of Entertainment and will be launching a joint venture company, Trend and Culture, with him. Mark has a brief to oversee all entertainment events and activity at the two legendary London venues.

Working closely with Entertainments Manager Suzie Pollock, who joined EC&O last year from promoter Harvey Goldsmith’s HG Productions, Mark’s objective is to build on Earls Court and Olympia’s reputation as premier venues hosting major entertainment events such as live music, large scale theatrical productions and sporting events. His appointment also signals a desire by EC&O to have a more direct involvement in the promotion and marketing of entertainment events in addition continuing to work closely with promoters who currently use the venues.

Mark said of his appointment:

“Earls Court and Olympia are not only among the best venues in the world they are also fantastic brands with truly iconic status. I am delighted to have been given this chance to work with the team here, to continue building the entertainment side of the business. “This is a great opportunity to write a radical new template for presenting large scale, indoor entertainment events. There is strong demand from both the business and consumer sector for creative, entertainment-led concepts and themes. We are already in the advanced planning stages for our first major project: a Christmas theme park and shopping experience which will take place at Earls Court this coming December.”

Trend and Culture, will be looking to develop and implement new themed entertainment concepts aligned with the existing exhibition and conference business. Both he and EC&O believe that the future of consumer events relies on the integration of more entertainment-led content. Anthony Lyons, Chief Executive of EC&O, added, “I'm delighted that Mark is joining us. He brings a unique combination of creative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit and will add genuine value to the group. His entertainment experience will enhance even further our reputation as the UK’s premier exhibition and entertainment venues."