Events specialists makes changes to top team

Events and festival specialist Freemans Event Partners is marking the growth of its food and beverage division by making four new appointments to its senior team.

Luke Buckle will be responsible for heading up the food department and delivering world-class food and beverage experiences across the Gloucestershire firm’s ever-growing portfolio of event and venue partners, including Twickenham Stadium, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Silverstone Circuit and many more.

With more than 20 years’ experience within the hospitality industry, Luke Buckle brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role. Having most recently worked at RedCat Pub Company as a regional operations manager, he has also held several management roles at leading hospitality businesses, such as Marston’s PLC and Cirrus Inns.

Freemans Event Partners has also made some internal appointments. Jamie Coleman has been promoted to head of beverage and will be responsible for overseeing the bars and beverages across the company’s extensive portfolio of events.

During his ten-year tenure at Freemans Event Partners, he has managed the bar operations at iconic events and venues such as Major League Baseball at London Stadium, the NFL at Wembley Stadium, the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone as well as all bars at Victorious Festival, including a 90-meter-long mobile bar, the biggest in Europe.

Jake Denton has been promoted to head of concessions and will manage a team of account managers across 650 event days as well as a growing portfolio of concessionaires.

All will report into Lee Davies, the company’s operations director who sits on the executive board.

Lee Davies has been with Freemans Event Partners for over two decades and has overseen the company grow from an F&B and concessions business into a multi-service operation, delivering events across the UK & Europe.

As the sporting year continues, Freemans Event Partners will have a presence at a series of flagship events, including the ongoing Women’s Six Nations and Grand National, the FA Cup Final, the Badminton Horse Trials, Taylor Swift’s concerts at Wembley Stadium and Murrayfield Stadium as well as the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, amongst many others.

Chief executive Stephen Freeman said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for our business, and we are thrilled to announce these appointments ahead of what promises to be a very exciting and a busy 2024 for us.

“I’m delighted to be welcoming Luke to the team and we are looking forward to benefiting from his experience and expertise as we take the company forward both in the UK and internationally. These appointments and promotions underline our strategy of driving growth through partnerships with best-in-class venues and partners across the world.”

Luke Buckle added: “I’m over the moon to be joining Freemans Event Partners. Stephen and his team are some of the best people in the business and operate at the biggest events in the UK and Europe, I’m excited to be a part of it.

“We’ve already made a great jump into the 2024 events season with the Cheltenham Festival, and I look forward to working alongside Jake, Jamie, Lee and the rest of the team to grow and enhance the F&B experience across our wide portfolio of events.”

Freemans Event Partners currently delivers more than 650 event days each year, reaching more than 25 million people, at venues including Lord’s Cricket Ground, Silverstone Circuit, Twickenham Stadium and many more. The business is targeting new markets and has been laying the foundations for international expansion for some time.

Clients include Silverstone Circuit, Twickenham Stadium, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Wembley Stadium, the European Tour, the Jockey Club and the Badminton Horse Trials; and the business operates at events as diverse as the Formula One and Moto GP British Grand Prix, the Six Nations, the Cheltenham Races, the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Ashes, Major League Baseball, NFL and the FA Cup.

Established in 1975, the family-owned company has grown from a single fish and chips outlet at Silverstone to an operation that can provide a bespoke offer to large events, venues, and experiences, anywhere in the UK and Europe.