Wicked Events

What Wicked Events does

Wicked Events is a UK-based event staffing agency founded in 2000 by Sue Torres, specialising in volunteer recruitment and on-site management for festivals and events. The company operates a dual-sided model serving festival organisers (B2B) and individual volunteers (B2C), maintaining a database of 4,000+ active volunteer stewards across the UK. Core services include volunteer stewarding, campsite marking and management, wristband exchange, accreditation, accessibility campsite operations, internal traffic management, and front-of-house information services, delivered across 12+ major UK festivals in 2026 including Download, Sidmouth Folk, End of The Road, Big Feastival, Wychwood, Lakefest, Valley Fest, Vegan Camp Out, Equinox, Blue Tit's Birthday Party, and The Forest School Show. Geographic scope is UK-only, with the company headquartered in the Ledbury area near Gloucester and operating nationwide across festival locations.

The technology layer centres on a web-based Member's Portal hosted on Microsoft Azure with EEA data residency and GDPR-compliant services, enabling self-service volunteer registration, profile management, festival applications, deposit payments, and shift communications. Supporting infrastructure comprises FluentCRM and FluentForms for volunteer data processing, Stripe for deposit and top-up payments (with restricted staff visibility on card details), Campaign Monitor for email marketing, and OneDrive, Dropbox, and iCloud for cloud storage. The portal serves as the primary operational mechanism connecting the volunteer supply side with festival demand, and a new volunteer profile workflow has been deployed for the 2026 season.

The commercial model combines two revenue streams. From the supply side, individual volunteers pay a refundable deposit — £200 standard or £75 reduced for returning volunteers who completed shifts within the prior two years or those applying only to Vegan Camp Out and/or Equinox — of which a £7.50 non-refundable admin fee is retained; deposits are refunded at season-end (end of September) provided all shifts are completed. From the demand side, the company contracts directly with festival organisers to deliver steward supply and on-site event operations support on a per-event basis. The company is privately held, founder-owned, bootstrapped, and operates without any disclosed external institutional investment, public listing, or parent company.

Name

Wicked Events

Legal name

Wicked Events

Website

https://wickedevents.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wicked Events is a UK event staffing agency founded in 2000 that recruits and manages a 4,000+ volunteer steward database. It delivers stewarding, campsite operations, wristband exchange, and accessibility services to 12+ major UK festivals including Download and Sidmouth Folk Festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Crowd Management & Queue Management Staff (HSACAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Hospitality & VIP Lounge Staff (HSACAEAH), Adventure Base Camps (Trek/Climb/Expedition Camps) (THAGAOAG)

Keywords

• Event staffing services
• Volunteer management
• Festival operations
• Volunteer stewarding
• Event workforce solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Volunteer Deposits: Volunteers pay a refundable deposit (standard £200 or reduced £75 for returning volunteers) to secure their placement at festivals. The deposit is refunded at the end of the festival season (end of September) provided all shifts are completed. A non-refundable admin fee of £7.50 is deducted from deposits.
2. Event Organizer Services: Wicked Events supplies volunteer stewards and event operations support to festival and event organizers (customers). The company provides services including volunteer recruitment, on-site management, campsite operations, wristband exchange, accreditation, traffic management, and general event operations support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wicked Events recruits, manages, and deploys volunteer stewards for UK festivals and events, and provides end-to-end event operations support including campsite management, wristband exchange and accreditation, accessibility campsites, internal traffic management, and front-of-house information points. The company operates a self-service online portal that connects individual volunteers with festival placements in exchange for a refundable deposit and shifts, while simultaneously delivering contract-based workforce and operational solutions to festival and event organisers across the UK.

Product overview

Wicked Events is a volunteer management and event operations company that provides a unified platform of services for festival and event organizers across the UK. The core offering consists of volunteer steward recruitment and on-site management combined with specialized operational support services including campsite management, wristband exchange and accreditation, live-in vehicle management, information points and front-of-house operations, accessibility campsites with pre-show communications, and internal traffic management. The company's Member's Portal serves as the central digital platform where volunteers register, create profiles, apply for festivals, pay deposits, and communicate with Wicked HQ. The company manages volunteer opportunities at multiple UK festivals including Blue Tit's Birthday Party, Wychwood Festival, Download Festival, Sidmouth Folk Festival, Valley Fest, Lakefest, Vegan Camp Out, Big Feastival, End of the Road, Equinox, and The Forest School Show. Founded in 2000 by Sue Torres, Wicked Events maintains a database of over 4,000 active volunteer stewards and offers freelance opportunities for event professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteer Steward Recruitment and On-Site Management Recruitment, coordination, and on-site management of volunteer stewards for UK festivals and events, delivered to festival and event organisers as a contracted service.
• Campsite Management Services Campsite marking, layout support, and full campsite management for festivals and events, including live-in vehicle (campervan/caravan) management.
• Wristband Exchange and Accreditation Management Wristband exchange services and accreditation management for event access control at UK festivals and events.
• Accessibility Campsites and Pre-Show Communications Specialist accessible campsite services including pre-show communications for festival attendees with additional needs, with adjustments available for disabled volunteers.
• Internal Traffic Management On-site internal traffic management for festivals and events, including car park and gate operations.
• Information Points and Front-of-House Operations Staffing and operation of information points and front-of-house services to support guest experience at festivals and events.
• Festival Volunteer Opportunities (Member's Portal) Consumer offering in which UK adults aged 18+ register via the online Member's Portal, complete a volunteer profile with Right to Work documentation, pay a refundable deposit, and apply to volunteer shifts at UK festivals in exchange for free entry, crew camping, parking, and shower access.

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Festival Republic: Major UK festival promoter and producer (Reading, Leeds, Latitude). Not a direct competitor but a potential customer/partner for Wicked Events given its scale of festival operations and its historical reliance on steward supply.

Direct peers

• Showforce: UK-based event staffing agency supplying crew, stewards, and operational staff to live events including concerts, festivals, and exhibitions. Highly comparable to Wicked Events in target market, service offering (stewarding, event operations), and UK geographic focus.
• Access All Areas Staffing: UK-based supplier of event stewards and hospitality staff to festivals, sporting events, and corporate functions. Closely aligned with Wicked Events on stewarding services and UK festival customer base.
• Event Angels: UK event stewarding and crowd management specialist serving festivals, concerts, and sporting events. Comparable operating model and end-customers to Wicked Events, with similar stewarding-led value proposition.
• Lemon Event Management: UK-based festival and event staffing company supplying stewards and operational teams to UK festivals and live events. Comparable service scope (stewarding, campsite, accreditation support) and customer profile.
• Arc Event Staffing: UK event staffing provider supplying stewards, security, and front-of-house staff to festivals and live events. Directly comparable service mix and customer base to Wicked Events, with similar focus on festival and outdoor event operations.

Emerging players

• Festival Volunteers (Volunteer It / Meet & Volunteer): Online volunteer matching platforms that connect individuals with festivals and events. Partial overlap with Wicked Events' volunteer-recruitment side but without the on-site stewarding operations offering.

Broad incumbents

• Adecco Events & Hospitality: Global staffing giant with dedicated event and hospitality divisions. Competes indirectly with Wicked Events by supplying event staff to large venues and festivals at greater scale but with less festival-specialist focus.
• Hays Event Staffing: Large UK recruitment and workforce solutions provider with event and hospitality staffing capability. Adjacent competitor — broader portfolio but overlapping on event steward and temporary event workforce supply.

Regional players

• Oxfam Stewards at Festivals: Oxfam's long-running volunteer stewarding programme at major UK festivals. Comparable two-sided model (volunteers exchange shifts for free entry; festivals receive steward labour) and overlapping festival customer base in the UK.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WickedEvents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wicked Events