What Icescape does

Icescape Ltd. is a Bristol-headquartered, UK-based B2B provider of temporary real ice rinks, founded in 2014 as one of the country's largest operators in this niche. The company designs, installs, and manages real ice installations for events across the UK using a proprietary aluminium piping rink system with rapid-freeze glycol refrigeration — foldable 1m x 5m sections configurable from 300m² to 1,500m², typically built in 2–3 days and frozen within 36–72 hours. Revenue is generated through multiple streams: core rink hire (one-time/event-based), fully managed turnkey operations (staffing, health & safety, skate hire, ice stewarding), training programmes for client-run rinks, ice maintenance services (including a fleet of Olympia ice resurfacers), and accessories/equipment hire (skates, skating aids, lighting, PA, kiosks, festive decorations). A bespoke ticketing system developed in 2018 adds a software layer to the offering.

The company serves five primary customer segments: shopping centres and retail destinations seeking seasonal footfall drivers (Bluewater, White Rose, Clarks Village, Braintree Village), local government and councils running community winter attractions (North Somerset, Tunbridge Wells), events and tourism operators (Bath on Ice, Bournemouth Skate, Skate Cambridge), corporate and retail brands (Asda, Landsec), and — more recently — hospitality and film/TV productions. Distribution is entirely direct-to-client through consultative enterprise field sales, with site surveys, bespoke design, installation, and optional ongoing managed services all delivered by Icescape's own UK teams.

Icescape is a privately held subsidiary of Danco, a UK supplier of temporary structures and marquees with over 50 years' experience. The Danco parentage gives Icescape access to covered/all-weather rink installations via marquee partnerships, a meaningful structural advantage. The business is inherently seasonal and event-driven (UK winter peak), operates only domestically, and has been progressively layering on sustainability credentials — My Carbon Plan membership since 2022, Certified Carbon Gold Award in 2024 — to differentiate in council and corporate procurement.

Name

Icescape

Legal name

Icescape

Website

https://icescape.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Icescape is a UK-based B2B provider of temporary real ice rink hire, designing, installing, and managing real ice rinks for shopping centres, councils, event operators, and corporate clients using proprietary aluminium piping rapid-freeze technology. It operates as a subsidiary of Danco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Temporary Ice Rink Hire and Event Services

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Rinks & Winter Sports Facilities (MPAKAEAG)

Keywords

• Temporary ice rinks
• Ice rink hire
• Ice rink installation
• Ice rink management
• Event rink services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ice Rink Hire: Core revenue stream from hiring temporary real ice rinks. Includes design, installation, and equipment provision. Rinks can be configured to any size with packages starting from 300m2 to 1500m2. Pricing varies by size and session type.
2. Managed Ice Rink Services: Fully managed turnkey packages covering professional rink management, recruitment and staffing, health and safety compliance, skate hire, customer flow management, ice stewarding and maintenance. Provides complete operational support for hands-off client solutions.
3. Training Programmes: Structured training and support programmes for clients who wish to run their own operations. Covers operational knowledge, health & safety, and customer experience. Equips client teams with skills to manage ice care, daily procedures, and front-of-house service.
4. Ice Maintenance Services: Ice resurfacing equipment provision and maintenance support. Includes Olympia machines, tractor-pulled resurfacers, and manual maintenance equipment for smaller installations.
5. Accessories & Equipment: Hire and sale of ice skating accessories including skates (strap-on, lace-up, clip-over), skating aids (penguins, seals), skate racks, professional lighting, PA systems, temporary structures, flooring, kiosks, and festive decorations.
6. Site Survey Services: Site survey assessments at proposed rink locations, typically provided free of charge as part of the sales process to assess space and provide estimates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Icescape designs, installs, and manages temporary real ice rinks for events across the UK using a proprietary aluminium piping rink system with rapid-freeze glycol refrigeration. Packages range from 300m2 to 1500m2 and include site surveys, bespoke design, equipment hire, optional managed operations, training, ice maintenance equipment, and accessories such as skates and ticketing.

Product overview

Icescape operates as a single-product company with modular service extensions. The core offering is their proprietary temporary real ice rink system, featuring bespoke aluminium piping technology designed for rapid deployment and quick-freezing. This aluminium-based rink system — comprising 1m wide and 5m long foldable sections — is the foundational platform that enables Icescape to deliver real ice skating experiences at virtually any location. The company extends this core platform through multiple complementary service modules: Managed Ice Rinks (full operational management), Ice Rink Training Programmes (staff training for client-operated rinks), Ice Maintenance (resurfacing equipment and services), Temporary Structures (marquee coverings via parent company Danco), Accessories (skates, skate aids, lighting, PA systems), the Bespoke Ticketing System (custom-developed in 2018), and Site Surveys. Together, these modules form a complete end-to-end ice rink solution — from initial design and installation through to day-to-day operations and staffing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rink Hire Core service: hire of temporary real ice rinks for events. Includes design, installation, and provision of proprietary aluminium piping rink system. Rinks configurable to virtually any size, typically from 300m2 to 1500m2, with 2-3 day installation and 36-72 hours to freeze. For event organisers, shopping centres, councils, and commercial venues across the UK.
• Managed Ice Rinks Turnkey fully managed rink packages where Icescape's experienced team oversees every aspect of operations including professional rink management, recruitment, staffing, health and safety compliance, skate hire, customer flow management, and ice maintenance and reporting.
• Ice Rink Training Programmes Structured training and support programmes for clients who wish to utilise their own staff. Covers operational knowledge (daily procedures, ice care, plant operation, skate hire, ice stewarding), health and safety (risk management, incident response, safeguarding), and customer experience.
• Ice Maintenance Comprehensive ice maintenance services including professional ice resurfacing using Olympia Ice Resurfacer machines, tractor-pulled resurfacing units for mid-sized installations, and manual snow scrapers for smaller rinks. Large fleet operated in signature blue and white colours.
• Temporary Structures Temporary structure solutions provided in collaboration with parent company Danco. Services include full rink coverings, partial structures for support areas, skate exchange points, restaurants, bars, and hospitality areas, enabling all-weather covered rink options.
• Accessories Comprehensive range of ice skating accessories including rental ice skates (strap-on, lace-up, clip-over), skating aids (Penguin push-along aids and Seal sit-on aids), professional lighting and PA systems, temporary flooring, box office or food & beverage kiosks, and Christmas winter themed props and decorative finishes.
• Bespoke Ticketing System Custom-developed ticketing system launched in 2018, specifically tailored for ice skating events. User-friendly and fully customisable, enables simple ticket purchasing, tracks important data, and provides planners with powerful session management tools.
• Site Surveys Site survey services where Icescape's team assesses proposed rink locations, discusses layout options, and ensures every detail is considered before installation. Free site surveys are offered where appropriate following receipt of initial requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rinks can accommodate up to 100 skaters per session on 300m2 (10m x 30m) rink, up to 330 skaters on 1,000m2 rink, and 500 skaters on 1,500m2 rink
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• My Carbon PlancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022My Carbon Plan supports Icescape's journey to carbon neutrality. Chosen for its practical, transparent approach and focus on impactful UK-based environmental projects. Icescape offsets the annual carbon footprint of every employee through this membership.
• DancocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDanco is Icescape's parent company with over 50 years of experience supplying specialist temporary structures and marquees to major outdoor events. This partnership provides Icescape with exclusive access to marquee and temporary cover solutions for ice rink installations, enabling all-weather covered rink options. Danco's expertise in temporary structures complements Icescape's ice rink capabilities.
• UK Carbon AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIcescape offsets carbon emissions through membership with the UK Carbon Association, supporting verified environmental initiatives as part of their sustainability commitments.
• Olympia (Resurfice)supportingTechnology or IntegrationOlympia Ice Resurfacer machines are used by Icescape for larger rink installations. Olympia (Resurfice) manufactures industry-leading professional ice resurfacing equipment that Icescape operates as part of their maintenance fleet.
• Ice Rink Managers AssociationsupportingOthersIndustry association membership providing networking, best practices, and industry standards alignment for ice rink operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Glice: Swiss-based manufacturer and supplier of synthetic ice rinks for events, training, and commercial use. A partial competitor and substitute to Icescape's real ice rinks, particularly attractive to budget-conscious clients because synthetic ice needs no refrigeration or water.

Others

• Field & Lawn: UK supplier of temporary structures, marquees, and event infrastructure. Comparable to Icescape's parent company Danco and to the temporary-structures integration in Icescape's offering, though not an ice rink operator itself.

Direct peers

• Xtraice: Spanish-headquartered global supplier of both real and synthetic ice rinks for events, shopping centres, and entertainment venues. Comparable to Icescape in temporary ice rink product offering, with broader international reach and an emerging synthetic-ice line.
• Ice Lanes UK: UK-based temporary ice rink hire company focused on seasonal attractions and events. Comparable to Icescape on product (temporary real ice rinks), customer base (events, retail, councils), and operating geography (UK).
• Ice Rink Events: UK-based provider of temporary real ice rink hire for events, including shopping centres, parks, and corporate venues. Directly competes with Icescape in the same UK B2B temporary ice rink market with a comparable service offering (design, installation, management).
• Extreme Ice: UK mobile temporary ice rink provider offering rental and installation for events, parties, and corporate activations. Competes with Icescape in the same small-format temporary ice rink rental niche within the UK.
• Ice Rink 2 You: UK-based temporary ice rink rental company serving events, corporate functions, and Christmas attractions. Directly overlaps with Icescape on product, target customer (event organisers, retail venues), and geography (UK).
• Big Ice Group: UK operator of temporary real ice rinks for seasonal events, including Christmas attractions and shopping centre installations. Competes head-to-head with Icescape in the same temporary ice rink hire market with similar turnkey service propositions.

Broad incumbents

• Planet Ice: UK operator of permanent ice rink facilities under the Planet Ice and Link Centre brands. While permanently located rather than temporary, Planet Ice serves the same end-user ice skating demand and competes for the same holiday leisure wallet as Icescape's clients.
• Silver Blades: UK-based ice rink operator running permanent ice facilities including the Silver Blades Ice Rinks chain. Overlaps with Icescape in the broader UK ice rink leisure market on customer demand and brand positioning, though focused on permanent installations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icescapeltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/Icescapeltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icescape

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Icescape