Naughty Horse Promotions

What Naughty Horse Promotions does

Naughty Horse Promotions is a UK-based event management company that organizes and promotes student nightlife events, founded around 2008 and headquartered in Birmingham's Broad Street entertainment district. The company operates across Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, with an additional Switch Wednesdays presence in Gloucester and Cheltenham. Its core offering is a year-round calendar of recurring weekly events under owned sub-brands including Switch Wednesdays (Barbara's), Student Saturdays (CIRCO), Craicin Fridays (O'Neills), Barbara's Saturdays and Cookie Dough Thursdays, augmented by large-scale seasonal programming for Freshers Week, Halloween (including the Nightmare Halloween Experience across multiple venues) and Christmas. It also sells annual season tickets covering 50+ events per term, with refundable terms for students who do not secure a university place, and runs a society sponsorship program for university sports teams and societies.

Underlying technology is light: ticketing and event marketing run on the third-party Fatsoma platform, which passes customer purchase data back to Naughty Horse for direct marketing. A proprietary iOS and Android mobile app (Naughty Horse App) provides exclusive guestlists, pre-release tickets, loyalty bonuses, photo galleries and season ticket validation. Distribution relies on organic social (Instagram @NHPromo, TikTok @NHPromo), the company's own website (built on Fatsoma's CMS) and official student-partner relationships with 8+ Birmingham venues. No AI, machine learning, or advanced data capabilities are present in the disclosed technology stack.

The business model combines transactional revenue (per-ticket sales through Fatsoma), recurring subscription revenue (season tickets), affiliate-style revenue (society sponsorship commissions and branding deals), and ancillary service revenue (birthday packages, event-day staffing including street promoters and mascots). The primary customer segment is university students at institutions in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester; the secondary segment is university societies and sports teams. Pricing is event-dependent, with drinks deals typically £3.50-£12 on the night and season tickets sold on an annual cadence. Headcount is 11-50, and the company is privately held with no disclosed funding, ownership changes, or institutional investors.

Name

Naughty Horse Promotions

Legal name

Naughty Horse Promotions

Website

https://naughtyhorsepromo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Naughty Horse Promotions is a UK student nightlife and event management company based in Birmingham, organizing weekly recurring events and Freshers/Halloween/Christmas programming across Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester for university students via owned sub-brands and venue partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Nightlife Event Management

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Nightlife & Club Guest List / Table Reservations (HSACALAG)

Keywords

• Student nightlife events
• Event ticketing services
• Freshers week events
• University society sponsorship
• Venue partnership events

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual event tickets sold through Fatsoma platform. Revenue from per-ticket transactions at various price points including early bird and standard pricing.
2. Season Tickets: Season ticket passes offering entry to Freshers events plus all weekly events through Term 1. Refundable if student doesn't get into university. Includes 50+ events across the term.
3. Staff Commission: Hourly paid shift work with commission structures for street promoters. Mascot and street promoter roles described as highest paid positions.
4. Society Sponsorship: University society sponsorship program where societies receive funding in exchange for partnership benefits including branding, event attendance, and ticket sales commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Naughty Horse Promotions is a Birmingham-based event management company that organizes and promotes student nightlife events across multiple venues in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. Core deliverables include recurring weekly event series (Switch Wednesdays, Barbara's Saturdays, Student Saturdays at CIRCO, Craicin Fridays), seasonal Freshers Week and Halloween events, season ticket subscriptions covering 50+ events per term, society sponsorship programs, and birthday celebration packages. Tickets are sold primarily through the Fatsoma platform with a supporting mobile app for exclusive guestlists and loyalty perks.

Product overview

Naughty Horse Promotions is Birmingham's largest student events and nightlife company operating a multi-product portfolio of recurring weekly events (Barbara's Saturdays, Switch Wednesdays, Student Saturdays at CIRCO, Craicin Fridays, Cookie Dough Thursdays, Naughty Horse Mondays) combined with seasonal major events (Freshers Week, Halloween, Christmas). The company offers season ticket products for university-specific access, a mobile app for exclusive perks and tickets, and additional services including society sponsorship, birthday packages, and event staffing. Ticket sales are processed through the Fatsoma platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Switch Wednesdays: Birmingham's biggest weekly Wednesday night student event at Barbara's venue
• Barbara's Saturdays
• Student Saturdays
• Craicin Fridays
• Freshers Events
• Nightmare Halloween Experience

Products and services

• Weekly Student Nightlife Events
• Freshers Week Events
• Halloween Events Seasonal Halloween student events including Nightmare Halloween Experience (multi-venue takeover across 5 rooms targeting 2,500 students across 5 universities), Nightmare on Broad Street Bar Crawl, Switch Wednesdays Halloween, CIRCO Halloween Thursday, Tavern of Terror at O'Neills, and O'Neills Halloween Saturday. Targeted at university students seeking large-scale themed seasonal nightlife.
• Christmas and End-of-Term Events Seasonal Christmas and end-of-term student events including Miracle on Broad Street Christmas Bar Crawl and Student Saturdays Christmas Special at CIRCO. Targeted at university students during the December holiday and end-of-term celebration period.
• Season Tickets Subscription-style season ticket product offering entry to Freshers events plus all weekly Naughty Horse events through Christmas (50+ events). Available in variants for University of Birmingham, Aston/Birmingham City, and other served universities. Refundable option if the student does not secure a university place, de-risking Freshers purchases.
• Birthday Packages Birthday celebration packages offered at partner venues for individuals and groups who want to host birthday events at Naughty Horse partner locations. Targeted at students and young adults planning birthday celebrations at established nightlife venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Events sell out consistently for 7-14 years running
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• FatsomacoreTechnology or IntegrationFatsoma is the primary event marketing and ticketing platform partner. Handles all ticket purchases, season tickets, and event data. Passes customer purchase data to Naughty Horse for marketing purposes. Provides push notification and email capabilities for customer communication.
• Barbara's Bier Haus BirminghamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary venue partner for Switch Wednesdays events and Barbara's Saturdays weekly series. Hosts major events including Freshers Welcome Party, UV Neon Party, Traffic Light Party, and Switch Wednesday series.
• CIRCO Student Bar BirminghamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Student Saturdays - the weekly sell-out student Saturday night event. Also hosts Cookie Dough Thursdays and Student Saturdays Halloween events.
• O'Neill's Broad StreetcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Craicin Fridays (weekly Irish bar themed events) and O'Neills Halloween Saturday events. Features 2 floors with live music and RnB/Afrobeats rooms.
• TRIP (at Club Collette Complex)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for TRIP events - alternative nightlife experience featuring open air disco terrace, multiple music spaces, and different music style from standard Broad Street offerings.
• Mama Roux'smajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-venue complex partner for large-scale events like Nightmare Halloween Experience featuring multiple rooms across different venues.
• ONLS NightclubmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUpstairs nightclub partner at O'Neills venue, specifically for RnB, Rap, Hip Hop, Bashment and Afrobeats music. Also hosts UV Neon Party events.
• Coyote UglymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for RnB nights, including Official Broad Street Freshers RnB TAKEOVER event.
• XOYO BirminghammajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRooftop venue partner for special events including the legendary rooftop party series.
• Luna Springs (Digbeth)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigbeth venue partner for special events including the ABBA Experience Freshers event.
• Digbeth ArenamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigbeth venue partner for large-scale themed events including Masquerade Ball.
• Switch WednesdayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly Wednesday brand partnership for student nights at Barbara's. Includes Freshers Beach Party and Halloween editions. The brand has its own Instagram presence (@switchwednesdays).
• Student SaturdayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly Saturday brand partnership at CIRCO. The Student Saturdays brand is consistently described as a weekly sell-out event.
• Craicin FridayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly Friday Irish bar themed event brand at O'Neills. Known for St Paddy's Day-style celebrations every Friday with live music, DJ sets, and multi-floor entertainment.
• University Societies & Sports TeamsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsorship partnerships with university societies and sports teams. Provides funding for kit, equipment, tournaments in exchange for branding, social media promotion, and event attendance/commission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DICE: Mobile-first event discovery and ticketing app with strong UK nightlife and live music focus. Comparable to Naughty Horse in serving UK nightlife audiences via a mobile-first experience with guestlist and ticketing features.
• DesignMyNight: UK-based nightlife and events discovery platform that helps consumers find bars, clubs, and events. Comparable to Naughty Horse as it operates in the UK nightlife events space, connecting student and young adult audiences with venue events, though it functions more as a listings/marketplace rather than an event promoter.
• Skiddle: UK event ticketing platform and listings site serving concerts, clubs, and festivals. Closely comparable to Naughty Horse's Fatsoma-driven ticketing model and UK nightlife/event focus; competes for the same student and nightlife audience.
• Switch (Bar chain): UK bar brand and Switch Wednesdays event series that Naughty Horse partners with in Birmingham. Comparable as a UK nightlife brand targeting students with midweek events and drinks deals.

Broad incumbents

• Eventbrite: Global self-service event ticketing and promotion platform. While not UK-student-nightlife focused, it competes in the event ticketing and promotion space and is a credible alternative distribution channel for venue-led student events.
• Rekom UK: UK nightclub operator (formerly Deltic Group) running Pryzm, Atik, Fiction and other major student-focused venues. Comparable to Naughty Horse as a venue operator hosting the same student nightlife audience; potential partner or competitor depending on venue strategy.
• Stonegate Group: Largest UK pub and bar operator (Walkabout, Yates's, Slug & Lettuce, etc.). Comparable as a venue operator targeting the same student/young adult nightlife demographic and a potential partner or competitor for Naughty Horse's venue relationships.
• Resident Advisor (RA): Leading global platform for electronic music events and club nights, with strong UK presence. Comparable to Naughty Horse in operating UK nightlife ticketing and event promotion, though focused on electronic music rather than general student nightlife.

Others

• Fatsoma: UK event ticketing platform and Naughty Horse's primary technology partner. Adjacent/comparable as a ticketing infrastructure provider for the same UK nightlife event promoter audience; could become a more direct competitor if it expands into event promotion services.

Regional players

• Popworld: UK chain of party bars hosting student-friendly nights with drinks deals. Operates in similar nightlife space as Naughty Horse's CIRCO and Barbara's partnerships, with comparable student drinks promotions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NH_Promo
• Instagraminstagram.com/nh_promo
• Facebookfacebook.com/NHPromo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naughty-horse-promotions-limited

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 Naughty Horse Promotions