What Event Cup Solutions does

Event Cup Solutions Ltd is a UK-based operator of reusable cup systems serving large sports and entertainment venues. The company provides rental cup services using standard polypropylene (rated 300+ washes) and polycarbonate (500+ washes) cups, a deposit-based RFID-enabled ONE SMART cup system, and contract industrial washing to stadiums, racecourses, indoor arenas, festivals, concerts, and theatres. Event Cup Solutions is part of the Re-uz UK Group and operates a network of five regional wash and logistics hubs across the UK (Middlesbrough headquarters plus Bristol, Birmingham/Oldbury, London, Manchester, and Glasgow), with a planned expansion into Ireland.

The company's core technology includes industrial Meiko iQ conveyor washers capable of processing over 100 million cups per year (over 2 million per week), RFID-enabled cup tracking via a partnership with Aucxis, and ClimatePartner certification for emissions accounting. The ONE SMART system is reported to achieve a 97%+ cup retention rate, compared to industry-typical loss rates of up to 40% for branded cups, while generic-branded cups are stated to reduce loss to under 5%.

Event Cup Solutions generates revenue primarily through per-unit rental fees on multi-year contracts under three service tiers (Supply Only, Part Managed, Fully Managed) with three fee methods (Deposit Return, Levy, and Levy + Charity). The business targets enterprise clients including Manchester City FC, Aston Villa FC, Co-op Live, Cheltenham Racecourse, Newmarket Racecourses, Edgbaston Stadium, and The Oval. Pricing is structured to remove client capital outlay while creating recurring rental and contract-washing revenue streams. The company employs approximately 40 full-time staff.

Name

Event Cup Solutions

Legal name

Event Cup Solutions Ltd

Website

https://eventcupsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Event Cup Solutions provides reusable cup rental and industrial washing for UK sports venues, racecourses, and festivals under multi-year contracts. The company operates standard and RFID-enabled cup systems across five regional wash hubs as part of the Re-uz UK Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reusable Cup Rental & Event Sustainability Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (722310), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Venue Booking, Ticketing & Event-Day Services (Box Office, Guest Services) (MPAKAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concessions, Pop-Ups & Temporary Foodservice for Events (THAHAKAL), Sports & Arena Event Venues (Stadiums, Arenas) (THAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Reusable cup systems
• Event sustainability services
• Venue waste management
• RFID cup tracking
• Circular economy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Middlesbrough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Reusable Cup Rental System: Rental-based reusable cup systems where clients pay per unit on a pence-per-unit basis. Clients can choose from supply-only, part-managed, or fully-managed service models. No capital outlay required as cups are washed, dried and sanitised after each use.
2. Contract Washing Services: Washing, drying, and storage services for other brands already supplying reusable cups. Includes collection from venue, professional washing, and delivery back to venue on a regular schedule.
3. Marketing & Tech Support: Free marketing support including digital asset creation, brand guidelines, and tech support for ONE SMART system. Offered as value-add to clients rather than separate revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Event Cup Solutions provides rental-based reusable cup systems and end-to-end wash-and-logistics services to UK sports stadia, indoor arenas, horse racing venues, cricket grounds, festivals, concerts and theatres. Two core systems are offered: the ONE Reusable Cup System (standard, message-driven returns) and the ONE SMART Reusable Cup System (RFID-enabled, automated deposit refunds at cashless fixed venues), supported by reusable polypropylene and polycarbonate cup ranges, food-to-go containers, contract washing for third-party operators, and free marketing and tech support.

Product overview

Event Cup Solutions offers a portfolio of reusable cup rental systems for UK stadia, arenas, festivals, and venues under the ONE Planet ONE Chance® brand. The core portfolio consists of two main systems: the ONE Reusable Cup System (standard messaging-based rental for temporary events/festivals) and the ONE SMART Reusable Cup System (RFID-enabled, for cashless fixed venues with deposit schemes). Supporting these systems is a range of reusable drink-ware and food containers in polypropylene (300+ washes) and polycarbonate (500+ washes), covering pints, half pints, 2-pint cups, wine glasses, champagne flutes, rocks glasses, coffee cups, jugs, and food-to-go containers. The ONE SMART cup sub-brand provides RFID-chip-enabled variants of the standard cups. Additional services include contract washing (for third-party cup operators) and free marketing and tech support for clients. All systems are delivered, collected, and washed through a nationwide network of six regional wash and logistics hubs, with the goal of maintaining a 50km service radius around every venue served.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ONE Planet ONE Chance®: Trademarked eco-conscious brand messaging used on reusable cups to encourage cup returns rather than souvenir-taking.
• ONE Reusable Cup System
• ONE SMART Reusable Cup System

Products and services

• ONE Reusable Cup System Standard rental-based reusable cup system designed for stadiums, fixed and temporary venues, events and festivals. Uses generically-branded cups with eco-conscious messaging and offers three service models (Supply Only, Part Managed, Fully Managed) and multiple pricing methods (Built-in Cost, Levy, Levy + Charity, Deposit, Deposit + Charity). No RFID technology is used; relies on messaging to encourage returns.
• ONE SMART Reusable Cup System RFID-based reusable cup system typically used at cashless fixed venues operating a deposit scheme. Embedded RFID chips in cups link to customers' payment cards via antenna mats at POS; deposits are automatically charged on first drink and refunded on cup return. Developed in association with technology partner Aucxis.
• ONE Planet ONE Chance (ONE) Polypropylene Cups Range of reusable polypropylene cups rated for 300+ wash cycles, available in pint-to-line, pint-to-brim, half-pint-to-line, 2-pint-to-line, 400ml-to-brim, wine glass and coffee cup formats. Generically branded with eco-messaging to discourage souvenir removal.
• ONE SMART Polypropylene Cups RFID-chip-enabled polypropylene cups for exclusive use with the ONE SMART Reusable Cup System, available in pint-to-line and half-pint-to-line formats. Branded 'I AM REUSABLE. RETURN ME FOR AUTO DEPOSIT REFUND' to drive return behaviour.
• ONE Polycarbonate Cups Range of reusable polycarbonate cups rated for 500+ wash cycles, offering glass-like transparency suitable for hospitality settings. Available in pint-to-line, half-pint-to-line, half-pint-to-brim, champagne flute, wine glass and rocks glass formats.
• ONE STACK-CUP Stackable handle-design pint and half-pint reusable cups for efficient storage and handling at high-volume venues.
• Food-to-Go Containers Reusable food containers that complement the cup range, allowing venues to deploy hundreds of thousands of sustainable, reusable food and drink items simultaneously. Event Cup Solutions states it is the only UK provider offering a complete reusable solution for both food and drink packaging.
• Contract Washing Service Washing and logistics service for brands or companies already supplying reusable cups or food containers but lacking washing facilities. Includes venue collection, professional washing and drying using Meiko equipment, quality control inspection, secure storage, and re-delivery on a regular schedule.
• Marketing & Tech Support Marketing and technical support service for clients using Event Cup Solutions reusable cup systems. Includes creative asset production, brand guidelines, digital/social/print asset creation, PR collaboration and 24/7 technical assistance for RFID system infrastructure troubleshooting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97%+ cup retention rate with ONE SMART RFID system
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AucxiscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for ONE SMART Reusable Cup System. Aucxis provides RFID technology integration enabling chip-enabled cups with automatic deposit-and-refund mechanism for cashless fixed venues. The technology links cups to customer payment cards via antenna mats.
• ClimatePartnercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification partnership for carbon-neutral operations. Both Event Cup Solutions as a company and its products are ClimatePartner certified. Includes carbon footprint calculation, reduction targets, climate project financing, and transparent reporting. Climate-ID: CCF1G8.
• MeikocoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment partnership for industrial iQ conveyor washing machines. Meiko iQ washers are described as some of the most water and energy efficient in the industry, powered by 100% sustainable energy.
• Julie's BicycleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry research partner referenced in marketing materials. Julie's Bicycle 2023 'Raising The Bar' report provides independent guidance on sustainable cup choices, validating Event Cup Solutions' approach with evidence-based research.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MIWA: Czech-headquartered smart reusable packaging platform combining RFID-enabled containers with industrial washing, serving venues and food-service operators across Europe — overlapping on the same technology-plus-washing model.
• Vytal: Germany-based operator of a smart reusable to-go packaging network including cups, bowls and containers, using app-based deposit returns; a European parallel to ECS's RFID-enabled ONE SMART system.
• Re-uz: Belgium-headquartered parent of the Re-uz UK Group that Event Cup Solutions belongs to; operates reusable cup and food-container rental systems across continental Europe with comparable venue customers and the same circular-economy model.
• Friendly Cups: German reusable cup system targeting sports stadiums, festivals, and large events, offering rental-based cup services with washing infrastructure; directly comparable venue customer base and use cases.
• Globelet: Australia/New Zealand-based reusable cup operator providing rental and washing services to festivals, stadia, and events; a directly comparable regional reusable cup system in a different geography.
• Recup: Germany's leading reusable cup deposit-system operator, partnering with stadiums, festivals, and food-service chains; comparable scale and venue focus in the DACH market.

Regional players

• Cawleys: UK waste management and recycling services company that handles venue and event waste streams; adjacent in the UK event-services ecosystem with potential overlap in wash, collection, and waste-recovery capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• KeepCup: Globally recognised reusable cup brand primarily sold to consumers and coffee chains; overlaps thematically on reusable drinkware but operates a fundamentally different (retail-led) business model.

Others

• Vegware: UK-based provider of compostable foodservice packaging; competes for the same venue sustainability budget as ECS but via a single-use, compostable alternative rather than a reusable system.

Emerging players

• Again: UK-based reusable packaging startup offering tracked, returnable packaging for food and drink; a domestic emerging competitor operating in the same UK circular-economy regulatory backdrop.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EventCupSols
• Facebookfacebook.com/EventCupSols
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eventcupsols

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Event Cup Solutions