MBN Events

What MBN Events does

MBN Events is a UK-based premium sporting hospitality company that organises high-profile lunches and dinners featuring world-famous sports personalities, primarily in London. Founded in 1980 by Mike Newlyn, the business was acquired by Lucy Wray in February 2011 and then acquired again in May 2024 by Joe Wray and Will Samler through their newly formed Boot Room Hospitality Ltd, returning the company to independent ownership after a period under the Saracens Group. The core product is a recurring calendar of signature events — including the Sportsman's Christmas Lunch (drawing nearly 1,000 guests in 2025), the Pride of St George Lunch, the Football's Coming Home Lunch, and An Evening With The All Time Greats — held at iconic London venues such as The Brewery, The HAC, The Dorchester, and Grosvenor House, with a sub-brand MBN Bespoke providing bespoke private event services for corporate and high-net-worth clients.

The company runs 50+ events per year and has raised over £5.5 million for charities since 2011. The technology footprint is minimal: the business operates an event management website for ticket sales and event information with no disclosed proprietary technology, integrations, or API. Go-to-market is primarily direct personal sales — the website lists named contact personnel Will Samler and Joe Wray for corporate bookings — supplemented by an email newsletter front-of-queue system and an Instagram channel for top-of-funnel awareness.

Revenue is generated through one-time ticket and table package sales for events (full payment required within 14 days of invoice, no tickets issued without full payment) and through bespoke private event services for corporate clients, weddings, and celebrations under the MBN Bespoke brand. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are split across corporate clients (primary), private individuals, and charitable organisations (as event beneficiaries). MBN Events is privately held, headquartered at 3 Grace Court, Totteridge, London, with no external institutional funding disclosed and a stated headcount of 20+.

Name

MBN Events

Legal name

Boot Room Hospitality Ltd

Website

https://mbnpromotions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MBN Events is a UK-based premium sporting hospitality company that runs 50+ annual lunches and dinners featuring world-famous sports personalities at iconic London venues, serving corporate clients, private individuals, and charitable organisations through ticket sales and bespoke private events under the MBN Bespoke sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Hospitality & Event Management

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Hospitality & Premium Experiences (VIP, Suites, Fan Zones) (MPAGAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Catering, Staffing & Guest Services (F&B, Security, Ushers) (MPAGAHAM), F&B Experiences & Group Dining (Restaurant Buyouts, Tastings, Catering Coordination) (THAHADAI)

Keywords

• Sporting hospitality events
• Corporate entertainment dinners
• Celebrity speaker events
• Charity fundraising events
• Bespoke private events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling individual tickets and table packages for sporting lunches and dinners. Full payment required before tickets are issued.
2. Corporate Hospitality Services: Bespoke event services for corporate clients including private celebrations, weddings, anniversaries, and corporate functions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MBN Events organises and hosts premium sporting lunches and dinners across iconic London venues, featuring world-famous sports celebrities as guest speakers. The portfolio includes recurring signature events (Sportsman's Christmas Lunch, Pride of St George Lunch, An Evening With The All Time Greats, Football's Coming Home Lunch), speaker competitions (Rugby/Sporting/Soccer Speaker of the Year), testimonial dinners, and bespoke private event services under the MBN Bespoke brand for corporate clients and private celebrations, with charity fundraising integrated throughout.

Product overview

MBN Events operates a portfolio of distinct branded event experiences centered on sporting hospitality and celebrity engagement. The core offering consists of recurring signature events—including the Sportsman’s Christmas Lunch, Pride of St George Lunch, Football’s Coming Home Lunch, and Legends dinners—which serve as the annual calendar anchor events. Complementing these are competition-format events (Rugby/Sporting/Soccer Speaker of the Year) and bespoke private event services under the MBN Bespoke brand for corporate hospitality, weddings, and private celebrations. All events feature sporting celebrities as speakers/entertainment and incorporate charity fundraising as a core value proposition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MBN Bespoke: A side of the business focused on bespoke private events and celebrations.

Products and services

• Sportsman's Christmas Lunch London's premier Christmas sporting lunch, an annual flagship event combining great hospitality with talks from big names in sport and charity fundraising. Held at City Central @ The HAC, the 2026 edition is scheduled for 10 December 2026 with Brook Green Supply as Headline Sponsor. The 2025 edition was a record-breaking sell-out with over 850 guests.
• An Evening With The All Time Greats An evening dinner event bringing together the greatest names in rugby and cricket history for Q&A sessions and entertainment. Scheduled for 5 November 2026 at The Brewery, London.
• Pride of St George Lunch An annual celebration of English sporting excellence featuring rugby legends, World Cup winners, and patriotic entertainment celebrating St George's Day. The 2025 edition had 400 guests, and the 2026 edition will benefit the Lewis Moody MND charity.
• Football's Coming Home Lunch A football-themed lunch event celebrating World Cup tournaments and featuring England football legends, typically aligned with major tournament dates. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 11 June 2026 with Brook Green Supply as Headline Sponsor.
• World Cup Glory Dinner A celebration dinner marking rugby milestones including the 20th anniversary of England's 2003 World Cup victory, featuring legends from winning squads. The 2023 edition attracted 822 guests, MBN's largest event of that year, benefiting My Name's Doddie Foundation and the 4Ed Foundation.
• Legends of World Rugby Dinner A premium dinner featuring multiple World Cup-winning captains from various nations, showcasing international rugby royalty in an evening Q&A and entertainment format.
• The Greatest Ever Sports Quiz A large-scale sports quiz competition where tables compete for trophies, featuring rugby legends as quizmasters and raising funds for charity in a team-based entertainment format.
• The Edge Lunch An intimate business networking lunch focused on life and business lessons from successful sporting and business figures, featuring Q&A sessions in a smaller, exclusive setting.
• MBN Bespoke A custom private event service for corporate clients and private celebrations including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and corporate functions requiring personalised planning and execution. Offered under the MBN Bespoke sub-brand with bespoke service tailored to client needs.
• Rugby Speaker of the Year An annual speaker competition featuring rugby personalities competing to be named the best sporting speaker, with audience voting determining the winner.
• Sporting Speaker of the Year A multi-sport speaker competition bringing together champions from different sports to share stories and compete for audience votes in an evening entertainment format.
• Soccer Speaker of the Year A football-focused speaker competition held in Manchester featuring football legends sharing stories and entertaining audiences through audience voting.
• Testimonial Dinners Celebration dinners honouring sporting legends including Eoin Morgan, Schalk Brits, and David Strettle, featuring teammates and fundraising for chosen charities in a bespoke testimonial format.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £5.5 million raised for charities since 2011
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Brook Green SupplycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Brook Green Supply is the Headline Sponsor for two major MBN Events in 2026: The Football's Coming Home Lunch on 11th June and the Sportsman's Christmas Lunch in December. The sponsorship provides power for events.
• Boot Room HospitalitycoreOthers · 1 May 2024Joe Wray and Will Samler established Boot Room Hospitality and completed an asset purchase agreement with Saracens Group to acquire the MBN brand name and assets in May 2024. Both had previously worked at MBN and have over 20 years' hospitality experience combined.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hospitality Finder: UK sports hospitality marketplace offering VIP packages, corporate hospitality, and premium tickets across rugby, football, cricket, and racing events. Directly comparable to MBN in target customer (corporate entertainment buyers) and product (premium sporting hospitality bundles).
• Champions Hospitality: UK-based company providing premium sports hospitality packages including rugby, football, and racing events for corporate clients. Directly comparable to MBN in business model and target customer segment, though focused on fixture-day hospitality rather than standalone lunch/dinner events.
• QuintEvents: US-based premium sports and entertainment hospitality provider offering VIP ticket packages and exclusive experiences for major sporting events including the Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, and World Cup. Comparable to MBN in core offering of premium hospitality bundles but operates at larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Keith Prowse: UK sports and entertainment hospitality provider offering premium ticket packages, corporate hospitality, and VIP experiences at major sporting and cultural events. Highly comparable to MBN in terms of sports-hospitality focus and corporate clientele, though broader in event categories (concerts, theatre, racing).
• Closer to the Game: UK sports hospitality provider focused on rugby, football, and cricket premium experiences for corporate clients. Comparable to MBN in target customer and product model (corporate sporting hospitality packages), with overlap on sports verticals.
• Heritage Sports Hospitality: UK-based sports hospitality specialist offering corporate hospitality packages at major sporting events including rugby, football, and cricket. Comparable to MBN in offering premium ticket and table packages with VIP access, but distributes through sports fixtures rather than celebrity-led lunches/dinners.

Broad incumbents

• Gallowglass: UK corporate event staffing and management company providing crew, production, and event services for large-scale corporate events. Adjacent to MBN's bespoke event business (MBN Bespoke) in serving corporate event buyers, but broader in scope and operates as a B2B services platform rather than a consumer-facing hospitality brand.
• Sequel Events: UK corporate event management agency offering event planning, production, and corporate hospitality services. Comparable to MBN Bespoke's corporate event side in serving enterprise clients with bespoke event needs, but with broader portfolio beyond sport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mbnevents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mbn-events

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 MBN Events