National Outdoor Events Association

What National Outdoor Events Association does

NOEA (National Outdoor Events Association) is a UK membership-based trade association exclusively serving the outdoor events and festival industry, founded in 1979 (firmographics) or 1981 (history source; conflicting dates in input). Headquartered in Wells, Somerset, the association represents event organisers, suppliers, venues, and local authorities across the United Kingdom, with a regional chapter (NOEA Scotland) extending its reach into Scotland and an affiliated special interest group (Event Medical Association) covering medical providers in the events sector.

The association operates a portfolio of member-facing services and content rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the Annual Convention & Awards (held annually in Bath each November), DEI Training, a Training Day programme, member resources (The Purple Guide, COVID-19 guidance, climate change planning materials), an annual Yearbook (2018-2026 editions), and the Confidence Monitor research series. Campaigns span Diversity and RESPECT, UK EVENTS, Ethics/Sustainability, the DCMS/PHE Festivals Working Group, and the 2026-launched Total Care & Safeguarding initiative in partnership with the Event Medical Association. The annual Awards ceremony and Convention serve as the flagship community-engagement platform.

NOEA's revenue mechanics rest on three streams: recurring annual membership subscriptions (tiers not publicly disclosed), transaction-based fees from convention tickets sold via See Tickets and awards nominations, and corporate sponsorship (transaction/affiliate model) from a stable of major recurring sponsors including GL events, Qdos Event Hire, Training 4 Resilience, NCASS, Lacey's Solicitors, and THE TEAM. Distribution is delivered through self-serve website enrollment for the UK domestic market, in-person events in Bath and regional training, and the NOEA Scotland chapter. Government advocacy and policy access — including former President Tom Clements' seat on the Home Office Martyn's Law panel — form a less monetised but strategically critical pillar of the association's value proposition.

Name

National Outdoor Events Association

Legal name

National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA)

Website

https://noea.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NOEA is a UK membership-based trade association representing event organisers, suppliers, venues, and local authorities in the outdoor events industry. It delivers advocacy, training, an annual convention and awards ceremony, and member resources across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Industry membership organization
• Event industry advocacy
• Outdoor events networking
• Professional association events

Headquarters

HQ city

Wells

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: NOEA operates as a membership-based trade association with various membership tiers offering benefits including member listings, member services, education resources, and industry representation.
2. Annual Convention & Awards: Revenue generated from convention tickets, award nominations, and associated event activities held annually in Bath.
3. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship of awards categories, convention events, and industry campaigns including sponsors like GL events, Qdos, Training 4 Resilience, NCASS, Lacey’s Solicitors, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) is the UK trade association for the outdoor events and festival industry, providing paid membership services, advocacy with government, education and training programmes, an annual Convention & Awards in Bath, and member resources such as The Purple Guide. It represents outdoor event organisers, suppliers, venues and local authorities through regional representation (NOEA Scotland), campaigns on diversity and sustainability, and sub-groups like the Event Medical Association.

Product overview

NOEA (National Outdoor Events Association) is a UK trade association serving the outdoor events and festival industry. Rather than a unified software product, NOEA operates as a membership organization offering a portfolio of services including its Annual Convention & Awards (celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2025), DEI Training programs, the NOEA Yearbook annual publication, and member resources such as The Purple Guide and climate change planning materials. The association provides regional representation through NOEA Scotland and operates the Event Medical Association as a special interest group. NOEA runs industry campaigns focused on diversity, sustainability, and advocacy, and provides training days in partnership with industry specialists. Membership benefits include industry representation, networking, training discounts, and access to exclusive resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Build Back Better: A campaign focused on skills, people, and workforce development for post-pandemic recovery in the outdoor events industry.
• Better Back Bold

Products and services

• Annual Convention & Awards

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Event Medical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOEA hosts the Event Medical Association page on its website, representing medical providers working within the events industry. This partnership supports NOEA's Total Care & Safeguarding Campaign launched in 2026.
• NOEA ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional chapter of NOEA serving the Scottish outdoor events community, extending NOEA's reach across the devolved nations.
• GL eventsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor sponsor of NOEA Convention & Awards 2026. GL events is a global events company with deep roots in the outdoor events community and acquired Field and Lawn in 2022.
• Qdos Event HiremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NOEA Convention & Awards and partner for Town Hall gatherings with government at The Showman's Show.
• Training 4 ResiliencemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors NOEA Convention & Awards 2026. Founder Bev Osborne elected as NOEA President in 2025, succeeding Tom Clements.
• NCASS (Nationwide Caterers Association)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing sponsor of NOEA Awards & Convention, sponsoring the Caterer of the Year Award. Represents food and catering businesses in the events sector.
• Lacey's SolicitorsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerContinues sponsorship of NOEA Awards & Convention, sponsoring the Event Organiser of the Year category.
• THE TEAMmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal sports, music and entertainment company returning to sponsor the NOEA Convention & Awards programme.
• EventWellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit social enterprise providing neuroinclusion and mental health training for events. Offers exclusive 15% discount to NOEA members. Training includes NeuroAware Toolbox Talk, Crew Training, NeuroSafe Security Accreditation, and Mental Health First Aid.
• DCMS/PHE Festivals Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment working group on festivals that NOEA participates in, representing the outdoor events industry's interests in public health policy.
• Martyn's Law PanelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOEA Council member and former President Tom Clements sat on the Martyn's Law panel at the Home Office, contributing to counter-terrorism protective security guidance for the events industry.
• Event Cup SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's market leader in reusable cups, featured in NOEA news as member company. Opens Scotland's first purpose-built wash centre for reusable packaging.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association): Global membership organisation for the business events industry with education, certification and convention programming analogous to NOEA's annual event, but focused on convention/meeting professionals worldwide rather than outdoor events in the UK.
• UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry): International trade association for the exhibition industry with comparable member services, research and advocacy, but serving a global B2B exhibitions constituency with substantially larger scale than NOEA.
• IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events): Global trade association for the exhibitions and events industry with similar advocacy, education and certification offerings, but operating at much larger international scale and focused on B2B exhibitions rather than outdoor consumer events.
• IFEA (International Festivals & Events Association): Global association for festival and event professionals with comparable education, awards and certification programmes. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same festival/events space as NOEA but at international scale.
• Events Industry Council (EIC): US-based umbrella body for the events industry providing advocacy, research and professional credentialing analogous to NOEA's role in the UK, but operating at significantly larger scale and across all event categories.

Direct peers

• Association of Independent Festivals (AIF): UK trade body representing independent music festivals. Comparable in scope and membership model to NOEA's outdoor events remit, but narrower in focus on festival-specific issues and largely overlapping membership base.
• UK Theatre: UK membership body for theatres, performing arts venues and producers. Operates a comparable UK-focused trade association model with annual conferences, advocacy and member services, although focused on indoor performing arts rather than outdoor events.
• NCASS (Nationwide Caterers Association): UK trade association for mobile and event caterers. Already a major NOEA sponsor; operates a similar membership, advocacy and awards model but for a specific vertical within the outdoor events ecosystem.
• Association of Event Organisers (AEO): UK trade association representing event organisers across corporate, public and association events. Most directly comparable peer in the UK events trade body space, sharing membership, advocacy and convention revenue models with NOEA but serving a broader indoor/corporate event constituency.
• PLASA (Professional Lighting and Sound Association): UK trade association for the live events production and entertainment technology sector. Comparable trade body structure with members spanning event suppliers, training and advocacy, although serving a technical-production niche within outdoor events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/noeanews
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalOutdoorEventsAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noea
• Instagraminstagram.com/noeanews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 National Outdoor Events Association