Hartleys Events
Hartleys Events is a UK-based corporate events company founded in 2007 that delivers live, virtual, and hybrid cookery team building, client entertainment, and tasting experiences to enterprise clients via mobile cookery schools and professional streaming studios.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBournemouth, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hartleys Events does
Hartleys Events is a UK-based corporate events company founded in 2007 that designs and delivers cookery-based team building, client engagement, and tasting experiences for enterprise clients. The company operates through two parallel distribution models: a physical mobile cookery school fleet (five units traveling nationwide to client-preferred venues and converting conference or hotel spaces into professional kitchens within one to two hours) and five professional virtual streaming studios based at its Bournemouth headquarters that enable remote live, virtual, and hybrid events with ingredient boxes shipped to participants' homes in the UK and internationally via DPD and DHL.
The core product portfolio spans competitive cookery challenges (Strictly Come Dining, Marks Set Cook, Culinary Games, Team Bake Off), masterclasses (Dim Sum, pasta, sushi, molecular gastronomy), chocolate-making experiences, and tasting events (cheese and wine, whisky, gin, beer), delivered either live in-person or virtually with bespoke ingredient boxes. Events are hosted by Michelin star trained chefs led by Head Chef Paul Hartley, who previously led the Chewton Glen Cookery School. The company holds a 5-star Food Standards Agency food hygiene rating, services 10,000+ guests annually, and reports a 98% average customer experience rating.
Hartleys operates a professional services revenue model with bespoke quote-based pricing driven by dedicated event managers, achieving enterprise client retention across logos including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, BBC, Sony, Google, Microsoft, Airbus, TikTok, Meta, Sky, Tesco, John Lewis, NHS, and HM Treasury. Growth is described as primarily repeat-driven through recommendations. The company remains privately held and family-run with 1-10 employees, no external funding, and no disclosed acquisitions.
Hartleys Events firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hartleys Events
- Legal name
- Hartley's Events
- Website
- https://hartleysevents.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hartleys Events is a UK-based corporate events company founded in 2007 that delivers live, virtual, and hybrid cookery team building, client entertainment, and tasting experiences to enterprise clients via mobile cookery schools and professional streaming studios.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hartleys Events industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Corporate Event Services
- NAICS
- Special Food Services (7223), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Culinary Skills Workshops (Baking, Regional Cooking, Food Prep Skills) (THAJAKAE), Incentive Travel Programs & Retreat Events (Offsites) (MPAGAHAH), Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Hartleys Events is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bournemouth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hartleys Events business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Cookery Team Building Events: Live, virtual, and hybrid cookery team building events for corporate clients. Events range from competitive cookery challenges (Strictly Come Dining, Marks Set Cook, Culinary Games) to relaxed masterclasses (pasta making, Dim Sum, sushi making). Pricing based on event type, duration, and group size.
- Client Engagement Events: Corporate entertainment events including cheese and wine tastings, chocolate making, molecular gastronomy demonstrations. Virtual cheese and wine tasting boxes compared to Fortnum & Mason and Harrods quality.
- Virtual Event Packages: Bespoke virtual event packages delivered to participants' homes including luxury ingredient boxes, chef hats, aprons, foodie charts, and keepsakes. Box delivery logistics for UK and global locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke event pricing based on requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Hartleys Events product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hartleys Events designs and delivers corporate cookery-based team building, client networking, and culinary tasting events for businesses. Offerings span live, virtual, and hybrid formats with a mobile cookery school that travels to client-preferred venues and ingredient boxes shipped globally for remote participants. Events range from competitive cooking challenges and masterclasses to chocolate making, wine and cheese tastings, and CSR/charity cooking experiences.
Product overview
Hartleys Events is a corporate events company specializing in live, virtual, and hybrid cookery team building and client engagement experiences. The company operates mobile cookery schools that travel to client venues nationwide and runs professional streaming studios for virtual events. Their portfolio includes multiple distinct product lines: Cook And Dine (full meal experiences), Cook And Go (quick challenges), Cake And Bake (baking events), Something Chocolatey (chocolate making), Tasting Events (cheese, wine, whisky tastings), Client Engagement Events, CSR & Leadership Events, Virtual Cookery Team Building (delivered via video streaming), Cookery Master Classes, and seasonal Christmas events. The company delivers experiences for 8 to 300+ guests, hosted by Michelin star trained chefs, and offers both in-person events at client locations and virtual events with ingredient boxes shipped to participants globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cook And Dine
Quantifiable outcome
- 10,000+ guests entertained every year
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hartleys Events
Customer profileNamed customers28 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hartleys Events technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Hartleys Events partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Trusted Venue PartnerscoreNetwork of trusted hotel and event venue partners recommended to clients for hosting cookery events. Venues work with Hartleys Events to accommodate mobile cookery school setups and provide event spaces.
- Our Father's House Ministries (Uganda)minorCharity partnership supporting the Emily Collins School project in Kisoro, Uganda. Partnership enables corporate clients to raise funds for orphaned children through charity cookery team building events. 100% of donations go directly to the charity with no middlemen or overhead costs.
- DPD Courier ServiceminorPrimary courier for virtual event ingredient box deliveries. Provides tracked delivery with photo confirmation of parcel receipt as an alternative to signing due to COVID-19 protocols.
- DHL Courier ServiceminorCourier service used for UK and international virtual event ingredient box deliveries.
- British Artisan Cheese ProducerscoreStrong relationships with British artisan cheese farmers and producers. Supports British farmers during challenging times (e.g., COVID-19 furlough). Featured cheeses include Baron Bygod, Winchester, Colton Basset, Montgomery, and Stinking Bishop.
- Award-Winning VineyardscorePartnerships with UK and international vineyards for wine tasting events. Features wines from award-winning producers including Katie Jones Vineyard (British wine producer in France) and dessert wine specialists.
- Artisan Chocolate MakerscoreSourcing of finest single origin chocolate from leading artisan chocolate makers including Valrhona, Michael Cluzel, and Armedei for chocolate making and tasting events.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hartleys Events competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Big Team Challenge: UK corporate team building company running cookery, chocolate-making and other hands-on challenges nationwide. Directly comparable to Hartleys on the cookery-led team-building proposition and UK-wide mobile delivery model.
- The Cookery School at Little Portland Street: Central London cookery school offering hands-on classes, team building events and private cookery experiences for corporate clients. Comparable to Hartleys on chef-led cookery experiences for corporate groups, though London-venue-based rather than mobile.
- The Avenue Cookery School: London cookery school offering team building events, private classes and corporate cookery experiences. Comparable to Hartleys on chef-led corporate cookery events, with overlap in the London corporate market.
- Eventurous: UK-based corporate team building and events agency offering a wide catalogue of indoor and outdoor team activities for corporate clients. Highly comparable to Hartleys as both compete for the same UK corporate team-building budget with multi-activity catalogues.
- Wildgoose Events: UK corporate team building and experiential events provider with a strong focus on technology-enabled (GPS, app-based) activities. Comparable to Hartleys as a UK B2B events specialist targeting corporate team-building and client engagement buyers.
- Function Events: UK corporate events agency offering team building, Christmas parties and client entertainment including cookery experiences. Comparable to Hartleys on customer segment (UK corporate) and event-type mix (team building + client entertainment).
- Absolute Activity: UK corporate team building provider offering cookery classes among many other activities. Directly comparable to Hartleys on the cookery team-building category and UK corporate customer base.
Regional players
- Lombard Risk (corporate hospitality) / Pure Wow Events: UK corporate hospitality and client entertainment agencies running premium tasting and experiential events. Comparable on the client-engagement / tasting-event side of Hartleys' business (cheese, wine, whisky tastings).
Broad incumbents
- Leiths School of Food and Wine: Established London cookery school offering professional diplomas, recreational classes and corporate/private events. Comparable to Hartleys on the corporate cookery event side, though broader in scope (full culinary education) and venue-fixed in London.
Emerging players
- Kitted: Tech-enabled corporate team building and experiences marketplace. Adjacent rather than direct, but competes for the same corporate experiential budget, including virtual/hybrid events, though with a broader activity catalogue and self-serve booking layer that Hartleys lacks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hartleys Events social profiles
Digital presenceHartleys Events financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hartleys Events leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Hartleys Events funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hartleys Events M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hartleys Events
What does Hartleys Events do?
Hartleys Events designs and delivers corporate cookery-based team building, client networking, and culinary tasting events for businesses. Offerings span live, virtual, and hybrid formats with a mobile cookery school that travels to client-preferred venues and ingredient boxes shipped globally for remote participants. Events range from competitive cooking challenges and masterclasses to chocolate making, wine and cheese tastings, and CSR/charity cooking experiences.
Is Hartleys Events a public or private company?
Hartleys Events is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Hartleys Events founded?
Hartleys Events was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hartleys Events based?
Hartleys Events is headquartered in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Hartleys Events make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cookery Team Building Events are the primary driver. The others are client Engagement Events and virtual Event Packages.
Who are Hartleys Events's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Big Team Challenge, The Cookery School at Little Portland Street, The Avenue Cookery School, Eventurous, Wildgoose Events, Function Events and Absolute Activity. Lombard Risk (corporate hospitality) / Pure Wow Events is listed as a regional player. Leiths School of Food and Wine is listed as a broad incumbent. Kitted is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hartleys Events have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hartleys Events.
What industry is Hartleys Events in?
Hartleys Events's product category is Corporate Event Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAGAI, Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops, with a secondary code of THAJAKAE, Culinary Skills Workshops (Baking, Regional Cooking, Food Prep Skills). Its NAICS code is 7223 and its SIC code is 7900.