Flight Centre Buys UK Events Firm to Bring £18M Revenue and Creative Work Inhouse

Flight Centre expands meetings and events capability with Fresh Approach acquisition

Flight Centre Travel Group (ASX: FLT) has acquired Fresh Approach, a UK-based brand-experience, creative and meetings and events agency. The Flight Centre Fresh Approach acquisition brings an established business with offices in Manchester and Edinburgh, approximately 65 employees, and forecast turnover of £18 million with £1.2 million EBITDA for FY26.

The transaction was funded from cash reserves, with consideration remaining confidential and not material to FLT. Fresh Approach, established in 2004, will integrate into Flight Centre’s FCM Meetings & Events operation whilst retaining its creative identity.

This acquisition represents capability expansion in a high-margin sector, adding integrated creative and production services to FCM Meetings & Events. By bringing previously outsourced work in-house, FLT reduces reliance on third-party suppliers and captures margin that would otherwise flow to external providers.

What is the meetings and events sector?

The meetings and events (M&E) sector encompasses corporate conferences, brand activations, experiential marketing and incentive travel programmes. Unlike traditional travel bookings, M&E services involve comprehensive event design, production and delivery.

The UK M&E market is forecast to grow approximately 7% annually, according to Strategic Revenue Insights. This growth trajectory makes the sector attractive for travel management companies seeking revenue diversification beyond standard booking services.

For Flight Centre, the strategic importance is evident in the numbers. Almost 10% of corporate sector revenue was generated via M&E and professional services during H1 FY26. Expanding M&E capabilities allows the company to deepen client relationships whilst reducing exposure to cyclical fluctuations in traditional travel demand.

Strategic rationale and cross-sell opportunity

Fresh Approach delivers integrated service lines spanning creative, production, digital platforms, experiential design, content, film, social and logistics. FCM M&E previously outsourced these services in the UK, meaning the acquisition brings capabilities in-house for the first time in that market.

The acquisition delivers four strategic benefits:

1. Enhanced customer experience through combined strengths of both businesses
2. Reduced reliance on third-party suppliers for creative and production work
3. Margin capture from services previously outsourced to external providers
4. Stronger positioning to capture market share in the growing UK M&E sector

Beyond internal efficiency, the Flight Centre Fresh Approach acquisition creates two-way cross-sell opportunities. FLT can now offer Fresh’s services to its 2,200 UK corporate customers, expanding wallet share without customer acquisition costs. Simultaneously, Fresh’s existing clients gain access to FCM’s corporate travel management and global servicing capabilities.

This dual growth pathway matters for investors because it generates revenue expansion from existing relationships on both sides. The acquisition captures value that was previously lost to the supply chain whilst opening new revenue streams.

Leadership continuity and integration approach

CEO Lee Harris and his leadership team will continue running the business following the transaction. Fresh Approach retains its creative identity whilst benefiting from FLT’s global scale, governance frameworks and technology infrastructure.

The integration into FCM Meetings & Events preserves client relationships and market positioning. Management retention reduces integration risk, a critical factor given Fresh’s blue-chip client roster and market reputation.

Transaction details

Management commentary

Graham Turner, FLT Managing Director

“Fresh is a quality business, with a strong market reputation and blue-chip client roster, that elevates our position in an attractive sector and gives us broader capability to support our corporate customers.”

Turner emphasised the acquisition enables FLT to deliver a fully integrated M&E offering in the UK, reducing reliance on external suppliers and capturing more value within the group. He noted the focus on deepening corporate client relationships by offering creative, production and travel management services seamlessly in one place.

Fresh CEO Lee Harris highlighted the opportunity to accelerate global presence whilst retaining local expertise. He stated the capabilities will work in unison to remove friction between planning and creation, delivering a premium, scalable service with strong returns on investment.

What comes next for Flight Centre’s M&E strategy

The Flight Centre Fresh Approach acquisition positions the company to continue expanding into non-traditional revenue streams beyond core travel management. With M&E and professional services approaching 10% of corporate revenue, the strategic direction signals sustained focus on diversifying the revenue mix.

Fresh Approach provides capability building in a high-margin adjacent market, aligning with FLT’s objective of deepening customer relationships through value-adding services. The acquisition delivers both immediate operational benefits through margin capture and longer-term strategic positioning in a growing sector.

For investors, the trajectory matters because it reduces reliance on cyclical travel volumes whilst increasing wallet share from existing corporate clients. The dual benefit of margin improvement and revenue diversification supports the broader strategic shift toward integrated corporate service delivery.

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