Event booking marketplace Feast It raises £1.7m to take advantage of predicted Events Boom

Feast It, the UK’s leading event booking marketplace which has previously been funded by Ascension Ventures and Guy Berryman of Coldplay, has raised £1.7m in an impressive funding round led by MAHR Projects, former CEO of the Co-op Richard Pennycook CBE and Tim Score, ex-CFO of Arm Holdings. The company has seen explosive growth in virtual events towards the end of 2020, when the company received £2m of enquiries in its first month of operating in the space in November. 

Launched in 2017 by childhood best friends Digby Vollrath and Hugo Campbell, Feast It is known as a platform through which customers can book caterers and mobile bars for events and has been described as the ‘Airbnb of catering’ by the Financial Times. 

The company has now expanded into virtual events, and within the first month of launching the product companies such as Google, Amazon, Deliveroo, Deloitte had booked through the platform. Popular virtual events include cooking lessons, cocktail classes, escape room challenges and much more, and Feast It will use the funds to further grow out its virtual event product.

Further, the company has built out its industry-leading product for in-person events such as weddings, large birthday parties and corporate events, and has added new types of hand-picked event suppliers, including photographers, videographers, marquees, staffing companies and florists. 70% of 2020 weddings have been postponed, and Feast It aims to make it easy for organisers to book suppliers for their physical events easily as soon as they are able to go ahead again.

Co-Founder Digby Vollrath:

“There was a big shift in people’s attitudes towards virtual events in the latter half of 2020, as people realised that interactive activities such as cooking classes, escape rooms or cocktail making lessons can be engaging and great fun. As we go into another lockdown and the continuation of remote working, virtual events are here to stay and we’re going to make sure the very best experiences are available on Feast It.”

Co-founder Hugo Campbell:

“Right from the start of the COVID crisis, we were aware that there would be severe and wide-ranging damage to the events industry. However this is a £90bn portion of the UK’s economy and it’s always been clear that it’s just too big to fail. We’ve made sure that we’ve grown Feast It out to help customers and suppliers on the other side of this because let’s be honest, people are going to want to let loose on the other side of this and we’ve made booking suppliers for your event as easy as booking a holiday!”

Feast It investor Richard Pennycook CBE:

“The events industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, but that means that there will be giant opportunities for growth on the other side. This market is one that will come back strong as soon as it’s able to, and Feast It will be the lifeblood that supports that.”

Feast It investor MAHR Projects: 

“Feast It were seeing incredible growth prior to the pandemic and we have full confidence in the team to pilot their way through the current situation. The events sector is moving swiftly towards a digital revolution and Feast It is central to that.”