Racing fans at Silverstone embraced new immersive hospitality concepts, self-service bars, and food and drink from across the globe, as Freemans Event Partners (FEP) delivered its biggest public hospitality event to date.

Some 564,000 fans attended the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this year and Freemans Event Partners (FEP), the end-to-end partner behind some of the UK’s largest events, delivered new hospitality concepts, a fan-led shift to self-service, and record trading across multiple venues, all pointing to a wider change in how fans want to experience live events.

The standout success of the weekend was CARGO Global Eats, which became a must-visit destination. The concept combines premium food and drink with a social, accessible format. Its introduction at the Abbey area of the site, drove a 57 per cent increase in Thursday evening trade in the area, compared with the same period last year. This made it the strongest Thursday performance in the event’s history, proving that when FEP designs a new way for fans to experience event dining, demand follows.

Elsewhere, working in partnership with Lando Norris, FEP delivered an expanded Landostand, which led to a 78 per cent increase in revenue from the area compared to last year. At the same time, the Luffield Circuit of Flavours concept, developed in partnership with Silverstone, continued to drive dwell time and consumer spend, demonstrating that fans are actively seeking out FEP’s newest formats rather than defaulting to the familiar.

Fans also embraced self-service, with transactions up 54 per cent year-on-year in the main stage area and spend per head increasing 31 per cent. New self-serve Pimm’s and Guinness stations proved especially popular, reducing queues and enabling fans to pour a pint in just 45 seconds.

The results add to what is shaping up as a record-breaking summer for FEP and its portfolio of iconic venues and event partners, where detail is key, as fan appetite for premium, innovative and convenience-led hospitality continues to grow.

Tara Warren, CEO of Freemans Event Partners, said: “This year at Silverstone, fans showed us exactly how they want to experience events. The British Grand Prix demonstrated how leading sports events and Freemans Event Partners are evolving to meet demand, creating a festival atmosphere that blends fashion, music, and popular culture with elite sport at its heart.

“Fans flocked to new concepts like Cargo Global Eats and Circuit of Flavours for the entertainment, unique experiences, variety of street food, and signature drinks, all within a relaxed environment built for seamless service. Fan appetite for elevated experiences that enable them to feel closer to the action and which offer a clear point of difference from traditional hospitality, continues to grow. With our partners, we are able to meet that demand, build affinity and drive repeat visits, delivering better experiences for all time and time again.

“Event delivery at this scale is difficult to replicate. It showcases the power of collaboration bringing together organisers, suppliers, hospitality teams, food operators, and brands to create fantastic experiences underpinned by the operational excellence that we are known for.”