BRISBANE: Flight Centre Travel Group Limited announced Friday it has acquired Fresh Approach (UK) Holdings Limited, a meetings and events agency based in Manchester and Edinburgh, as the travel giant moves to capture a larger share of the high-margin events sector.
The acquisition gives Flight Centre an immediate capability boost in the United Kingdom by internalizing creative and production services it previously outsourced. Fresh Approach, which employs about 65 people and is forecast to post £1.2 million in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization in the current fiscal year, will integrate into the company’s FCM Meetings & Events unit.
Founders and leadership will remain in place. Lee Harris will continue as chief executive officer, and the agency will retain its creative identity while gaining access to Flight Centre’s global scale and technology, the company said.
The deal unlocks two-way cross-selling opportunities, allowing Flight Centre to offer Fresh Approach’s brand-experience and creative services to its 2,200 U.K. corporate clients, while Fresh Approach’s customers gain access to Flight Centre’s global travel management capabilities.
“This acquisition helps us deepen relationships with our corporate clients by offering more of the services they need in one place – creative, production and travel management delivered seamlessly,” Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner said in a statement.
The move aligns with Flight Centre’s strategy to expand beyond traditional travel management. Nearly 10% of the company’s corporate sector revenue in the first half of fiscal 2026 came from meetings and events and professional services, according to the company.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Flight Centre said it used cash reserves to fund the acquisition, which was deemed not material to the company.
Sellers included management, founders and private equity firm NVM Private Equity.
The U.K. meetings and events market is forecast to grow about 7% annually, according to industry data cited by the company.