Nail your hospitality package this summer with Exact Lifestyle
A hospitality package can make or break a trip to a summer sporting event. Exact Lifestyle can make sure everything goes according to plan
With Exact Lifestyle, I have spent years arranging access to some of the UK’s most sought-after events, from sporting finals to sold out stadium gigs. Over the years, I’ve learnt that the best days are rarely just about the ticket. People assume the key to having a great hospitality experience is getting through the door – in reality that’s often the easy bit.
As summer gets underway, the season’s big events loom large in the diary: Henley, Wimbledon and Royal Ascot. Then there’s the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in 2027, which is already on the radars of those who like to plan ahead. These are all very different events, but they share one thing in common: for the discerning guest, they’re about far more than sport.
The hospitality industry loves talking about luxury, but most guests aren’t judging a day out by the price of the wine or the extravagance of the flowers in the dining room. They remember whether someone met them when they arrived or if they spent half the day queuing or if they were or constantly checking their watch because the schedule was off. Little details like this determine whether a day feels special or simply expensive.
Unforgettable memories with Exact Lifestyle
I was reminded of this recently when we planned an itinerary for our client that would start not at the stadium, but on the runway. Our client flew into London via private jet and then met up with two players from the legendary Arsenal Invincibles for lunch. The conversation focused on their record-breaking season, the dressing-room antics, and other things you only get to hear in a documentary a few years down the road. They continued with the trip, flying from the Emirates Stadium, where they watched the match in a private box. While the game itself played a significant role, it was the experience around it that really captured the attention of our client – hearing the tales of old straight from the horse’s mouth, having dinner with people that they have idolised for years.
Henley remains one of my favourite events for hospitality because it never seems like it’s trying too hard. The rowing is world-class, but the regatta has always felt as much about the river as the racing. A good Henley day involves drifting between enclosures, catching snippets of action and somehow spending longer over lunch than you intended. If the weather behaves itself – well, that’s just a bonus.
Wimbledon is a different beast entirely. Unlike a business lunch, the entertainment is built in. Nobody expects you to carry the conversation for six hours when Sinner and Alcaraz are slugging it out in front of you. It runs with the precision of a military operation, albeit one involving strawberries and cream. People talk about Centre Court, and rightly so, but anyone who’s entertained there knows the logistics can make or break the day. There are few things less glamorous than watching guests become increasingly irritated while standing in the wrong queue.
Planning for the biggest events
Royal Ascot is perhaps the event where preparation matters most. There are still rules, and unlike many less storied sporting events, most people still pay attention to them. Every year someone arrives in the wrong outfit, misunderstands the enclosure system or discovers too late that their carefully planned schedule isn’t quite as clever as they thought it was.
What I’ve always found interesting is that people rarely remember the things that hosts obsess over. Nobody phones you six months later to say the wine list was excellent. They remember an incredible finish, an unexpected conversation or a moment that couldn’t have happened anywhere else.
That’s why the best hospitality has always felt slightly… invisible. When it’s working, nobody notices it. The day simply unfolds as it should.
And in an age when we’re all supposedly connected yet seem to spend half our lives staring at screens, that’s increasingly valuable. Whether it’s Henley, Wimbledon, Ascot or the Ryder Cup, it’s the little moments of magic that people are really buying into.
• To book exclusive hospitality experiences at everything from sporting events to stadium concerts, contact us through [email protected] or visit the website here