• April 21, 2026

Race Across the World – UK agencies make moves down under

Race Across the World – UK agencies make moves down under

Race Across the World – UK agencies make moves down under 1024 683 micebook.

By Susie Harwood

As consolidation continues to sweep across the events and experiential sector, with agencies scaling rapidly through mergers, acquisitions and international expansion, a clear priority has emerged: building the infrastructure to deliver truly global client programmes.

While much of the recent focus has been on UK agencies launching into the US (Principal. Global Events, Event Concept, Chill Out! Event Management and Brandfuel to name a few), a growing number are now looking further afield, with Australia emerging as a strategic next step.

The shift reflects increasing demand from global brands for integrated, experience-led marketing delivered seamlessly across regions, time zones and markets.

Why Australia, why now?

For agencies, establishing a physical presence in Australia is not just about geographic reach, but about enabling 24-hour delivery models and tapping into what many are calling a “golden decade” of major events.

TBA Group was among the first to spot the opportunity, opening in Australia last November with a Sydney office supported by teams in Melbourne and Brisbane. The move builds on long-standing client relationships in the region and a strong track record in global sport and brand activations.

The group pointed to Australia’s booming sports economy – estimated at $32bn annually – as a key driver behind the decision. From the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Australia is preparing for a period of sustained global attention, and with it, a surge in demand for large-scale, high-impact brand experiences.

“Australia is entering a golden decade of global sporting events. This creates a huge opportunity for agencies to grow global footprint within their existing client bases in a new market,” says Jemma Peers, MD of Top Banana, part of TBA Group. “Large scale global sporting events bring major opportunities for destinations, as demonstrated by similar trends across other international markets over the last three decades.”

While not a new market for Top Banana and TBA, Peers says they are seeing an increase in the demand for events to coincide with business activations on the global sport stage.

“Businesses want to harness the power of those large-scale cultural events within their brands, using the feel-good factor these events inevitably bring, both for their employees as well as with consumers.” She adds that UK based agencies are increasingly looking overseas for growth, and new demand which the Australian market has the potential to offer at a low risk, as the UK is perhaps perceived to be a tougher market right now.

Global collective asembl.group and Identity are also positioning themselves to capitalise on this growth opportunity.

asembl.group has just established a permanent base in Melbourne, strengthening its Australian footprint alongside The Park, its brand experience agency partner in Sydney, providing coverage across two of Australia’s most commercially significant event markets.

For CEO Gavin Farley, the move is as much about future positioning as it is about current demand, with Australia offering both a strong local market and a strategic gateway into wider international programmes.

“The nation represents a dynamic and growing market for world-class event experiences and Melbourne, with its vibrant culture and thriving business community, is the perfect launchpad. This move strengthens our ability to support clients internationally with a truly connected, full-service offer and is a clear signal of where the group is heading next,” he explains.

Meanwhile, Identity has gone down the acquisition route, buying Queensland-based major projects specialist EPG to establish its Australian operations. The deal effectively completes its global footprint, giving the agency on-the-ground capability across all key regions.

“This isn’t about adding a logo to our portfolio – it’s about genuine capability expansion,” says Simon Dunnell, Identity’s director of major projects.

Redefining global capability

Together, these moves speak to a broader shift in how agencies are thinking about scale and what global capability really means in practice.

“The Golden Age of Experience is happening on every continent, and we’re delighted we can now deliver on four of them,” says Group CEO Michael Gietzen. “Our clients demand world-class experiences regardless of where they’re activating. With major projects teams across Europe, North America, the Middle East and now Australia, we can deliver seamlessly around the world – local expertise backed by global resources, 24 hours a day.”

Local expertise is emerging as a critical differentiator as agencies build out their global operating models. “Australian buyers like to work with Australian agencies, so for those seeking an Australian presence, having a strong local presence and talent on the ground is critical to that success when expanding into the market,” says Peers.

That emphasis on local expertise sits alongside the need for global consistency. As agencies scale through M&A and international expansion, the real goal is becoming clearer: building an operating model that allows them to service clients anywhere, at any time.

Australia plays a very critical role in that. Positioned within the Asia-Pacific region but closely aligned with Western markets, it offers agencies a foothold that enables true follow-the-sun operations, where teams can hand over projects across time zones to maintain continuous progress and real-time responsiveness.

For clients running complex, multi-market programmes, that kind of continuity is becoming increasingly valuable.

Australia may not have been the obvious next step for UK-based agencies a few years ago. But as the race for global capability accelerates, it is quickly becoming a crucial one.

With a strong pipeline of major events and increasing client demand, further moves into the Australian market seem likely as agencies look to capitalise on the opportunity.

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