International Confex Exhibitor Interview with Brentford FC

Brentford FC's Operations Director, Alan Walsh discusses their partnership with Levy at the Gtech Community Stadium and all about why they're exhibiting at International Confex to showcase their incredible venue and services for event organisers. 

Tell me a bit about Brentford Football Club and your values, what are you excited about exhibiting at International Confex 2025? 

We are a Premier League football club based in Hounslow, west London. We're a community club and everything we do is driven by our core values of “togetherness”, “respectful” and “progressive”. We aim to embed these values in all our events. We’re very excited to be exhibiting at International Confex. We’re looking forward to showing people why the Gtech Community Stadium, our club’s home, is one of London’s premier venues for hosting football, corporate, charity events, and much more.

 

As a prominent football club, how does Brentford Football Club utilise its venues for non-sporting events like business events, exhibitions, or special events?

Our home, the Gtech Community Stadium, is a versatile, state-of-the-art space that caters to events for up to 900 people, including business meetings, exhibitions and special occasions. It’s fully customisable and flexible, and we can adapt the stadium so that you have what you need, whether that’s seating, technology, audio-visual or on-site catering. Additionally, the club's experienced events team provides tailored support and exceptional service that takes the pressure off you and your guests. Events at the Gtech never fail to impress – we still enjoy people’s faces when they see the pitch and their brand on the in-bowl screen.

 

What unique facilities or features does Brentford Football Club offer that make it a compelling venue for events? 

The stadium's modern design includes versatile event spaces with pitchside views, bringing a memorable atmosphere to any event. We have state-of-the-art audio-visual infrastructure and additional equipment, high-speed Wi-Fi and the technology to broadcast your event around the world if required. The stadium is easily accessible via public transport links from central London, and we are located on the M4 corridor, only a short distance from Heathrow airport and a number of nearby four-star hotels. All of this means we are an ideal choice for providing guests with a great experience.

Sustainability is a growing focus for the events industry. How is Brentford Football Club incorporating sustainable practices into its operations and events?

As part of our technology and customer betterment programme in 2023, we were one of the first stadium venues to introduce carbon-labelling as standard, across our menus to help customers make more informed decisions. Our catering team, Levy, offer Meetings for Change and Better Banquet packages that switch to higher proportions of seasonal, British-grown ingredients and plant-based dishes. Furthermore, they use responsibly sourced ingredients, have removed ingredients supplied by airfreight and switched to dairy-free desserts to reduce carbon emissions. Through our new sustainability strategy, Brentford is continuing to look at ways in which we can make our operations at the stadium better for our environment. For example, we know that the production of meat can substantially increase our carbon emissions, and so we are looking for methods to reduce this impact. 

 

What advice would you give to event organisers looking to collaborate with sporting venues like yours? What makes sports venues a unique choice for events?

Firstly, think big! Stadiums have all kinds of unique spaces, equipment, services and people dedicated to making conference and exhibition event days a great experience. All of this is at your disposal, so make sure you ask what’s possible.

My advice is to work closely with venue teams early on. Their expertise in handling large crowds, logistics and event operations will be invaluable in planning and executing an event. It’s also wise to promote the event’s unique sporting setting to help attract delegates. Unlike traditional venues, stadiums like the Gtech provide an engaging setting that can inspire and excite attendees, with iconic features such as pitchside views. 

 

Brentford FC has experienced significant growth both on and off the field. How does the club’s event strategy align with its broader growth objectives?

It’s important that away from matchdays, we maximise the use of the club’s facilities. But more than anything, being a community club means that our doors are open. This means being more than a football club. We want people to visit the Gtech Community Stadium and understand what it means to be part of Brentford, our culture and values through using our space. Whether that's large corporate events, or special occasions. We are here to create and deliver special moments.

 

What upcoming trends in the events industry are most exciting to Brentford Football Club, and how do you plan to incorporate these into your venue offerings?

Environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important in the events industry, and rightly so. We continue to be on an environmental journey both through our club’s sustainability strategy and with our catering partner Levy. Engaging with the community is becoming more important, and this is something that is already in our DNA. Brentford FC and Levy actively engage with our local community by supporting food donation programmes and hosting events for businesses in our local area. Venues also need to keep abreast of changes in technology to meet the modern demands of guests. As mentioned, we are prepared with state-of-the-art audio-visual infrastructure, electric vehicle charge points, digital signage, but we’re mindful to keep up-to-date on latest trends.

Make sure you pop by A12C at International Confex 2025 to meet the Levy & Brentford FC Team!