About
Founder-led, properly backed
Who we are
Built by people who've run the bar
Apex Bars & Events is run by Steve Drew and Dan Smith. Between them, they've spent the best part of fifteen years building and running bars at Scotland's biggest shows, festivals and concerts.
Apex is a joint venture with SBS, an eighteen-year drinks activation specialist and the first UK drinks activation agency to be B Corp certified. Apex delivers the experience on the ground. SBS adds scale: end-to-end activation capability, logistics, dispense, data and insight, and access to the brand teams, budgets and assets it already works with.
Founder-led on the ground means one of us is on site for every trading hour. If something needs a decision, it gets one.
What sets us apart
Three things a competitor can't put together in time for your event
Our team
Recruited and trained in house, not booked through an agency the week of the event. Every Apex team member is vetted and trained to a single standard before they pour a drink. Seven in ten come back the following year.
Our kit
Owned, not hired. Over 100 feet of container bar designed and built by Apex, including Scotland's only owned high-volume 40ft unit. When the weather turns or demand spikes, we're not waiting on a supplier.
Our brand access
Through SBS, Apex can bring a brand partner's budget and physical assets onto your site. That puts money into your event rather than taking it out. Almost no bar operator can do this.
The team
Steve DrewCo-Founder, Commercial DirectorLeads commercial, licensing and compliance. Personal licence holder. Built and ran an events business from zero to £3m+ before founding Apex.
Dan SmithCo-Founder, Events DirectorRuns operations and delivery on site. Twelve years of end-to-end event delivery, venue build, logistics and compliance, with a deep supplier network.
The people on the bar
Our team. Our training. Our standard.
Most event operators fill bars through agencies. We don't. Every Apex team member is recruited directly, vetted, and trained to a single service standard before they pour a drink. Your event's reputation is on the line. We don't leave that to agency staff.
- Direct recruitment, no agency turnover
- Apex-run service training before every event
- Supervisors and managers retained season on season
- 70% of staff return year on year
