Founder since 1999
The entrepreneur behind Gala Tent, SOTpay and other UK businesses.
Jason Mace has spent over two decades building businesses across the UK, starting with market stalls and growing into a portfolio spanning events, payments and technology. What began with a single idea has developed over time into multiple established brands, each shaped by hands-on experience and a focus on doing things properly.
Armed with a £2000 credit card, Jason launched Gala Tent at the turn of the millennium, bringing affordable, high-quality party tents into ownership for the UK market. The business grew into a multi-million pound, market-leading operation.
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Jason founded Macelands Ltd. With his keen eye for a shrewd investment, he has built a significant property portfolio of commercial and domestic premises across Yorkshire, including retail spaces, warehousing, office spaces and hospitality venues.
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Jason expanded the Gala Tent business to incorporate premium quality, heavy-duty pop-up gazebos in the form Gala Shade. The brand has gone on to set the standard and raise expectations of what a pop-up gazebo could handle.
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In 2012, Jason acquired a local printing and design firm, establishing Gala Graphics and bringing branded solutions into the portfolio. The company now produces and dispatches thousands of event tents, exhibition systems and marketing materials to businesses across the UK each year.
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After Gala Tent was hit with widespread card-fraud chargebacks in 2012, Jason and his team worked on a secure card-payment solution to eradicate fraud losses, and in 2015 SOTpay was born. What started as an internal solution became a multi-award-winner that changed the card payments landscape.
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In 2016, Gala Tent partnered with Zak Brown's race team United Autosports for a significant sponsorship that powered the team to European Le Mans Series success. This partnership was the catalyst for launching motorsport supplies brand Gala Performance, supplying exclusively developed products.
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In 2019, Jason brought together over two decades of experience in the event industry, writing and publishing Event Industry Boss, a practical playbook for those entering the professional event hire space. The book has been recognised for its practical insight and industry perspective, coming from very real experience.
Read the Book →
In 2017, Jason acquired the Empress Ballroom in Doncaster, and spent the next few years restoring the once-prominent venue that had fallen into near ruin. Following significant investment, it now hosts year-round entertainment from leading names, and has re-established itself at the centre of the local community.
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In 2025, Jason developed Empress Rooms, converting the upper floor into a series of themed hotel suites inspired by local figures, including Brian Blessed and Kevin Keegan. The Jeremy Clarkson suite gained national attention, appearing across major news outlets, including on Have I Got News For You on the BBC.
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