Australian Venue Co

What Australian Venue Co does

Australian Venue Co. is a privately held Australian hospitality group that owns and operates more than 200 pubs, bars, restaurants, sports pubs, beer gardens, rooftops, and event spaces across metropolitan, suburban, and regional Australia. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Melbourne, the company serves two primary customer bases: general hospitality consumers seeking dining, drinking, gaming, and accommodation, and customers booking function and event spaces for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, school formals, and other celebrations. The business employs more than 8,300 people across its venue network and also operates sister company New Zealand Venue Co. (NZVC) in New Zealand.

AVC generates revenue through multiple streams: on-premise food and beverage sales across its owned venue network, function and event hire with quote-based pricing, gaming machine revenue in designated gaming areas under Responsible Service of Gaming protocols, accommodation at select venues, gift card sales (The Pass Gift Cards, denominations of $10–$500 with 36-month validity), advertising through the AVC Experience+ retail media network, and franchise fees from the BrewDog Bars Australia partnership. Its go-to-market combines enterprise acquisition of pubs through a dedicated acquisitions program targeting large-format, beverage-led venues, function sales via a 200+ venue portfolio, and direct-to-consumer sales through owned venues and the The Pass loyalty and mobile ordering app available on iOS and Android.

The technology stack centers on The Pass App for cross-venue loyalty, mobile ordering, and gift card redemption; AVC Experience+ for venue-based retail media; Facial Recognition Technology in gaming areas for self-excluded patron identification; and photo ID scanning for age verification and banning compliance. Corporate systems include PageUp for recruitment and onboarding and Op Central for learning management and reviews. Marketing integration relies on Meta and Google conversion APIs for conversion tracking and personalization. The company was founded in 1986, pursues an acquisitive growth strategy backed by CVC Capital Partners (announced August 2025), and is committed to diversity, sustainability, and local community programs across its venue portfolio.

Name

Australian Venue Co

Legal name

Australian Venue Co. Limited

Website

https://ausvenueco.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Australian Venue Co. is a privately held Australian hospitality group that owns and operates 200+ pubs, bars, restaurants, gaming venues, and event spaces across Australia, plus a sister operation in New Zealand, serving millions of consumers and event-booking customers while running its own The Pass loyalty app and AVC Experience+ retail media network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality & Venue Operations

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Venue Food, Beverage & Hospitality Operations (Concessions, Catering, Premium Seating) (MPAGALAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Venue Booking, Ticketing & Event-Day Services (Box Office, Guest Services) (MPAKAEAO), Venue-Owned/Operated Event Organizers (In-House Promoters) (MPAKADAI)

Keywords

• Hospitality venues
• Pub and bar operations
• Function and event spaces
• Loyalty mobile app
• Retail media network

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from on-premise food and beverage sales across 200+ venues. Venues include pubs, bars, restaurants, sports pubs, beer gardens, rooftops, and casual dining establishments.
2. Function & Event Hire: Revenue from hosting events including weddings, corporate functions, birthdays, hens parties, baby showers, school formals, and other celebrations. Venues offer various function spaces with customizable packages.
3. Gaming: Gaming machine and gambling revenue in designated gaming areas of venues, with responsible service of gaming policies in place.
4. Accommodation: On-site accommodation at select venues with rooms available for booking, including boutique hotel offerings.
5. Gift Cards & Vouchers: Sale of The Pass Gift Cards available from $10 to $500, valid for 36 months, redeemable on food and beverage at 200+ venues.
6. Venue Acquisitions: Growth through acquisition of pub and bar properties. AVC is described as a 'highly acquisitive business' interested in acquiring large-format, beverage-led venues.
7. BrewDog Franchise: Revenue from BrewDog franchise operations including BrewDog Bars in Australia, in partnership with BrewDog.
8. Retail Media (AVC Experience+): Retail media network giving partners targeted advertising access to AVC's venue audience through in-venue digital screens and marketing channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Australian Venue Co. owns and operates a portfolio of more than 200 pubs, bars, restaurants, sports pubs, beer gardens, rooftops, accommodation venues and function/event spaces across Australia. Core revenue is generated through on-premise food and beverage sales, gaming machine operations, function and event hire, accommodation bookings, and ancillary services including gift cards and a retail media network. Supporting offerings include The Pass mobile loyalty app and AVC Experience+ retail media platform.

Product overview

Australian Venue Co. operates as a hospitality group managing 200+ pubs, bars, restaurants, and event spaces across Australia, plus sister company NZVC in New Zealand. The core product is the venue portfolio offering venues for dining, accommodation, functions, and entertainment. Supporting products include The Pass App (loyalty and mobile ordering), AVC Experience+ (retail media network), and The Pass Gift Cards. Functions and events services are integral to the offering, providing venue hire and event planning across the portfolio for occasions including weddings, corporate events, celebrations, and parties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Pass App: Loyalty reward app allowing customers to order via mobile and earn/redeem points at 200+ pubs, bars and restaurants.
• AVC Experience+

Products and services

• Australian Venue Co. Venues Network of 200+ owned and operated pubs, bars, restaurants, sports pubs, beer gardens, rooftops, casual dining and accommodation venues across metro, suburban and regional Australia for on-premise food, beverage, gaming and entertainment.
• Functions & Events Comprehensive event management services including venue hire, function spaces, catering packages and event planning support for weddings, corporate events, hens parties, engagement parties, baby showers, school formals and other celebrations across the AVC venue portfolio.
• The Pass App Mobile loyalty and ordering application available on iOS and Android allowing customers to order via mobile, earn points, redeem rewards, access exclusive offers, and convert gift cards to app credit across 200+ AVC pubs, bars and restaurants.
• AVC Experience+ Retail media network that blends social spaces with retail media, providing advertising and marketing partnership opportunities to brands within Australian Venue Co.'s 200+ venue audience via in-venue digital screens and marketing channels.
• The Pass Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable at 200+ Australian Venue Co. venues, available in denominations from $10 to $500 with 36-month validity; gift cards of $200+ require photo ID at redemption.
• NZVC (New Zealand Venue Co.) Sister company operating pubs, bars and venues across New Zealand, extending AVC's hospitality footprint trans-Tasman under a wholly-owned subsidiary structure.
• Accommodation at AVC Venues On-site accommodation at select AVC venues, including boutique hotel offerings with rooms available for booking.
• BrewDog Bars Australia (Franchise) BrewDog Bars operated in Australia by AVC under a franchise partnership with Scottish craft beer company BrewDog.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800 tonnes CO2 reduced per year through LED lighting upgrades
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rainbow YouthminorOthers · 30 August 2024New Zealand Venue Co. partnered with Rainbow Youth, a charity that promotes safe, inclusive, accepting and diverse environments for the LGBTQIA+ community. NZVC donated $5 per staff member participating in Wear It Purple Day 2024.
• Minus18minorOthers · 25 August 2023Minus18 is an organization passionate about leading change, building social inclusion and advocating for LGBTQIA+ youth in Australia. AVC donated $5 per staff member wearing purple on Wear It Purple Day 2023, raising $8,435 for the organization.
• 9 Western Australian VenuescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2022Australian Venue Co. acquired 9 Western Australian venues, expanding their portfolio into the WA market as part of their acquisition growth strategy.
• BrewDogcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2022BrewDog and Australian Venue Co. partnered to open BrewDog Bars in Australia through a franchise deal. BrewDog is a Scottish craft beer company, and AVC serves as their franchise partner for the Australian market.
• National Indigenous Culinary Institute (NICI)minorOthers · 1 January 2022NICI is a not-for-profit committed to finding the next generation of culinary leaders. AVC donated $1 from every Salt & Pepper Calamari sale during NAIDOC Week 2022, raising $3,103 to support aspiring Indigenous chefs.
• The Pass AppcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Pass App is AVC's proprietary loyalty and mobile ordering platform. It allows customers to order via mobile, earn and redeem points at 200+ venues, and convert gift cards to app credit.
• Local Heroes (Various Local Charities)minorOthersLocal Heroes is AVC's charity partnership program connecting venues across Australia to local charities. Every venue chooses a local charity (Local Hero) to support through weekly fundraising promotions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• BrewDog: Scottish craft beer company that partnered with AVC in June 2022 to franchise BrewDog Bars in Australia. Overlaps with AVC on venue operations and craft beverage distribution in the Australian market.

Direct peers

• Endeavour Group (ALH Group): Australia's largest pub operator (ALH Group, ~330+ venues), part of Endeavour Group (ASX:EDG). Directly competes with AVC in operating beverage-led venues across Australia and benefits from similar scale economics in procurement and loyalty (owns Dan Murphy's).
• Solotel: Privately held Australian hospitality group operating 30+ pubs, bars and restaurants primarily in NSW. Comparable venue formats (pubs, bars, dining) and similar target customer base as AVC's metro venue portfolio.
• New Zealand Venue Co. (NZVC): Wholly-owned subsidiary of AVC operating pubs and bars across New Zealand. While not a true external peer, NZVC uses the same operating model as AVC and competes with other NZ hospitality groups like Pub Group NZ and TSB.
• Redcape Hotel Group: ASX-listed pub operator with ~30 large-format beverage-led hotels across NSW, QLD and VIC. Closely comparable business model to AVC's pubs portfolio, with similar reliance on gaming, F&B and events revenue.
• Hemmes Trading: Privately held Sydney-based hospitality group (founded by Justin Hemmes/Merivale) operating a portfolio of high-profile pubs, bars and event venues. Comparable in venue diversity, event focus, and metropolitan concentration to AVC.

Broad incumbents

• Mitchells & Butlers (UK): UK-listed operator of ~1,700 managed pubs, bars and restaurants (All Bar One, Harvester, Toby Carvery, etc.). International comparable for AVC's large-format pub-and-restaurant operating model at scale.
• Event Hospitality & Entertainment: ASX-listed operator of cinemas, hotels and event venues. Overlaps with AVC on function/event venue operations and accommodation, but is more diversified across entertainment formats and lodging.
• Stonegate Pub Company (UK): UK-based operator of ~4,500 pubs, bars and late-night venues. Comparable in venue-type mix (pubs, bars, sports venues) and acquisition-driven scale strategy to AVC.
• Hotel Property Investments (HPI): ASX-listed REIT owning ~63 pub freehold properties across Australia, leased to operators including ALH, Redcape and others. Comparable real-estate-heavy operating model and tenant exposure to AVC-style operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFCZ4vLgTKnaGNKwzXXmYCQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/theaustralianvenueco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-venue-co
• Instagraminstagram.com/australianvenueco
• TikToktiktok.com/@australianvenueco

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Venue Co