Meet in Cardiff

What Meet in Cardiff does

Meet in Cardiff is the official Cardiff Convention Bureau, a unit of Cardiff Council founded in 2018 and headquartered in Cardiff, Wales. The bureau provides a free, impartial professional service to business event organizers — both corporate and association — supporting the planning and delivery of conferences, meetings, incentive trips, and exhibitions in Cardiff. Its core service offering comprises venue finding (across a curated portfolio of 70 venues spanning Cardiff City and Bay), accommodation booking with negotiated preferential rates, bid document and presentation support, marketing/PR assistance, site visits, virtual tours, and delegate experience design. The organization is supported by a Cardiff Conference Ambassador network drawn from industry and academia, and works alongside partners including Invest in Cardiff, the Cardiff Business Events Partnership, GWR (rail), and FinTech Wales.

The core "technology" underpinning the service is a curated digital ecosystem rather than a proprietary platform: a website (meetcardiff.com) with venue finder, accommodation directory, and enquiry forms; Mailchimp for newsletter and lead capture; Matterport-powered virtual tours of major venues including Cardiff Castle, Cardiff City Hall, ICC Wales, and Principality Stadium; and a downloadable Planner's Toolkit, 20-Point Conference Planning Checklist, and itinerary planning resources. The three-person team (Faye Tanner, Penny Phillips, Vicky Cotter) collectively brings 95+ years of business events experience, which functions as the bureau's primary qualitative asset.

The business model is publicly funded rather than commercial. All services are provided free of charge to event organizers, with costs covered by Cardiff Council's public budget with potential supplementation from Welsh Government tourism initiatives. Revenue is therefore not driven by fees or commissions — except for a split-commission arrangement with conference agents, DMCs, and PCOs. Customer segments are horizontal: corporate event organizers, association organizers, and conference agents, with named engagements spanning the European Space Agency, Royal Society of Chemistry, International Cytokine & Interferon Society, and the Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (CLIC 2025).

Name

Meet in Cardiff

Legal name

Meet in Cardiff (Cardiff Convention Bureau)

Website

https://meetcardiff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Meet in Cardiff is the official Cardiff Convention Bureau, a unit of Cardiff Council that provides free venue finding, accommodation booking, and bid support to business event organizers. The bureau serves corporate, association, and conference agent clients planning conferences in Cardiff and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention Bureau Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Convention bureau services
• Business event planning
• Venue finding services
• Conference accommodation booking
• Destination marketing organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Convention Bureau Services (Free): Meet in Cardiff provides all services free of charge to event organizers. As a unit based in Cardiff Council, the organization is publicly funded to promote Cardiff as a business events destination. Revenue comes from Cardiff Council and potentially Welsh Government tourism initiatives rather than from service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Meet in Cardiff operates as the official Cardiff Convention Bureau, providing free professional support to business event organizers planning conferences, meetings, and events in Cardiff. Core services include venue finding, accommodation booking with preferential rates, bid document preparation, marketing/PR support, site visits, and supplier introductions. The service is publicly funded through Cardiff Council and provided entirely free of charge to event organizers.

Product overview

Meet in Cardiff is the official Cardiff Convention Bureau, offering a comprehensive suite of free services to business event organizers. The core offering consists of venue finding, accommodation booking, bid support, and marketing/PR services. Supporting these core services are a portfolio of planning tools including the 20 Point Conference Planning Checklist, itinerary planning resources, virtual tours platform, and a Planner's Toolkit with downloadable guides. The organization also manages a Conference Ambassador Programme network and maintains a comprehensive venue and accommodation directory. Delegate experience offerings encompass food & drink, adventure activities, culture, edutainment, wellbeing, and entertainment packages. All services are free of charge to event organizers, positioning Meet in Cardiff as a convention bureau rather than a commercial software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venue Finding Service A free venue finding and sourcing service that helps business event organizers identify and book the best venues across Cardiff for conferences, meetings, and events.
• Accommodation Booking Service A free online accommodation booking service that negotiates preferential rates with hotels, serviced apartments, and academic institutions on behalf of event organizers, including a bespoke booking portal for delegates.
• Bid Document Support Expert support for preparing bid documents and presentations to help organizers secure conferences and events for Cardiff.
• Marketing & PR Support Event marketing, PR, and social media support services to promote Cardiff to prospective delegates.
• Site Visit & Virtual Tours Arrangement of site visits and access to virtual tours of Cardiff venues and attractions.
• Delegate Experiences Curated experiences for conference delegates including food & drink, adventure activities, culture, edutainment, wellbeing, and entertainment packages.
• Conference Ambassador Programme A network of Cardiff Conference Ambassadors from industry and academia who help attract national and international business events to the city.
• Supplier Network Introductions to local suppliers including event management, audio-visual equipment, and transportation partners.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Greater Ambassador Network Group (GANG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Prestigious network of business events professionals sharing best practice in working with local ambassadors to secure international conference bids. Meet in Cardiff hosted GANG 2026 Annual Conference in Cardiff.
• Clean Seas CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Cardiff supports the global Clean Seas campaign as a legacy of the Volvo Ocean Race stop-over event in 2018. Part of Cardiff's sustainability credentials.
• Cardiff Business Events PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive partnership addressing how Cardiff can develop further as a premier meetings and business events destination. Includes Meet in Cardiff as a key partner working alongside venues, accommodation providers, and city stakeholders.
• Invest in CardiffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvest in Cardiff promotes the city for business investment and works closely with Meet in Cardiff on economic development initiatives, including promoting Cardiff's growing industry sectors such as life sciences, financial services, and creative industries.
• Cardiff Conference Ambassador NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-wide partnership network supported by Meet in Cardiff and Invest in Cardiff, including leading influencers from industry and academia who help put Cardiff on the international map and attract business events.
• FinTech WalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinTech Wales collaboration supporting the financial technology sector in Cardiff. Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank, mentioned in ambassador context.
• CityDNA (City Destination Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurope-wide study of ambassador programmes across convention bureaux, referenced in GANG conference discussions about evolving approaches to ambassador engagement.
• Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEICC presented on their Exchange Initiative (academic advisory board) and Fellowship Programme at GANG 2026 conference in Cardiff.
• GWR (Great Western Railway)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeet in Cardiff was the first destination to package special rail fares with GWR to offer discounted conference delegate travel to Cardiff from main GWR stations including London Paddington.
• UK Sustainable Food CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardiff was a founder member of UK Sustainable Food Cities, supporting local food sourcing initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Meet Manchester: Manchester's official convention bureau offering free event planning support, venue finding, and accommodation booking services to conference organizers. Same service model and customer base; Manchester's larger venue infrastructure makes it a scale comparison.
• Meet Leeds: Leeds's official convention bureau providing free event planning services and venue-finding support to association and corporate organisers. Direct peer in the same UK regional convention bureau category.
• Meet Edinburgh: Edinburgh's official convention bureau providing free venue finding, accommodation booking, and bid support to business event organizers. Closest direct peer: same free-service model, same UK destination-marketing mandate, comparable size and target customer base.
• Marketing Birmingham (Visit Birmingham): Birmingham's destination marketing organisation including convention bureau services. UK regional city peer with a similar free-services model and target customer base of association and corporate event organisers.
• Meet Glasgow: Glasgow's official convention bureau providing free support for association and corporate event organisers considering Glasgow. Closely comparable UK-city bureau with similar mandate and service portfolio.
• Meet Belfast: Belfast's official convention bureau delivering free venue finding, accommodation booking, and bid support. UK regional capital peer with comparable scope and target customer base as Meet in Cardiff.
• Destination Bristol (Visit West): Bristol-area destination marketing organisation including convention bureau services for the West of England region. Comparable service portfolio targeting similar UK association and corporate event clients.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC): Edinburgh's purpose-built conference venue that partners with Meet Edinburgh but also competes for association bids. A relevant incumbent at the venue level that Meet in Cardiff benchmarks Cardiff venues against.
• VisitBritain Business Events: The UK national tourism body's business events arm, providing umbrella marketing of Britain as a meetings destination. Broader incumbent that channels leads to city-level bureaus including Meet in Cardiff.

Regional players

• Visit Dublin (Fáilte Ireland): Ireland's capital convention bureau with a similar free-services model targeting international association conferences. Operates in a different jurisdiction but competes with Cardiff for the same pan-European association bids.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MeetCardiff
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/in/meetincardiff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Meet in Cardiff