greatEvent
greatEvent is a U.S. event booking marketplace connecting event planners with hotels, venues, and service providers through its patented Real-Time Booking platform, serving SMBs, individuals, and corporate planners across 38 states via web and mobile.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersRockville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What greatEvent does
greatEvent is a private U.S.-headquartered online event booking marketplace, founded around 2014-2015 in Rockville, Maryland, that connects event planners, venues, hotels, and service providers (caterers, photographers, DJs, videographers, florists, and entertainment) through a single real-time booking platform. The company's core product is its patented Real-Time Booking technology, which the company describes as the first solution enabling event planners to view live venue availability and book meeting/event space — along with service providers and hotel room blocks — in a unified flow confirmed in under 10 minutes, eliminating the traditional RFP-based sales-and-catering process that typically takes days. The platform serves two primary customer segments: consumer-facing individual and corporate event planners (free to use) and B2B partners consisting of hotels, venues, and service providers who list inventory and manage bookings.
The product surface extends beyond booking into a Sales & Catering System for hoteliers (Function Diary, Contract Merge, Banquet Event Orders, lead management dashboard), gEchat/gEsynch for stakeholder communication, gE Invite for digital invitations, and greatEvent Play (with Message Broadcaster, Vendor Collaborator, and Attendee Connector) for event-day engagement. Distribution is multi-channel: web platform, native iOS and Android apps, an SEO-driven content marketing blog (27+ pages), and a profit-sharing partner program for event/wedding planners. The platform reports 40,000+ listed venues and vendors across 38 U.S. states and a 96% inquiry-response rate within 24 hours.
greatEvent's revenue model combines transaction commissions on bookings (5% for non-member venues and service providers, 3% for member-tier participants) with monthly subscription fees for the Member tier ($25/user/month for hotels/venues with full Sales & Catering Platform access; $5/user/month for service providers with Function Diary access), while the consumer-facing platform remains free. The company has operated with limited disclosed institutional capital — a single $500,000 Venture Funds investment from TEDCO (Maryland Technology Development Corporation) was announced in April 2026, earmarked for scaling the platform across Maryland and beyond. Management team information is not disclosed in available sources, and there is no publicly available revenue figure.
greatEvent firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- greatEvent
- Website
- https://greatevent.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- greatEvent is a U.S. event booking marketplace connecting event planners with hotels, venues, and service providers through its patented Real-Time Booking platform, serving SMBs, individuals, and corporate planners across 38 states via web and mobile.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
greatEvent industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Booking Marketplace
- NAICS
- All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599), Travel Agencies (56151)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Booking Engines & Direct Web Booking (THALACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps) (BPAFAGAL), Meeting & Event Program Technology (Registration, Apps, Badging) (THACAFAB), Party Venue Sourcing & Booking Services (HSACACAL)
Keywords
Where greatEvent is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rockville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
greatEvent business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commission on Bookings: greatEvent charges venues and service providers a commission (3-5%) on all revenue generated from bookings or leads through the platform. Non-members pay 5%, while Members pay 3% of booking revenue. This is the primary revenue stream from B2B partners.
- Membership Subscriptions: Member venues pay $25 per user per month for access to the full Sales & Catering Platform including Function Diary, Contract Merge, Banquet Event Orders, Productivity Reports, Forecast/Pace Reports, Daily Dashboard, Activity Reports, GRC/Room Blocks, and gEchat. Service provider Members pay $5 per user per month for Function Diary access.
- Consumer Platform (Free): The consumer-facing platform is free for event planners and individuals to search and book events. All fees associated with events are paid directly to hotels, venues, and service providers, with greatEvent taking a percentage of provider revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free for consumers to search and book events |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Hotels/Venues Non-Member - 5% commission on bookings |
| Hybrid | Monthly | Hotels/Venues Member - 3% commission + $25/user/month |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Service Providers Non-Member - 5% commission on bookings |
| Hybrid | Monthly | Service Providers Member - 3% commission + $5/user/month |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Event/Meeting/Wedding Planners - 3% commission on facilitated bookings |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
greatEvent product offering
Product offeringCore offering
greatEvent operates an online event booking marketplace that uses patented Real-Time Booking technology to let event planners search, compare, and instantly book hotels, venues, service providers (caterers, photographers, DJs, florists, etc.), and group hotel rooms in a single flow, with bookings confirmed in under 10 minutes. The company complements this consumer-facing platform with a backend Sales & Catering System (subscription SaaS) for hoteliers and service providers, plus digital invitation tools (gE Invite) and collaborative chat features (gEchat/gEsynch).
Product overview
greatEvent is a unified event planning platform offering a Real-Time Booking system as its core product, complemented by several integrated modules including gE Invite (digital invitation tool), greatEvent Play (event-day engagement features with Message Broadcaster, Vendor Collaborator, and Attendee Connector), the greatEvent Sales & Catering System (for hoteliers and service providers), gEsynch (chat-based stakeholder communication), and the Hotelier Dashboard (lead management). The platform connects event planners with venues, hotels, and service providers (caterers, photographers, DJs, videographers, florists, etc.) enabling real-time availability viewing and booking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- greatEvent Platform (Real-Time Booking) Core online marketplace platform with patented Real-Time Booking technology that lets event planners search, compare, inquire about, and instantly book hotels, venues, service providers, and group hotel room blocks in a single flow, with bookings confirmed in under 10 minutes. Used free of charge by consumer and corporate event planners.
- gE Invite Online digital invitation tool that allows users to create, customize, and send invitations via email for birthdays, anniversaries, wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate events, training sessions, reunions, and fundraising events, with guest contact management and invitation history tracking.
- greatEvent Sales & Catering System Subscription-based backend SaaS platform for hotels, venues, and service providers that simplifies event booking, sales, catering, and entertainment management. Includes Function Diary, Contract Merge, Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), Productivity Reports, Forecast/Pace Reports, Daily Calendar/Dashboard, Activity Reports, GRC/Room Blocks, and gEchat. Member venues pay $25/user/month (3% commission) and member service providers pay $5/user/month (3% commission).
Quantifiable outcome
- Booking confirmation in under 10 minutes vs. days with traditional systems
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use greatEvent
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
greatEvent technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
greatEvent partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
greatEvent competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Knot Worldwide: Wedding planning marketplace connecting couples with venues, vendors, and planning tools—overlaps with greatEvent's wedding segment and vendor marketplace functionality.
- WeddingWire: Wedding vendor marketplace and planning platform; comparable to greatEvent's service-provider directory (photographers, caterers, DJs) on the wedding/social event side.
- Eventbrite: Large-scale event ticketing and registration platform serving consumer and corporate events; overlaps with greatEvent on event booking and planner workflows though focused more on ticketing than venue sourcing.
- Cvent: Dominant enterprise event management platform offering venue sourcing, registration, and attendee management at much larger scale—greatEvent's venue booking and event workflow compete with Cvent's supplier network.
- HotelEngine: Corporate hotel booking platform offering discounted rates and group booking; overlaps with greatEvent's hotel room block feature for corporate event planners.
Direct peers
- Peerspace: Online marketplace for booking unique event venues by the hour, serving both individual and corporate event planners with instant booking—directly overlapping with greatEvent's real-time venue availability model.
- Tripleseat: Sales-and-catering platform purpose-built for hotels, restaurants, and unique venues to manage event bookings, leads, and BEOs—directly competing with greatEvent's Sales & Catering System and lead management dashboard.
- Splacer: Event venue marketplace that connects planners with unique bookable spaces for corporate and social events—directly comparable venue-search and instant-booking value proposition.
Emerging players
- HoneyBook: Business management platform for event and creative professionals with booking, contracts, and payments—competes on workflow/CRM layer that event planners and service providers use around greatEvent transactions.
- Social Tables: Event planning software with floorplan diagramming and venue management tools used by hotels and planners; overlaps with greatEvent's planner collaboration and event design capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
greatEvent social profiles
Digital presencegreatEvent financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
greatEvent leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
greatEvent funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
greatEvent M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about greatEvent
What does greatEvent do?
greatEvent operates an online event booking marketplace that uses patented Real-Time Booking technology to let event planners search, compare, and instantly book hotels, venues, service providers (caterers, photographers, DJs, florists, etc.), and group hotel rooms in a single flow, with bookings confirmed in under 10 minutes. The company complements this consumer-facing platform with a backend Sales & Catering System (subscription SaaS) for hoteliers and service providers, plus digital invitation tools (gE Invite) and collaborative chat features (gEchat/gEsynch).
Is greatEvent a public or private company?
greatEvent is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was greatEvent founded?
greatEvent was founded in 2014. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is greatEvent based?
greatEvent is headquartered in Rockville, United States, in the North America region.
How does greatEvent make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Commission on Bookings are the primary driver. The others are membership Subscriptions and consumer Platform (Free).
Who are greatEvent's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Knot Worldwide, WeddingWire, Eventbrite, Cvent and HotelEngine. Direct peers are Peerspace, Tripleseat and Splacer. Emerging players are HoneyBook and Social Tables.
Does greatEvent have an API?
No public API is recorded for greatEvent.
What industry is greatEvent in?
greatEvent's product category is Event Booking Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALACAD, Booking Engines & Direct Web Booking, with a secondary code of BPAFAGAL, Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps). Its NAICS code is 561599 and its SIC code is 7990.