Venue Queen

What Venue Queen does

Venue Queen is a UK-based boutique venue finding service that matches event organizers with quality venues across the United Kingdom. Founded in 2016 by Claire Lee, a hospitality sales veteran with approximately three decades of experience across THF, Thistle, Travelodge, Macdonald Hotels, independent country manor house hotels, and Champneys, the company operates from Kings Langley, Hertfordshire under the legal entity Venue Queen Ltd. It serves primarily corporate event organizers arranging off-site meetings, client appreciation events, staff incentives, team building activities, and Christmas parties, alongside private clients organizing weddings and celebrations. The Alternative Board (TAB), a business advisory firm, is a named long-term enterprise client. The team is small (1-10 employees) and includes an Account Manager (Lisa Borgiel), a Consultant (Helen Butler), and a trainee.

The firm's core offering is a complimentary venue matching and consulting service supplemented by professional venue consulting that includes selection guidance and price negotiation support. Venue Queen does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its stack consists of HubSpot for customer data management, Google Analytics 4 for website analytics, and Jimdo CMS for the website. There is no AI/ML, no proprietary model, and no patented technology underpinning the service. Adjacent activity includes sponsorship of the Borrow my Garden listing website, an outdoor venue platform co-created with Striking Places Photography.

Revenue is generated exclusively through transaction-based commissions paid by venues after a successful event has been run. Event organizers are not charged, the commission does not increase the price paid by the client, and commission rates are individually negotiated. The business is sales-led, relying on direct personal consultation with Claire Lee and the team, supplemented by customer referrals, AIEA (Association of Independent Event Agencies) membership, Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce membership, and an organic social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The company is bootstrapped and owner-operated, with no external institutional investment.

Name

Venue Queen

Legal name

Venue Queen Ltd

Website

https://venuequeen.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Venue Queen is a UK-based boutique venue finding service matching corporate and private event organizers with quality UK venues. Founded in 2016 by hospitality veteran Claire Lee, the firm earns post-event commission from venues while charging event organizers nothing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Venue Sourcing Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination (HSACAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Party Venue Sourcing & Booking Services (HSACACAL), Venue & Facility Reservations (Private Rooms, Event Spaces) (HSACALAJ)

Keywords

• Venue finding services
• Event venue sourcing
• Venue consulting
• Corporate event planning
• Venue booking agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Kings Langley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venue Commission: Venue Queen charges venues a commission fee only after an event has been successfully run. There is no charge to the event organiser. The commission does not increase the price for the client. This is the sole revenue stream for the business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Venue Queen provides a complimentary venue finding and consulting service that connects event organizers with vetted UK venues. The team matches client event requirements to suitable venues, conducts in-person venue visits, and negotiates prices and arrangements on behalf of the client. The service is free to event organizers; revenue is earned through commission paid by the venue only after a successful event, with no impact on client pricing.

Product overview

Venue Queen operates as a venue finding and consulting service, offering two interconnected offerings: a core venue finding service that matches clients with suitable venues across the UK at no charge, and supplementary consulting services for clients requiring more hands-on venue selection guidance and negotiation support. The company acts as an independent sales representative for venues, earning commission only after successful events, and does not charge event organizers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venue Finding Service A complimentary venue matching and consulting service that connects event organizers with quality venues across the UK, negotiating prices and arrangements on behalf of clients. Free to event organizers; venues pay a commission only after a successful event.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AIEA (Association of Independent Event Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Venue Queen is a member of AIEA, a network for small boutique event agencies. The association provides a collective voice for independent agents, enables networking and knowledge sharing, and facilitates collaboration for the benefit of clients.
• Borrow my GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collaboration between Jo Hailey from Striking Places Photography and Claire Lee from Venue Queen, born from a joint project on a private garden. Venue Queen sponsors the listing website which provides a platform for finding outdoor spaces for events. The partnership fills a gap in quick solutions for outdoor venue finding.
• Hertfordshire Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue Queen joined the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce in 2024, participating in county events and networking opportunities within the local business community.
• Striking Places Photography (Jo Hailey)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue Queen works with and recommends Jo Hailey from Striking Places Photography who provides venue photography and 3D virtual tours. Jo's work helps clients discover great venues online through virtual experiences.
• Doc Solutions (Dee Fagg)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDee Fagg provides Venue Queen with business support including standardised documents, proof reading, and creating detailed spreadsheet reports. Dee also works with other businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cvent: Large global event management platform offering venue sourcing, registration, and event software. Overlaps with Venue Queen's venue-finding function but operates at much greater scale across the full event lifecycle.
• Eventbrite: Global event ticketing and discovery platform with venue and event listings. Adjacent in connecting event organisers with venues, but focused on ticketed public events rather than corporate/private venue sourcing.

Direct peers

• Headbox: UK venue booking platform that lets event organisers search and reserve meeting and event spaces online. Comparable target customers (corporate and private event organisers) and overlapping value proposition of venue sourcing.
• Hire Space: UK venue and event space marketplace connecting organisers with venues for corporate and private events. Directly comparable online, transactional model to Venue Queen's UK venue-finding service.
• meetingsbooker.com: Online venue sourcing and booking platform focused on meeting rooms and event venues in the UK and Europe. Directly comparable free-to-organiser venue-finding proposition.
• Honeydew Events: UK boutique event management and venue sourcing agency serving corporate clients. Comparable boutique agency positioning and free venue-finding service for event organisers.
• The Event Finding Company: UK specialist venue finding agency for corporate clients seeking meeting, conference, and event venues. Comparable boutique UK venue-sourcing service with free-to-organiser positioning.
• Bijou Venues: UK venue finding and event planning service specialising in corporate events, weddings and private parties. Comparable niche positioning in UK venue sourcing with a free-for-organiser model.
• Venueseeker: UK-based venue finding agency that helps corporate clients source meeting, conference, and event venues. Closely comparable in service model (free for organisers, venue-paid commission) and target market.

Others

• Striking Places Photography: UK venue photography and 3D virtual tour partner of Venue Queen. Not a competitor; an ecosystem participant that helps clients discover venues online, complementing Venue Queen's matching service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/venuequeen
• Facebookfacebook.com/venuequeen
• Instagraminstagram.com/venuequeen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/venue-queen

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 Venue Queen