How Does a Free Venue Finding Service Actually Work?

How does venue finding work?

If you’re organising a conference, meeting, awards evening, Christmas party or other corporate event, finding the right venue can take a surprising amount of time.

You need to work out your requirements, research suitable venues, check availability, compare packages and prices, contact venues, negotiate the details and then make a decision.

That’s where a venue finding service can help.

At Ginkgo Events, we do all of that legwork for you. And yes, our venue finding service is free to you.

If you’ve never used a venue finder before, you may reasonably be asking:

“How can it be free? What’s the catch?”

There isn’t one. But it’s worth explaining exactly how it works.

What does a venue finding service do?

A venue finding service acts as your independent partner when you’re looking for an event venue.

You tell us what you need, and we use our knowledge of venues, locations and event requirements to identify suitable options.

For example, you might tell us:

• The type of event you’re organising
• Your preferred date or dates
• Expected number of guests
• Location or travel requirements
• Your budget
• Room layout and capacity requirements
• Catering requirements
• Accommodation requirements
• Any specific facilities or accessibility needs
• Whether sustainability is important to you
• Any particular style or atmosphere you’re looking for

We then take those requirements and approach suitable venues on your behalf.

Instead of spending hours searching through venue websites and sending individual enquiries, you receive a shortlist of options that have been selected specifically for your event.

So, how does a free venue finding service make money?

This is probably the question we’re asked most often.

The simple answer is: venues pay us a commission when we introduce them to a client and the booking goes ahead.

The venue pays the commission - not you.

This is a common model within the venue finding industry. Venues already factor sales and marketing costs into the way they operate, and working with venue finders is one of the ways they generate new business.

Think of it as a professional introduction. We bring a venue a client who has a genuine event requirement and is actively looking for somewhere to hold their event. If that introduction results in a confirmed booking, the venue pays us a commission for bringing them that business.

This means we can provide our venue finding service to you without charging you a separate fee.

But that naturally leads to another question…

Does using a venue finder cost more?

You might think that if a venue has to pay us commission, you would be better off approaching the venue directly. After all, surely the commission has to be added to the cost somewhere?

In many cases, the answer is no - and using a venue finder can actually represent better value.

Venue commission is often built into a venue's normal sales and marketing cost structure. Venues already have to invest time and money in finding new customers, responding to enquiries, marketing their spaces and converting enquiries into confirmed bookings.

When you use a venue finding service, we effectively do some of that work for them.

Rather than a venue spending time trying to find a potential client, we bring them a client who already has a genuine event requirement. We understand your brief, identify a venue that could be suitable and make the introduction. If that introduction results in a confirmed booking, the venue pays us a commission – essentially a finder's fee for bringing them a new piece of business.

From your perspective, this means you get the benefit of our time, knowledge and venue relationships without paying us a separate fee.

And because venues commonly work with commission-based venue finders as part of their normal sales process, the price you receive is often the same as, or potentially better than, the price you could achieve by approaching a venue yourself.

We can also negotiate on your behalf and compare proposals from different venues, helping you get the best overall value for your budget.

Of course, we can't promise that every venue will always offer exactly the same price through us. Venue pricing depends on factors such as availability, dates, demand and the specific requirements of your event.

What we can promise is that you won't pay Ginkgo Events a fee for finding your venue.

Think of it as a win-win

You could think of the process as a three-way benefit.

You get: A free, professional venue finding service that saves you time and gives you access to our knowledge and venue relationships.

The venue gets: A genuine potential customer whose event requirements have already been established, without having to find that customer themselves.

Ginkgo Events gets: A commission from the venue if you choose to book with them.

That's why our service can be free to you without there being a catch.

We're simply being paid by the venue for doing what we do best: finding the right match between an event organiser and a venue.

What happens when I contact Ginkgo Events?

The process is straightforward.

1. Tell us about your event

You give us the details of your event, including your date, numbers, location, budget and what you need from a venue.

Don't worry if you don't have everything worked out yet. We can help you establish what you need.

2. We research suitable venues

We use our venue knowledge and industry contacts to identify venues that match your requirements.

We don't simply send you a huge list of venues and leave you to work through it. The aim is to provide a manageable selection of genuinely relevant options.

3. We contact the venues

We approach the venues, check availability and request proposals based on your requirements.

This saves you the time of making multiple enquiries yourself.

4. We compare the options

Once we have responses, we can help you compare the venues, packages, costs and practical considerations.

This is particularly useful when venues structure their pricing differently, as comparing like-for-like isn't always as simple as it first appears.

5. You choose your preferred venue

The final decision is yours.

We don't choose the venue for you or pressure you into booking a particular property. Our role is to give you suitable options and the information you need to make an informed decision.

6. We can help with the next steps

Our involvement doesn't necessarily stop when you've found a venue.

We can help arrange site visits, communicate with the venue and assist with negotiations through to the point where you sign your contract.

Is a venue finder independent?

A venue finding service isn't quite the same as searching Google and choosing a venue yourself.

At Ginkgo Events, we don't own the venues we recommend and we're not tied to a single hotel group or collection of properties.

We can consider a wide range of venues based on what is right for your event.

That could mean a city-centre conference hotel, a country house, a purpose-built conference venue, an unusual event space or somewhere particularly suited to a Christmas party or awards evening.

The important thing is that the venue fits your brief.

Why use a venue finding service instead of searching yourself?

The biggest benefit is time.

Finding a venue isn't simply a case of searching for "conference venues near London" and picking the first result.

You need to establish:

• Does the venue have availability?
• Can it accommodate your numbers?
• Does the room layout work?
• Does the catering meet your requirements?
• Is the location practical for delegates?
• What is included in the package?
• Are there additional charges?
• Is there accommodation nearby?
• Can the venue accommodate your budget?
• Can the price be negotiated?

A venue finding service takes much of that initial work off your hands.

And because we do this regularly, we know which questions to ask.

Is a free venue finding service right for my event?

It can be particularly useful if:

You don't have time to research venues. Perhaps you're an EA, PA, event organiser or office manager arranging an event alongside your normal workload.

You're unfamiliar with the destination. If you're organising an event somewhere you don't know well, having local venue knowledge can make the process much easier.

You have a tight budget. We can look at a range of options and help you understand what your budget can realistically achieve.

You have complicated requirements. Large conferences, multi-day events, accommodation, gala dinners and multiple room requirements can take considerable time to source.

You simply don't know where to start. You don't need to have your entire event planned before contacting us. We can help you work through the venue requirements.

So, what's the catch?

There really isn't one.

Ginkgo Events provides a free venue finding service because our commission is paid by the venue when a booking is confirmed.

You get a professional venue-finding service without paying us a fee.

You remain in control of which venue you choose, and our role is to save you time, find suitable options and help you through the process.

We're also completely transparent about how we make our money because we believe you should understand how the service works before you use it.

Let Ginkgo Events take venue finding off your to-do list

Finding the right venue shouldn't have to mean spending your evenings searching venue websites, sending enquiries and trying to compare complicated proposals.

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll do the research for you.

Our venue finding service is free, and there's no obligation to book.

Whether you're planning a conference, meeting, awards ceremony, Christmas party or corporate event, we can help you find suitable venues across the UK.

Ready to find your venue?

Get in touch with Ginkgo Events today and tell us what you're looking for. We'll start searching for suitable venues for your event.

Let us take one thing off your to-do list.