Last month, we welcomed Conferences UK back to the beam community as an Agency member, renewing a relationship that began through its previous membership of the HBAA. We caught up with CEO Simon Thompson to learn more about the company, why it chose to return and what it hopes to gain from being part of the association.
Tell us about Conferences UK…
Conferences UK is a free venue-finding service for corporate event organisers across the UK.
We work with time-poor professionals juggling venue booking alongside their day-to-day role – people who need to find the right venue for a meeting, conference, training day or away day, but don’t have the time, contacts or specialist knowledge to do it themselves. Our team does the legwork: searching, shortlisting, negotiating rates and handling the back-and-forth with venues, all at no cost to the client.
We’ve built up deep knowledge of UK venues over the years, which means we can turn a brief around quickly and match clients with places that actually suit what they need, not just what’s available.
What key successes/milestones have you seen over the last few years?
We’ve maintained a 95.3% client return rate, which we’re genuinely proud of, it means the people who use us once come back, which tells us the service is working the way it should.
We’ve grown our network of premium partner venues significantly, giving clients an even wider, and better vetted, choice of spaces for every kind of event.
We’ve deepened relationships with venues across the country, which means faster turnarounds and better rates for clients when briefs come in.
Describe Conferences UK in three words:
Free. Expert. Reliable.
What motivated you to join beam?
Conferences UK was previously an active member of the HBAA, and we’re delighted to renew our membership and be part of what has now evolved into beam. We’re excited to contribute to best-practice sharing, hear from leading industry representatives, and build connections with business colleagues.
Working closely with venues is especially important to our business, and beam gives us valuable opportunities to network, exchange information, and stay up to date with the needs of our partners.
We’re also proud to be members of beam, which is widely recognised as a hallmark of quality assurance across the meetings, events and travel industries.
Although you have only been a member for a couple of months, would you encourage other agencies to join beam? If so, why?
From the outset, our experience as a new member has been personal and extremely welcoming. The buddy system has worked very well for us, and Stephanie Macfarlane from Lex Liverpool has been wonderful in answering our questions about how to get the most from our membership, as has the wider team.
The cost of subscription versus the return you will get in raising visibility of your business, and gaining knowledge is invaluable.
What’s next for Conferences UK?
Looking ahead, we’re continuing to invest heavily in the Conferences UK platform to ensure we deliver the best possible experience for both clients and venues. We’ve recently completed a significant refresh of the website’s front end, with further enhancements planned over the coming months to create an even more modern, intuitive and polished user experience.
Behind the scenes, we’re also upgrading our enquiry management systems to help our venue finding agents work faster and more efficiently. As part of this, we’re gradually introducing AI-powered tools to automate routine tasks, improve response times and allow our team to focus on delivering the personal service we’re known for.
Alongside these technology investments, we’re continuing to expand our team and client base, positioning Conferences UK for further growth while maintaining the high levels of service our customers expect.
If you want to know more about Conferences UK, visit their website.
