7 venue finding agency pros who make event planning easier.

Hunting for the perfect venue isn’t easy. You have to manage capacity, budget, location, setup windows, and supplier policies while ensuring everything matches your event plan. Partnering with a venue-finding agency lifts that weight off your shoulders. 

In the guide below, you’ll meet seven agencies that specialize in matching conferences, sales kickoffs, incentive trips, and meetings with the right space. 

Quick summary.

Here are the seven agencies we will be highlighting in this article:

1. GoGather
2. Conference Direct
3. HelmsBriscoe
4. Meetingselect
5. Maritz
6. BCD M&E venue solutions
7. American Express Global Business Travel

You’ll learn what each company does best and see reasons to put them on your shortlist. By the end, you’ll know exactly where to turn for a venue search that’s faster, smarter, and less stressful.

Let’s dive in. 

1. GoGather

Instagram: gogather

LinkedIn: GoGather Corporate Meetings and Events

GoGather is a full‑service event planning agency with an experienced venue-finding team. Their experts have a global database and relationships with top conference centers, resort properties, and unique off‑site spaces. Their project managers can help you negotiate rates, protect room blocks, and find event spaces that align with your program goals.

Why choose GoGather?

• Integrated services – Venue search feeds straight into design, registration, production, and on‑site management.
• Supplier relationships – Decades of partnership with hotel chains and independent properties around the world translate into better concessions for you.
• Data‑driven insights – Forecast tools show total cost of ownership across F&B, AV, and lodging (no surprises later).

Headquarters: San Diego, CA

Clients: Ryder, FleetPride, Comfort Keepers, Batteries Plus

Specialty: End‑to‑end corporate event management with in‑house venue sourcing

2. Conference Direct

Instagram: conferencedirect

LinkedIn: ConferenceDirect

ConferenceDirect specializes in high‑volume site selection for associations and Fortune 500 conferences. Their team collects detailed specs, issues RFPs to vetted properties worldwide, compares bids, and handles contract negotiations. They can help you shave weeks off your sourcing timeline and save you unnecessary time finding the right venue.

Why choose Conference Direct?

• Scale without the search –Massive database of convention centers, event spaces, and city‑wide hotel packages.
• Cost‑neutral service –No‑fee model. Their compensation comes from partner hotels.
• Hands‑on housing help – On‑the‑ground housing bureau to manage room lists and overflow blocks.

Headquarters: Los  Angeles, CA

Client: American Airlines, Twitter, Box Inc.

Specialty: Large‑scale conferences for associations and Fortune 500 brands

3. HelmsBriscoe

Instagram: helmsbriscoe

LinkedIn: HelmsBriscoe

HelmsBriscoe uses one of the industry's largest venue databases to connect your program with the right hotels, resorts, and convention centers. Their experienced advisors work together to negotiate better terms, covering everything from attrition to AV rates.

Why choose HelmsBriscoe?

• Rates that flex – High‑volume buying power drives stronger negotiations and sweeter deals.
• Answers overnight – Get proposals back within 24 hours, so planning never stalls.
• Fresh horizons – A dedicated research team scouts emerging destinations to keep your options exciting.

Headquarters: Scottsdale, AZ

Clients: Hitachi Vantara, Best Buy, Infusion Nurses Society

Specialty: High‑volume hotel and resort bookings

4. Meetingselect

Instagram: meetingselect

LinkedIn: Meetingselect

Meetingselect offers a self‑service SaaS platform with concierge backup. You can filter real‑time inventory (capacity, room layout, price) and book instantly; larger programs tap a sourcing team for RFP management and consolidated reporting.

Why choose Meetingselect?

• Book in a flash – Real‑time inventory and instant booking for small meetings with their online platform.
• Policy aligned – Travel policy integration and duty‑of‑care tracking for your corporate event.
• Approve anywhere  – A Useful mobile app for on‑the‑go approvals on event spaces.

Headquarters: Amsterdam, NL

Clients: Estee Lauder, Uber, Achema

Specialty: Cloud‑based venue finding platform with self‑service and concierge options

5. Maritz

Instagram: maritz_inc

LinkedIn: Maritz

Maritz brings decades of experience to the table when it comes to venue sourcing. Their expert team specializes in negotiating the best rates and concessions for your property, helping to maximize your revenue. They also help you minimize your attrition risk, protecting your bottom line while ensuring a seamless event from start to finish.

Why choose Maritz for venue sourcing?

• One brief, countless options – Share your needs and preferences, and Maritz delivers curated, unique venue choices that match your size, style, and budget.
• Experienced partners – You’ll work with seasoned pros who know the ins and outs of the industry. They can help you negotiate with unique venues and secure the right AV setup.
• Global reach – With a strong network of partners and properties across the U.S. and beyond, Maritz opens doors to spaces you may not have considered.

Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Clients: MGMA, Romance Writers of America (RWA), NAFA Fleet Management Association
Specialty: End-to-end venue sourcing for corporate meetings, conferences, and incentive trips. They pride themselves on helping clients find smart, scalable event venues while protecting your bottom line.

6. BCD M&E venue solutions

Instagram: bcdmeetingsandevents

LinkedIn: BCD Meetings & Events

As the site‑selection arm of BCD Meetings & Events, this unit folds venue search into broader strategic meetings management programs. They can help you audit your event’s historical spend, standardize contracting, and funnel data into dashboards for finance and procurement.

Why choose BCD?

• At‑a‑glance insights – Consolidated reporting across multiple business units.
• Safer contracts – Contract‑risk mitigation and standardized clauses on event spaces.
• Built‑in sustainability –Green‑venue scorecards baked into sourcing workflow.

Headquarters: Utrecht, NL / Chicago, IL

Clients: Pepsi, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi

Specialty: Strategic meetings management and corporate gatherings with robust venue finding services.

7. American Express Global Business Travel

Instagram: amexgbt

LinkedIn: American Express Global Business Travel

Amex GBT takes a strategic, data-driven approach to venue sourcing, combining global reach with personalized support. Their meetings and events team helps you source the right space at the right price for your conference, a board retreat, or international incentive trip. 

Backed by established relationships, they negotiate favorable rates and concessions while also helping you minimize attrition risk.

Why choose AMEX GBT?

• Tailored options, fast – Submit your event brief and receive a shortlist of venues that hit your budget, goals, and attendee needs with their online platform.
• Negotiation power – With long-standing supplier partnerships and deep industry insight, they’re skilled at securing value-added perks and protecting your budget.
• Global reach – Whether you're planning local or international, Amex GBT taps into a worldwide network of vetted venues and partners.

Headquarters: New York, New York, USA

Clients: Companies in the technology, finance, and consulting industries.

Specialty: Using cutting-edge technology solutions to streamline all your bookings, meetings, and expenses.

FAQs

What’s the difference between venue-only agencies and full-service planning agencies?

When searching for a venue finding service, it helps to know there are two main types:

1. Venue-only services.

These companies focus strictly on helping you find and secure a venue. They specialize in site selection, contract negotiation, and leveraging hotel relationships. 

Agencies like HelmsBriscoe and American Express Global Business Travel fall into this category. They’re a great fit if you have your logistics covered and just need support with sourcing and securing a space.

2. Full-service event planning agencies.

These agencies can handle your venue sourcing and everything else that goes into planning your event. That includes travel logistics, F&B, production, registration, budgeting, reporting, etc. Companies like GoGather and Maritz offer this broader scope. 

If you're looking for a one-stop shop to manage both the venue and the full event experience, we recommend looking into these types of companies.

What questions should I ask my venue-finding agency?

Here are five areas you’ll want to make sure you ask yourself and your venue finding agency about before you sign the dotted line:

1. Scope fit.

• Do you need a quick venue search, full‑service production, or something in between?
• How flexible is the venue finding service team if the brief shifts mid‑cycle?
• What tasks stay in‑house versus going to third‑party partners?

2. Industry know‑how.

• Does the agency grasp your compliance landscape (pharma, finance, government, or otherwise)?
• Can they share examples of past event venues with similar regulatory hurdles?
• How do they stay current on evolving guidelines and certifications? Do they work with new venues too?

3. Geographic reach.

• Are most of your gatherings domestic, international, or a mix of both?
• What boots‑on‑the‑ground resources do they have in your target regions or event spaces?
• How do they handle language, currency, and cultural nuances when crossing borders?

4. Volume leverage.

• Will your annual meeting or series of roadshows open the door to better concessions?
• What reporting will show the savings they’ve secured year over year?

5. Tech stack.

• Can the agency’s tools connect with your registration, CRM, or travel platforms?
• How will data flow between systems to avoid duplicate entry?
• What level of attendee analytics or real‑time dashboards can they deliver?

Conclusion. 

Hopefully, this list sparked a few ideas for who to call when it’s time to scout a venue for your event. 

A dedicated venue‑finding partner speeds up hotel negotiations and lets your team pour its energy into content, connections, and wowing attendees, rather than crunching room‑capacity charts.

Ready to lock in the perfect venue?

GoGather’s spent years matching clients with the best venues and spaces worldwide, trimming time and costs along the way. Whether you’re sorting through RFPs or lining up site visits, we’ll make the process smooth. Book a meeting with our team to chat and get your next event rolling.