Business Women Scotland Issue 45 | Page 13

VENUESCANNER EDINBURGH LAUNCH VenueScanner, the UK’s leading shared marketplace for venues and events, has now launched in Edinburgh to capitalise on the city’s cultural pedigree. The website, which makes finding and booking any venue quick, simple and affordable, was created by University of Edinburgh graduate Rebecca Kelly, who has identified Edinburgh as one of the UK’s leading cultural hotspots. As such, VenueScanner offers over 500 local venues available for hire – from village halls to castles. The business recently announced £800k of investment that will help fund its expansion into new cities. VenueScanner prides itself on uncovering hidden and lesser-known venues, of which there are a wide variety in and around Scotland, each with their own unique story. One such venue is The Caves, an 18th century vaulted storage complex that was lost for more than 100 years – now one of Edinburgh’s best and most coveted wedding venues. Businesses and consumers can also hire one of many historic rooms in Dundas Castle – ranging from The Armoury to The Great Hall. Using her digital marketing experience, Rebecca and her co-founder Benjy Meyer are bringing a brand-new concept to businesses and event organisers in Scotland, and will add even more venues over the coming months. VenueScanner is built around one simple mission – to make venue discovery, search and booking as easy as Amazon makes shopping. As an automation and data-led business, it saves on employee costs and thus has the lowest commission fees per booking on the market. Having developed a loyal customer base in the form of the Personal Assistant, the site boasts a choice of over 10,000 venues, ranging from universities, museums and schools, to pubs, community buildings and hotels, and many more. VenueScanner’s launch in Edinburgh comes at a time when businesses across the city are considering venues for office Christmas parties – and the business hopes to become the go- to platform to help them find the best possible locations for a night to remember. Rebecca Kelly, VenueScanner co-founder, said: “We’re delighted to officially launch VenueScanner in Edinburgh. It’s a historical city with some wonderful venues, old and new. Many of the most charming venues are relatively unknown or barely discoverable online, and that’s the problem we’re here to solve. “We help people tap into this unlocked potential with a quick, simple and affordable service. We’re adding new venues every day and are excited to help further raise the standards of events in Edinburgh!” 13