What Is Function Fixers? How Our Free Venue Finding Service Works

What does Function Fixers do?

Quite simply, we help you find the right venue for your event.

Tell us what you are planning, where you would like to hold it, your preferred date, number of guests and approximate budget. We will research suitable venues, check availability and obtain rates on your behalf.

Once we have gathered the information, we will send you a shortlist of venues that we believe are genuinely suitable for your event.

We can also arrange site visits, help you compare proposals and negotiate rates and packages with venues.

The aim is not to send you the longest possible list. It is to find the venues that best match what you actually need.

Who uses Function Fixers?

We work with PAs, EAs, event managers, HR and People teams, marketing departments, office managers, administrators and other professionals responsible for organising company events.

Many of our clients organise events regularly, while others may only be asked to find a venue once or twice a year. You do not need to be an experienced event organiser to use our service.

If you only have the beginnings of a brief, that is fine too. We can help you work out what you need before starting the venue search.

What types of events do we find venues for?

Function Fixers can help with almost every type of corporate event, including conferences, meetings, board meetings, training days, workshops, team away days, company retreats, product launches, exhibitions, award ceremonies, gala dinners, networking events, private dining, summer parties, Christmas parties, drinks receptions and company celebrations.

We also help with more specialist requirements such as mediation and arbitration venues and hybrid events.

Whether you need a small meeting room for ten people or a conference venue for more than 1,000 delegates, every search is based on the requirements of your particular event.

Where do we find venues?

We find venues across London, throughout the UK and in European destinations.

Our team regularly sources venues in major event and conference cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as towns, cities and rural locations throughout the country.

We are not tied to a particular hotel group or collection of venues, so we can consider a wide range of options.

What types of venues can we find?

The right venue is not always a traditional hotel or conference centre.

Depending on your event, we might suggest a hotel, dedicated conference venue, meeting or training centre, historic building, university, museum, gallery, private dining room, restaurant, sporting venue, country house, rooftop, screening room, studio or unusual event space.

We also source dry hire and blank canvas venues where organisers want greater freedom over catering, production and event design.

One of the advantages of using an experienced venue finder is discovering venues you may not have considered or found through a standard online search.

How does our free venue finding service work?

Tell us about your event

Send us your requirements, including the date, location, guest numbers, event type and budget.

If you already know that you need particular facilities, such as breakout rooms, bedrooms, outdoor space, specialist AV or step-free access, include those too.

We search for suitable venues

Our team uses its knowledge of the venue market and established venue relationships to identify appropriate options. We check availability, obtain rates and look carefully at how well each venue fits your requirements.

We send you a shortlist

We acknowledge your brief within one hour and, for most straightforward enquiries, will provide a tailored venue shortlist the same day.

Rather than sending dozens of venues for you to research yourself, we concentrate on those we believe are the strongest match for your brief.

We help you compare the options

Venue quotations are not always easy to compare. One venue may include catering or AV that another charges separately.

We can help you understand what is included and identify the important differences between proposals.

We can arrange viewings and negotiate

Once you have narrowed down your choices, we can arrange site visits and liaise with the venues on your behalf.

We can also negotiate rates and packages to help you secure the best possible value.

Is Function Fixers really free?

Yes. Our venue finding service is completely free for clients.

You do not pay Function Fixers a search fee or consultancy charge for finding your venue.

We receive a commission from the venue when a booking is successfully placed through us. This allows us to provide our venue finding service completely free to clients.

Will using Function Fixers make my venue more expensive?

No. You should not pay more for your venue because you have used Function Fixers.

We can also negotiate with venues on your behalf and help you look at the overall value of a proposal rather than simply comparing the headline room hire price.

This can be particularly useful for conferences and larger corporate events, where catering, AV, bedrooms, staffing, equipment and other charges can make a considerable difference to the final cost.

Is Function Fixers independent?

Yes. Function Fixers is an independent venue finding agency.

We are not owned by a hotel company or venue group. This gives us the freedom to consider different venue brands, styles and locations when looking for the best options for your event.

Our recommendations are based on your brief and what we believe will work for you.

Why use a venue finder instead of searching online?

Online venue directories are useful if you want to browse hundreds of venues, but finding a venue that will actually work for a particular event can take a considerable amount of time.

Capacity is a good example.

A venue may say that it can accommodate 500 people, but that does not necessarily mean it will work well for a conference for 500 delegates.

Where will everyone register? Is there enough space for catering and networking? Are there sufficient breakout rooms? Can the venue accommodate the required AV and production? How will delegates move between the different spaces?

These are the details an experienced venue finder considers before recommending a venue.

Our job is to reduce the amount of searching you have to do and help you concentrate on venues that genuinely fit your event.

Why choose Function Fixers?

We have been finding venues for more than 35 years and have built up extensive knowledge of the UK venue market.

That experience helps us understand the practical differences between venues and identify potential problems before you spend time visiting unsuitable spaces.

We can save you hours of research, introduce you to venues you may not have considered, help you compare costs properly and negotiate with venues on your behalf.

Most importantly, you have an experienced venue finder to speak to when you need advice.

Who is behind Function Fixers?

Function Fixers is led by Managing Director and experienced venue finder Carrie Larwood, who has worked in venue finding and the events industry for more than 35 years.

Our team deals with venue enquiries every day and has first-hand knowledge of what event organisers are looking for, which venues work particularly well for different types of events and how pricing and demand are changing.

This practical experience also shapes the venue advice, guides and Venue Finder Insights published on the Function Fixers website.

Do I have to book one of the venues you suggest?

No. There is no obligation to book a venue simply because we have carried out a search for you.

We will provide suitable options and the information you need to decide whether any of them are right for your event.

What if I don’t know exactly what I need?

That is not a problem and is often where we can be most useful.

You might know that you need a conference venue for 300 people in the Midlands, for example, but have no idea whether a hotel, conference centre, university or more unusual venue would be best.

Tell us what you know so far. We can talk through the requirements and help you decide what type of venue and location would work.

Ready to start your venue search?

Tell us what you are planning and we will do the searching for you.

Send us your event type, date, preferred location, number of guests and approximate budget, together with any particular requirements you already know about.

We will use that information to find and shortlist suitable venues for your event.

Free venue finding, independent advice and more than 35 years of experience.