The process of finding and booking event venues—for everything from weddings to corporate gatherings—remains surprisingly fragmented. Event planners often rely on scattered recommendations or generic searches, while venue owners struggle with underutilized spaces and inefficient booking systems. A dedicated platform could bridge this gap by streamlining venue discovery, matching hosts with spaces, and managing transactions.

How a Venue Marketplace Could Work

One way to approach this would be to create an Airbnb-like platform specifically for event spaces. Venue owners could list their properties with photos, availability, pricing, and amenities like capacity or parking options. Event hosts could search by location, date, or event type, compare options, and book directly. The platform might handle payments, contracts, and communication to simplify coordination. Additional features could include:

• Verified reviews to build trust
• Insurance or damage protection options
• Partnerships with vendors (catering, decor, etc.)

Opportunities and Challenges

Unlike general rental platforms like Peerspace or Splacer, a specialized event venue marketplace could focus on the unique needs of social gatherings—such as wedding seating layouts or AV equipment for corporate events. A simple MVP might start with a narrow niche, like wedding venues in a single city, before expanding. Challenges like trust-building (via verification and reviews) or handling cancellations could be addressed early through clear policies and pilot testing.

By centralizing an otherwise inefficient process, such a platform could save time for hosts, increase revenue for venue owners, and open up underused spaces for events.