Venues of Excellence Celebrates Strong Growth and Strategic Momentum in 2026

22 June 2026

Venues of Excellence (VoE), the UK’s leading consortium of independent conference and event venues, is celebrating another year of strong performance, continued growth and strategic investment as it prepares to showcase its venue members and VX Find offering at The Meetings Show 2026.

Demonstrating both resilience and relevance in a competitive market, the consortium has achieved an excellent membership retention rate, underpinned by exceptional engagement across its member community. Participation levels at member events, the Annual Conference, and the Cook and Serve culinary competition remain consistently high, reflecting the strength of collaboration and shared value within the network.

Commercial performance continues to highlight the power of the consortium model. VoE has generated a robust enquiry pipeline from both direct customers and member referrals and has exceeded its target for confirmed business distributed across its venues.

Driving this momentum is a series of strategic initiatives designed to enhance visibility, demand generation, and access to higher-value opportunities. These include the launch of the new VX Find website, the national sales programme, The Big Opportunity and the #AgencyExcellence initiative, all of which are strengthening connections with key buyers, associations, and agency partners.

Marketing performance has also seen a significant uplift, with above-benchmark email engagement and an expanded social media presence increasing reach and influence across the sector. Combined with a strong presence at leading industry events, VoE is well positioned to elevate its market profile even further.

Over the past year, Venues of Excellence has welcomed an impressive portfolio of iconic new members, each carefully selected through a rigorous Quality Audit process. The latest venues to join the consortium include the prestigious Eton College and Dorney Lake; The Eastside Rooms (Birmingham); The Sheldonian Theatre (Oxford); The Milner (York); and the Drift Inn at Wyboston Lakes Resort (Bedford).

Drift Inn is a new hotel experience at Wyboston Lakes Resort, which has at its heart Meeting Point, a totally different and new approach to corporate meeting space. Louisa Watson, Marketing Director and Sustainability Lead at Wyboston Lakes Resort commented: “Our relationship with Venues of Excellence has been incredibly valuable over many years, so as we continue to invest in and evolve our event offering, it was a natural decision to include our newest spaces within the collection. Drift Inn, incorporating Meeting Point, brings a fresh, flexible environment for meetings and events, while The Box will offer a distinctive premium space designed to meet the changing needs of organisers. We are delighted to showcase both venues as part of the Venues of Excellence portfolio.”

The consortium is also delighted to welcome its latest member, the Global Leadership Centre at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. This venue will launch later this year and will serve as a physical and digital hub for leaders to design powerful new leadership models for the 21st century. In line with the School’s sustainability values, the redevelopment of the Osney Power Station building will prioritise environmental sustainability.  The new venue will offer 4 main meeting rooms, 12 seminar rooms, Clubroom and terrace, gym and 121 bedrooms.

Each of these new venues brings diversity, uniqueness, and a commitment to customer excellence that is synonymous with the consortium.

Mandy Jennings, CEO and Owner of Venues of Excellence, commented: “This has been a year of real momentum for Venues of Excellence. Our strong retention rate and growing membership reflect the value our consortium delivers, while our commercial performance demonstrates the tangible impact of collaboration. As we continue to invest in innovation, partnerships and marketing, we are focused on unlocking even greater opportunities for our members and delivering exceptional experiences for our clients.

As part of its commitment to staying at the forefront of excellence and driving industry best practice, VoE has announced a new partnership with Welcome Brain, specialists in neuroinclusivity. The consortium is proud that The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, one of its member venues, is the first in the UK to achieve accreditation, with a number of other member venues currently progressing through the process.

This collaboration will provide members with access to Neuroinclusive Venue Accreditation and specialist training, including the First Responder Course in neurodiversity awareness.

Andy Williamson, Founder & Director, Welcome Brain Consulting added: "Welcome Brain is thrilled to partner with Venues of Excellence. VoE members already set the standard for quality, and through our Neuroinclusive Venue Accreditation and training, we're proud to help them lead on inclusion too, because neuroinclusion makes venues more welcoming and better businesses. Together, Welcome Brain and Venues of Excellence are helping to raise the bar for the industry and make neuroinclusive practices a hallmark of truly excellent venues." 

June 2026 also marks the first anniversary of VX Find, the consortium’s venue-finding service, launched at last year’s The Meetings Show as part of the Venues of Excellence rebrand. Over the past 12 months, VX Find has evolved into a trusted, expert-led solution for event planners, culminating in the launch of its dedicated website, VXFind.com, in April.

Venues of Excellence will be exhibiting at The Meetings Show at ExCeL London on 24–25 June 2026, alongside 21 partner venues on Stand E51. Visitors are invited to discover the latest developments, explore new venue options, and learn more about the benefits of working with this dynamic and collaborative consortium.

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