Event management is a huge industry, and it’s only getting bigger. As more and more people discover the joys of hosting events, the need for event management startups increases. These companies provide much-needed solutions to common problems encountered by event planners.
In this article, we will discuss several event management startups and what makes them unique. We will also take a look at their funding and location.
Top Event Management Companies
1. Bizzabo
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Eran Ben-Shushan, Alon Alroy, Boaz Katz
- Founded In: 2011
- Funding: Private Equity Growth, $191 Million
- Investors Include: Viola Growth, Insight Partners, Next47
Bizzabo is taking the event management industry and modernizing it for the new age. Their platform delivers engaging, human experiences through digital means by creating a hybrid in-person and digital combination. As a result, event leaders are able to manage their own events, engage their audience, and grow their communities all at the same time using Bizzabo.
2. Joy
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Founder(s): Vishal Joshi, Kaiwalya Kher, Dorian Bach
- Founded In: 2016
- Funding: Series B, $108 Million
- Investors Include: FourCities Capital, General Catalyst, Gaingels
Joy is a wedding planning platform that provides couples with tools to manage every aspect of their wedding. It offers features like wedding websites, digital invitations, guest list management, and gift registries all in one place. Joy’s goal is to simplify the wedding planning process and enhance communication between couples and their guests.
3. Brella
- Location: Helsinki, Finland
- Founder(s): Markus Kauppinen, Mikko Matikka, Jani Lehtimäki, Ville Vanhala
- Founded In: 2016
- Funding: Series A, $11.4 Million
- Investors Include: Mana Ventures, Nordic Business Group, Connected Capital
Brella is hybridizing the event management industry by offering solutions for both remote and in-person events. Coordinators will be able to manage in-person, virtual, and hybrid events all in one platform to create a successful outcome. People will also be able to use the Brella AI tool that matches sponsors with attendees to create beneficial relationships and measurable ROI. The focus on delivering a superior networking experience for attendees makes it unique from other event management startups.
4. Morressier
- Location: Berlin, Germany
- Founder(s): Sami Benchekroun, Justus Weweler, Rino Montiel
- Founded In: 2013
- Funding: Debt Financing, $40.5 Million
- Investors Include: Molten Ventures, Cherry Ventures, Owl Ventures
Morressier isn’t like other platforms that focus on managing the entire event experience. Instead, they are determined to take early-stage research and use their platform to connect the scientific community in order to create tomorrow’s breakthroughs. They do this by developing peer review workflows, conference hubs, and research libraries that anyone on their platform can use. Users can still set up virtual or hybrid events and use the tools provided by Morressier to connect the research with the scientists for faster progress.
5. Luma
- Location: Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, California)
- Founder(s): Danqing Liu, Victor Pontis
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Seed, $3 Million
- Investors Include: Atelier Ventures, Maven Ventures, Progression Fund
Luma is an event management platform that focuses on creating engaging virtual and hybrid events. It offers features like customizable event pages, interactive sessions, and detailed analytics to help organizers create memorable online experiences. Luma aims to make virtual events feel more personal and interactive, bridging the gap between in-person and digital gatherings.
6. Confetti
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Lee Rubin, Eyal Hakim
- Founded In: 2014
- Funding: Series A, $39.6 MIllion
- Investors Include: ICON, IN Venture, Entrée Capital
Confetti is an online marketplace that connects event planners with various vendors and experiences for corporate team-building and social events. It offers a wide range of both virtual and in-person activities — from cooking classes to escape rooms — that make it easy for companies to book engaging experiences for their teams. Confetti aims to streamline the process of planning team events and celebrations for businesses of all sizes.
7. Nowadays
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Founder(s): Anna Sun, Amy Yan
- Founded In: 2023
- Funding: Early Stage VC, $500,000
- Investors Include: Y Combinator, Decacorn Capital, Hike Ventures
Nowadays is an event planning platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Through the platform, users gain access to destination and activity recommendations. The platform then uses AI to negotiate with the best venues through phone and email to organize great events at the best possible price.
8. Perfect Venue
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Founder(s): Luke Hutchison
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Seed, $4.39 Million
- Investors Include: Amity Ventures, Context Ventures, Defy Partners Management
Perfect Venue is a software platform designed to help event venues streamline their operations and boost sales. It offers tools for managing inquiries, creating proposals, and handling bookings — all while providing analytics to help venues optimize their business. Perfect Venue aims to simplify the process of running an event space, allowing venue owners to focus more on creating great experiences for their clients.
9. vivenu
- Location: Dusseldorf, Germany
- Founder(s): Simon Hennes, Jens Teichert, Simon Weber
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series B, $66.3 Million
- Investors Include: Activant Capital, Aurum Partners, Balderton Capital
Some event management software lets you track ticket sales, while others let you market your event. The special sauce of vivenu is that it lets you do all of the above. Coordinators can create a comprehensive marketing plan for their events and then open ticket sales all on the same platform. As the tickets are selling, coordinators can then track all the data using vivenu to understand how to reinvent and scale their efforts.
10. Goldcast
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Founder(s): Palash Soni, Kishore Kothandaraman, Aashish Srinivas
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series A, $38 Million
- Investors Include: Awesome People Ventures, NGP Capital, Citi Ventures
Goldcast offers a cutting-edge digital events platform tailored for B2B marketers. It focuses on enhancing audience engagement and providing actionable insights to drive revenue. With features like video content creation, event hosting, and seamless repurposing, Goldcast aims to replace outdated, clunky event tools with a more engaging, audience-driven experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How profitable is an event planning business?
Event planning businesses can be very profitable if based on software, and entrepreneurs can expect upward of 40% profit margins.
Who are some of the biggest event management companies in the world?
Some of the biggest event management companies in the world are AEG Worldwide, Freeman, Hill & Knowlton Strategies, and IMG. Each company manages events on a different scale.
What is the future of event management?
The event industry will continue to move into a hybridized structure where in-person events and virtual events continue to combine into one big event. There will be a larger focus on engaging virtual attendees and creating virtual reality and more stimulating experiences for them.