Scotsman Events
Scotsman Events is a comprehensive venue directory by Scotsman Hospitality, bringing together over 50 event spaces across Scotland into a single platform.
The project focused on designing a scalable digital experience that allows users to efficiently browse, compare, and enquire across a large and diverse portfolio of venues ranging from intimate meeting rooms to large-scale event spaces.
Client
Scotsman Group | In-House
Industry
Hospitality
Year
2024
Tools
Wordpress, Elementor, ACF, CSS, JS
Challenge
The primary challenge was designing for scale, variety, and user intent within a single unified platform.
- The platform needed to present a large volume of venues, each with different capacities, locations, and event types
- Users had highly varied needs—from corporate bookings to private celebrations—requiring different levels of detail and decision-making
- Existing journeys lacked clarity, making it difficult to filter and narrow down suitable spaces
- Key conversion actions (enquiries, shortlisting venues) were not optimised for high-intent users
- There was a risk of overwhelming users with too much choice and insufficient structure
The challenge was to transform a complex dataset into an intuitive, decision-focused experience that supports both discovery and conversion.
Solution
The solution centred on creating a search-led, filter-driven platform that mirrors how users naturally look for event spaces.
The experience was restructured around three core actions:
- Search - allowing users to define key criteria such as location, capacity, and event type
- Explore - browsing venues and spaces through a structured, comparable format
- Enquire - submitting detailed event requirements through a streamlined process
Features
- Advanced filtering system
Users can refine venues by location, capacity, and event type, reducing overwhelm and improving relevance. - Search-first UX
Homepage prioritises search functionality, immediately aligning with user intent. - Scalable venue architecture
Designed to accommodate a large and growing portfolio of venues without compromising usability. - Standardised venue data
Consistent presentation of key information such as capacity, space types, and amenities. - Integrated enquiry flow
Detailed enquiry forms capturing event-specific requirements in a single interaction. - Cross-location browsing
Enables users to explore venues across multiple cities, supporting both local and national event planning.
Process
The process focused on simplifying a complex system through structure, hierarchy, and usability.
- Platform audit
Analysed the breadth of venues, event types, and user journeys to identify key friction points - User intent mapping
Defined primary user scenarios (corporate events, private hire, large-scale events) and aligned flows accordingly - Information architecture
Built a structured system that connects search, listing, and venue detail pages seamlessly - Wireframing & interaction design
Focused on filter behaviour, search logic, and modular listing layouts - System design
Created reusable components to ensure consistency across a large and evolving dataset - Iteration & refinement
Balanced depth of information with clarity, ensuring the experience remained lightweight despite content density
Results
The final platform delivers a highly functional, scalable experience that supports both user needs and commercial objectives.
- Simplified navigation across a large and complex venue portfolio
- Improved ability for users to quickly find relevant spaces
- Increased visibility of key conversion actions through a clearer enquiry journey
- Stronger alignment between user intent and platform structure
- A scalable system capable of supporting future growth and additional venues
