vFloorplan CEO and founder Steven Markham dropped by our London offices recently to talk about the new version 5 of his company’s 3D, web-based venue floorplan – and its ability to boost lead generation for bookers looking to find the right rooms for their events.
UK-based vFloorplan founder and CEO Steven Markham has had a passion for electronics and innovation from a young age. He started in programming in the 1980s, moving into building new 3D technology, having always had a strong interest in visualising buildings digitally.
In 1997, he founded Cubicspace, where his development team created the first real-time rendering plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max, used by architects and film studios worldwide.
Cubicspace continued to develop exciting tools and configurator projects for industry, and Steve Baker joined in 2007 as lead programmer (subsequently CTO). Together with Markham, they led the development of ‘vFloorplan’, which was spun off into its own company in 2014 and has since been used by conference centres, hotels, and stadiums to help them showcase their complex venues more clearly.
“We noticed most venue floorplans and websites were hard to interpret, outdated, or just not helping sales teams get enquiries. That led us to evolve vFloorplan into an interactive, 3D searchable tool that is added to the venue website, that planners can then use to explore a venue with confidence,” Markham explains.
When asked how he built up his contacts and marketing list, Markham says that after joining the Entrepreneurs’ Circle in Birmingham in 2012, he was encouraged to draw up a ‘dreamlist’ of customers. It included 200 venues, among them the QEII Centre, which became a client in 2015 after a competitive pitch – and remains one today.
Their historic client list has included Arsenal FC, The National Conference Centre, Horizon Convention Center (US), Murrayfield Experience, Grand Connaught Rooms, Tower Hotel, and Century Center South Bend, US.
Now the team has developed a new version of vFloorplan 3D for QEII. “With this latest version, we know more visionary venues will want to lead the way too,” says Markham. “We started with turning static black-and-white floorplans into colourful 3D visuals, then adding interactivity, an instant search tool, a way to make enquiries from within vFloorplan, and now, with version 5, a fully real-time interactive experience.”
The London QEII Centre’s version 5 offers real-time movement of the building and floors, with a zoom feature that flies users directly into any room they select. It also includes a way to move the building and each room around in real-time in any direction.
QEII Centre head of marketing James Bogle says the venue has used vFloorplan for 10 years. “It is always the first port of call for clients looking to understand our large venue which is spread out across different floors. A great way to simplify everything in one tool.”
Markham adds that development over the years hasn’t been without its challenges. “We’ve had to work around browser inconsistencies – especially between mobile and desktop – and navigate memory limits and rendering issues. Getting it to work flawlessly on every browser and device took years of testing and problem-solving.”
Another major challenge was making sure the product looked premium and modern while remaining lightweight and easy to embed on any website. “We’ve also had to balance custom branding for each venue with a core design that works for everyone.”
vFloorplan is hosted on its own secure servers, and venues embed it using one line of code – just like adding a YouTube video. It creates a 3D floorplan bespoke using a client’s basic floorplans and room capacity numbers.
“There’s no app to download and no learning curve for users. It works instantly across all modern browsers and devices,” Markham explains. “Once live, planners and clients can search by capacity, click a number to zoom into a room, and explore key venue data in real time.”
Tasks that vFloorplan can save time on include eliminating the need to dig through PDFs or chase venues for details. Users get everything in one place – a searchable, interactive floorplan combined with capacity data. It makes finding the right room faster, cuts down on emails, and helps secure internal approvals more efficiently.
Markham adds that it shortens the sales cycle and makes the whole process smoother for everyone involved. It’s also a product that supports sustainability goals, helping reduce the need for physical site visits and printed materials.
So how much does it cost?
“vFloorplan is provided on a simple subscription model – either monthly or annually – with a one-off set-up fee,” Markham explains. “Pricing depends on the number of rooms and total floor area.”
For example, a venue with 14 bookable rooms, five layout/set-up styles, and 31,750 sq ft would typically pay:
-
£5,000 setup fee
-
£400 monthly subscription
-
£2,500 setup fee for adding the building exterior
All plus VAT and subject to final details. These fees are comparable per square foot to other types of visual representation.
What’s the USP?
While Matterport offers immersive 3D photos with only one layout type shown, vFloorplan goes further – it’s a sales engine in disguise. By integrating interactive layouts, searchable capacities, and workflows directly into a venue’s website, it empowers visitors to visualise, compare, and act.
No more passive browsing – this is engagement with purpose. Tailored for sales teams, it’s designed to convert curiosity into confirmed leads.
vFloorplan is not a one-time solution. Markham stresses that every project with a venue moves the platform forward. “Right now, we’re working with several visionary venues on customising vFloorplan even further around their goals.”
He sees the product not just as a conferencing tool. “vFloorplan has proven just as valuable in exhibitions, wedding venues, sports stadiums, and even museums. If a venue has 10 or more hirable spaces, vFloorplan tends to make a real difference in simplifying complex layout options,” he says.
“The more complex the venue, the bigger the impact. A great example is the QEII Centre, which has 32 meeting spaces across seven floors – yet their vFloorplan makes it easy for anyone to quickly understand what’s possible and make an enquiry.”
Advice for new users?
“Make it prominent – place it front and centre on your homepage, or your meetings or venue rooms hire page. The more visible it is, the more impact it has. Don’t hide it behind forms or too many menu levels.
“Also, highlight it in your sales conversations. Many of our clients have seen a boost in bookings just by pointing planners directly to it.”
The QEII Conference Centre reports that their vFloorplan is the third most visited page on their website – behind only their homepage and location page.
Markham is also targeting international clients and expanding into other key English-speaking markets and mainland Europe. “The core need – giving planners a clear, interactive way to explore a venue – is universal.”
Learn more:
https://linktr.ee/vfloorplan
