Playfinder has launched Bookteq, a booking system aimed at increasing revenue for operators of independent physical activity venues.

CEO, Jamie Foale, said, “Some of the best facilities in the UK are underutilised and sitting behind closed doors, due to the lack of suitable technology in the market.

“We see venue managers – the unsung heroes of the sports industry, who work night and day to open up facilities – struggling with lack of time and the constant task of collecting money and keeping up with bookings. That’s why we’ve created Bookteq.”

Around 78 per cent of the UK’s facilities are independent, yet only 35 per cent offer online booking, as software has been too expensive or complicated for their needs.

Bookteq has been designed to be affordable, cloud-based software that can manage bookings and take payments across a host of facilities and spaces, with a design created with the help of venue managers.

There are 23,250 independent venues across the UK with 90,000 sports and active leisure facilities, and many need to adapt to the changing landscape caused by COVID-19.

Foale says that even before the pandemic, average facility utilisation rates across the UK were 30 per cent, with small venues struggling to attract customers as a result of their limited marketing budgets.

Bookteq also increases booking rates by giving exposure to millions of sports players via its Playfinder marketplace, which has increased utilisation by up to 38 per cent, adding tens of thousands of pounds of revenue.