Empowering the people who bring culture to life
Clarity. Confidence. Resilience. For the teams whose work makes every unforgettable experience possible.
Why We Exist
Culture enriches lives, connects communities, and expands our understanding of the world. Behind every performance, exhibition, festival and program lies a huge amount of invisible labor. It is the planning, coordination and attention to detail that hold everything together.
Artifax exists to empower the people doing that work.
Our purpose is simple: to help arts and cultural organizations become resilient, confident and free to focus their energy on creativity, connection and revenue generation.
We don’t call the people who use our software “customers.” They’re clients, because this is a partnership, not a transaction. People like doing business with people. That’s why we proudly maintain a personal connection with every organization we support.
The Challenges We See
Across the sector, teams are working harder than ever. However, they are not always working smarter. Siloed systems, scattered spreadsheets, duplicated information and unreliable data keep people stuck in administration instead of moving their organizations forward.
The emotional impact is real:
accepting “making do” as the only option
feeling undervalued or invisible
spending time preventing mistakes instead of creating value
lacking confidence in the information they rely on
watching investment flow to more visible departments such as box office or marketing
Much of the labor behind cultural work goes unseen. But we see it. And we are here to support it.
Our Story
Artifax was born inside the arts world.
In the late 1980s, Timothy Nathan and Nina Kaye created the first Artifax product for artist managers and agents. It was a DOS-based system designed to bring order to complex touring schedules and artist diaries. The name came from “Artist Filofax,” a nod to the paper planners it replaced.
Around the same time in Bergen, Grieghallen commissioned a venue diary system called GH Booking. This made them the first venue whose needs would eventually shape what Artifax became.
In 1993, Artifax purchased the GH Booking source code. Working closely with early venue clients, including Wigmore Hall, the team began developing a new venue and event management system. Originally called Showroom, it was released in 1995 and later renamed Artifax Event. It remains our flagship product today.
The original Artifax product evolved into Artifax Agent. It was retired in 2012 as our focus shifted entirely to the event and venue platform now used across the world.
Through it all, one thing remained constant: Artifax grew through collaboration. When we needed to make major leaps, including early replatforming efforts, our clients did not stand back. They stepped in with ideas, trust and, in some cases, financial support. They believed in what we were building together.
1986
Founded in the Arts
Artifax is created to help arts professionals replace paper systems with reliable digital tools.
1990s
Entering Venue & Event Management
Artifax expands from artist management into venue and event scheduling, laying the foundations of what becomes Artifax Event.
2000s
Growing with Cultural Organisations
More venues adopt Artifax Event as new web-based features and complementary tools broaden its capabilities.
2010s
Modernisation & Focus
The Event platform evolves into a modern, browser-based system. Legacy products are retired so we can focus entirely on supporting arts & culture venues.
2020s
Global Community & Long-Term Stability
Artifax supports clients around the world and joins the Volaris Group, strengthening our long-term investment in the arts and culture sector.
How We've Evolved
Since 1986, Artifax has grown alongside the arts sector. We have evolved from a toolmaker into a trusted partner for hundreds of organizations across the UK, North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
One constant thread in our evolution is simple: we listen deeply. Clients often come to us with symptoms, and we work with them to uncover the cause. They worry that big changes will be “too much work,” and we show them what is possible.
Our product evolves through:
co-design with advanced clients
client insights fed directly into our Product team via Client Success
feature requests shared through our community
our invite-only advisory program, House Seats, where leaders help shape what comes next
In 2019, we joined the Volaris Group. This marked a pivotal moment that brought long-term investment, stability and access to global best practice, while allowing us to remain independent and client-focused.
People sometimes assume that longevity means stagnation. Our journey proves the opposite. We are still here because we never stopped innovating.
Why Organizations Choose Artifax
We understand the world behind the curtain: the pressure, the complexity, and the unseen labor. We bring nearly four decades of learning directly into the tools you use every day.
Artifax gives organizations:
Clients tell us:
“You helped us solve a problem we couldn’t solve alone.”
That’s what partnership looks like to us.
Not just software. Support.
Not just tools. Teamwork.
Who We Are Behind the Scenes
If Artifax were a person in your organization, we’d be the calm, dependable administrator — the invisible MVP who spots problems before you do.
Our culture is shaped by values that match the sector we serve: curiosity, innovation, inclusivity, aspiration, integrity and customer-centricity. We work professionally, knowledgeably and always with warmth.
Beyond work, many of us remain active in the cultural world. We are competitive bell-ringers, photographers, singers, dancers, writers, poets and musicians.
Culture isn’t just our sector; it’s part of who we are.
Meet the Leadership Team
The people helping shape Artifax’s direction, culture, and long-term partnerships with arts and cultural organizations.
Looking Ahead
The next stage of Artifax is about supporting departments that are too often underserved. Our focus is on giving them better tools, better data, and stronger connections across their organizations.
We are investing in thoughtful innovation and deeper integrations. We are also working closely with our clients to responsibly harness the opportunities of AI. Our goal is not to replace people. Instead, we remove friction, surface insight, and free up time for work that truly matters.
We are working toward a future where the arts sector is:
empowered to be ambitious without being overextended
confident in its cultural and economic value
properly invested in across every department
unburdened by unnecessary administrative barriers
free to focus on connection, creativity, and shared experiences
Because when cultural organizations thrive, society thrives.
Join Us
We’re always on the lookout for talented people who want to help cultural organisations succeed.
Part of the Volaris Group
Artifax is proud to be part of the Volaris Group, an international network of vertical-market software companies. This gives us the stability of a global organisation while preserving the focus and agility of a specialist provider.
Company News
As Artifax approaches its 40th anniversary, 2026 marks a pivotal moment for the business. Framed as A Year of Celebration and Generation, the year ...
At the turn of the year, it’s common to talk about improvement: doing more, moving faster, making better use of limited resources. But some ...
Strengthening everyday protection for your data and systems We’re pleased to confirm that Artifax has successfully renewed its Cyber Essentials certification, the UK government-backed ...
Continuing our commitment to quality and security We’re proud to share that Artifax has been successfully recertified for ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, the ...
Remember If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? It’s one of my favorite books. Cute mouse, big chain reaction — and yes, I even ...
There’s a quote often attributed to Voltaire (though it’s more accurately traced to the French writer Pierre-Marc-Gaston, duc de Lévis) that goes something like ...
When I was a fresher at university in the late 1990s, line dancing was sweeping the country. I spotted an opportunity and trained as ...
When working with clients, our Product Specialists begin by understanding how work actually happens. Not how it is meant to happen, or how it ...
When I recently visited the Carnegie Hall website, I expected to find event listings, educational programs and performance information. What I didn’t expect was ...