def get_countries(self):
        qs = Venue.objects.values('country') \
                                    .exclude(country='') \
                                    .distinct() \
                                    .order_by('country')
        countries = []
        for c in qs:
            countries.append({
                'code': c['country'],
                'name': Venue.get_country_name(c['country'])
            })
        return sorted(countries, key=lambda k: k['name'])