Open Air Business January 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
Ronnie Brown, Managing Director
From: Blachere Illumination UK
Contact: 01337 832910 / www.
blachere-illumination.co.uk
What is your best advice for organisers of
winter functions?
Planning, preparation and sound electrical
and mechanical infrastructure; give
yourself as much time as you can. When
you rush things they can go wrong. Get it
right first time. There is never enough time
to do it right. But there is always time to do
it over.
Tell us about when things go wrong
An unlit venue can look pretty drab, even
during the summer. However, in the
winter the drabness becomes a whole new
problem. Not only are you containing the
event in a marquee, there are also safety
issues to think about. Most marquees
have internal lighting, and that’s okay, but
if you want to make it special for guests
then external lighting is a must. A simple
string of bulbs or fairy lights will help, or if
there are trees nearby you can light them.
External lighting will make your venue
bigger. Don’t restrict your event to the
marquee; let’s take the party outside!
How can your product or service help?
Festoon and bulbs is a great way to light
your venue. Cost-effective too. But you
can also use curtains of light. You can find
these on our website, just download the
catalogue. We also offer a consultancy
service and can create a ‘Blachere virtual
makeover’ from a photograph of your
venue. We turn it into a night scene and
superimpose lighting solutions to illustrate
a breathtaking visual of what can be
achieved.
What options are there for organisers
with small, medium and large budgets?
All three have the option to rent or to
purchase ex rental products; this makes
their budget go further. Get products that
can be used in different ways so it looks
like you have spent more money when you
have just been creative with what you have.
You can focus on the focal point and not try
to spread the budget too thin.
Louis Cherrill, Business Manager
From: Anchorbloc
Contact: 0800 122 3304 /
www.anchor-block.com
What is your best advice for organisers of
winter functions?
When organising for a winter function, my
best advice would be to ensure you have
made the necessary arrangements when
it comes to securing temporary structures.
With colder days and nights it can be
considerably harder to use the traditional
method of pegging, increasing the risk
of error and failure if the weather was to
turn bad. The same goes for the use of
intermediate bulk containers (IBC) - such
as large containers filled with water - which
may freeze, crack, then empty themselves
when thawing, leaving a structure
unsecured and open to the elements.
Tell us about when things go wrong
We have all heard stories of disastrous
events when marquees and other
temporary structures fail or are ripped away
from their pegs due to sudden changes in
weather. Year on year the UK is experiencing
more extreme weather so it's always a
good idea to be prepared. Always ensure
you are following the structure’s design
requirements, whether stipulated in the
manufacturer's specification or better still
a full set of temporary works designs and
calculations so that you can be safe in the
knowledge you are doing everything to
ensure the safety of your site and the public.
Concrete ballast such as Anchor Blocs are
100% reliable and cannot be damaged
by the elements. You know exactly what
weight they are and how many you need; no
more guessing or assuming that enough has
been done.
How can your product or service help?
Our products are fully tested to meet
British Standard BS 5761, a regulation
stipulated within Construction, Design and
Management Regulations 2015. We offer
a full service to our clients, which includes
managing transport, loading/offloading and
even placement. We can also assist with
temporary works designs and on-site health
and safety management.
What options are there for organisers
with small, medium and large budgets?
We can supply Anchor Blocs in a selection
of difference sizes including 250kg, 330kg,
500kg and 1,000kg. We also offer multiple
methods of transport in order to provide the
most cost-effective option for any event, be
it large or small.
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