Open Air Business March 2017

ACCOMMODATION | SPONSORED FEATURE
MIKE HALLIWELL
Consultation with structural engineers enabled Mike Halliwell to develop a range of
Industry Legends
safari tents able to withstand wind speeds of up to 75mph
PROFILE
Name: Mike Halliwell
Role: Owner/Managing Director
Company: Bond Fabrications
Contact: 01453 767171/
www.bondfabrications.co.uk
Favourite tipple: Generally red
wine, though I’m partial to a nice
G&T while sat in the garden in the
warmer months of the year.
Last holiday destination: Oslo in
Norway with my wife, Michelle, and
our two teenagers. Experiencing
the city was great (though a little
expensive), but the few days of
fantastic skiing nearby at the
Tryvann ski resort was the highlight
– great family fun and a little bit of
competition between me and my
teenage son, thankfully no injuries.
Cats or dogs? Definitely dogs,
which seems to be a pre-requisite
living in the Cotswolds. We
have two Labradors, Moose and
Chester, though we also have
a cat called Arthur and Custard
the rabbit - so anything our kids
convince us to own really.
Current boxset/TV must watch:
Crime drama usually – The Night
Manager was excellent. Although
truth is I’m also a sucker for
Countryfile on Sunday evenings
with a glass of red wine after a
big family roast.
How did you get started in the business?
Bond Fabrications will be 30 years old next
year, but we actually bought the business
five years ago. Having spent over 20 years
managing international businesses both
in the UK, and for eight years in the USA,
it was time to bring things closer to home
and nurture a business of our own. With my
technical background in coated fabrics, the
nature of the products produced by Bond
made for a perfect match. I was particularly
interested in the glamping tents, as it was
clear that this market was just in its infancy
at that point, and had incredible potential.
The outdoors and camping has always been
a passion for us as a family, so we were keen
to be involved in a business where we really
understood the market and our customers’
goals.
What is the history of Bond Fabrications?
Bond Fabrications has been designing and
manufacturing bespoke marquees for almost
30 years, and first
entered the
glamping
market
with a
safari tent
10 years
ago. The first
offering was
available in
just one size,
but it was a
great start and
soon became
a fast seller. We
were keen though
to develop a
range that
would be
of incredibly robust structures and so, around
four years ago, designed a new range of safari
tents based on box section galvanised steel
frames. Recently, we have employed a team
of structural engineers to put all of our safari
tents through a rigorous selection of tests,
and the results have been incredibly positive.
What is the appeal of your products to
glampsite owners?
Along with the steel frames, our tents are
made using impermeable 650gsm PVC roofs
and a poly-cotton 407gsm canvas treated
to be waterproof, rot and mildew resistant –
yes, perfect for British summers. The interior
space is open and free of supporting poles so
interior arrangement is unobstructed. Since
working with the structural engineers, we are
now thrilled to report that all our safari tents
offer excellent performance in wind speeds
of up to 75mph. Bond Fabrications is the first
company to offer safari tents performing at
this level. We also offer premium upgraded
safari tents in all sizes which, in accordance
with the structural engineers’ report, offer
additional performance for permanent
use site-specific wind speeds. We can, in
fact, provide a recommendation based on
UK postcodes to determine site-specific
permanent use wind speeds at their given
location.
Clients are investing a great deal of money
and time into setting up glamping sites,
not to mention the cost of acquiring the
correct planning applications, so the proven
structural performance is a significant factor
in purchasing safari tents.
Why do end users love your tents?
Aside from the high performance of our
frames and materials, our customers get
a personal and tailored service from the