Open Air Business December 2017

ISSUE 14 | December 2017 | www.openairbusiness.com
BUSINESS
HOT
FUNCTION VENUES
> Targeted Marketing
> Extra Wedding Events
/ /
>
GLAMPSITES
> Accreditation
> Industry Analysis
EVENTS
> Welfare
Fire Safety
CASE STUDIES:
CROCKWELL BUSINESS • BROOK HOUSE WOODS • ROSEMORE’S GLOW

ISSUE 14 | December/January 2018 | www.openairbusiness.com
WELCOME
Welcome
TO STATE THE obvious, it’s Christmas! I don't mind admitting I love
this time of the year. While the rampage of advertising coming at
us throughout November and December for ‘stuff’ we need to buy
is depressing, I am delighted by the move towards the homemade.
It’s not just down to Kirsty Allsop on the telly; she is a product of the
general move towards ‘experience’ and ‘atmosphere’ over ‘stuff’ and
‘wow’ – a trend informing our market in outdoor hospitality too.
Function venues – your weddings in 2018 will be getting more and
more ‘experiential’ according to interiors and styling expert Nikkita Palmer (pages 22-23).
Couples will be looking for an all encompassing theme with more and more heading down
the naturalistic route. And the great thing about this is that many of the ‘props’ you need to
impress can be easily procured from your land or made in the shed.
Glampsites – we all know the market is enjoying holidaymakers’ desire for ‘stay at home’
and ‘celebrate British’ vacations. Check out the case study on Brook House Woods (pages 24-
28) for guests who take things a step further and add a craft into their stay.
Events – again, ‘experiential’ is a word you will hear increasingly. Not just for the festival or
corporate crowd, almost any scale of outdoor event can embrace this trend, and we are loving
the ‘pub’ concept (pages 60-61).
Now back to Christmas… I have a load of handmade presents underway; we’ll just have to
see if they go down as well as the ‘stuff’ I could have bought off the telly!
Have a good one.
Tally Wade
Editor / Publisher
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PUBLISHERS
Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com
Tally Wade - tally@openairbusiness.com
EDITOR
Tally Wade - tally@openairbusiness.com
ADVERTISING SALES
Marney Whyte - 01892 677740
marney@openairbusiness.com
DESIGN
James English -
www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk
PUBLISHED BY
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Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2LL
t: 01580 848555
Contents ISSUE #14 December 2017
UP FRONT
4 News
6 Product News
8 Show Reviews – the Showman’s
Show and the Farm Business
Innovation Show
FUNCTION VENUES
12 Crockwell Business – an idyllic
corporate event venue
16 What’s Your Market? – Isabel Smith
helps you find out
19 More Than a Wedding – pre and post
wedding earners
22 Interiors Advice – how trends are
informing wedding styling
GLAMPSITES
24 Brook House Woods – a woodland
wonderland in Herefordshire
31 Glamping Trends – a guest comment
from Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.
com
35 Accreditation – demonstrating your
commitment to standards
38 Hot Tub Guide – advice on the
‘business’ use of hot tubs
44 OAB Loves… Cooking! – neat ideas
for glampsite cooking
EVENTS
46 Rosemore’s Glow – an RHS garden
lights up for Christmas
50 Event Marketing: Part 3 – useful
tools for promoting your event
54 Welfare Service – more than just ‘the
drugs tent’
56 Fire! – fire safety fundamentals for
outdoor events
60 OAB Loves… Bars – outdoor event
bar concepts
62 Spotlight
65 Classifieds
66 Ask Periwinkle
FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER
@openairbusiness
FOLLOW US ON
FACEBOOK
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openairbusiness
Find more expert advice online:
www.openairbusiness.com
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ISSUE 14 | DECEMBER 2017 JANUARY 2018 | www.openairbusiness.com
HOT
FUNCTION VENUES
GLAMPSITES
EVENTS
> Targeted Marketing
> Certification
> Welfare
/ /
> Extra Wedding Events
> Industry Analysis
> Fire Safety
CASE STUDIES:
CROCKWELL BUSINESS • BROOK HOUSE WOODS • RHS ROSEMORE ILLUMINATIONS
COVER PHOTO
The Cedar Springs wooden hot tub from Riviera Hot
Tubs – part of a range of tubs designed for commercial
use. Turn to pages 38-42 for more. 01626 367038
www.riviera-hottubs.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3
BUSINESS

The latest news from the world of outdoor hospitality
Safeguarding the ‘Business’ Use of Hot Tubs
THE BRITISH AND Irish Spa and Hot Tub
Association (BISHTA) has recently developed
the HSG 282 document in partnership with
the Health and Safety Executive to provide
guidance on operating and maintaining hot
tubs used in business settings, including
glampsites. Along with this work, BISHTA
has created factsheets, training and advice
for owners and managers of glampsites and
holiday parks on what is needed for their
‘business’ use.
BISHTA was established in 2001 to promote
high standards of safety, enjoyment and value
of hot tubs and spas by registering suppliers
and recruiting holiday accommodation
providers with hot tub facilities to join its
membership. Guests of member glampsites
will be reassured that their holiday hot tub is
maintained to BISHTA standards by an owner
that is suitably trained to do so.
For more information on BISHTA and to
download free hot tub factsheets, visit
www.bishta.co.uk
Roadshow for Small
Accommodation
Providers
Event Production Show
Visitor Registration is Live
REGISTRATION FOR THE Event Production Show (28 February
– 1 March 2018, Olympia, London) is now live. The show brings
together full event infrastructure suppliers, enabling all elements
of event organisation to be planned with a single visit. 2018’s
best product launches from over 100 exhibitors will also be on
show, while complimentary content provides insights and training
from renowned speakers on topics including security, GDPR,
sustainability, and experiential events.
Duncan Siegle, event director, said, “The 2017 show proved a
tremendous success for everyone involved, with over 5,000 visitors
across two days, by far the best attended show in many years. In
2018 we are working hard to ensure that every visitor has plenty to
do, be that meeting new suppliers, learning from industry leaders or
simply experiencing the unexpected.
“We have drawn together a seminar programme that comprises
some of the hottest issues in music, sport and live events, presented
by top names, alongside more practical sessions which will keep
visitors abreast of the latest industry standards and legislation.”
Register now at www.eventproductionshow.co.uk
BE MY GUEST
is a new
roadshow event
aimed at small
accommodation
providers
including
glampsites,
campsites,
B&Bs,
independent
hotels and
more. The free to attend, one day events will be held in six
locations: Southampton, Harrogate and Glasgow in February,
Bristol in October, and Penrith and Norwich in November
2018. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet suppliers,
discover new ideas and learn how to achieve top ratings.
The organiser has recently announced an industry
partnership with VisitEngland to further develop relationships
with the small accommodation market throughout England.
Its activity at the roadshow will include talks covering
accessible tourism trends and how accommodation
providers can tap into the £12 billion ‘Purple Pound’, as well
as promoting the Business Advice Hub and the Pink Book,
which is essential reading to keep up to date with tourist
accommodation legislation.
For more information, visit
www.bemyguest.live
4 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

List your
property with
Farm Stay
Join us today!
Top of the Woods Wins Again!
TOP OF THE Woods is thrilled
to have won the Green Key
Award for sustainable tourism
for the second year running at
the 2017 Tidy Wales Awards.
A boutique camping and
glamping site in Boncath,
North Pembrokeshire, Top Of
The Woods is recognised as one
of Wales’ very best eco-tourism
accommodation providers.
Building on their previous
successes winning the 2016
Green Key Award and the
2016 Pembrokeshire Tourism
Awards for sustainable tourism,
this year’s award reflects the
continued efforts Top Of The
Woods makes to achieve truly
sustainable tourism.
Owners Soo and Jon’s values
of “sustainable, enriching and
unique” are at the heart of
everything they do, and the
recognition they are getting
shows they are well on their
way to achieving their goal of
becoming Wales’ best loved
sustainable tourism business.
They recognise true
sustainability is a complex
and broad picture, and their
efforts include: Environment
- resource reduction through
the use of renewable energy
and waste minimisation, best
in class recycling and local
sourcing; Ecology - habitat
enrichment and creation
efforts including planting new
woodland and a wildflower
meadow, and minimising the
impact of human activities on
site; Social - enriching the local
economy through partnerships
creating opportunities for
many other stakeholders,
engaging with the local
community and minimising
any possible disruptions.
AGF Wins the Green Apple Award
A GREENER FESTIVAL (AGF) has won the
Green Apple Environment Award from 500
entries in the international campaign to
find the greenest companies, councils and
communities.
AGF is a not for profit organisation
committed to helping festivals and events
to minimise their environmental impact
around the world. Over the last decade
it has assessed and accredited more
than 400 festivals worldwide including
Glastonbury Festival (UK), Roskilde Festival
(DK), Bonnaroo (US) and Falls Festival
(AU). It has also delivered sustainable
event training for professionals all over
Europe, and on 6 March in London will
deliver the 10th Green Events and Innovations Conference in partnership with the International Live
Music Conference. In addition, last year AGF launched the Greener Event Award to assess, advise and
accredit events of all kinds.
A Greener Festival co-founder Claire O’Neill said, “We are over the moon to receive this prestigious
award and are humbled that we were chosen as a winner. Huge thanks go to all our assessors,
supporters, and the events we have worked with.”
The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as the country’s major
recognition for environmental endeavour among companies, councils, communities and countries.
Holiday Lets
Farm Stays
Increase your
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organisation…
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Holiday Lets | Glamping

PRODUCT
Computational Fluid
Dynamics used for Tipis
THE TIPI COMPANY has spent two years
calculating its tipis’ wind loading using
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - the
same technique used to design F1 racing cars
and aircraft. These CFDs show that The Tipi
Company tipis can withstand up to 43mph
winds (dependent on configuration), without
the use of extra bracing devices, which is the
highest in the industry.
Managing Director, Gary Harthern says,
“We’ve always given our customers honest,
personal and professional advice from start
to finish. In finding that traditional hand
calculations were not safe enough for event
tipis, we decided to invest in Computational
Fluid Dynamics – the safest way to calculate
wind loadings. This means we can now offer
our customers a safe, honest, and commonsense
approach to wind management with
their tipis, to ensure safety for both their
investment and their customer base.”
The Tipi Company manufactures Britishmade
large event tipis and accessories for the
use of outdoor events using inspiration from
the temporary homes of nomadic tribes. Tipis
are available in four sizes and can be erected
onto grassed areas or built on hard standing
areas such as car parks or patios.
www.thetipicompany.com
Atmospheric Pod, Seasoned by the Sea
CARPENTER AND ARTIST Barney
Dearsley has created a unique and
atmospheric dwelling from the
upturned hull of a 1945 fishing trawler
that once tackled Atlantic swells as it
fished out of Newlyn Harbour, Cornwall.
Shaped by the original massive curved
planks of larch and ribs of oak, Barney
says, “You can almost sense the
journeys it’s been on, the places it’s
been to”.
The pod measures 4x4x4 metres
and has been re-corked and made
watertight using marine resin and cloth.
“She is once again ready to withstand
the elements – this time on land and
not the sea,” he says.
Additional features include a sail
canvas door, electrical sockets, and a
bespoke stove made from an original
mast step. Priced at £10,000, the Boat
Pod is located near Exeter Quayside for
viewing. Commissions also available.
www.weatheredbywater.co.uk
Introducing the Shower Shack
THE SHOWER SHACK is a fully off-grid boutique solution that can provide hot showers anywhere. It can even be supplied in areas
where a running water supply isn’t available. This makes it an ideal addition for any outdoor swimming pool, camping or glamping
site, beaches or at sweaty, dirty outdoor events such as a triathlons, cycling races and mud-wrestling tournaments.
The Shower Shack is simple to transport and deliver, and can be assembled in a matter of minutes by one person. The robust,
vintage design makes it suitable as a permanent structure, or
it can be taken down for storage out of season. It’s available for
both sale and hire across the UK. For event and glamping hire
companies, such as bell tent providers, this product may be
a highly lucrative investment. With a hire price of up to £140/
weekend, each Shower Shack could provide a full return on
investment within a single season.
The Shower Shack costs £1,495 + VAT with UK-wide delivery,
although wholesale discounts are available for multiple
orders for holiday or event hire businesses and resellers. Also
available, from £1,210 + VAT is the matching Lav Shack, an ecofriendly
composting loo.
The Shower Shack can be provided with its own specialised
Shower Hub, a road towable Shepherds Hut, which can
transport up to four Shower Shacks, plus its own water
supply, allowing you to set up the showers literally anywhere,
anytime!
To find out more, visit www.showershacks.co.uk
or contact info@showershacks.co.uk / 01603 397777.
6 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Glamping Treehouses
for £15,000!
Single Operator
Trolley Light
THE COMPACT SMC TL60 Trolley Light
from Morris Site Machinery is easily
transportable and designed to be
handled by a single operator. It is able to
fit through a standard internal doorway
whilst maintaining power, with four
powerful 300W LED lights providing over
130,000 lumens.
The TL60 is available as a unit
(excluding generator) or with a 2.1kVA
diesel generator and can be operated
from the mains, 110V sockets or a linked
lighting process with inlet and outlet
sockets. Weighing in at just 325kg (with
generator), it can be easily transported.
www.morrismachinery.co.uk
THE NEW LEAF TREEHOUSE
Company designs
and builds glamping
treehouses for
installation on most
trees. The 042 (pictured)
costs £15,000 and offers
21m2 of usable space split
between a tent and a spacious
deck. It needs very little site preparation
and uses an attachment system that
‘hugs’ the tree securely and safely with no
damage.
The 042 is classed as a temporary
structure so does not require planning
permission in most cases. Constructed
from local, sustainably grown chestnut,
oak and Douglas fir, it has FSC cedar
shingles and high quality, Campshield
canvas.
The price includes installation (usually
under two days, weather and access
permitting) and a tree survey based on
your own photographs, with a site visit
as required. Installation includes the
deck, railings, tent, walls, and stairs, plus
guidance and maintenance instructions,
and is subject to a delivery charge.
Optional extras include a woodburner,
insulation, windows, a choice of canvas
colour, additional tented space, lighting
and USB charging points as well as zip
lines, swings and mini gas kitchen.
Order now and get your 042 up
and ready for the 2018 season! www.
newleafthc.co.uk

INDUSTRY NEWS
➋
➊
Showman’s Show
➌
It was a ‘storming’ Showman’s Show 2017 for exhibitors!
DESPITE BEING sandwiched between
hurricane Ophelia and storm Brian, such is
the popularity of the Showman’s Show, it
still managed to attract event professionals
in their droves to Newbury Showground on
18–19 October.
This year’s list of attendees included
operations staff and event management
and production teams from organisations
such as British Marine Boat Shows, New
Forest & Hampshire County Show, Cuffe &
Taylor, Tough Mudder, drp, Bournemouth
7s, Glastonbury Festival, Lawn Tennis
Association, Boomtown Festival, 2Can
Productions, Brand Events, London
Marathon, IMG Arts & Entertainment,
London’s New Year’s Day Parade, Marshall
Arts, TRO, Diversified Communications,
Jockey Club, Vision Nine Group, Festival
Republic, Hockey Women’s World Cup, and
Goodwood Group.
Johnny Lance, event director explains,
“Despite weather warnings galore in
place for the build, show days and
breakdown, early indications are that this
year's Showman's Show has been well
received by visitors and exhibitors alike.
It was clear to see that the exhibitors had
put a tremendous amount of effort into
their stands and there were some really
interesting new products on display which
is great news, not only for attendees but
for the industry as a whole. Walking round
there was a real buzz and you could tell that
business was being done. Feedback from
exhibitors thus far is really positive; they've
met existing clients and taken enquiries for
new projects which is what it's all about to
be honest.”
Anne Johnston, Star Events’ business
development manager, comments, “We
decided to showcase our mobile units as
we felt that they spoke to the Showman’s
Show audience. This year’s show was really
good, we had a lovely mixture of clients
that we know and love who came along to
talk about next year’s events, but we also
had a lot of new enquiries which is really
pleasing. The mixture of visitors was good
and surprisingly we even met overseas
companies which was great.”
This was backed up by Andy Loos’
national sales manager, Adrian Eyles-
Jones, who adds, “We’ve been exhibiting
at the Showman’s Show for a number of
years; we always get good feedback and
pick up some new clients. This year has
been very good, and we’ve met everyone
from organisers of country fairs to luxury
party planners. It has been very successful
and we’re already looking forward to
coming back next year.”
OAB’s Top Picks
➊ Portable Floor Maker
More than just its excellent portable dance
floors (including illuminated options!),
Portable Floor Maker supplies modular
illuminated bars, oversize LED & RGB
lettering, portable staging, folding leg
banqueting tables and metal/Acrylic
signage. The systems in all its ranges
are inherently easy to use, with no tools
required for its floors, stages and bars – just
simple ‘click together’ locking mechanisms.
Oh, and we love the aisle markers too!
www.portablefloormaker.co.uk
➋ TruDomes
The largest in the range, TruDomes’ 10m
diameter dome is constructed from an
aircraft grade aluminium for a lightweight
and strong structure. Created for event
organisers, venues and/or glampsite
owners, this dome can be used for
gigs, parties, as an eating area, or be
configured into three private bed rooms
with a spacious living area. Designed and
manufactured in the UK.
www.trudomes.com
➌ Barkers Marquees
Barkers had one of their beautiful Celeste
pole marquees on show. The simple
eave lines and bevelled, wooden poles
provide a stunning structure, ideal for
the most prestigious functions. It is easy
to create round marquees or structures
of varying lengths with the addition of
middle sections. The king poles also come
in various heights and can be topped with
banner flags to catch the eye. Designed and
made in the UK by a company with over 100
years in the trade. www.barkersmarquees.
co.uk
➍ RedBox Tickets
A one stop shop for ticketing, the folk at
Red Box Tickets offer advance and on-site
ticketing with ‘Livetime Access Control’ for
events including memberships, vouchers
and promotions. Ticketing can be white
labelled to your brand, is GDPR compliant
and easily integrated with social media
channels and Google Analytics. For more
on why such integration is important, turn
8 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

➍
➏
to our article on event promotion on pages
50-52! www.redboxtickets.com
➎ Showmobile Services
A complete service in the design, build,
hire, operation and staffing of exhibition
vehicles, Showmobile Services has a
fantastic choice of new and used trailers
and promotional vehicles to hire or buy. All
vehicles can be completely customised to
➎
cater for clients’ needs and fully kitted out
to exact specifications. Ideal as ticketing
and information booths, welfare units or
branded promotional structures – there are
a plethora of uses. Ask about the flexible
hire services for a cost effective solution for
your next event. www.showmobiles.co.uk
➏ Star Events
Supplying affordable temporary stages
and grandstands to venues for over 40
years, if you are organising or planning on
diversifying into events, Star Events offers
a solution for all venues/sites. Suppliers
to county shows, stately homes, farms
and estates including Jimmy’s Farm,
Tulley’s Farm, Blickling Estate, Bowood
House, Edenbridge and Oxted Agricultural
Show and Hertfordshire County Show, as
well as to some of the country’s largest
mainstream festivals and events.
www.stareventsltd.com
DIARY DATE
The 2018 Showman’s Show will
return to Newbury Showground on
17-18 October. www.showmansdirectory.co.uk
Event insurance cover,
come rain or shine
If you have an important event coming up, we have a policy to keep
you, or your clients, protected. We have provided peace of mind to over
200,000 policy holders, so you know that we’re a company you can trust.
Our policies offer affordable, reliable insurance, tailored to fit the scale
and style of the occasion – from festivals to fetes, high profile weddings
to small ceremonies, conferences and more.
Get a quotation today at events-insurance.co.uk
Become an Introducer
Venue owners or event organisers can earn 15% commission simply
by introducing clients to Event Insurance. Contact Jamie Hanlon at
introducer@events-insurance.co.uk or call 01425 470360
Event Insurance Services is a limited company registered in
England and Wales. Registered number: 3238686. Event
Insurance Services Limited are authorised and regulated by the
Financial Conduct Authority, Ref No. 309998. ID000038 11/17

INDUSTRY NEWS
Farm Business
Innovation Show
The fifth year of the show for landowner diversification hit
the mark with attendees and exhibitors alike
NOVEMBER 2017 SAW the doors open at
the NEC Birmingham for the fifth edition
of the Farm Business Innovation Show. It
attracted visitors from across the country
eager to talk to the experts, find the latest
innovations and discover inspirational
diversification ideas.
From 10am on day one there was a
bustle in the hall, with a fantastic vibe
from visitors and exhibitors alike. Michael
Eavis kicked off the Keynote Stage to a
packed crowd who hung on his every
word as he discussed how a farm and
festival could work together, with a few
tasty spoilers for the Glastos ahead! He
was closely followed on the stage by Doug
Gurr, Amazon UK’s country manager, who
talked the crowd through unleashing rural
Britain's digital potential. The seminar
agenda continued throughout the two
days hosting top experts in a diverse range
of fields from glamping to funding and
castle diversification to weddings.
The Live Demo Arena saw a competitive
speed yurt building competition on both
days from Yurts For Life, and interactive
demos throughout the day including
from Segway and Panda eBikes. The Live
Debates ran for the second year, featuring
a panel of sector experts talking through
hot industry topics and taking questions
from the audience - topics included
Succession Planning, Planning Permission,
Equestrian Business, Glamping, Weddings,
Social Media and Marketing. The live
debate feature has been confirmed again
for the 2018 show, with panel members
and topics already being booked.
Those seeking business advice,
resources and skills were spoilt for choice,
with experts ranging from the Rural
Payments Agency and DEFRA to specialist
exhibitors such as Blue Ninja Consulting
and Laurence Gould. Amazon launched its
Rural Entrepreneur Academy at the show,
delivering digital skills across both days.
Plans for 2018 are well underway; 83%
of exhibitors have already re-booked
alongside a host of new, exciting and
innovative suppliers. The 2017 show has
received outstanding feedback, but 2018
looks set to beat it already!
OAB’s Top Picks
➊
➊ Ecotoilets
Composting toilets are an excellent
example of sustainable design. The
range from Ecotoilets provides a safe
and effective way to save resources and
prevent pollution, whilst saving money
and energy for the owner. At the same time
they produce a valuable end-product that
can be used to fertilise the soil! Check out
the options including the funky new Egloo
(aka the ‘Yellow Peril’).
www.eco-toilets.co.uk
➋
➌
➋ Hiker Biker Pod
These sleeping pods have been designed
as ‘a cost-effective way of providing
accommodation for the modern-day
traveller’ – especially those that enjoy
hitting the trails and don’t fancy carrying
a tent! Easily placed into fields, campsites,
woodland or even agricultural buildings
for an ‘instant bedroom’, they are available
with solar panel lighting and USB charging
facilities.
www.hikerbikerpod.com
10 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

➎
INDUSTRY NEWS
➌ Benchmark UK
Almost every glampsite, function venue
and open air event needs outdoor
furniture, and the range of picnic tables
and benches from Benchmark UK has
something to suit pretty much any style.
Made from non-toxic, pressure treated
timber with a 15 year guarantee against
rot or fungal attack, the products feature
heavy duty fixings for rigidity. Use code
FBISHOW2017 until 22 January for
25% off!
www.benchmarkpicnictables.co.uk
➍ Soak & Sleep
Voted as the UK's best ‘Duvet and Pillow
Brand’ by Which customers, Soak & Sleep’s
wholesale department offers glampsites,
hotels and B&Bs cost effective linen and
towels from entry level right through to
the most luxurious items. Discounts up to
33%, with no minimum order quantities
and free UK next day delivery.
www.soakandsleep.com/wholesale
➎ Fron Farm Yurts
Fron Farm Yurts manufactures handcrafted
yurts, gers and roundhouses in Wales.
The team presented its new pop-up Yurt-
Roundhouse, which is a unique wooden
framed structure incorporating the ‘wow’
factor of a yurt roof but has the look and
feel of a solid, permanent structure. This
versatile unit has many uses including
glamping accommodation and is easy to
put up and take down.
www.yurtsforsaleuk.co.uk
➏ Fire Pit Design
These gorgeous spherical fire pits are
handcrafted by husband and wife team,
blacksmith welder Russell and Wendy,
who has an extensive background in
customer service.
Limited only by your
imagination, the fire
pits come in a range
of popular designs or
can be made entirely
bespoke. Use them
as outdoor heaters
or as an illuminated
sculpture, with multi
functional LEDs.
They can also be
designed for use
as a BBQ. www.
firepitdesign.co.uk
➍
➏
DIARY DATE
The 2018 Farm Business Innovation
Show will be held at the NEC
Birmingham on 7-8 November. www.
farmbusinessshow.co.uk
Do you own
a farm or
rural B&B,
holiday let
or glamping
business?
Make more of it and
increase your income.
Let FSUK do the
hard work for you…
Join FSUK today!
Rural B&B
Holiday Lets
Glamping
Visit www.joinfarmstayuk.co.uk
or call
02476 696909 for a free guide
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 11

FUNCTION VENUES
CASE STUDY
Crockwell
Business
An award winning wedding venue,
Crockwell Farm has extended its functions
offering to corporate clientele
Having cornered the market in weddings, the family team at Crockwell Farm
launched into the business market, offering an idyllic yet well connected location for
conferences, meetings and team building events. We talk to Amy Cox, daughter of its
founders, farmers Bay and Hermione Harper.
When did you start your business
and what is its history?
Crockwell was, and still is, a
working family farm. My parents
Bay and Hermione Harper
originally started diversifying by
converting the farm buildings into
conference and event facilities in
2001. The stone buildings were
in need of repair and were more
suited to becoming the basis of our
event business than housing big
farm machinery.
The business continues to move
on every year, with the latest
development being the enclosure
of an open archway to make a
stunning entrance with glazed oak
doors and a big iron chandelier.
At the heart is the vaulted barn
where we host meetings and
wedding ceremonies. Two cottages
form part of the very comfortable
accommodation which we offer.
Bay and Hermione are still integral
to the running of the business, and I
have a full time role.
Tell us about your location
and site
Crockwell is located in rural South
Northamptonshire, within easy
reach of both the M1 and M40
motorways. The function areas
comprise the stone vaulted barn,
permanent internal marquees,
which are sited within the original
grain barn, and a covered veranda.
There is extensive outside space
with pretty gardens and paddocks
which can be used for team
building activities.
We have planted a wide strip of
wild flowers alongside the drive
and have put up park railings to
complement the field in front of
“WE HAVE
PLANTED A
WIDE STRIP OF
WILD FLOWERS
ALONGSIDE
THE DRIVE
AND HAVE
PUT UP PARK
RAILINGS TO
COMPLEMENT
THE FIELD IN
FRONT OF THE
VENUE”
the venue. Our rural location is
probably our biggest challenge for
corporate clients however when
they have visited once, it generally
becomes the main attraction!
What facilities for corporate
functions do you offer?
We have the stone vaulted hall
which can accommodate up to
40 ‘dinner dance’ style, or 30 for a
boardroom set up. It is connected
to the internal marquees which
12 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

are fully insulated and feature
a bar where we can serve
refreshments. The main marquee
is approximately 18x16 metres and
can seat up to 200. Meals can be
served inside or on the veranda
if the weather is kind. In total we
have nine en-suite bedrooms
housed within cottages and the
main farmhouse. We can also find
extra accommodation locally if it is
required.
What services do you offer?
We offer help planning all events
and full catering. We can also
recommend outside suppliers for
team building activities such as
clay pigeon shooting, quad biking,
llama trekking etc.
Describe how you researched
and sourced any ‘team building’
activities?
Team building activities that are
ideal at Crockwell tend to be those
that make use of our outside space
(although we do have plenty of
space inside the marquee for bad
weather) and our rural location.
We have had great feedback on
activities such as clay pigeon or
laser shooting and quad biking.
Crockwell is also a great spot for
sporting or fitness events with
footpaths, fields and space for yoga
or stretching.
How did you research and source
you structures?
Our marquees have evolved and
grown over the years; we are
always looking at competitors'
to make sure they are still
contemporary and up to date. The
big attraction of our marquees is
“....WE WOULD
NEVER CATER
FOR MORE
THAN ONE
EVENT ON
THE SAME
DAY, WHICH
OFFERS MORE
FLEXIBILITY
AND PRIVACY
FOR THE
CLIENT”
that they are housed within fully
insulated farm buildings, so are
completely weatherproof and easy
to heat or cool. We have installed
a biomass boiler and have a very
efficient heating system throughout
the venue.
How do you work with your
customers to make their event
unique?
We offer exclusive use for all events
and work with the organiser to
ensure the event is tailored to their
needs; from set up and decoration
if needed, through to catering and
accommodation.
How do you publicise yourself?
Primarily through our website
and also a small number of online
directories.
How would you describe your
‘style’ or unique selling point?
Crockwell is situated in a stunning,
tranquil location so it offers
something very different from a
lot of corporate venues in towns or
large hotels. This is our main USP
for corporate clients along with our
flexible meeting spaces both inside
and out.
Exclusive use is also an important
factor; we would never cater for
more than one event on the same
day, which offers more flexibility
and privacy for the client.
What challenges have you faced?
Lots! Crockwell is constantly
changing and evolving and one of
our biggest challenges is keeping
the venue current and improving
our offering. Ensuring that we have
flexible inside space is always a
priority when planning outdoor
activities with the British climate.
What are your plans for next
season?
To continue to grow the business
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 13

FUNCTION VENUES
with more events and a wider range
of activities. We close for January
in order to carry out any necessary
building work or maintenance and
this year we are looking to install a
hot tub on the wooden veranda in
addition to ongoing improvements
to the bedrooms and cottages.
Describe your average day midseason
We cater for a wide range of events
so it can vary greatly; if we have a
conference or meeting we will be
providing refreshments throughout
the day and be on hand to ensure
the smooth running. We also cater
for a large number of weddings so
weekdays can be busy showing
around prospective wedding
couples as well as corporate clients.
Why do you enjoy the business?
The work is hugely varied; we work
with some great people both here
at Crockwell and through outside
suppliers, and we enjoy an idyllic
location. As office jobs go, this is a
great one!
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
Primarily weddings. We offer
outside ceremonies in the orchard
pavilion, and the gardens are
wonderful for receptions, but we
have plenty of indoor space if the
weather does not co-operate. Our
main attraction for couples is the
fact that we don’t take bookings on
consecutive days. This gives them
the chance to enjoy the venue with
their immediate wedding party for
two days.
What are you most proud of?
The continual growth and evolution
of the business, our unique offering
and maintaining our high standards
of service.
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
industry?
Both the conference and wedding
industries are hugely competitive
so you really need to be offering
something unique that clients can’t
find elsewhere.
ADDRESS BOOK
MARQUEES
In-house, erected and serviced by
Umbravilia Marquees
www.umbravilia.co.uk
ACTIVITIES
Honesberie Shooting
www.honesberieshooting.co.uk
FURNITURE
Event Solutions South
www.eventsolutionssouth.com
INSURANCE
NFU Mutual www.nfumutual.co.uk
CATERING
Chopping Block
www.choppingblock.co.uk
DETAILS
Crockwell Farm
Eydon, Daventry
Northamptonshire, NN11 3QA
01327 361358
www.crockwellbusiness.co.uk

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FUNCTION VENUES
GETTY IMAGES
What’s Your Market?
How to define and market to your target market with Isabel Smith
IF YOU’VE EVER read anything I have
written, heard me speak at any event or
met me (even in passing) you will know that
I bang on about target market a lot! When
it comes to marketing, I am a firm believer
in knowing exactly who it is you want to
reach. After all, what is the point in getting
yourself a four page spread in a national
magazine or an advert on local radio if your
brides are reading the local papers and
turning to Twitter instead of tuning their
radios? In my book, any marketing activity
that isn't 100% targeted to the brides you
want, is a complete waste of time, money
and effort.
So, before you write your marketing
strategy, think about the types of brides
your venue will attract. The best place to
start is by figuring out what your clients are
likely to spend on their wedding as a whole.
This sounds difficult but actually, taking
your fees and extrapolating the rest of the
budget from there is pretty simple; most
couples spend 50% of their total wedding
budget on their venue (excluding guest
accommodation), food and beverage. For
marquee events it is often more like 60%.
Let’s say you charge £2,500 for your
premises, your main marquee company
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charges around £4,500 for a mid-range
marquee for 100 or so people, and your
main caterer charges a total of £6,500
for their services for a similar number of
guests. You get a total of £13,500. On that
basis, your clients will be spending around
£25,000 to £27,500 on their weddings. With
me so far? This is very helpful information
for getting to know your client base, but
also for checking your offering against
your competitors and for making sure your
partner suppliers are in a similar price
band.
Another helpful rule of thumb is that
most couples spend around half of
their annual household income on their
weddings. So, a couple spending £25,000
on their wedding are likely to be earning
around £25,000 each per year. With this
information to hand, profiling your ideal
client gets really interesting!
Think about the couples who, within
your geographical area of operating, might
be earning that figure. Are your target
market bankers, CEOs and high net worth
couples? Or perhaps teachers, nurses and
other professionals? Or does your pricing
appeal more to unskilled or minimum wage
workers? It really doesn't matter who your
target market is (we will take anyone's
money after all!), it is just important
that you know so that you can market
effectively.
DETAILED PROFILING
From here, you can get as detailed as you
might like with your profiling. The more
thorough the better:
› How old are they?
› What do they look like?
› Do they have children?
› Where do they work?
› Where do they live? (locally or abroad?)
› Do they rent or own?
› Where do they do their food shop
(Waitrose versus Lidl)?
16 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

› What do they spend their
disposable income on? Is it
all about luxury holidays and
private school fees or is a ‘dine in
for two’ meal more of a treat?
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I know. It seems crazy to spend
time finding the answers to so
many personal questions since
each client is so different, but
don’t hold back. The better you
know your clients, the easier it is
to answer the key questions which
will tell you how and where to
market to them:
Q What are they looking for in
their wedding?
A If they are design-led and the type
to endlessly search blogs/Pinterest
for inspiration, focus your marketing
on visuals (Pinterest, Instagram,
Facebook etc.)
A If they are more into food or
entertainment or something else,
advice-based PR will serve you well.
Q What sort of suppliers might
they want to work with?
A Make sure you have those
suppliers on your PSL. How do they
market? Seek some inspiration
there.
Q Who is paying for the wedding?
A If Mum and Dad are likely to be
big financial contributors to the
wedding then they will have a lot of
say in the planning. More traditional
marketing aimed at them might
pay off (eg. local radio/newspaper,
parish magazine etc.)
Q Which wedding magazines do
they read?
A ‘Brides’ and say ‘Wedding
Ideas’ magazines have very
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabel Smith has 10
years in the wedding
industry behind her
as one of the UK’s top
wedding planners and
business consultants
to venues and other
suppliers. Isabel’s
expertise spans
marketing, sales and
operations as she
helps new vendors
launch and assists
established businesses
should they find their
sales falling.
www.isabelsmith
consulting.co.uk
www.isabelsmith
weddings.co.uk
GETTY IMAGES
different audiences. Make sure your
PR efforts are aimed at the right
media outlets.
Q Are they social media users?
A Facebook is popular with older
couples (30+) but less and less
relevant to a younger audience.
Do you see? It is a bit of a process
but it is so utterly essential in
ensuring that your marketing
(and indeed your product offering
and service level) is effective and
appropriate.
MULTIPLE MARKETS?
Don’t panic if you have more than
one key target market - most
venues will do. For example, it
may be that your venue does
well for younger couples wanting
outdoor festival weddings because
of your wide open spaces and
flexibility, but perhaps you also
have a smaller, more manicured/
less child friendly garden which
might appeal to the 'second time
around' market. You will want to
be selling to both audiences so you
might need to undertake a wider
variety of marketing activities.
Just make sure that the ‘awesome
festival party’ photos make it to
Instagram and the ‘elegant dinner
party’ photos make it to the local
glossy magazine. You see – the right
content in the right place for the
right client.
What I will say is just try and
focus on no more than your top
three ideal clients. Any more and
you might as well be marketing to
everyone!
Essentially, you should have your
top target market clients in mind
every single time you do anything
marketing related. If you struggle
to keep them in the forefront of
your planning, there is some great
advice I was once told by true
marketing expert Tamsin Fox-
Davis (currently employed by epic
company www.hibob.com): Flick
through a few wedding magazines
and find a photo of a couple (a real
one or models) that represents
your target market (or one photo
for each market) and display these
around your work space. You may
think it sounds a tad childish but
checking in with a visual prompt
like this each and every time you
tweet, post an image or draft a
press release really does ensure
your marketing is razor sharp.
Now you really know who you’re
trying to reach and have thought
through where to reach them. All
you have to do now is make sure
that you market in such a way as to
appeal to them. Is that link really of
interest to your target market? Are
you getting the tone right for your
audience?
All in all, it sounds pretty
complicated but actually, if you
do it right in the first place and
clearly define your target market,
it becomes second nature to think
about your perfect client before
undertaking any marketing activity.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17

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FUNCTION VENUES
ipsum
GETTY IMAGES
More than
a Wedding
GETTY IMAGES
How hosting pre- and post-wedding events can boost
your revenue with inspiration from Kelly Chandler
LUXURY WEDDINGS, OFTEN with a
very international client base, have long
been hosting ‘wedding weekends’ or
celebrations lasting more than one day and
it is fast becoming a trend for mainstream
weddings too.
Why is this? More and more guests
are travelling greater distances to be at
wedding celebrations as families and
friends live further afield and away from
each other. It makes practical sense
therefore to make the opportunity for a get
together count, and ensure the travel and
time investment is really worthwhile.
Millennial couples (the main generation
marrying now) are tending to favour
spending more time with their nearest
and dearest in less formal settings over
the quick and grand ‘wow’. They value
the idea of spending quality time, often
creating different vibes and settings across
a multiple day celebration and allowing
the most important people in their lives
to ‘pitch in’ (millennials are all about
collaboration) and get to know each other
with some shared experiences
and memories.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR VENUE?
There is a plethora of pre- and postwedding
day activities that couples either
want to see or need to be inspired by, and
I see very few venues proactively making
the most of their marketing activity
and offerings of such events. So why
not explore these and create your own
ideas in your own unique venue style?
Some of these ideas might not be direct
revenue earners for you the venue but
they are big bonus features for choosing
you, recommending you and for building
supplier partner loyalty and relationships
too.
To get you started, think about:
› A ‘Ladies only pre-wedding pamper
party’ – manicures, pedicures, massage
– you name it, a strong beauty offering
with lunch/afternoon tea and some
GETTY IMAGES
proper girly time is much desired by
the bride, her maids and the mums.
You could even lay on monogrammed
slippers or robes like the ones from
www.thelittlelovebird.uk/robes
› The modern man is not to be
forgotten either – this might equally
take in a bit of pampering with a
wet shave and specialist barber or a
massage. It might alternatively be a
perfect day for some sporting activities –
golf, clay pigeon, archery are all obvious
ones. Team them with a little light ale
tasting perhaps over a hearty man feast
and you’ve a winner.
› Rehearsal dinner – this doesn’t usually
take in a ceremony rehearsal (the
naming comes from our friends across
the pond) but an informal dinner with
anything from 10-50 guests for a typical
wedding. It’s usually much more simple
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 19

FUNCTION VENUES
than the main event but often
includes a sit down evening meal
and wine to welcome everyone
to the main day, with some light
entertainment, short speeches,
sometimes some ice breakers
or ways to mix up the guest list
ahead of the key wedding day.
Do you have spaces that are
otherwise empty at this time
which could well host such
events? Let couples know
how you can do it and make it
special, bearing in mind they
will most likely want to keep a
big ‘reveal’ for their key wedding
space and will not want to use
this. Even if you can’t offer this
on-site at your venue, would it
be the sort of business you could
partner up with one of your local
accommodation/pub venues on?
Might it be a chance to cement a
closer working relationship there
to everyone’s gain?
› Post wedding brunch – often
almost as big in guest size as
the wedding itself, the next day
brunch (and we generally mean
brunch and not breakfast) is
usually really popular with a lot
of guests as it’s a perfect chance
to catch up over stories of the
night before, see the couple in
a much more relaxed setting
and enjoy a very tasty hangover
cure of a good ‘full English and/
or brunch menu. The popularity
of brunch has really taken off in
restaurants and cafes particularly
in our cities so it’s natural that it’s
more expected at our weddings
and is the perfect relaxed way
to spend two to three hours
reminiscing over the previous
day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Chandler is a
long-term preferred
service provider for
exclusive venues
such as Syon Park,
Highclere Castle,
Spencer House and
Stoke Park Club.
Kelly’s consulting
services to wedding
venues draw on
prior experience
in international
conference and event
planning, over 13
years of business
management, and
working directly
with discerning
couples planning
their weddings in
diverse locations and
forging successful
relationships with all
components of the
wedding industry.
A former director
of trade body, the
Alliance of Wedding
Planners, Kelly is
a well-regarded
innovator, mentor,
trainer and industry
spokesperson on
and in the wedding
business.
www. kellychandler
consulting.co.uk
You might find some couples
want to turn this day into
something a bit more structured
and organised too – I’ve planned
family sports day contests, festistyle
chill out music stages and
barbecues, duck herding and
much more.
Don’t be afraid to create something
quirky and fitting to your location
and offer it up. It won’t suit
everyone but could well be the
perfect inspiration your couple are
seeking. It could gives you the edge
when they are making their venue
choice and gives you the benefit of
extra revenue with clients already
in the planning.
WHERE CAN YOU PROMOTE
THESE EXTRA SERVICES?
Make a ‘thing’ of these services in
your wedding materials from the
outset. Tell people on your website
(particularly in your blog if you
have one) when you tell the story
of a wedding at your venue, that
you can host rehearsal dinners and
post wedding brunches if they are
wanting to make a weekend of it.
Feature it on your social media
in particular, where you should
source some really powerful
images ideally of similar past
events or, failing that, elements
of what you’ll create or similar
examples. Don’t forget that
impressive imagery is key to the
modern wedding couple.
Have your wedding team ask
more delving questions of couples
when they meet about how the
whole event knits together. While
your focus as a venue may be on
the higher spending wedding day
itself, a couple will need to find a
location that ticks all their boxes
and your showing interest in
helping them put the whole thing
together will go a long way, and in
many cases reap further revenue
opportunities. While you may think
clients will ask if they need things,
remember that you are dealing
with an inexperienced audience
who don’t necessarily think like
that and don’t know what you can
and can’t do, so you need to spell
it out.
And remember, the modern
wedding couple do so much
research now before they even get
in touch with you that you need
to show them much sooner in the
process all the things you can offer
on your social media and website
to engage them early on. That
yummy image of the eggs Benedict
might just swing it for you!
Venue Training Day Offer
Do you feel a little lacking in knowledge of modern wedding trends?
If you’d like to get up to speed in greater detail on the must-haves
for the couple of 2018, and how and where to market to them,
then you will enjoy my SHINE wedding workshops taking place
on 9 February and 9 March, designed and written especially for
ambitious wedding locations like you. The details are here: www.
kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk/consulting-services/group-training
Quote ‘Earlybird’ to gain £55 off per place before 31 December
20 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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GETTY IMAGES
GETTY IMAGES
Interiors
Advice
Interior designer Nikkita Palmer explains the impact of
personal, immersive and ‘nature’ themed celebrations
on the choice of style and décor for weddings in 2018
WITH THE LAUNCH of our wedding
and event prop hire business from our
Bedfordshire studio in January, up and
coming wedding trends is something I’ve
been immersed in for a good few months
now. With a constant stream of social
media around us daily, brides-to-be have
a huge array of inspiration to take note of
in order to create the interior look they've
been lusting over.
While traditional church weddings have
become less popular over the last few
years, alternative wedding venues are
even more in demand. With the rustic barn
wedding remaining prominent there's been
a switch up with how brides of the coming
year want their special day to feel. Adding a
touch of enchantment, a 'woodsy' wedding
is one to watch; greenery and foliage
sits in place of or alongside florals, with
wooden features making an appearance
throughout. An eclectic mix of the old, the
GETTY IMAGES
new and the natural is key, with everything
taking priority. It is no longer about the
centrepieces alone, but what they sit in
– the overall effect creates an immersive
guest experience.
Wedding wreaths, wild flowers and
bohemian touches are in demand, often
combined with dream catchers and
macramé hangings for a whimsical feel.
While many brides will be looking to bring
the outside in, if you have an outdoor
space at your venue now’s the time
to flaunt it! With wedding parties now
wanting to stay put, venue changes are
so last year, so embrace this by creating
different area options at your venue to
make the experience versatile and personal
to your couple.
MORE BUDGET FOR DÉCOR
Keeping the day even more personal,
smaller guest lists are being chosen over
the large, extravagant weddings of the
past. With long lost family knocked off the
'save the dates', more budget is being left
for décor, style and experiences on the day.
This is enhanced by a sense of gathering,
removing the desire for a scattering of
round tables in favour of long dining
scenes to create a sense of togetherness
among the party.
The couple to be also start to embrace
this with their food choices; food trucks,
prosecco vans, doughnut walls and
cake tables will be at the heart of 2018's
22 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

weddings, again adding more
of a personal touch as opposed
to traditional three course fine
dining. Among this, the rise in
interactive elements continues to
grow, with pallet wood backdrops
now favoured over walk-in photo
booths and the unusual coming to
the props basket.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nikkita Palmer is
an interior designer
specialising
in commercial
hospitality projects.
To keep up to date
with her wedding
and event prop hire
company’s launch
in January, follow
her on Facebook,
Instagram and
Twitter (Facebook:
Nikkita Palmer
Designs; Instagram
and Twitter: @
nikkitapdesigns).
ONE TO WATCH
Town Garden Hitchin is a beautiful florist and gift
shop with whom we will be teaming up with on our
wedding hire journey. Follow us (Twitter/Instagram
@nikkitapdesigns) and Town Garden (Facebook/
Instagram @towngardenhitchin) to keep up to date.
GETTY IMAGES
COLOUR PALETTE
Pulling this all together into a
theme to remember, colours
will take a switch up, with many
couples opting for moody blues
and neutral tones to sit with their
greenery pallet. A mix of metallics
remain key and is portrayed
through table decorations
and accessories. See-through
settings and décor takes the
limelight with sheets of clear
Perspex as table plans and glass
conservatoires proving popular
for the all important 'I do'. With
the continued rise in indie and
independent retailers, embracing
the homemade or locally made is
something couples will also look
to incorporate.
The bride and groom of 2018
want to make their day more
personal than we've ever seen
before. Looking for a blank canvas,
industrial settings are often top
of the list for the venue, giving
couples the opportunity to add
and adapt as they wish. While
traditional weddings might leave
couples feeling deflated after the
big day, local services and hire
now make it more pleasurable
not only for the build up, but
also after the event. Venues will
start to adopt this versatile take
on wedding planning, either
personally or working with other
small independent businesses.
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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 23

GLAMPSITES
CASE STUDY
Brook House
Woods
It’s all about wood at this Herefordshire
glampsite that offers sustainably sourced
structures overlooking the Malvern Hills
A serendipitous encounter made dreams come true for actors Penny Tasker and Will St Clair.
Offering timber structures from the quirky to the all-out luxury, guests enter a ‘woodland
wonderland’ and can even enjoy working with wood during their stay. We talk to Penny.
What’s you back story – your life
before glamping?
My partner Will and I met in
London in a Chekhov play and
spent the next 10 years travelling
the world as actors until Will’s
love of green woodwork and
my love of yoga, horses and the
countryside took over. While living
in London we hatched a dream to
set up a woodland wonderland
incorporating glamping, yoga and
a woodwork school – our favourite
things!
What made you decide to
start offering glamping
accommodation?
Our journey was a little bit
backwards. While most people
have land, then decide to add
glamping, our glamping dream
was formed from inner city London
– but we didn’t have the land to
make it a reality. On our path to
making that happen, the first thing
we did was enrol in a ‘How to run
a business course’ through the
Prince’s Trust. This was very handson
and they gave us lots of practical
advice. They also told us that
without a million pound property
in a coveted location, our dream
was never going to happen! This of
course completely broke my heart.
Somewhat deflated, an
opportunity then arose for Will to
become an apprentice chair builder
for an established woodworker
at Brook House Woods. We took
our life to Hereford and while
working one day, Will bumped
into the farm owner and got
chatting. Serendipitously, he was
on the look-out for someone to
manage the 65 acres of Forestry
Commission regulated woodland
and was inspired by our vision
and ethos. Within 15 minutes of
them speaking we had agreed to
take it on! To me, this just goes to
show that if you are passionate
and inspired to create something,
you will attract the right people
and opportunities can present
themselves – although I will admit
we were very lucky!
How did you research the
business before entering it?
As we didn’t come from a
traditional business background,
much of our research was focused
on how to run one successfully
and was guided by the course and
resources available through the
Prince’s Trust. We then researched
the different types of glamping
accommodation available
extensively – in particular the price
we might be able to charge per
night and how that compared with
the initial investment cost.
We knew we wanted to offer
an eclectic mix of glamping
accommodation. We began with
24 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

one yurt, because they are well
established in people’s minds as a
glamping experience and are quick
and easy to set up. We then added
a small ‘hobbit hut’ which gave us
something a bit different but was
again small and easy to get going.
These, alongside the woodworking
school, allowed enough income to
stabilise us while we took our time
researching exactly what else we
wanted to offer.
Using sites like Canopy & Stars
and Cool Camping allowed us to
see what was already on offer and
what potential gaps existed. We
saw quickly that there was a real
demand for tree house stays, and
with such beautiful woodland on
our site this was a natural next step.
Tell us about your location and
site
Our site is mainly woodland with
some areas of meadow. We’ve
continued to develop the land
with a diverse range of areas and
habitats which complements our
different accommodations. We’ve
found getting to know your space
and assets particularly important.
With such a heavily wooded site,
the obvious choice for us was a
tree house, particularly given their
popularity and high per night
prices. However, our woodland
is only about 30 years old so we
don’t have the large mature oaks
required for large, traditional tree
houses.
We’ve gone less traditional by
incorporating tree cabins and a
Tree Tent. These luxurious cabins
are elevated slightly and take
in the views of the Malvern Hills
beyond. Secondly we wanted to
add something totally unexpected
and get people higher into the tree
tops. This is where the Tree Tent
comes in. A futuristic, round tree
pod suspended high in the canopy,
this type of accommodation
allowed us to take advantage
of our site’s assets – the views
and the beautiful ash and oak
woodland – while dodging some
of the pit falls of traditional
tree houses. The Tree Tent is so
lightweight it can be suspended
from younger trees with no impact
on them or the surrounding
environment.
How did you tackle getting
planning?
Some of our structures, such as
the Tree Tent, didn’t require a
planning application at all. They
are so low-impact all that was
required was a land use change
application for the glamping site
as a whole, which we already had.
“THESE
LUXURIOUS
CABINS ARE
ELEVATED
SLIGHTLY
AND TAKE IN
THE VIEWS OF
THE MALVERN
HILLS
BEYOND”
We did have to get planning
permission for our larger tree
cabins, however, as they have
formalised drainage. For this my
two pieces of advice would be:
first, submit a pre-application,
and second, use someone local
who knows and understands the
project, area and the planning
department process and people!
Submitting a pre-application
allowed us to work closely with
the planning office to get our
application up to speed and
get to know the people at the
planning office before the formal
submission. As part of this, the
planners came to our site where we
showed them some of its amazing
features, like the rare spotted
orchids, that we were really keen to
protect.
Completing a pre-application
also gave us the opportunity to
explain how important it was to us
to use sustainable, locally sourced

GLAMPSITES
materials and local people.
Working like this gave everyone
the opportunity to understand
the project and we were also
able to take on advice and make
amendments to the application
before it was submitted. And it
worked as we passed with flying
colours first time!
Secondly, we found a very
experienced local architect to
complete our drawings. His
knowledge of the planning process,
the people in the department and
the local areas turned out to be
invaluable in contributing to our
planning application’s success.
What glamping accommodation
do you offer and why did you
choose it?
We have a yurt because we like
yurts; they are quick and easy
to put up and a great way to get
started while deciding on other
structures. Our hobbit hut is small
and perfect for couples or as
something a bit different, and the
high-end tree cabins are fully kitted
out with kitchens and bathrooms
for the luxury end of the market.
The Tree Tent, which is totally
bonkers and almost futuristic,
is loved by guests and really
helps our site stand out from the
crowd. Staying in it is an amazing
experience!
Describe how you researched
and sourced your glamping
units?
For the tree cabins we were
inspired by the Grand Designs
episode with Ben Law and found
out that his apprentice, Rudi
Meseg, lived locally. So we chatted
to him and together formed
some ideas. The Tree Tent was
suggested to us by Canopy &
Stars. We were on the lookout
for something really special and
different but that came with a
strong return on investment.
For the yurt, there are so many
suppliers out there all we had to
do was type ‘Yurt’ into Google to
find someone local!
How do you publicise yourself?
We work primarily with glamping
booking agency Canopy &
Stars. They have been great and
incredibly supportive and have
really shown us the way in terms
of publicising our site. They go
above and beyond with their
listings and we have featured in
many newspapers and magazines
as a result of their hard work on
our behalf. They have got us a lot
of editorial features in magazines
and newspapers.
Also, keeping a really strong
social media presence through
Instagram and Facebook along
with a good website has been
critical.
How would you describe your
‘style’ or unique selling point?
From the very beginning we knew
we wanted our glamping site
to have a strong sense of place
and care for the environment.
We source local as much as
possible and insist on suppliers,
like Tree Tents and Rudi Meseg,
who share our vision of quality
products that are built to last and
have as little negative impact
on the environment as possible.
Almost everything on our site is
handmade in the UK and centred
around locally sourced wood.
“ALMOST
EVERYTHING
ON OUR SITE
IS HANDMADE
IN THE UK
AND CENTRED
AROUND
LOCALLY
SOURCED
WOOD”
How did you choose your interior
decoration?
By spending lots of time on
Pinterest! Our focus is the
woodland, and with two skilled
woodworkers – Will and Rudi
Meseg – much of the interior
decoration for our tree cabins is
also handmade out of wood. The
Tree Tent, being primarily made of
wood too, fitted into this aesthetic
nicely. We chose a selection of the
cleverly designed interior fittings,
such as fold out beds, tables and
a wood burner, which Tree Tents
offers as part of a package so it
arrived and was installed ready to
go. All we then had to do was throw
in a few vintage bits and bobs to
make it feel like home!
What challenges have you faced?
Mud. Mud makes things extremely
hard and slows everything down.
We factored in extra time for all
the builds but still ran over. Timber
framed buildings become very
slippery and quite dangerous to
work with, deliveries can’t get into
your site and the rain and cold
slows everyone down.
After building the three tree
cabins it was a relief to have the
Tree Tent prefabricated off-site
and delivered on a small crate.
This meant we could get it into
the woodland easily and it was
installed in just two days.
What are your plans for next
season?
Next season we are developing a
new part of the wood where the
Tree Tent has been installed. We
are planning an entire village high
in the canopy where you could
spend your entire holiday without
26 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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GLAMPSITES
planting a foot on the ground.
If anyone has any ideas about
getting a hot tub up there, let us
know!
We are then going to add one
of Tree Tents’ other beautifully
designed structures, the Firma
Shell, and have some exciting
ideas to make it our own. Watch
this space!
Describe your average day midseason
It’s pretty cool, I like it! The
woodwork school runs separately
to the glamping, and Will is usually
very busy with that, which leaves
me running the glamping!
Our check-in days are Friday,
Monday and Wednesday. Guests
leave around 11am or 12pm then I
need to turn over four or five units
before the next guests check in
at 4pm. Employing someone on
Fridays has been hugely helpful
but all check-in days are pretty full
on. I also do all the laundry and
cleaning myself, which is do-able
but busy!
We work with a local caterer
called Myrtles Kitchen who
delivers hot home-cooked food
so when that arrives there is a big
rush to get everything to guests,
including matching the food with
wines from local vineyards. We
work with local yoga instructors
to run classes for people in the
mornings and many of the guests
also choose to do a woodwork
class. Then there is marketing and
general business admin. So lots
happening all the time!
Do you enjoy the business?
Absolutely! One of the best things
about this business is that the type
of people who are attracted to
stay here are (usually) really great.
“THE BEST
THING
IS WHEN
PEOPLE
ARRIVE
STRESSED
AND UPTIGHT
AND LEAVE
RELAXED
AFTER A FEW
DAYS OF
DISCONNECT
SAYING
HOW MUCH
THEY’VE
ENJOYED
THEIR TIME”
Our site is beautifully wild and
miles away from anywhere making
you feel like it’s just you and the
person you are with. People who
aren’t up for that just wouldn’t
come here and we like the sort of
people who are!
The best thing is when people
arrive stressed and uptight and
leave relaxed after a few days
of disconnect saying how much
they’ve enjoyed their time.
Nothing makes me happier.
What are you most proud of?
Staying true to what we believe,
even when it’s been really hard.
This means not taking the easy
or cheap option to use lower
quality products that don’t have
good eco-credentials. It can be
tempting when you look at the
cost difference but I know in the
long term it’s the best decision –
for our bottom line, our guests and
our environment.
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
We run the Green Woodworking
School, which really complements
our glamping business and adds
a unique point of difference. Many
of our glamping guests decide
to do one of our short courses.
These start at 9am on check-out
day, which gives me extra time to
turn the units around before the
next guests arrive! More serious
woodworkers, who complete a
week long course, often choose to
stay in the glamping units.
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
industry?
Be prepared that through the
season (May to September) a
glamping business can be all
consuming and really full on. Your
social life is non-existent and you
won’t get much time with friends
and family – unless they come to
stay with you! But then the winter
offers amazing freedom.
If you don’t let year round, you
can take big chunks of time off to
pursue other things in life. This
winter I’m travelling to India to
complete my yoga instructor’s
course. You can really make this
work in your favour, but don’t
forget to plan!
ADDRESS BOOK
ACCOMMODATION
Tree Tents International
www.treetents.co.uk
Rudi Meseg at Whittle
www.whittle.earth
CATERING
Myrtle’s Kitchen
www.myrtleskitchen.co.uk
PROMOTION
Canopy & Stars
www.canopyandstars.co.uk
DETAILS
Brook House Farm
Avenbury Lane
Bromyard, HR7 4LB
07966 529815
www.brookhousewoods.com
28 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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GLAMPSITES
GUEST COMMENT
Glamping Trends
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, talks about
the outdoor accommodation industry, and
trends and issues it faces in 2018
GETTY IMAGES
ONE THING FOR sure is that the outdoor
holiday accommodation sector is
buoyant. It continues to perform well with
statistics from VisitEngland* showing that
caravanning and camping accounted for
28 million bednights and £950 million of
spending by Brits so far this year. With
domestic camping and caravanning up
11% and tourists from abroad 14%**
this year, the sector has never looked so
appealing.
We launched Pitchup.com in 2009
and the business has expanded to meet
this demand, now enjoying over 14m
annual visits. We currently list more than
3,000 accommodation options in over 40
countries across Europe, the Americas,
Africa and Australia. The bread and
butter of the outdoor accommodation
sector - the largest type of domestic
holiday measured by bednights - remains
traditional caravan or camping holidays,
with tent and tourer pitches, static
caravans and lodges the most popular
categories. However, there are now only
seven times more searches on Google UK
for “camping” compared to “glamping”,
according to Google Trends, versus 22
times more in 2012. Glamping is clearly
on the rise, and particularly the ‘fixed’
types of accommodation such as pods and
cabins.
Developing an understanding of the
market and customer requirements
always raises your chance of success
and ultimately creates a more profitable
business. For some years now, the travel
industry has seen holidays get shorter,
closer and later. Short breaks now
dominate the traditional one- or twoweek
holiday, Brits have rediscovered
destinations on their doorstep, and
the huge choice available online via
smartphone, tablet and desktop devices
means customers rarely lack options, even
at the last minute.
Critical to making a site work though
is knowing what potential customers are
looking for. There is growing domestic and
international competition when it comes
to glamping - and holiday accommodation
generally - so it’s vital to ensure a location
has all the elements for that perfect
holiday. There is also the question of
whether to specialise in a particular
category, such as pods, yurts, tipis, lodges,
static caravans or tents. Many may find
that that a combination of traditional
pitches and glamping units that appeal
to a new audience works well, not least to
reduce dependence on the weather.
WHICH ACCOMMODATION?
While demand for traditional
accommodation categories shows no
sign of waning, glamping is beginning to
make its mark. Indeed in the 12 months
to November, glamping has seen huge
growth, with Pitchup’s bookings for cabins
up by 102%, microlodges up 114% and
pods up 73%. Rent-a-tents were up 151%,
bell tents 77%, safari tents 73%, yurts 52%
and domes 26%. However don’t be fooled
into thinking all types of glamping are on
trend. Wigwams and tipis are much less
popular, accounting for a much smaller
proportion of bookings taken. Tipis have
grown by just 4% while wigwams are
down by 33%. The proportion of bookings
by type of unit is shown in the chart:
camping pods and lodges make up nearly
60% of glamping bookings.
43%
16%
12%
8% 7% 5% 3% 2% 2% 2% 1% 0%
Camping pod
Lodge
Bell tent
Shepherd's hut
Cabin
Yurts
Tipis
Rental tent
Microlodge
Safari tent
Wigwam
Dome
With this in mind, anyone considering
opening or expanding a current outdoor
holiday business needs to choose their
accommodation types carefully. According
to VisitEngland, static caravans and lodges
made up nearly half (46%) of domestic
outdoor accommodation trips in 2015***.
Fixed accommodation, whether that be
statics, lodges, pods etc. has enjoyed
tremendous innovation in recent years,
with central heating, double glazing and
hot tubs now commonplace. Camping
pods, Pitchup’s most popular category,
are appearing at hundreds of parks, and
other types of glamping - from safari tents
to yurts - are attracting media attention
the world over. These developments have
not only appealed to new, more affluent
customers but also increased choice,
making sites less dependent on the
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 31

GLAMPSITES
weather and a year-round season a reality.
The government has recently updated
planning policy to include a presumption
in favour of sustainable development,
which has supported these trends.
The considerations do not end there
either. Many sites are now looking to
better their basic offering. It may seem
the easy option to erect a pod, cabin or
lodge, for example, charge a relatively low
fee and ask clients to bring all the ‘usual
camping equipment’ with them. However,
from our experience it’s the sites that
go the extra mile that are really reaping
the rewards of strong returns on their
investment.
This could mean simply adding comfy
beds and bedding to the accommodation,
but to really be in with a piece of the
action it’s the more luxury items that
count and generate strong returns on
investment accordingly. These could
range from hot tubs and power showers to
luxury coffee machines, widescreen TVs,
woodburning stoves, turn-down services,
pillow choices and even gastronomic
treats such as breakfast hampers,
barbecue foods or a complimentary bottle
of wine. Some sites also offer experienceled
extras including massages, yoga and
skills-focused activities such as bushcraft,
weaving, painting and even sports such as
horse riding and tennis.
The key is choosing something that
makes your accommodation stand
out from the crowd. It’s always worth
researching what local competitors offer
and what some of the really innovative
businesses are doing around the rest of
the UK, or even the world.
FACILITIES COUNT
Good ablutions facilities are, not
surprisingly, high on the list for customers:
shower and toilet facilities are most
commented on in customer reviews. Given
that reviews are so important these days,
we recommend owners spend a little extra
on high-quality, well-maintained facilities
to reap the rewards of a high rating. Gone
are the days of stone outbuildings with
unreliable showers being acceptable.
Customers are now looking for heated
units with power showers, clean toilets,
hot water in the sinks and extras such
as hairdryers (or at the very least power
points with mirrors), and a spacious area
to shower and dress without getting their
clothing wet.
Depending on the type of glamping
offered, it may be that some sites can offer
the shower facilities within each individual
unit. Again, creativity is crucial here. We’ve
seen some with private outdoor showers
(although they may not be suitable for the
British climate) and some with horseboxes
or converted railway carriages that have
been turned into private bathrooms for
glamping units. It’s even becoming more
common to find roll-top baths in some
units, as opposed to a small shower.
TECHNOLOGY
Customers expect a reasonable level
of tech too - namely, a good signal for
their devices, as smartphones extend
their tentacles into all aspects of our
lives. Pitchup.com now receives 38% of
bookings via smartphone, up from 31%
last year. While some sites promote an ‘offgrid’
retreat, this is a small niche market
and for the vast majority of customers,
fast and stable Wi-Fi is a must. The most
popular parks invest in antennae or cabled
access, bringing the web to customers’
accommodation and pitches without
compromising on signal quality.
Other popular searches include parks
that welcome dogs or are family friendly
It may however come as a surprise that
our search data has seen a reduction in
customers looking for traditional facilities
such as a bar, club house or swimming
pool. No doubt this will be music to the
ears of park owners on a tight budget,
and is perhaps evidence of holidaymakers
putting more emphasis on being outdoors
and more locally-distinctive activities.
Alternatively, the lure of Netflix box sets
may explain it! But we always recommend
spending more on what people really
want and offering those facilities to a
high standard, rather than trying to offer
everything on a budget.
Overall domestic tourism demand
is likely to remain high with the weak
pound and other global concerns such as
terrorism, the ‘big’ earthquake experts
are predicting in California or erupting
volcanoes in Bali and Iceland, with many
Brits choosing to take multiple breaks at
home.
INCOME FROM ABROAD
With 2017 Britain's busiest-ever summer
for foreign tourism, owners shouldn’t
overlook the chance to generate business
from abroad. Our UK clients received up
to 43% of their bookings from ‘inbound’
customers this year, and international
customers are the fastest-growing part of
our business, with 618% annual growth in
November. If foreign languages are spoken
at the campsite, this is certainly worth
promoting; customers from Germany, The
Netherlands, France and Ireland made
most bookings for the UK.
We hope the above information is useful
in devising the most appropriate features
for your business. For more information on
developing a park, visit www.pitchup.com/
how-start-campsite-caravan-park
*January - July 2017, Great Britain Tourism Survey
(www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vbcorporate/Documents-Library/documents/Englanddocuments/gbts_july_2017_detailed_report_final.
pdf)
**Overseas residents’ holidays to the UK from June -
August 2017, International Passenger Survey (http://
ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/
leisureandtourism/bulletins/
overseastravelandtourism/august2017)
***Great Britain Tourism Survey (www.visitbritain.
org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Documents-
Library/documents/England-documents/gb_
tourist_report_2015.pdf)
GETTY IMAGES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, has a long background in the outdoor accommodation sector, having grown up on a holiday park in
Devon owned by his family. In 2002, 50% of the park's bookings came through its website and he realised there was a gap in the market
for a one-stop-platform for all types of outdoor accommodation, hence the birth of Pitchup.com.
32 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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GLAMPSITES
Accreditation
Getting accredited without losing your unique edge; Stephanie Currie
explains Quality in Tourism’s new Unique Accommodation Assessment
GETTY IMAGES
FOR MOST OF you, the yurts and
tipis will be dissembled and packed
away in a local farmer’s shed and
you will be eagerly awaiting some
photo opportunities of that perfect
frosty morning, or better yet snowy
morning, to keep your Instagram
page alive through the depths of
the winter. For those of you that
are braving the winter, good on
you! The quiet months will give you
some time to reflect on the year -
What could have been done better?
What can we do next? Where do we
need to invest? The list goes on.
The glamping industry has
grown significantly over recent
years, nothing new here, and
now far exceeds just glamourous
camping, with boats and train
carriages, and even glass pods
400m up on a sheer cliff face
being among the options for the
adventurous traveller. Being a
keen ‘glamper’ myself, I would not
dare to say that the industry is
becoming ‘mainstream’. However,
the growth does mean that in
some cases your uniqueness might
not be enough for you to stand
out from the crowd, and there is
greater importance on ensuring
you are up to date with current
laws and legislation.
Your guests are putting their
trust in you and it is fair to think
that they will assume you are a
legally compliant business. Ticking
all the boxes won’t shield from
unfortunate incidents. However,
it should guarantee you are not
found negligent should the worst
happen. Seeking advice and,
better yet, becoming affiliated by
an official body such as Quality in
Tourism will give you that seal of
approval and show your guests you
are taking extra steps to ensure
their enjoyment and safety.
Online reviews are an excellent
way to market your business and it
is easy to encourage your guests to
support you here. But why would
you want to leave your business
reputation solely to hearsay? Get
an official accreditation or star
rating and show your guests you
really are committed to their safety
as well as getting your qualities
endorsed by a professional.
Quality in Tourism, or QiT as we
are known in the industry, are one
of the UK’s top industry experts
for the tourism, hospitality and
leisure sectors, offering support
and guidance to hundreds of
businesses. Having ran the
VisitEngland star rating scheme
for a number of years, and
currently running schemes across
destinations in the UK, the Isle of
Man, Channel Islands and South
“GET AN
OFFICIAL
ACCREDITA-
TION OR STAR
RATING AND
SHOW YOUR
GUESTS YOU
REALLY ARE
COMMITTED
TO THEIR
SAFETY AS
WELL AS
GETTING
YOUR
QUALITIES
ENDORSED
BY A PROFES-
SIONAL”
Africa, our team and assessors
have gained a huge amount of
experience and knowledge, and
visit hundreds of properties a
year making them a gold mine of
knowledge.
The perception of the star
rating may be a little old hat in the
industry, with many businesses
saying that they don’t see the
value or they don’t need it, yet
we still complain about the ‘big
guys’ ruining our small businesses.
Unfortunately they really are
ticking all the boxes when it
comes to consistency in quality,
services and facilities, and that is,
in part, because they are regularly
assessed by independent bodies
such as ourselves; we know it also
helps to have millions in the bank.
Although you might not think
that you are influenced by a star
rating, research really does suggest
that you are. The visual perception
of an official ‘seal of approval’ is
proven to be important to guests.
Look at it this way, if you had two
identical glamping businesses that
ticked all your boxes and one of
them had an official star rating with
recent awards showing off their
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 35

GLAMPSITES
excellence and unique qualities,
which one would you choose? It is
very much a subconscious thing;
you wouldn’t buy food from the
supermarket if it wasn’t labelled, so
why stay in a stranger’s house or on
their land?
Research shows that consumers
won’t be willing to pay more for
highly ranked businesses, which
is a sensible move as these scores
are solely based on each guest’s
experience, which will be different
for everyone. An official star rating
gives a true and professional
benchmark of quality, facilities
and service. For example, if a
business has an official five star
rating, expect to get something
special, but it might come at a
price. Equally, an officially rated
three star property might have top
reviews on TripAdvisor and still be
a great place, but the official rating
shows consumers that it probably
has less facilities or the quality is
more basic. It’s just about meeting
your guests’ expectations.
Our recent rebranding has
allowed us to adapt the more
traditional star rating assessments
to incorporate this growing
sector. The assessments are very
much focused on the business
and highlight the quirks rather
than criticising them. There is no
dictating, no over prescriptive
requirements, and honest,
constructive feedback. The new
Unique Accommodation Scheme
was launched at this year’s
Glamping Show in September.
Developed in consultation
with hospitality businesses,
the assessment embraces the
differences that make your
property unique. Not only can it
incorporate glamping businesses
but any tourism accommodation
provider with unique or less
conventional aspects, such as a
B&Bs, self-catering units or hotels,
giving them a competitive edge.
Assessments will be carried out
annually and memberships will
be on a rolling basis to give more
flexibility in comparison to the
historical spring renewals! Prices
start from £125 + VAT for a small
business but our team will give you
a bespoke quote that is based on
the time it will take the assessor.
Rest assured, our assessors are not
‘on the clock’ and we won’t send
you a bill if we go over time, we
still happily accept cups of coffee
and homemade cake! We will also
waive the joining fee for anyone
signing up before the end of March
2018.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
➊ Physical Quality
The assessor will be looking at the
quality, condition and cleanliness in
every area available to guests. For
example, fittings, beds, bedding,
lighting, heating, the list goes on.
With the new scheme, alternative
means of supplying things like
lighting can be praised if done well
but not conventionally.
High scores will be given for
the superior quality and lower for
more basic fittings and fixtures,
for example. This will be done
using the assessors’ professional
knowledge and benchmarking
against other similar businesses
across the country.
➋ Service
There are lots of ways you can
show your assessor what you offer
and they will take into account
your online reputation. It is a good
idea to get everything ready as you
would for a new guest, to really give
the assessor an idea of the genuine
experience. You might want to light
the fire or set up afternoon tea,
or simply send them pre-arrival
details as you would normally.
Don’t worry if you are literally
booked out all season, that’s great,
our trained assessors have a good
eye and can see the difference
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Quality in Tourism
has been assessing
properties for over 15
years and is an expert
in the field, offering
advice, support and
accreditation for
tourism and hospitality
businesses across the
UK. The organisation
is working in
collaboration with the
Glamping Association,
a free membership
organisation, in a drive
to keep the glamping
sector growing and
improving without
taking away the
individuality of
businesses and the
creativity of owners
and staff. It commits to
bringing the industry
together in order to
promote best practice
and ensure the safety
and enjoyment of
all glampers and
glampsite owners.
www.qualityintourism.
com
between guests’ mess and longer
term neglect. Sometimes your
guests might even enjoy being part
of your assessment, but we will
always make sure you check with
them first.
➌ Marketing
We aren’t looking to see if you
are using the latest digital mod
cons or juggling every single
social media platform, although
we are happy to advise you
here. Our assessors want to see
that anywhere your business is
advertised, it meets expectations.
They will also help you to highlight
your ‘best bits’ as well as the little
things you can do to ensure guests
choose you. For example, having
information easily available for
families, those with accessibility
needs or perhaps guests that are
concerned about their carbon
footprint. Nowadays, your
marketing will mostly be online,
but anything you produce should
be up-to-date and a true reflection
of your business.
We do offer advisory
assessments although the star
rating assessment is best suited
to a business that is ready to go or
already established. Assessments
can take place out of season
also, so long as you can get the
business reasonably ready. If you
would just like a seal of approval,
we can offer a Safe, Clean and
Legal (SCL) assessment which
will again give a seal of approval
without going into detail with
regards your level of quality.
GETTY IMAGES
36 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

OFFERED FOR SALE
BOAT POD
A unique and magical space, with a plethora of uses
THE STORY...
The Boat-Pod is a unique space built from the bow section of the
Anthony Stevenson, a retired 1945 wooden fishing trawler that
worked out of Newly Harbour, Cornwall, and fished as far as the
North Sea and the Bay of Biscay.
Shaped by the original massive, curved planks of larch and ribs of
oak, this truly magical space can be adapted to a plethora of uses
including accommodation, a retreat, or writer’s room.
THE CRAFT...
Re-loved by Barney Dearsly, the Anthony Stevenson has been
re-corked and made watertight using marine resin and cloth. She
is once again ready to withstand the elements – this time on land
and not the sea - and features:
• A sail canvas door
• Electrical sockets
• A bespoke stove made from an original mast step
• Larch planking and exposed oak ribs, treated to bring out
glorious textures and colours
• Dimensions: 4m high, by 4m wide, by 4m deep
£10,000 (EXCL. DELIVERY)
The Boat Pod is located near Exeter Quayside.
For viewing appointments please get in touch.
Commissions also available
07590 624172
barnabydearsly@gmail.com
www.weatheredbywater.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 37

GLAMPSITES
Holiday Hot
Tub Guide
The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association (BISHTA)
gives advice on the ‘business use’ of domestic hot tubs
HOT TUBS HAVE been increasing in popularity
as additions to glampsites in recent years, as the
owners and operators of these facilities look to gain
greater occupancy rates, more advance bookings,
differentiation from competitors, added value, and
higher quality clientele.
A hot tub is designed for sitting or lying in up to
the neck. It is a self-contained body of water that
is recirculated, filtered and chemically treated. Hot
tubs contain water heated to between 30ºC and 40ºC,
and usually have hydrotherapy jet circulation with
induced air bubble streams, which are controllable
to varying degrees, depending on manufacturer
and model. Some hot tubs also feature air blowers,
where air is forcibly introduced into the spa water,
via strategically sited jets by an additional electric air
pump.
Poor quality products can wreak havoc with
your business and will not only inconvenience your
guests but could potentially be a court case waiting
to happen. It is, therefore, essential to know your
responsibilities for looking after equipment and
having copies of important industry publications.
The best place to access this type of information
is through the British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub
Association (BISHTA).
HOLIDAY MARKET
SPECIFICS
The holiday market has some specific
requirements for hot tubs and they
may need to be modified and/or
operated differently from those used
in domestic homes. The guidance for
the design should take into account:
› location
› bather load
› source water quality
› drainage and water replacement
› access for cleaning, operation and
maintenance
› balance tank (if appropriate)
› plant location
› filtration
› chemical treatment and storage
areas
› circulation rate and circulatory
hydraulics
› turnover period
› materials of construction
› prevention of dead legs.
Guidance is contained in the
Health & Safety Executive’s (HSE)
Health & Safety Guidance (HSG)
282 – ‘The control of legionella and
other infectious agents in spa pool
systems’.
The frequency of inspection
and monitoring of the system will
depend on some key factors such as
its complexity, design bather load
and setting. The risk assessment
should define the frequency of
inspection and monitoring, and
some typical recommended
frequencies in HSG 282 include:
› There will need to be regular
changes of water for the
different bathers (usually not
more than weekly)
› The water will need testing for
chlorine /bromine and pH at
least twice per day
› The cartridge filter, where fitted,
should be replaced with a clean
one when the water is replaced
› Microbiological testing should be
carried out on a monthly basis
for each hot tub, and quarterly
for the presence of legionella.
38 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
TO THE EQUIPMENT
Important considerations need
to be given to filling the hot tub,
and the hotter the source of
the fill water to begin with the
better, as this will save time in
heating it up (but be aware of
the potential risk of legionella
being present in hot water).
The heater capacity may need
to be enhanced, and adequate
drainage is also needed to
empty the hot tub for cleaning.
To avoid holidaymakers
causing problems tampering
with the controls, designing
simple controls for the
business setting market is very
important.
There is a need for
continuous disinfection, and
the hot tub design should
include some form of inline
feeder to keep a constant
supply of sanitiser to the water.
Water treatment products
used should also include
removing biofilm from parts
of the hot tub not usually
seen by the bather (such as
in the pipe work). Additional
filtration may be something
for manufacturers to consider
to further enhance the water
quality.
To maintain water quality,
the turnover times for hot
tubs in business settings can
be different to that expected
for commercial spas. The
maximum design water
turnover time for lower bather
loads associated with business
use is 15 minutes, and six
minutes for commercial-type
spa pools (where bather loads
are higher).
THINGS TO ASK BEFORE YOU BUY
Ensure you have a clear idea of the maximum
number of people who will be potentially
using the hot tub. If you advertise your
accommodation as sleeping a maximum
number of eight people, the spa you need
to install for that unit should also, therefore,
seat at least eight people, to avoid any
potential problems.
Water treatment is a vital part of the
management of any hot tub on site as it is
critical to maintaining water hygiene and
the safety of your clients, and to comply with
industry guidance such as HSG 282.
Some internet providers have products
that customers may believe to be from one
country but are actually from an entirely
different continent, so check carefully and
do not assume a name means that product
or company source their products from that
country! Ask who the manufacturer of the hot
tub is, and check out their website to clarify
where their equipment is manufactured. It
has been brought to BISHTA’s attention that
at least one company has misled potential
customers by suggesting that their product
was manufactured in America when it was
manufactured in China.
Clarify which features you will be getting
regarding the number of seats, number and
style of jets, entertainment systems available
and the manufacturer of the control box
(power pack). Also get clear pricing showing
which features are included as standard, and
which are an extra cost.
Ensure a site survey is undertaken to check
for various items eg. a suitable firm base for
the hot tub to be installed.
Most hot tubs need to be ‘hard-wired’
back to the consumer unit, so you will
need to ensure the actual power supply is
provided by an electrician, in conformity
with the Electrical Wiring Regulations. The
person making the final connection of your
hot tub to the supply should be capable of
undertaking this work.
Always ask to see the full warranty details
of the hot tub before you buy, as this may
vary between products and in some instances
it may not be offered by the same company,
which may cause difficulties.
Check what arrangements there are for
call outs and servicing if anything goes wrong
with your purchase under warranty, including
timescales and costs. This is of particular
importance to owners and operators of
holiday accommodation, as many consumers
book accommodation on the basis of having
a hot tub, so any downtime could lead to
customer dissatisfaction and lost revenue.
Some dealers offer a priority call out service
for holiday let properties, but usually charge
an additional fee.
Before making the purchase, clarify in
writing when the product is to be delivered,
as genuine companies will inform you if there
is going to be a delay in receiving your goods.
Sometimes, genuine companies will need
to wait for a full container to be shipped to
the UK, while other companies may try and
mislead you, so get the details in writing.
Ask to speak with genuinely satisfied
customers and check customer reviews on
the internet.
If you are considering buying from
an internet-based company and you're
concerned as to whether they're going to be
reliable, simply find out where the company
is based and go and visit them yourself.
Where can I go to see a hot tub working?
The majority of hot tub dealers in the UK
display hot tubs in their stores or showrooms.
Call them and ask them for a full wet-test. It’s
a very reasonable request and most dealers
will agree and can arrange one for you. The
only real way to ensure that you get the hot
tub that’s perfect for your customers’ needs
is to try it out yourself. You wouldn't spend
many thousands of pounds on any other
product without trying it out beforehand, and
spas should be no different.
Each one has its own unique feel. When
you do wet-test, note the depth of the water,
the seating capacity and location of seats, ›
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 39

GLAMPSITES
and the variety and power of the jets (and
how controllable they are). Look for a hot
tub with seats deep enough to cover your
clients' shoulders (you don't want them
complaining the spa is unusable if the
weather is cold); others should be high
enough to let you cool down. Make sure you
can stretch out and get comfortable.
How much will it cost?
Like any purchase, there is a wide range
between the cheapest and most expensive
products on the market. There are many
factors to take into consideration, including
the size and style of the equipment that you
would like. In general terms, you can buy
a good quality hot tub for about the same
price as a family car. There are products
which can be purchased from under £5,000,
but the higher quality, more reliable hot
tubs which come with full service back
up usually cost in the range of £8,000 to
£20,000.
Above all, apply the same common sense
to the purchase of a hot tub as you would
any other high-ticket item, and remember
the old adage; if something sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.
What about maintenance and upkeep?
This is the most important aspect of
ensuring a smooth and trouble-free
experience, and happy customers. When a
hot tub is installed in a holiday let there are
specific responsibilities you have for health
protection. By following the HSE regulations
you will ensure the safety of your clients
and protect them from potentially harmful
infections, as well as physical risks. These
responsibilities for the management of spa
pool systems are covered under the HSG
282.
It is important to have a trained,
competent person to carry out the various
tasks of regular testing, cleaning, water
chemistry maintenance, filter maintenance,
recording, servicing, and draining and
refilling. BISHTA can assist you with training
to ensure regulatory compliance. However,
please talk to your supplier if you would
rather sub-contract these activities to a third
party, as many companies who specialise in
supplying hot tubs to the holiday let market
offer these services for an additional fee, as
well as incorporating priority warranty cover
in the event of a breakdown.
Will I need planning permission?
The installation of a hot tub does not usually
require planning permission. However, if
you are in an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (or similar) or you are installing the
hot tub in a permanent building, then the
building may require planning approval.
It is always best to check with your local
planning authority for clarification.
Don’t forget the cost of installation!
When you come to budgeting the cost of
your hot tub, don’t forget to allow sufficient
funds to cover installation costs. Often
these are negotiable, but BISHTA strongly
recommends that you insist that your
contract includes an installation package
by your dealer, as the weight of the product
will, more often than not, require specialist
lifting and handling equipment. Some
companies may offer an all-inclusive
service, but the chances are that these costs
will be on top of the price of the equipment
itself. Always ask for a detailed written
quote so that you are sure of what is and
isn't included. Installation isn’t complicated,
and it’s certainly not like installing a fullsized
swimming pool.
You also need to give some thought to
any decking, paving, or other landscaped
area that you might want around your
hot tub but, again, a site survey ahead of
delivery is normally included in the price,
and this is something you can bring up and
discuss with your supplier during your site
visit.
Where can I find out more?
To find a hot tub supplier near to you, visit
the BISHTA website, as BISHTA represents
manufacturers, importers, distributors,
retailers, service engineers and hirers of hot
tubs throughout the British Isles. BISHTA
members have to undertake rigorous water
hygiene management training and are
compelled to abide by a Code of Ethics to
demonstrate they are committed to being
professional and reputable companies.
All members and their products have
to comply with BISHTA Standards, which
are a comprehensive and detailed set of
technical and business standards geared to
giving a consumer complete peace of mind.
The BISHTA website is your source of any
information you require on a dealer or a
particular brand, so please do utilise it to its
maximum effect: www.bishta.co.uk
THINKING OF BECOMING
A BISHTA MEMBER?
BISHTA offers a specific level of
membership (Associate) to owners
and operators of holiday properties,
with tailored support to help ensure
compliance with the regulations/
guidance, and a smooth and hasslefree
hot tub operating experience
for owners and clients. You'll also
get to display the BISHTA logo on
your website and printed collateral
to demonstrate to your customers
your commitment to their safety and
enjoyment, and the peace of mind
that entails.
For more information, please contact
01264 356211 / www.bishta.co.uk
40 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Shepherd’s huts
designed specifically
for the glamping
We supply:
• Flat pack kits
• Accommodation huts
• Off grid solutions
• Wet-room en suites
• Catering huts
• Bespoke solutions
industry
For more information: Tel: 07903313922
email: cathcaesar@talktalk.net www.plainhuts.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 41

GLAMPSITES | PRODUCT FOCUS
Hot Tubs
Hot tub products for one of the most requested glampsite facilities
PORTABLE, DURABLE
SCANDI HOT TUB
Hikki
+46 (0)70 637 08 20
www.hikki.se
Bohemen is the outdoor hot
tub for those that value a
quality product crafted from
durable materials into a
simple and beautiful design.
The tub’s body is made of salt
water resistant aluminium,
and the comfortable yet
sturdy interior is made of
oak. Bohemen can be used
with either fresh or salt
water. The simplicity of the
tub also makes for a product
that requires very little
maintenance – just unscrew
and lift out the interior for easy
cleaning. It is also lightweight
and easily moved, allowing
for exhilarating wood-fired
bathing experiences in places
where traditional baths and
saunas can’t get to.
WOODEN BARREL HOT TUBS
FOR COMMERCIAL USE
Riviera Hot Tubs
01803 663709
www.riviera-hottubs.co.uk
Riviera Hot Tubs has long been
established as the leading
manufacturer of wooden barrel
hot tubs, with operating systems
to support both domestic and
commercial use. In partnership
with Classic Glamping/Classic
Cottages we’ve been supplying
the outdoor hospitality market
for many years. In 2018 we
launch our new Acrylic range
of hot tubs and swim spas
tailor made for the holiday
rental market. We’ve designed
the Riviera Holiday range to
be ultra-economic, whilst not
compromising on quality.
Backed up by the support of
our nationwide service team,
we offer an affordable high-end
solution for your rental property.
Member of BISHTA.
HOT TUBS INCREASE
INCOME
Blue Whale Spa
0115 954 8888
www.bluewhalespa.com
More and more people are
choosing to stay in the UK
for their holiday. Add some
extra, bubbly luxury to your
glampsite and let guests relax
and enjoy the night sky in a
cosy hot tub.
Some quick facts: Google
searches for holidays with
hot tubs is increasing; Hot
tubs boost occupancy levels;
Customers pay a premium for
private tubs; ‘Hot Tub’ is the
#1 filtered criteria on holiday
sites.
We’re here to help! As the
only UK manufacturer/supplier
of hot tubs that manages the
entire process, let us guide you
from design and production,
to sales and delivery, and
installation and customer care.
HOT TUB DOME
TruDomes
02476 326 585
www.trudomes.com
The 2.2m ‘Cosy Dome’ from
British geodesic dome
manufacturer TruDomes has
been designed to add an extra
touch of opulence and comfort
for hot tub owners everywhere.
Constructed from an aircraft
grade aluminium for a
lightweight yet strong structure,
the Cosy Dome means
that your guests’ outdoor
experience can be even more
cosy and comfortable. They
will feel warmer for longer
and it will keep your hot tub
running efficiently. Featuring
a flame retardant 680gms
M2 PVC cover, single point
node fastening system and
a pentagon shaped door
aperture, two people can
assemble Cosy Dome in under
two hours.
42 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

#lovelifeleisure
Promoting Safe Hot Tub Standards
Do you own a holiday home or are you a holiday park owner?
Having a hot tub as part of a holiday accommodation package is becoming more
of a requirement, than an optional extra, as holidaymakers have become more
aware of the proven lifestyle and health benefits of exercise and hydrotherapy.
The interest in hot tubs has grown rapidly and they have become a very popular
internet search term, so investing in them should assist you to increase your
bookings and therefore your revenue! It is important to get the right equipment
and then to have the correct water hygiene management and maintenance
regimes in place. Poor quality products can wreak havoc with your business and
will not only inconvenience your guests but could potentially be a court case
waiting to happen!
Equally important, is to know your responsibilities for looking after equipment
and having copies of important industry publications, such as HSG 282 -
Control of legionella and other infectious agents in spa-pool systems
and HSE L8 ACOP . Rather than having to look for the information from a variety
of sources, the best place to access this type of information is through the
British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association (BISHTA).
BISHTA works with industries involved in holiday accommodation to
ensure everyone is working towards the recognised guidelines and businesses
know their health protection responsibilities. BISHTA is a nationally recognised
organisation which set the standards in the hot tub industry. The association
ensures that hot tub member companies maintain those standards, therefore
if you are looking to purchase equipment, chemicals or need maintenance you
know that you can find a quality product and service. Members trade under a
code of ethics offering customers peace of mind essential when you want to
place an order.
To find out more about how to join BISHTA,
Visit; WWW.BISHTA.CO.UK
/Bishta.Hot.Tub.Association
@Pools_Hottubs
WWW.SPATEX.CO.UK

GLAMPSITES
OAB Loves…
Cooking!
Glampsite cooking – there’s no better way
WE LOVE…
Firepits from Firepits UK
WHY?
Cooking outdoors,
close to the heat with
smoke and flame – it’s
just glorious. The most
obvious and satisfying
system for glampers is
the traditional firepit set
up, but who knew there
could be so many design
options? Tri-pods, swing arm
BBQ racks, log stores, pizza
pits, roasting ovens, round, square,
short, tall, decorative (but always
functional), Firepit UK’s range is made in the UK, along with
some essential extras – pop corn pans, marshmallow forks
and the ‘Kebab King’!
3-5mm steel with an oil finish, firepits start from
from £145 to buy, or there is a hire option for
weddings and events. Firepits UK also stocks fire
logs, wood fired ovens, and new and antique
Indian fire bowls.
WHAT WE LOVE…
The Firepod portable
oven, grill and ‘hot
rock’
WHY?
This stylish, portable
oven heats up quickly
and not only cooks
perfect authentic
pizzas and flat
breads, but also
doubles up as a
BBQ. It features a
reversible griddle
– ridged one side and
flat on the other, perfect
for BBQs and breakfasts.
But the cooking options
don’t stop there. A specially designed ‘hot rock’ can
be lifted out and taken to the table for fun cooking
indoors or out. Ready for pizzas in just 10 minutes,
the Firepod recreates the ‘bubble and blister’ look
of real Italian pizzas and Indian breads, reaching
temperatures over 600ºF.
FROM
Fire Pod
01342 821995
www.thefirepod.com
FROM
Firepits UK
01873 840029
www.firepitsuk.co.uk
WE LOVE…
Tiny kitchens from Elfin
Kitchens
WHY?
Elfin Kitchens is the UK’s largest
provider of pre-built compact
kitchens – perfect for glamping
accommodation where clever
use of space is king.
The range includes four
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44 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 45

EVENTS
CASE STUDY
RHS GARDEN ROSEMORE
Rosemore’s
Glow
An enchanting trail of light with Christmas
shopping and entertainment on site
RHS Garden Rosemoor is a public display garden run by the Royal
Horticultural Society in North Devon. It has traditionally hosted Christmas markets in
December, but for the last two years has added to the festive magic by illuminating
much of its spectacular 65 acres and opening a night time guided trail. We talk to team
member Richard Mulford.
Describe your event and how many
people it attracts
Rosemoor’s Glow is a magical
illuminations trail set against the
dramatic backdrop of the Royal
Horticultural Society (RHS) garden in
winter. Dynamic, colour changing lights
illuminate the trees, shrubs and a
number of sculptures from our annual
Winter Sculpture Exhibition. Last
year, over just 21 evenings it attracted
some 13,000 visitors. This year, the
trail has been greatly extended as well
as increasing the number of days to
23, and we could get around 20,000
visitors.
Running at the same time as Glow,
on selected dates, are added value
events such as the Christmas food
and craft fairs, an antiques fair and
children’s entertainment.
What is the event’s history and what
made you decide to run it?
“THE EVENT IS
SOLELY DONE
IN-HOUSE
WITH THE
INSTALLATION
CREATED
BY OUR
FACILITIES
TEAM”
The event is solely done in-house with
the installation created by our facilities
team. This will be its second year and
follows really positive feedback at last
year’s inaugural event. The shoulder
months were previously a quiet period
for Rosemoor visitors. Many people
don’t realise that not only is Rosemoor
open every day except Christmas
day, but the garden in winter is still a
wonderful place to visit with surprising
amounts of colour, scent, great
textures and amazing structure (trees
and shrubs).
There are very few illuminations
events in the South West and
by investing in equipment and
infrastructure (as opposed to hiring)
we could grow the event each year and
inspire everyone to visit the garden in
the winter.
Rosemoor has always run extra
events in the run up to Christmas.
We continue to do so with the crafts,
antiques and food fairs to create a full
day out experience for visitors, and
to give a fabulous festive ‘Christmas
market’ feel to Glow.
How have you planned the layout of
the event?
The layout has been planned to
take account of the budget available
and to maximise the effects of the
illuminations on the natural structures
of trees and shrubs. We have been
careful to highlight the interesting
textures such as peeling bark and
ornamental grasses, and the shapes
created by the framework of branches.
In addition, we have strategically
positioned the man-made sculptures
from our Winter Sculpture Exhibition
to provide a contrast. The trail takes
visitors along hard pathways to ensure
no trip hazards but also to take new
visitors to key areas of the garden in
winter.
The other events are held in a
permanent events building – The
Garden Room – which was opened in
May 2017. For around eight years prior
to this a permanent large marquee was
used. The events team together with
the facilities team plan the layout and
put out tables, chairs and staging as
necessary.
How did you research and source
your infrastructure and facilities?
All catering is in-house, including an
alfresco catering facility for hot drinks
and snacks while on the trail in the
46 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
form of a traditional shepherd’s hut,
plus a pop-up catering facility near
our Visitor Centre. We also have a fully
licensed main restaurant offering great
value two-course meals.
What entertainment do you offer and
how did you choose and source it?
On the launch nights we had fire
jugglers, then on subsequent
weekends there are craft, food
and antiques fairs, and children’s
entertainers performing interactive
theatre. In addition, there are local
school choirs on one evening and
late night shopping every night of
Glow. Our events team source all the
additional entertainment. On our
final night we have a theatre company
performing the Nutcracker and the
Mouse King. Most of the entertainment
has come to us through existing
contacts.
“80% OF OUR
VISITORS ARE
MEMBERS
WHO
HAVE FREE
ADMISSION
WHICH CAN
RESULT IN A
DIFFICULTY
OF GAUGING
NUMBERS”
What provisions do you make for
power, lights and sound?
Light and power is provided through
investment in the infrastructure of
power cables buried in the ground.
manage and understand likely footfall for
each evening. The garden is open during
the day and safety is managed by roping
off areas at dusk with fairy lights to
ensure all visitors stay on the pathways.
How do you manage admissions and
visitor safety?
Paying admissions can be booked
online in advance or on the gate on the
day. 80% of our visitors are members
who have free admission which
can result in a difficulty of gauging
numbers. However, the restaurant
two-course simple evening meals are
bookable in advance which helps to
What ground protection do you use for
cars and footfall?
Some areas of the garden are roped
off but high tramp areas, such as near
our shepherd’s hut catering facility, are
protected by permanent rubber matting.
The car parks are all hard surfaced.
How do you publicise the event?
A comprehensive integrated website, PR
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 47

EVENTS
and advertising in newspapers and
magazines, digital media, outdoor
banners and a Facebook campaign
across the region.
What challenges have you faced?
Restraining the growth of the event to
a restricted budget and extending the
event gradually. Installation has to be
carefully planned within the context of
a working garden where hedges and
grass areas need trimming and cutting.
How profitable is the event?
The event’s first two years have seen
a significant investment so that real
profit will be generated in later years.
What are your plans for next year?
Once again the trail will be extended
to include waterways such as our lake
and stream for the first time where
reflections and movement will bring a
new dimension.
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
We have a large permanent venue
together with nine other locations
“ADDITIONAL-
LY ON SITE WE
HAVE THREE
LUXURY SELF
CATERING
ACCOMMODA-
TION UNITS
TO PROVIDE
A LONGER
EXPERIENCE”
in the garden and offer illuminated
wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Additionally on site we have three
luxury self catering accommodation
units to provide a longer experience.
What advice could you give to
someone coming into the outdoor
event industry?
Be prepared to think about the long
term and build the event year on year
so that you can listen to feedback from
visitors rather than trying to be the
biggest and best in year one.
ADDRESS BOOK
MARQUEE
Purchased from Tectonics UK
www.tectonicsuk.co.uk
ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainingly Different
www.entertaininglydifferent.com
DETAILS
RHS Garden Rosemore
Torrington, EX38 8PH
01805 624067
www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor
48 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 49

Event Marketing
Toolkit: Part 3
The final instalment in event marketing from the team at Event
Insurance Services – useful tools for promoting your event
WE HAVE LOOKED at pre-event, midevent
and post-event promotion in the
previous two articles in this series. As part
of this activity you will need to master
some specific publicity skills – read on for
a quick start guide to the basics.
PRESS RELEASES
Sending out a press release to relevant
publications can get your event
some valuable publicity. While some
newspapers and other publications will
allow you to post your event on their site
anyway, getting a story published about
it would get it some extra attention. There
are three basic rules you should stick to
when sending out your press release:
1 PERSONALISE IT
Journalists and editors receive a lot of
emails each day from people hoping to
get their stories published. If you don’t
take a personalised approach, you may
not capture their attention and will miss
your opportunity. Do some research and
at least find out the name of the person
you are contacting and try to include
some reasons why the story is perfect for
their publication and relevant to their
audience.
2 HAVE A HOOK
You can’t just write about how great you
think your event is going to be and expect
it to get published. You need a juicy
hook that will make your story a more
attractive offering to editors. Are you
doing anything for charity? Is there a local
community angle you can use? Are there
any shocking statistics coming out of your
event? If you can find that hook, you’re
more likely to engage the audience and
get published.
3 MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM
Finally, don’t expect the editor or
journalist to put in any ground work.
You want to serve your press release
up on a silver platter, ready for them to
publish. Attach your press release in a
Word Document and also paste it into the
body of your email so there are multiple
ways to access it. Make sure spelling,
grammar and styling are all on point and
remember to attach a print quality image
which can be published alongside the
article. Leave a note to editors containing
any additional information and all your
contact details. The easier you make it for
them, the more likely they are to run the
story.
As a bonus tip, try using more than one
form of communication to get your story
in front of the right eyes; send it by email,
pick up the phone and don’t let yourself
be ignored!
EVENT INVITATIONS
Formal, printed event invitations still have a
place in the modern, digital world of today.
They will be particularly valuable if you have
an older audience who are less tech savvy.
However, don’t rule printed invitations out
for a younger audience either as nostalgia
plays a huge role in engaging younger people.
Of course, digital email invitations are much
more cost effective, but make sure you have
permission to email recipients or you could
run into issues with data protection laws.
EVENT EMAIL TEMPLATES
When you send out your event invitation
emails, you don’t want to overload the
recipient with information. Keep it simple and
give the essential details such as date, time,
location and most importantly, the reason
why they would want to attend this event.
You can then link to more information on your
website or include an area for signing up.
If you are charging for your event, you might
want to include ‘early bird’ prices to encourage
faster sign ups. Send these emails out to your
existing database of clients, customers or
contacts. You can also buy marketing data
lists; however, the response rate will be much
lower than that of your own, personal list of
contacts.
50 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
GETTY IMAGES
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Social Media is such a valuable tool when it comes to event promotion and
should be used throughout each stage of the event. But you shouldn’t just
blindly start posting whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever
you want. You need to know where your audience are, what time they will
be active and what type of content will get them engaging.
FACEBOOK
› Target audience: Facebook is better used for B2C (business to
consumer) as it is the place people go to for social interaction, research
and fun.
› Timings: Studies suggest that the best time to post on Facebook is
between 12pm and 3pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The best time to post on a Saturday or Sunday is between 12pm and 1pm.
› What to post: Video content is extremely popular on Facebook, as well
as more fun content such as memes. Try to keep your posts visual with
minimal written content if possible.
› Advertising: Facebook has very specific advertising targeting. You can
target people based on age, gender, location, interests and more.
TWITTER
› Target audience: Twitter is ideal for both B2C and B2B (business to
business) and is the platform where businesses really get to show their
personality.
› Timings: Studies suggest that the best time to post on Twitter is
between 12pm and 3pm on Monday to Friday (consumers will be checking
social platforms at lunch and as the day ends and businesses will be
looking to get active on social as part of their marketing strategy).
› What to post: Again, visual posts work well with Twitter but you also
have the option to include polls and other forms of engagement. Try
to start a conversation, ask questions and mention specific people and
businesses in your posts. And of course, don’t forget to hashtag!
› Advertising: Twitter also has vast targeting capabilities as well as built in
tools to analyse your ad’s performance.
LINKEDIN
› Target audience: LinkedIn is the perfect platform if your event is B2B.
People use LinkedIn to network and discover updates/events relative to
their industry.
› Timings: The best time to post on LinkedIn is in the morning (8am –
10am) and late afternoon (3pm – 5pm) on weekdays.
› What to post: LinkedIn is a great place to post your articles or opinion
pieces relating to your event. The type of content may depend on the day
of the week though, with informative, inspiring content working better on
a Monday and the fun stuff working better on a Friday.
› Advertising: LinkedIn also has some great audience targeting options
included in their advertising. Target by job position, industry and more.
Of course, there are many other social platforms you might choose
to promote your event on, including the more visual platforms such as
Instagram and Pinterest. It’s important to decide which platforms will be
most relevant to your audience and then push the right content out on
each one.
ONLINE TOOLS
When it comes to promoting your event,
you want to ensure you have every angle
possible covered. There are various tools
online which can be used for research,
promotion and increasing the visibility of
your event. All of these tools are free so it’s
worth taking a look to see how they can
help you.
YOUGOV PROFILE
YouGov Profiles is a great place to do a bit
of swotting up on your audience. This tool
allows you to search for a brand, product or
particular interest (which is related to your
brand) and will then show you audience
information based on 250,000 YouGov
panel members. For example, if your
event is a car show, you might want to try
searching the Top Gear audience and you
will be given information on demographics,
interests, media habits and much more!
While this data might be quite generic, it
can certainly be inspiring!
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS
Most local newspapers will have an events
section where you can upload your own
event to the public. Wikipedia has a full list
of newspapers in the UK, so try to add your
event to as many relevant ones as possible.
Remember to really sell your event and
give all the details such as time, date,
location, dress codes, cost etc. as well as
your own contact details. ›
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 51

EVENTS
EVENT WEBSITES
There are plenty of websites online which
will list your event, such as Eventbrite, The
List, Yelp, Evvnt and Timeout. The key here
is to find event websites which are relevant
to the area you operate in. A simple Google
search for ‘what’s on in (your area here)’ will
most likely come up with an events website
for your local area. Add your event details
and then move on to the next website.
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
If you have a website, then Google Analytics
will be great for measuring how your event
affects your ‘on site’ engagement. If you
have set up a competition page, a game,
an information page or have a particular
product or service you are promoting at
your event, Google Analytics can tell you
exactly how engaged your audience is.
Google Analytics allows you to analyse
specific pages on your website and can
show you how long people spent on the
page, how many pages they viewed on site,
and whether they converted or not. All of
this data is highly valuable and can be used
to measure the success of specific goals
relating to your event.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Established in 1996, Event Insurance Services
is a specialised intermediary offering
competitive event insurance. Its policies
provide affordable, reliable insurance,
tailored to fit the scale and style of the
occasion – from school fêtes and small
ceremonies to high profile weddings and
events.
Event insurance is the safety net for
anyone organising an event. It can cover
a policy holder against public liability,
employer’s liability, damage to event
equipment, cancellation of events (including
cancellations due to adverse weather
conditions) and much more.
As well as the support of 2,500 insurance
brokers throughout Great Britain, Northern
Ireland and the Channel Islands, Event
Insurance Services also has a valued network
of more than 1,000 UK venues, outlets and
support services in the wedding and event
industry. 01425 470360 /
www.events-insurance.co.uk
ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS
We spoke to several event industry experts to discover what they feel is
needed for effective event promotion. Here are a few of their top tips and
industry secrets revealed to help you with your own event promotion.
QUESTION: Which marketing
channels do you use to promote
your events and why?
ANSWER: It is valuable to work with
the media and generate interest
in the event. A personality or
industry professional commenting
or offering a testimonial about
your event is of great value. If you
can engage with bloggers who
are relevant to the event, this will
increase your outreach to potential
attendees. It might be an idea to
create a strap line or hashtag that
people can use when talking about
the event, this will generate traction
and reach previously unknown
prospects. The data you generate
will be invaluable for future events.
There is also huge value in the
more traditional form of marketing
- that is picking up the phone and
speaking to prospects. This really
gives you an understanding of what
your potential visitors are looking
for and allows you to build strong
relationships.
Georgina Coleman, MD,
Established Events
ANSWER: If you want to get the
word out about your event, the
most effective channel is often
social media. If you get it right on
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn,
you can get your event in front of
thousands of potential attendees
for a fraction of the cost of
traditional advertising.
A simple way to get your event
noticed by the right people is to
make it easy for those that sign up
to drum up interest among their
own friends and followers. You can
do this by including social buttons
on the order confirmation page
that allow them to spread the word
with a single click. You can add fuel
to the fire by entering everyone
who shares your event on social
media into a raffle - this simple
promotion can give a huge return
on investment.
Victoria Brunton, MD, EventStop
QUESTION: Do you have any
examples of successful promotion
tactics with evidence?
ANSWER: Pre-booked sales/
attendees are the key to making
sure your event is a success. If you
can confirm your attendees before
the event takes place, rather than
waiting for them to walk through
the door, you are guaranteed better
success. I would never advise
promoting an event and just seeing
who walks in. From my experience,
if you are sending out a message
or invitation to prospects, you
are likely to get a pick-up rate of
20-30%. So, bear that in mind when
looking at the capacity of your
event.
You need to communicate by
offering benefits or incentives.
This may be in the form of reduced
rates for early booking, or it may
be an incentive for attending the
event. You need to be creative
when thinking about what this
may be. An experience that ‘money
can’t buy’ is always a winner. This
may be in a prize draw format that
allows any of your attendees the
opportunity to win.
Georgina Coleman, MD,
Established Events
ANSWER: It’s also important you
send the traffic you generate from
your social media activity to the
right place. Creating a specific page
for your event [on your website]
featuring your branding and all
the relevant information will give
off a professional impression and
help convince people to put their
money down to attend. Before you
start promoting your event, it’s
important you get this page set up
so your efforts are as effective as
possible.
Victoria Brunton, MD, EventStop
52 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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EVENTS
GETTY IMAGES
GUEST COMMENT
Welfare Service
It’s much more than just ‘the drugs tent’ says Corinne Lane
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE of working
in a welfare service was with Penny
Mellor at Reading Festival. When the
charity Penny worked for, Festival
Welfare Services, lost its funding
at short notice in 1995 I pulled a
team together at the last minute
drawing on local contacts from
counselling and support agencies in
the Reading area.
It was a very steep learning
curve. I discovered it is one thing
to volunteer with a welfare crew;
quite another to take on board
the co-ordination of one. We had
anything and everything thrown at
us that year: supporting members
of the so-called New Age travelling
community, lost dogs, breaking the
news of a bereavement to a festival
goer, supporting IV drug users, as
well as dealing with the usual round
of lost children and lost people,
the confused and weary, and those
that needed a safe place to chill and
relax.
“FESTIVALS
ACROSS THE
COUNTRY
ARE TAKING
THE HEALTH,
SAFETY AND
WELFARE
OF THEIR
STAFF AND
CUSTOMERS
FAR MORE
SERIOUSLY
AND
LEGISLATION
HAS BEEN
PUT IN PLACE
TO SUPPORT
THAT.”
Things have certainly progressed
since then. Festivals across the
country are taking the health,
safety and welfare of their staff and
customers far more seriously and
legislation has been put in place to
support that.
The National Event Welfare
Service (N.E.W.S.) has a broad remit
for the emotional and practical
support of people attending
festivals. It is far more than just ‘the
drugs tent’. Yes, we do promote
harm minimisation through risk
awareness of substance use, and
yes, we do look after those that
are suffering distress because of
using drugs and/or alcohol. But we
are also tasked with managing the
festival’s duty of care to under 18s
and vulnerable people. We support
people with disabilities – or those
with long term health conditions,
mental and/or physical. We care
for and reunite missing children
with their guardians – this can
GETTY IMAGES
54 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
be particularly challenging and
distressing work, and there can be
safeguarding issues to negotiate.
We are there with tissues in the
middle of the night for the teenage
girl who has split up with her
boyfriend, and the friends worried
about a member of their group
that is missing. We offer support to
people whom might be victims of
crime or who have been assaulted.
We offer monitored rest and nonmedical
care for people recovering
from seizures or heat stroke, for
example. We are a point of entry
for people plucking up courage
to speak out about self-harm,
childhood abuse, or their sexual
identity. We can then help them find
the support they need in their own
locality, in their own way.
We mend tents and wellies. We
are the solid, dependable festival
friends for people who have come
to the event on their own or who
have fallen out with their camping
buddies. Here, a cuppa and a chat
is worth its weight in gold. All levels
of customer support improve their
experience of the event.
“OUR FIRST AID DOES WHAT YOU
DO...”
When I get told by some event
promoters, “It’s OK, we don’t need
welfare, our first aid does what
you do”, I am genuinely concerned.
While there are some excellent
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corinne Lane is the
senior co-ordinator of
National Event Welfare
Service (N.E.W.S.),
which is a not-for-profit
organisation staffed by
volunteers drawn from
diverse professional and
social care backgrounds.
N.E.W.S. has been
providing welfare
support to events large
and small across the UK
since 1995.
Corinne is a qualified
and highly experienced
psychotherapist and
trauma counsellor,
although now retired
from private practice and
focussing solely on her
event work. She has over
30 years’ experience in
the event industry. www.
eventwelfare.co.uk
festival medical services out there,
with whom we work as colleagues,
medical and welfare are different.
I would not expect my staff to
be treating fractures and burns,
any more than I think a medical
environment is suitable for soothing
the tears of a frightened child.
Of course there is some crossover
and referral, but a busy medical
environment, that must by its
nature keep things moving, is not
going to provide the quiet, calming
and above all patient recovery
space that some people need.
Without welfare, where do people
with complex needs go? They are
not ill per se. They do not need
to take up the valuable time of a
doctor or nurse, who must triage
their attention according to the
patient’s need.
The simple truth is that no-one
can predict what will happen at
an event, or where emotional or
practical support will be needed.
However, with over 20 years’
experience, N.E.W.S. will risk assess
and attempt to cover all the bases.
Yes, it may be the inexperienced
festival-goer who finds themselves
in a predicament more often, but
not always; and don’t expect that to
be only younger people - we cater
for all ages. People in distress can
get irate very quickly and situations
can soon escalate resulting in a big
headache for the promoter. Without
the ‘advocacy bridge’ of welfare,
then stewards, security, medics,
even local police can get dragged
into something relatively minor.
This is not a good experience for the
festival customer. Neither is it good
for the reputation of the event.
Police and event licensing officers
will reflect on such incidents when
considering whether the event
should continue next year.
We see up to 5% of the total
festival crowd at any event, from
small one day dance gigs to large
five day events with camping.
Those numbers add up. With
a welfare team on site, we can
act as an ‘early warning’ system
for problems in infrastructure,
or perhaps within certain areas
of the crowd or camping. In the
event of a crisis or major incident,
your welfare service will be on the
front line offering emotional and
practical support and assistance,
while police and ambulance
services deal with those needing
more critical intervention and not
be ‘clogged up’ with people who –
while acknowledging their genuine
distress – could be better dealt with
by a welfare team.
We are here to listen and to
feed back, and in doing so event
promoters can be certain that a
safety net is in place.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 55

EVENTS
GETTY IMAGES
The fundamentals of fire safety for outdoor events with
safety expert Chris Hannam
FOR ANY OUTDOOR event or festival
to run safely, it is essential that there is
suitable and sufficient pre-planning on
behalf of all stakeholders involved. This
should result in the production of an event
safety management plan that will include
a fire safety plan that also includes fire risk
assessments.
In 2006 fire safety law was considerably
changed when many old fire safety laws
were scrapped and replaced by one simple
piece of legislation, the Regulatory Reform
(Fire Safety) Order 2005.
This new regulation gave responsibilities
to duty holders, which in our case would
be site operators and event organisers,
including appointing ‘competent persons’
to conduct fire risk assessments, acting
on the outcomes of the assessment,
appointing and training fire wardens/
marshals, providing staff fire safety training
and keeping a fire safety log book as part
of the assessment process. The penalties
are high for non-compliance including fines
and imprisonment.
COMPETENT PERSON?
So let’s start with the assessment that
requires a competent person to carry it
out - who is a competent person? Well that
is for the duty holder to decide but they
need to ensure their decision is correct.
The Health and Safety Executive has
given us the definition as someone who
has sufficient training and experience or
knowledge and other qualities that allow
them to assist you properly.
The level of competence required will
depend on the complexity of the situation
and the particular help you need; in
this situation it is a person who has had
training and is experienced in fire risk
assessment. The term competent person
crops up regularly in health and safety
regulations. For an outdoor site more than
one assessment may be required to include
the site itself and then any structures (that
will be no smoking areas) on the site. In
most cases you will require specialist help
with risk assessments.
The assessment will look at any
potential fire hazards including what
sources of ignition (heat) may exist,
flammable materials and substances,
who is at risk, means of raising the alarm,
means of escape, emergency assembly
points, means of fighting the fire, access
for fire fighters, staff training, a site/venue
plan etc. The assessment is a very detailed
document.
Some of the areas you should consider
in your risk assessment are (this list is not
exhaustive and in no particular order):
› Housekeeping and waste management
› Catering facilities
› Special hazards posed by concessions,
exhibitors or displays
› Storage
› Dangerous substances, storage, display
and use
› Equipment and machinery, including
generators
› Fuel and LPG
› Managing construction assembly and
alterations
› Restricting the spread of fire and smoke
› Arson
› Vehicles and vehicle movements
› Camping, including the use of barbecues
or fire pits
› Fireworks, flying lanterns or similar
› Additional risks faced by people with
special needs
› Handling and storage
› Electrical safety
› Smoking
Perhaps one of the most important
factors is occupant capacity; you don’t
want an unsafe site due to overcrowding
so agreed and acceptable numbers of

EVENTS
visitors and staff on site must
be strictly adhered to. For
instance, in an arena in front
of a stage the accepted figure
is one person to every half a
square meter of space, so 100
square meters will be generally
suitable for 200 people, but
remember this must be
space available after the
footprint of any structures
and infrastructure etc. has
been deducted.
EMERGENCY EXITS
As escape routes and
emergency exits must
be clearly signed (with
signs to the approved
standard of BS:5499) and kept
clear, they need to be adequate
for the number of people likely
to use them. You will first need
to consider the largest number
of people, including staff, public
and contractors that may be
present at any one time. For some
events the maximum number of
people likely to be present will
be known, eg. where the event is
ticketed or limited by seating. A
suitable limit is required for your
fire risk assessment or licensing
application.
The exit capacity of an event can
be worked out using the formula
below. You will need to ensure that
you have sufficient available exits
for the number of public on site
to leave safely should a fire occur.
Designated Emergency Access
Gates do not count as available
exits. You should also discount one
available exit from the calculation
to account for the fact that the
emergency situation occurring may
block an exit or otherwise restrict
its use. The minimum width of an
exit should be 1.05m.
› Exit Capacity = Number of People
Flow Rate x Escape Time
The current recommendation for
escape time from outdoor events
is between 5 and 10 minutes
depending on the level of risk
involved. The given flow rates are
“THERE MUST
BE ADEQUATE
FIRE EXITS,
750MM IS THE
MINIMUM
WIDTH OF AN
ESCAPE ROUTE
OR DOOR”
73 people per meter per minute
for open air seated areas and
109 people per meter per minute
otherwise.
For example, to find the exit
capacity of a low risk, non seated
outdoor event site with 5,000
visitors:
› Exit capacity = 5,000
109 x 10
› Exit capacity = 4.58m
› For 5,000 visitors, 4.58m
exit width must be available,
excluding emergency exits.
The minimum width
of an exit should be
1.05m so, in this case,
five minimum width
exits would be required
(totalling 5.25m) or three
minimum width exits
(totalling 3.15m) and one
larger exit of 1.43m.
A further exit should be
provided in case one exit
becomes inaccessible due
to the emergency occurring. This
must be large enough to ensure
that, whichever of the original
exits is taken out, the exit capacity
for the event is still met.
The occupant capacity for
an event is either the occupant
density for the event or the
amount of people that can safely
leave the event site given the
available exits using the exit
capacity formula given above. The
smaller of these two numbers will
be the occupant capacity.
You must ensure that your
site is not overcrowded and that
adequate means of escape to a
safe area exists. For a large site it
may not be possible or desirable
to evacuate the whole site but it
must be possible to move visitors
to a safe area; a large site may
have taken a few days to fill so a
full evacuation may take almost
as long!
There must be adequate
fire exits, 750mm is the
minimum width of an escape route
or door. When calculating the
overall capacity, if a room or
site has two or more exits it has
to be assumed that a fire will
prevent the occupants from
using one of them. The remaining
useable exit(s) need to be wide
enough to allow all occupants to
leave quickly.
PREVENTION
One very common cause of fire
is faulty electrical equipment;
electrical safety was covered in my
previous article for this magazine
so I will not cover this again here as
space does not exist.
The only safe fuel on site is
diesel, petrol should not be
allowed and all cars should be
parked separately from tents ie. no
camping in car parks and no cars in
camping areas.
The grass on the site should be
mowed just before the event and
the scalping’s removed. Stubble
fields do not make suitable car
parks or camping areas.
All fabrics used on stages,
structures, marquees, catering
units and market stalls must
have certification to show they
are inherently flame retardant to
British or European Standards.
Market traders, caterers and hire
companies must provide these
certificates together with fire risk
assessments and any required fire
extinguishers they may need for
their units (in the case of market
stalls and catering units).
EXTINGUISHING FIRE
In order to understand how fire
extinguishers work, you first need
to know a little bit about fire.
Four things must be present at
the same time in order to produce
fire:
› Enough oxygen to sustain
combustion
› Enough heat to raise the
material to its ignition
temperature
› Some sort of fuel or combustible
material, and
› The chemical, exothermic
reaction that is fire.
Take a look at the Fire Triangle
diagram above. Oxygen, heat
and fuel are frequently referred
to as the fire triangle. Add in the
fourth element, the chemical
reaction, and you actually have a
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 57

EVENTS
fire tetrahedron. The important
thing to remember is: take any of
these four things away, and you
will not have a fire or the fire will
be extinguished. Essentially, fire
extinguishers put out fire by taking
away one or more elements of the
fire triangle/tetrahedron.
Fire safety, at its most basic,
is based upon the principle of
keeping fuel sources and ignition
sources separate. For a campsite,
the spread of fire can be reduced
by creating fire lanes (at least 3m
wide) between tents at regular
intervals that will also allow access
for the fire and rescue service
appliances.
When carrying out a site fire
risk assessment for an outdoor
event consider the width and
weight of emergency vehicles.
A fire appliance is a very heavy
vehicle usually weighing over
14 tons and needs adequate
solid roadways to gain access
to within 50m of any part of an
outdoor event site. This means
clear access roads and gateways
of a minimum 4m in width with
adequate turning spaces and
no overhead obstructions. A
dedicated emergency route for the
emergency services to gain access
to a site is often a condition of a
Premises License and always a
good plan.
RAISING THE ALARM
The next issue is how to raise the
alarm in case of fire; this is not so
easy on a large outdoor site but
just shouting “Fire” does have
good results. It is highly likely that
ABOVE This
picture clearly
demonstrates fire
lanes between
tents at a major
festival.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Hannam runs
Stagesafe, offering
health and safety
consultancy and
training for the live
music and event
production industries.
With over 35 years’
experience he advises
event organisers,
production and tour
managers, promoters,
freelancers, service
companies and
businesses at every
level on all H&S
documentation, site
planning, crowd
management, CDM
compliance, steward
safety training,
contractor safety
management and
more.
www.stagesafe.co.uk
the emergency services are first
contacted by a member of the
public with a mobile phone, your
advance planning and contingency
plans should cover this eventuality.
At most events there will be
stewards with radios that should
call Event Control who will make a
call to the emergency services.
Stewards with radios can be
stationed on fire towers to watch
for fires and other problems. Fire
Points can also be located at fire
towers; a means for raising the
alarm needs to be provided at
unmanned fire points, this can be a
manually operated bell or gong.
EXTINGUISHERS
All extinguishers are now red with
a coloured flash to show their
contents.
› Red = Water
› Blue = Dry Powder
› Cream = Foam
› Yellow = Wet Chemical
› Black = Carbon Dioxide
Water and foam are the two
most popular extinguishers, CO2
is ideal on electrical systems and
on and around stages, dry powder
is ideal on generator fires, while
catering units may require wet
chemical extinguishers.
So that concludes our very
brief look at basic fire safety.
Unfortunately space does not
permit me to cover basic fire safety
training that employers must
provide for all employees together
with additional training for
those appointed as fire wardens/
marshals and stewards. That I
hope will be the subject of a later
article in this magazine.
ABOVE Different types of fire will require different extinguishers; a water
extinguisher may be very dangerous on an electrical fire for instance.
58 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

This wow factor was
Discovered
at EPS
a
You're welcome!
28 February – 1 March 2018 Olympia London
Discuss the industry’s future in the Keynote Theatre ● Find new solutions to key challenges by meeting suppliers
Gain inspiration to create innovative events ● Network with your industry peers
Register Now
eventproductionshow.co.uk
Photo: InTheBag.pro/Star Events Ltd

EVENTS
OAB Loves…
Bars!
Apart from the obvious, here’s why we
love these outdoor event bar concepts
WE LOVE…
Experiential concepts
from GL events
WHY?
Anyone who visited the Showman’s
Show this year couldn’t fail to be
impressed with GL events’ English
country pub interior in one of their
impressive structures. Proving that
their expertise lies in more than
event infrastructure that looks
good from the outside, the in-house
creative team got busy with wood
panelling, gilt framed pictures,
barrel tables and Chesterfield-style
furniture.
The installation demonstrated
the company’s creative flair when
it comes to the interiors of its
temporary structures, and the
service it can offer event designers.
The pub concept is expected to be
adopted throughout 2018 among GL
events’ many sporting events clients,
from golf to horse racing. It will also
feature in breakout and hospitality
areas among the company’s
exhibition and large convention
clients.
FROM
GL events UK
01332 850000
www.glevents.co.uk
WE LOVE…
The Barlok portable bar unit from
Portable Floormaker
WHY?
Barlok is a modular, RGB LED portable
bar unit that needs no screws or
tools to assemble. It uses a locking
mechanism and can be configured in
a straight line or with corner sections
to make an octagon for a fab focal
point.
It is packed with features – our
favourite being the LED,
DMX controllable bar frontage. Apart
from its visual quality, it has great
practicality and is full of ‘behind the
bar’ extras including ice shelves and
speed rails.
Quick and easy to move, it can be
stored within purpose-built flight
cases. This unit is spot on as a bar for
events and weddings, and even as a
DJ booth.
FROM
Portable Floormaker
01332 814080
www.portablefloormaker.co.uk
60 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

WE LOVE…
Instant pubs from Pop Up
Pubs
WHY?
Well, just look at it! Perfect
in our opinion for weddings,
corporate events, festivals,
sporting events, and private
parties, the Pop Up Pub
is built around a core of
three shipping containers
and arrives on the back of
two lorries. All you need is
10x20m of stable ground for
unloading and siting, and it
will be up in just two hours!
Totally customisable (add
your own name etc.), it has
some ingenious uses of
space, including an alfresco
area / viewing platform for 50
guests, an enclosed seating
area for buffets or cocktails, a
cosy bar and a walk through
space with optional walk
through doors for use with
marquees or hidden areas.
FROM
Pop Up Pubs
01993 832155
www.pop-up-pubs.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 61

ADVERTISING FEATURE
Spot light
A roundup of products for the outdoor hospitality industry
PERFO GROUND
REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM
S2T Group
01992 522797
www.perfo.co.uk
S2T Group’s PERFO® range of
ground protection products
comprises a system of
interlocking, self-anchoring
permeable plastic tiles which
are embedded into an existing
surface, eg. a mature grass area
or prepared base consisting of a
layer of crushed stone chippings,
depending on the application.
A number of light to heavy duty
solutions are available to suit
varied ground conditions, traffic
profiles and loading requirements.
Unlike other geogrid systems,
PERFO® tiles are usually installed
without the need for excavation,
being compacted directly into
the existing surface using rollers
or compactor plates. Installation
is therefore rapid and planning
issues less problematic.
SAFARI & BESPOKE GLAMPING
TENTS BY….
Bond Fabrications
01453 767171
www.safari-tent.co.uk
At Bond we manufacture
our tents with structural
performance as a priority. Our
tents are designed around
hidden galvanised steel
frames and have full structural
engineers’ reports giving clients
confidence in the performance
and longevity of our structures.
Designing and manufacturing
structures in the UK for 30 years,
we are a respected and trusted
leader in the marketplace
offering incredibly high quality
and service. We pride ourselves
on our customer service and
ability to offer a bespoke
approach to each client – take
a look at our website for a full
range of our capabilities and
see what our clients have to say
about us.
LENGTHEN YOUR SEASON
White Peak Shepherd Huts
01298 937363
www.whitepeakshepherdhuts.uk
Providing your glampers
with cosy, inviting, well-built
accommodation means you can
stay open all year round, hugely
increasing your businesses
returns. White Peak Shepherd
Huts not only look the part but,
with our huts sited across the
WHISPER QUIET TOWABLE
GENERATORS
Fourth Generation
020 8450 2943 / 01582 562162
www.fourthgenerationltd.com
Fourth Generation provides
temporary power for the
event and entertainment
industries worldwide. Its
fleet of ‘whisper’ quiet,
towable generators are
custom designed and ideally
placed for the corporate
UK from the wilds of Scotland
to the windy Peak District and
beyond, we know our build
quality makes them infinitely
capable of standing up to
the British weather in all its
glorious forms. Each of our
huts are individually designed
then handcrafted to meet our
individual customers’ needs
while always being careful
to maintain the charm of the
original wheeled buildings.
and private event market.
They range from 60 to 150
kVA and offer a unique 55/56
dB at 7 meters - arguably
the quietest on the rental
market. In addition, their non
branded livery ensures that
they offer a discreet presence
at any event. The company
also supplies 500 kVA and
440 kVA Twinpak generators,
alongside cable, distribution,
crew and fuel management.
62 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

MADE FOR GLAMPING
Plain Huts
07903 313922
www.plainhuts.co.uk
Plain Huts shepherds huts
offer comfortable, spacious
accommodation for your guests.
The company’s concept is to
provide a space that will be a
base for a holiday rather than that
‘one off’ weekend ‘adventure’. The
spacious, sun filled space with ensuite
toilet will attract a broader
age range for longer stays and
repeat bookings.
Over the last five years Plain Huts
has steadily developed its range
and is able to offer solutions for
a wide range of situations. Plain
Huts offers kits that allow huts
to be built in more inaccessible
spots, huts that combine to offer
family accommodation, ongrid
and off-grid solutions, and
bespoke builds.
EVENT KITCHENS AND CATERING
EQUIPMENT
PKL Group
01242 663000
www.pkl.co.uk
PKL Group is the UK’s leading
supplier of modular commercial
kitchens. With 27 years in the
industry, we have hundreds of
temporary kitchens and 10,000
items of catering equipment
available to hire. We work on
around 500 events each year,
including festivals, sporting
events and pop-up restaurants in
all sorts of weird and wonderful
places!
From stand-alone catering
equipment for use in marquees
or existing buildings, to complete
modular kitchens and coldrooms,
we supply events of all sizes. We
are CDM Regulations compliant
and offer a complete turnkey
service, from design and project
management to installation and
24-hour technical support.
TREEHOUSE GLAMPING FOR ALL
Cheeky Monkey Treehouses
01403 732 452
www.cheekymonkeytreehouses.com
Our team has over 15 years’
combined experience in
designing and building
treehouses of all shapes and
sizes. From simple elevated
cabins to a complex maze
of rope bridges and tree
top hideaways. Whether
it is a single structure as a
luxury escape for two, or
a field of individually built
family glamping pods, we
provide a personal treehouse
consultation service with
you at your proposed
treehouse site, where ideas
can be gathered, shared
and implemented. Handdrawn,
illustrated and
three-dimensional drawings
are then created to suit your
needs and those of your
desired end user.
OFF-GRID SANITATION
Plastic Solutions
0800 334 5742
www.plasticsol.com
For both festivals and the
glamping market, our products
allow decent sanitation to
the most remote or off-grid
glampsites, and the collection of
waste and grey water at events.
Our Tuff Tank waste storage tank,
for example, can be positioned
under a shepherd’s hut or event
toilet/shower unit to collect
waste for later removal by septic
tank emptying services.
With the ability to link tanks
together to create exactly the
waste collection volume you
need, the robust yet lightweight
nature of our products makes
delivery, positioning, servicing
and collection a simple matter.
We’ve got tankology!
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 63

Event Kitchens
Temporary kitchens and
catering equipment for hire
Busy planning your
Christmas Events?
Don’t forget the kitchen!
BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS EVENT KITCHENS NOW!
• Event kitchens • Catering equipment • Pop-up restaurants
• Marquee kitchens • Crockery, cutlery and glassware • Instant online estimate
www.DontForgetTheKitchen.com
T: 01242 663000 E: postbox@pkl.co.uk

CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY
Classified Directory
Innovative off grid pods, quick and
easy setup, all terrain legs and
platform, handmade in Britain
www.landpod.co.uk
LEADING LIGHT
AND POWER
FOR THE EVENTS
INDUSTRY
0345 409 0280
FOR SALE Suffolk shepherd hut
available from the end of September
Made by Riverside Shepherd Huts, the quality is simply excellent and has a
steel frame. Clad in cedar wood, with an electric heater, hot water, electric
towel rail and shower. Offers IRO £17,000 Tel: 07871 191042
InPartyTentsCo.
HIRING ALL OVER KENT & SUSSEX, NO VAT
AND FREE DELIVERY WITHIN 30 MILE RADIUS
O7917 457 820 | inpartytentsco@aol.com
STYLISH & UNIQUE MARQUEES
FOR WEDDINGS & PARTIES
TIMBER INTENT
Tensile structures:
facilities, camp, glamp & event
Architecture:
design & planning application
01297 444416 timberintent.co.uk
Sewage Treatment Systems
For all residential, commercial
and industrial applications
01295 236101 • info@theseptictankstore.co.uk
www.theseptictankstore.co.uk
mobile cookery theatre
demonstration kitchens for hire
01462 43 44 45
www.onstagekitchens.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 65

Ask Periwinkle
A new column in which rural business entrepreneur Periwinkle shares
A new column in which rural business entrepreneur Periwinkle shares
his decades of experience in making money from people outdoors
Dear Periwinkle,
Q I recently encountered
problems with certain guests
misusing equipment provided
for their stay and disturbing
the farm animals and other
guests late at night. What can
I do to prevent this in future?
Clara, Basildon
Dear Clara,
A There are two schools
of philosophical thought
apropos of glamping: The
‘sensible’ school, and the Old
School. Old School thinkers
like me refer to themselves as
Top Hatters because we have
never understood why anyone
felt the need to invent any
other sort of hat - or indeed
anything else for that matter
- since 1793 when it first was
seen.
Sensible sorts suggest
pinning up ‘house rules’. Or
taking a deposit as part of the
booking fee to cover possible
damage. Whatever else
you decide upon, clear and
friendly signage (‘Don’t Feed
the Animals’) is de rigueur.
Alternatively, top-drawer
Top Hatter suggestions
include:
› The introduction of
compulsory induction
courses for all glampers.
I highly recommend a
volume entitled ‘Square-
Bashing for the Reluctantly
Conscripted’ published by
The Gulag Press, 1943. Any
course garnered from the
pages of this book will leave
glampers in no doubt that
deviations from ground
rules may result in 200
press-ups followed by a
forced, double-time yomp
across the Brecon Beacons
at midnight wearing flipflops
and carrying a 56kg
Bergen.
› Night patrols with dogs -
“BUY A TONNE OF PYROTECHNICS OFF
ALIBABA.COM, HOOK YOUR IPOD TO A
PA SYSTEM AND SAY ODDS BODKINS TO
SEQUENCING ALTOGETHER”
better still, wolves, although
watch out there because
your average wolf shows
allegiance to no one other
than the pack and doesn’t
take kindly to a collar.
› With extended families,
try holding grandparents
hostage until you double
check for breakages.
› The introduction of a onestrike-and-you’re-out
rule
on equipment misuse. For
example, any end-of-stay
shortfall of malt vinegar in
the cruet should result in
banishment to the colonies.
Dear Pᵉriwinkle,
Q I have land with a
view and want to use it for
marquee weddings next
season. I want to purchase a
marquee structure to hire out
to couples but am struggling
for ideas. Any suggestions?
Mrs Danvers, Cornwall
Suggestions a-plenty Mrs
A Danvers.
Convention points to
a stretch tent, which can
be dressed for rustic,
contemporary or classic
weddings. Style it for each and
do a professional photo shoot
– put pics all over social media
and website. Job done.
The Top Hatter take on this
is, as you might expect, a tad
different.
Rustic is so ‘in’ that if it
gets any further in it’ll be
out the other side. But if you
act quickly, you’ll probably
get away with some casually
strewn tarps and a tractor load
of hay bales.
For ‘classic’ (frills and fancy
furniture) you can always get
a job lot of pop up garden
gazebos from Homebase, tied
together with bailing twine
(you can’t skimp on safety!).
Contemporary couple? Try
an industrial scale, strawberry
grower’s poly tunnel. It’s a
long walk just to cut the cake
- half a kilometre - but at least
you’ll stay dry should the
heaven’s open.
Dear Periwinkle,
Q I am planning a New
Year’s party in the grounds of
my stately home, with a five
course meal, entertainment
and champagne at
midnight. It’s £100 a ticket
so I want fireworks. What
considerations should I
make?
Catherine Wheel, Newton
Abbott
Dear Catherine,
A The conventional answer
to your question is straightforward:
› Hire a specialist, especially
if coordinated music is your
plan because sequencing is
tricky.
› Make allowances for
neighbours and livestock
(consider ‘silent’ fireworks).
› A decent budget helps too.
However, for £100 a head,
why not push the boat out
with a Top Hatter solution?
Buy a tonne of pyrotechnics
off Alibaba.com, hook your
iPod to a PA system and say
odds bodkins to sequencing
altogether.
Just compile an avantgarde
jazz playlist - there’ll
be nothing in there faintly
resembling a melody, it’ll have
a time signature resembling
57 over 3 and the chances
of hearing two consecutive
notes in the same key will be
the same as a lottery win. So
nobody’s going to care.
I hope there’s something
here to satisfy your needs.
PERIWINKLE& CO.
RURAL ENTREPRENEUR
CONSULTANCY SERVICES
If you would like to benefit from
Periwinkle’s words of wisdom,
please email your questions to
info@openairbusiness.com
66 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

The Off Grid Question...
...Answered!
Boutique Outdoor Showers & Toilets
www.showershacks.co.uk
info@showershacks.co.uk