Open Air Business January 2018

EVENTS
Alpine Café. This meant that visitors
were protected from the elements but
still had the sensation of ‘skating under
the stars’ at night and the benefit of
the wonderful views and blue skies
during the days.
The event marquee had a very
different feel. Still with clear sides to
enjoy the view, this marquee was fully
lined with a dance floor and starlit
ceiling. The catering tent and toilets
were sited so that it could serve both
the event marquee and the Alpine
Café/rink.
We focused on ensuring the short
access path from the car park to the
marquee was dressed to create the
feeling of a ‘winter wonderland’ with
lit fir trees, groups of hand-made
wooden ‘log reindeer’ and even a
wonderful sleigh for families to sit in
for photographs.
How did you research and source
your marquees, flooring, bars etc?
To a certain extent the size of the
marquees required dictated our
choices. The bars and café furniture
were constructed here using scaffold
boards. As skaters were able to keep
their skates on to visit the Alpine bar,
the flooring needed to be non-slip
throughout the skating marquee,
whereas all other areas were carpeted.
What entertainment did you offer
and how did you choose and source it?
The skating was all provided by the
rink supplier. We opted for a synthetic
rink made of the latest materials. This
meant that we could have the rink
within a (warm) marquee, it was more
environmentally friendly and visitors
wouldn’t get wet when they fell over.
We had also heard that it was an easier
surface for children to skate on.
We chose a well-known DJ and
party planner who we have worked
with for many years to provide the
entertainment for the parties.
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