Open Air Business October/November 2019

ISSUE 31 | October/November 2019 | www.openairbusiness.com 

BUSINESS 

GLAMPING 

SHOW 

REVIEW 

FUNCTION VENUES 

> Directories 

> Networking 

/ / 

GLAMPSITES 

> Interior Design 

> Futureproofing 

EVENTS 

> Weather Risk 

> Charity Partnerships 

CASE STUDIES: 

ECOYOGA • VINTAGE VACATIONS • STARRY SKIES CAMP

ISSUE 31 | November 2019 | www.openairbusiness.com 

WELCOME 

HOW CAN we help you to help yourselves? This is something we consider 

every time we put an issue of Open Air Business together. We try to 

commission content that gives readers tangible, take away advice to apply 

to their operations, to improve, streamline, inspire new ideas and increase 

profitability. The ‘inspiring’ bit is often the most fun; real life evidence 

through case studies and interviews of big ideas that get realised and fly. 

Carol Cavendish, who features in Entrepreneur’s Chat, is testament to 

exactly this, recreating authentic magical accommodation from fantasy film 

and literature. 

We also try and help point you to products and services, essential building blocks for the start, 

growth and maintenance of businesses in every sector. We cover as much of these as we can 

through our various product-focused features but we can only allocate so much space to this each 

issue. Thankfully this is more than compensated for by the quality and diversity of offerings from 

our advertisers. 

The depth and breadth of what's available is astounding as our industry continues to evolve. 

Got an amazing location? There are several companies looking for landowner partners for cutting 

edge eco structures. Need a trailer conversion for a mini venue or bar? Wood-fired cooking for 

large groups? Tent repairs and custom design? Portable washing facilities? Affordable log home 

structures? Pre-pitched camping villages? Signage and flags? Exquisitely crafted bespoke builds? 

Unique event structures made in the UK? Custom lighting for outdoor features, walkthroughs and 

events? Robust outdoor furniture? Big screens for outdoor cinema? 

I am not just pulling these examples out of a hat, they are all things that visitors to our stands 

(including existing subscribers) at the Glamping Show and Showman's Show have asked me about 

that do get plenty of coverage. So my message here is, as tempting as it is to head straight for the 

editorial pages that are immediately relevant to you, please do make the most of the magazine 

by taking the time to digest all the content as you may well miss something useful. This most 

definitely includes the 'shop windows' that complement our editorial and ensure that our readers 

are fully informed about what's out there on the market for them. 

Tally Wade 

Editor / Publisher 

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 

Coffee Shop Media Ltd - 01580 848555 

www.coffeeshopmedia.com 

The House on the Hill, Friezley Lane, 

Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2LL 

t: 01580 848555 

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Contents ISSUE #31 October/November 2019 

UP FRONT 

4 News 

8 Product News 

12 Farm Business Innovation Show 

Preview 

16 Glamping Show Review 

18 Entrepreneur’s Chat – Carol 

Cavendish of North Shire 


22 ecoYoga – a bathing-centred retreat in 

the Scottish Highlands 

26 Getting Listed – strategies for listing 

with wedding directories 

31 Markers of Success – event bookers 

and reputational ROI 

32 Networking – best practice on and 

offline 

35 Professional Services – mini case 

studies 

GLAMPSITES 

39 Vintage Vacations – Airstream bliss 

on the Isle of Wight 

45 Shifting Sands – disruption in global 

hospitality trends 

48 Futureproofing Business – statistics 

and advice from Tom Dixon 

53 Interior Design – Kate Morel guides 

us through the fundamentals 

56 OAB Loves… Interiors 

EVENTS 

59 Starry Skies Camp – family festival 

meets camping holidays 

64 Charity Partnerships – creating 

events with heart 

67 Weather Risk – minimising insurance 

cost with advice from Integro 

71 Campsite Waste – a perennial festival 

problem 

74 Heat, Power and Lighting – mini 

case studies 

76 Spotlight 

78 Classifieds 

81 24 Hours… Claire O’Neill, A Greener 

Festival 

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FUNCTION VENUES GLAMPSITES 

> Directories 

> Interior Design 

> Networking 

> Futureproofing 

CASE STUDIES: 

ECOYOGA • VINTAGE VACATIONS • STARRY SKIES CAMP 

BUSINESS 

GLAMPING 

SHOW 

REVIEW 

EVENTS 

> Weather Risk 

> Charity Partnerships 

COVER PHOTO 

Kula Tents has reimagined the luxury glamping tent. 

With a unique circular form and a curved peaked roof, 

it features a generous master bedroom, large second 

bedroom, kitchen and dining/lounge area leading onto a 

wide veranda. Made with high grade polycotton and built 

for strength and longevity, tents come complete with 

furnishings. +31 65 77 87 377 / www.kulatents.com 

WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3

Jetstream 

Glamping 

FARMER WILL Roughton is 

converting an ex-RAF Jetstream into 

glamping accommodation for four. 

He already offers holidays in a 

converted RAF control tower and 

a Westland Lynx helicopter at the 

former RAF Wainfleet site near 

Skegness. 

“There will be a double bedroom 

at the front, a dining and sitting 

room with TV in the middle and two 

fold-down single bunks in the tail,” 

he says. “It's a hell of a challenge 

but we hope it will be ready to let in 

March or April next year.” 

Survey Sheds Light on Food Waste 

NEW RESEARCH conducted by Lime Venue Portfolio, in partnership with BCD 

Meetings and Events, has underlined the need for the business events industry to 

take a lead in tackling food waste. The findings form part of Chapter One of the 

Beyond Food Report, and puts a spotlight on the issue and encourages organisers to 

take steps to address it. 

The research surveyed over 60 event organisers and showed that just under a third 

of event professionals admit to throwing away at least 15 per cent of the food they 

commission at events, with 18 per cent saying it was closer to 20 per cent. 

The research also demonstrated how important tackling food waste is to 

delegates; of all food-based event feedback, a high proportion was on waste. 

Organisers can download the report for tips on avoiding food waste at www. 

limevenueportfolio.com/content-hub 

£2.2m 

for Local 

Economy 

Camping in the Forest Expansion 

WORK TO develop a new campsite in the popular Sherwood Pines forest in Nottinghamshire will 

continue throughout the winter and spring, ahead of a planned opening during the 2020 camping 

season. 

The campsite will be run and managed by Camping in the Forest, a partnership between The 

Camping and Caravanning Club and Forestry England. It will span 20 acres of woodland and brings 

the total number of Camping in the Forest Sites to 16 across England and Scotland. 

Once finished, the campsite will have 150 pitches, 10 Ready Camp safari tents and 12 glamping 

pods in woodland glade areas. 

THE TASTE Cumbria 

food festival in 

Cockermouth brought 

£2.2 million into 

the local economy 

according to an event 

evaluation report by 

Red Research. 

Taste Cumbria 

(combined with the 

Northbound music 

festival) is organised 

by Allerdale Borough 

Council and attracted 

25,000 attendees. For 

every £1 invested in 

the event, £90 was 

returned in spending. 

4 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

When the show 

must go on 

The alternative 

is unthinkable 

Make it Morris Site Machinery 

Denyo Eventa 60 

www.morrismachinery.co.uk

LOOE LIVE! 

Festival Saved by 

its Community 

A CORNISH music festival returned for 

a second time in September after being 

saved by its community. Despite being 

sold out in 2018, Looe Music Festival was 

cancelled when its host charity went 

into administration. It was saved by the 

community who raised £30,000 in under 

a week to keep the show on the road, 

renaming the event Looe Saves the Day. 

This year the festival was reborn as 

Looe Live! and featured more than 100 

performances on four main stages, with 

headliners including Newton Faulkner, 

Level 42 and The Shires. 

IN BRIEF 

RACECOURSE DIVERSIFIES 

INTO WEDDINGS 

Ludlow Racecourse has been 

granted planning permission 

for a ‘marquee function room’ 

as part of an investment to 

encourage more weddings 

at the venue. Replacing a 

temporary marquee which 

overlooked the home 

straight for the last 20 years, 

management says it is a 

crucial diversification to boost 

business on non race days. 

The structure will be 30m x 

15m. The racecourse hosted 

five weddings in 2018/19 and 

the intention is to expand to 

15-20 weddings in 2020. 

WEDDING SPACES GOING 

PLACES LIVE 

Venue consultant Kelly 

Chandler will be holding a 

one day conference at Caswell 

House, Oxfordshire, on 12 

November. Covering wedding 

venue marketing and sales 

techniques, Kelly and a team of 

industry experts will cover how 

to elevate a venue’s enquiries, 

conversion levels and overall 

wedding offer. Speakers include 

Emma Hla from Coco Wedding 

Venues (see page 26-28). www. 

kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk/ 

wedding-spaces-going-placeslive 

Diversification Innovator of the Year 

SLAPTON MANOR Farm, 

Northamptonshire, has been awarded 

Diversification Innovator of the Year (Small 

to Medium) at the British Farming Awards. 

Run by Barbara Smith and her two 

daughters, Sam and Jo, the diversification 

of their dairy farm includes a wedding 

venue, bed and breakfast accommodation, 

vehicle storage and a sheep enterprise. 

Sam said: “We have got to look forward 

and keep evolving the business. Farming 

is very much in our hearts and the success 

of the diversification is all put back in to 

moving the farm forward.” 

Originally a dairy unit, the decision 

was taken in 2010 to get rid of the 

cows and look for other ways to make 

money. Initially converting a redundant 

farm building into bed and breakfast 

accommodation back in 2001, the business 

now has 14 rooms and an 86 per cent 

occupancy rate. 

In 2016, the family started holding 

weddings and civil ceremonies in an old 

threshing barn and marquees erected on 

the site. They aim to host one wedding a 

week during the season and are almost 

fully booked for 2020. 

The judges commented: “This is a family 

that is working together to run multiple 

and diverse enterprises securing the long 

term future of the farm. Their passion and 

enthusiasm shone through at all stages as 

did their willingness to adapt to different 

business models.” 


PRODUCT 

GigLoo Glamping 

Product Reveal! 

THE INSUITE pod is the newest innovation 

to be added to the GigLoo range. Inspired by 

a growing demand for high end and private 

facilities in the flourishing glamping market, 

the Insuite offers customers the chance 

to indulge themselves in a contemporary 

styled hotel standard en-suite shower room 

while also fully immersing themselves in the 

countryside outside. 

As with all GigLoo products, the copolymer 

construction offers great ecocredibility, 

being entirely recyclable. GigLoo 

is so confident in its robust durability that 

it offers 10 year body warranties on all new 

builds. 

The pods are designed with easy set up 

in mind. Lightweight, with HIAB eyes and 

fork pockets, they can be easily relocated 

allowing customers to experience wild 

camping in luxury comfort. The product will 

be revealed on Stand FR1000 at the Farm 

Business Innovation Show in November. 

0330 333 8777 / www.gigloo.co.uk 

Resuable 

Solution 

for Smaller 

Events 

GREEN GOBLET, the UK’s largest 

supplier of reusable cups, is extending its 

digital printing service to accommodate 

small orders for bespoke events and 

intimate parties. The brandable Ecocups 

are made of polypropylene making them 

durable and long lasting, perfect for 

multiple uses. The company is dedicated 

to eliminating single-use plastic from 

venues and events, and its digital 

printing service can produce cups with 

vibrant, long-lasting colours on pint and 

half pint cups. 

Digital prints have a faster turnaround 

than other printing options and Green 

Goblet is now able to produce orders 

as low as 50 cups. An ideal reusable 

solution for smaller events, special 

occasions, birthdays or weddings. Get 

in touch for more about Green Goblet, 

order quantities and digital prints. 

Brandable, reusable, recyclable wedding 

favours; to have and to hold - to refill not 

landfill! www.green-goblet.com / 

01278 238 390. 

Envirobanner – 

PVC Replacement 

HAVING LAUNCHED Enviroflag, Harrison Creative 

Event Branding has developed Envirobanner. An 

environmentally friendly replacement for PVC, 

Envirobanner is a lightweight alternative to PVC 

that’s made from 100 per cent recycled plastic 

material and has a much more environmentallyfriendly 

production process, while still offering the 

same colour quality, durability and resistance to 

stains. 

Unlike PVC, which cannot be folded and must 

be rolled to avoid damage, Envirobanner can be 

easily folded resulting in easier transportation and 

storage. As well as being fire resistant and washable, 

Envirobanner is also more permeable to air than 

PVC, meaning it offers more versatility as it can be 

used in a wider variety of locations both indoors 

and outdoors. www.harrisoncreative.co.uk / 01325 

390192. 


Unique Luxury 

Canvas Lodges 

DESIGNED AND manufactured in the 

Netherlands, the new Kula Tents range takes 

influence from a bygone era of remote luxury 

and safari lodge opulence and is handcrafted 

and styled for enduring quality. 

At 7m diameter with an additional 

generous veranda, these structures are 

perfect for both small and large groups 

and fit well into any campsite layout. 

Manufactured from fire retardant high 

strength polycotton canvas, galvanized 

steel brackets with treated timber poles 

and stainless steel fixings throughout, the 

tents are designed for strength and years of 

reliable use. An opaque matt PVC roof with a 

polycotton canvas lining provides longevity 

and is easy to clean while maintaining its 

looks. 

Kula Tents feature a unique circular 

form with a curved peaked roof providing 

a naturally ambient and spacious living 

atmosphere. Tents are optionally finished 

with robust yet stylish furnishings providing 

a true luxury camping experience for guests. 

The interior space comprises a two/four 

person bedroom and a generous master 

bedroom, both with ample storage and a 

high level of comfort. The kitchen is well 

equipped with a thoughtfully designed main 

unit, dining table and seating. The living 

space provides comfortable seating 

with mood lighting and extends onto 

a generous veranda with attractive 

bespoke table, bench seats and lounging 

area. A fabulous luxury tented bathroom 

is part of the Kula Tents range and 

completes the full glamping experience 

and perfectly complements the 

accommodation tents. 

Be the first to own one in the UK for 

the 2020 season. +31 65 77 87 377 

www.kulatents.com 

Oasis Habitats – 

A New Breed 

OASIS HABITATS has launched to provide sustainable 

off-grid structures and resorts for the leisure industry, 

including glamping and eco-hotels. Created by a group of 

likeminded people with a passion for the outdoors, nature 

and great design, its builds feature hybrid renewable 

energy and water treatment systems, delivering 100 per 

cent off-grid solutions that operate 365-days a year. 

These uniquely designed structures follow a strict 

sustainable materials approach, while at the same time 

offering the luxury of 5-star hotels. They are also backed 

by a habitat restoration programme. 

With climate change being brought ever closer to home, 

there is evidence demonstrating a surge in bookings of 

sustainability-based accommodation, with guests willing 

to pay more for environmentally friendly options. Yet, at 

the same time customers are demanding higher levels of 

luxury and convenience. 

Oasis Habitats is a company that believes we all need 

to do our bit and has developed a unique approach that 

not only addresses sustainability aspects, but also habitat 

concerns. 01249 848649 / www.oasishabitats.com 


PRODUCT 

Shining a Light on 

Sustainability 

MAKING ITS debut at the Showman’s Show this year was the 

brand new SMC Genpac 10 from Morris Site Machinery, which 

drew much attention with its low noise level 1,500rpm Kubota 

engine and easy access canopy. This new design, fuel efficient, 

dual voltage generator is now available from stock. 

Showcasing its largest range of eco towers and new products 

on a green-themed stand, the business was recognised as a 

finalist in the Green Supplier and Innovation Awards. The SMC 

TL60 Solar Trolley, the SMC TL90 Evolve and the SMC SL60 Link 

light all made their show debuts and underlined the appeal of 

super silent and energy efficient machines. The new SMC SL60 

Link light appealed to show goers as an economical solution to 

event lighting with its simple to operate format and daisy chain 

capabilities. 

The truly green SMC TL60 Solar also 

attracted much interest over the two days 

as it featured centre stage on the stand 

with its three solar panels easily deployed 

and its eco credentials. However, it was the 

unexpectedly extensive light output given 

its compact size which impressed customers 

on the stand. www.morrismachinery.co.uk / 

0345 409 0280. 

Light output 

from the 

compact 

new SMC 

TL60 Solar 

No Peg Tipi System 

TENTIPI IS delighted to introduce its new 

BallastFlex system, a solution for building 

tipis on ground where pegging is either 

not possible or not allowed. 

A world first, the system has been 

professionally designed, engineered and 

tested by a team of structural engineers 

to meet the requirements of Tentipi’s 

structural and windloading calculations. 

The BallastFlex system is available for 

sale or rent. For more information, please 

contact Ed Wright ed.wright@tentipi.com 

/ 01256 883163. 

Training for the Events Industry 

The Event Hire Association (EHA) has launched virtual 

reality training software to assist with the many aspects 

of health and safety training for the events industry. 

V-Hire training modules include: Angle Grinders, 

Dangers of Dust, Generators, Cordless Drill and Battery 

Equipment, Electricity, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, 

Working at Height, Ladders and Safe Use, and Lighting 

(including festoon and flood lighting). 

EHA offers a wide range of products and services 

specifically for the event hire industry including free 

insurance and health and safety reviews, credit check 

information, HR services, industry codes of practice 

(portable sanitation, electrical services, safe use of 

LPG, and temporary structures) and certification 

schemes such as SafeHire and Hire Industry Trusted 

Supplier (HITS). 0121 380 4600 / www.eha.org.uk 

Rare Airstream Refit 

VINTAGE TRAVEL Trailers has just 

completed a full refit of a very rare 

1949 vintage Airstream, originally 

imported from Texas. 

It has been fitted out in naturally 

finished, grade A birch ply featuring 

a curved kitchen island with gas 

cooker, hob and fridge. 

It also features a wet room with 

constant feed hot water which 

can be run on LPG and solar when 

off-grid or connected to mains 

electricity. It sleeps two adults in 

a king-sized bed converted from 

the dining area and two children in 

bunks. 

This is the oldest Airstream 

Vintage Travel Trailers has converted 

into a mini home for the UK. Other 

conversions in the last 12 months 

include a ‘hotel room’ for a yoga 

retreat in Ibiza, a flooring showroom, 

a high spec office, a barber’s shop 

and several catering/exhibition 

units. This is in addition to two which 

are permanent homes for people 

wishing to live off-grid. 01892 782882 

/ www.vintagetraveltrailers.co.uk 


IF YoU’ve GOT THE LAND, 

We’ve Got THe BRAND! 

Visit us at: 

Farm Business Innovation Show 

6 th -7 th November 

Stand FR540 

finance 

support 

site survey 

marketing 

training 

mentoring 

business plan 

planning application 

Wigwam ® Holidays is the UK brand leader in the provision of glamping holidays 

in our unique range of heated wooden Wigwam ® Cabins. With over 80 sites 

throughout the UK and a track record in business start ups there has never 

been a better time to invest in your Wigwam ® Holidays franchise. 

CHECK US OUT AT 

wigwamholidays.com 

-- 

BAKEHEART 

WARMHEART 

CONTEMPORARY 

WOOD-FIRED STOVES 

YOU CAN COOK ON 

www.esse.com 01282 813235 


INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 

Farm Business Innovation Show 

Our pre-show top picks from this year’s largest land diversification event 

THE FARM Business Innovation Show aims 

to inspire farmers, landowners and rural 

entrepreneurs with new prospects of land 

diversification. Held over two days at the 

NEC, Birmingham, the award-winning event 

features 550 exhibitor stands, live demos and 

a comprehensive programme of seminars 

featuring over 200 speakers. 

Lord Carnarvon, the owner of Highclere 

Castle, will be talking about his estate 

which is well known as the location for the 

Downton Abbey TV series and film. Lord and 

Lady Carnarvon haven’t hesitated to make 

the most of their Downton exposure and 

have created books on the family and history 

of the castle, alongside new products such 

as cigars and gin to sell worldwide. Find out 

all about their projects and get inspired by 

their story. 

Other seminar sessions will cover 

converting barns with minimum risk and 

maximum profit, how to make history and 

heritage interesting, health and safety tips for 

unknown projects, and avoiding the pitfalls 

of a number of diversification projects. 

The Farm Business Innovation Show is run 

in conjunction with three other adjoining 

shows - Family Attraction Expo, Country 

House Business Innovation, Holiday Park & 

Resort Innovation, and the Leisure F&B Expo. 

This combination makes it the largest array 

of sport, leisure and hospitality offerings, all 

under one roof. 

Looking to branch out into glamping, 

children’s play areas, alternative crops 

and livestock, or events? Head to the NEC, 

Birmingham on 6-7 November to explore the 

endless possibilities your land can offer. 

OAB’s Top Picks 

1 S2T GROUP / PERFO / Stand FR613 

S2T GROUP supplies the PERFO range 

of interlocking ground and grass 

reinforcement tiles for both light and 

heavy duty applications. 

The tiles, manufactured from 

recycled PE, can be quickly and easily 

installed directly into existing grass 

surfaces without excavation. They 

improve and reinforce access to rural 

areas and provide stable green field 

parking, preventing rutting. 

The PERFO system can also be 

installed into a bedding layer of 

crushed stone chippings to provide a 

durable yet permeable parking surface 

for intensive daily vehicle use. 

www.perfo.co.uk 

Glampsan / Stand FR372 

Specialising foremost in the supply of 

plastic tanks from 150 to 30,000 litres 

for above and below ground storage 

of waste and water, Glampsan also 

provides a range of complementary 

products to help manage water and 

waste at holiday parks, glamping, 

camping, and caravanning sites 

whatever the application, on or off-grid. 

These additional products include 

sewage and grey water lifting stations, 

pumps, water filtration and pressure 

boosters, treatment plants and septic 

tanks, level alarms and Elsan tipping 

points. The one stop shop also provides 

friendly, specialist advice. www. 

glampsan.com

FuturEnergy / Stand FR731 

FuturEnergy is the designer, manufacturer 

and supplier of the AirForce range of 

horizontal micro and small-wind turbines 

with nearly 7,000 1kw units now in service. 

The Airforce1 systems are ideal for off-grid 

applications such as battery charging, 

water and space heating. 

The new AirForce Control turbine 

monitor and automatic stop system will 

be showcased on the stand. Designed to 

provide worry-free ownership of turbines, 

it uses remote monitoring and control, 

data logging and automatic stop/start 

functionality to prevent issues including 

over-speeding in high wind conditions. 

www.futurenergy.co.uk 

Clear Sky / Stand FR800 

Clear Sky specialises in supplying the 

very highest quality safari and bell tents 

at the lowest possible cost. Its tents are 

manufactured to British standards and 

designed for year round use over 10 years. 

Safari tent prices start from just £2,990 

(+VAT) or £505 for bell tents. 

Clear Sky offers a set up cost as low as 

£5,995 for a safari tent, base and internal 

fittings and furnishings. With an expected 

rental income of around £100 a night, 

the package offers an excellent return on 

investment. www.safaritents.net 

Log Homes Finland / Stand FR581 

This family owned business has many 

years’ experience designing, supplying and 

building log buildings for commercial and 

domestic use. 

Its luxury mini chalet provides guests 

with the experience of sleeping in a log 

cabin. It incorporates a toilet and shower, 

accommodation for multiple guests and 

cooking facilities. 

Log Homes Finland’s manufacturing 

partner supplies direct from a state of the 

art facility, producing homes and buildings 

designed to last for generations at a 

competitive price. 

www.loghomesfinland.co.uk 

Brilliant Trails / Stand FR700 

Brilliant Trails offers an extensive range 

of trail options for the tourism sector, 

maximising the way people interact 

with locations and creating profitable 

experiences for land and property 

owners. The team’s passion is to create 

unique products that provide a fun and 

educational experience for visitors, while 

generating income for local businesses. 

Trails are designed around three main 

themes: family experiences, history and 

heritage, and education, and include 

interactive sensory trails (fairy trails) and 

treasure hunts. www.brillianttrails.com 

Green Mile Trees / Stand FR511 

Green Mile Trees is a Nottinghamshirebased 

family run nursery with over 70,000 

trees, conifers, instant hedging and topiary 

in production. A long-standing reputable 

grower and supplier to private individuals, 

estate managers, landscapers and other 

growers, it offers large trees and instant 

hedging for instant structure, architectural 

impact and a practical screening solution 

or statement in any garden or landscape. 

The small, friendly, experienced team 

helps customers in their tree selection to 

ensure the best, most appropriate variety 

is offered for foliage type, cover, ground 

conditions, flower or purpose. www. 

greenmiletrees.co.uk 

Tradewinds Outdoor (Bushgear) 

Stand FR970 

Tradewinds Outdoor is a UK distributor 

of Hikki wood-fired hot tubs. These 

classic Swedish tubs feature a timeless 

Scandinavian design comprising a 

durable body of aluminium and oak 

and can be placed on just about any 

flat surface. Unlike many hot tubs, the 

Bohemen model pictured requires little 

water and wood in order to prepare a 

bath, making it both economical and 

environmentally friendly. 

www.bushgear.co.uk 


INDUSTRY NEWS 

The Glamping Show 2019 

Louise Winters on this year’s Glamping Show at the NAEC, Stoneleigh 

HOW DO you end the summer with a bang? 

Head to The Glamping Show for three 

days of glorious sunny weather, scores 

of structures, hot tubs, outdoor toilets, 

accessories of all kinds and thousands of 

people who love outdoor accommodation 

and sharing it with the world! 

If you couldn’t make it, read on for an 

overview of what you missed. 

TREND SPOTTING 

For anyone who hasn’t yet heard, 

treehouses are now getting more attention 

in the unique holiday rental market and 

for anyone new to the industry, or looking 

to invest in expanding their site, this is one 

development to watch. 

Of course, treehouses aren’t the only 

structures that will allow you to create a 

unique, cosy getaway for your guests. The 

outside exhibition area was teeming with 

different structures: bell tents, yurts, safari 

tents, shepherd huts, geodesic domes, 

timber pods, and the Tiny Eco House to 

name a few, allowing visitors to find the 

best fit for their individual sites. 

So why does it pay to take your time 

choosing a structure? Glamping, as a 

unique getaway experience for guests, is 

now so popular it’s practically mainstream. 

That’s great news for the industry and, to 

meet demand, we’re seeing many new 

glampsites starting up. The upshot is both 

new and existing operators must keep 

re-defining what makes a holiday on their 

site truly unique. In the face of increased 

competition, the promise of a unique 

experience is what makes holidaymakers 

commit their cash and book up. 

Lavinia Carey, co-founder of Castles 

Carey and new exhibitor in 2019, said: 

“Having constructed our first highly 

successful treehouse for holiday lets for 

a client in the North of England, we have 

been commissioned to build two more 

which are awaiting planning consent 

and, with the potential for this part of 

the market to expand, the outlook is very 

encouraging.” 

An inventive take on accommodation 

is a good starting point and some of 

the designs now coming through are 

spectacular. Of course, that isn’t the only 

way to create a unique experience for your 

guests. 

Other trends spotted at The Glamping 

Show included shower pods. Landpod 

launched their off-grid, portable wet room 

at the show and new exhibitor ScrubShack 

showed their washroom, which includes a 

boiler and alfresco kitchen area. 

The debate around hot tubs; investment, 

impact on occupancy and health and 

safety was tackled head on with a seminar 

from The British & Irish Spa and Hot Tub 

Association (BISHTA). A spokesperson 

for BISHTA commented: “... we were 

inundated on the stand with enquiries 

from various types of businesses in the 

holiday accommodation industry, asking 

about training, BISHTA membership and 

with questions about HSG282 compliance.” 

A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY 

It turns out it can be a long road to realise 

your business dreams; polls conducted 

ahead of the show found that while 40 

per cent of respondents launched their 

business within one to two years of starting 

in earnest, another 40 per cent needed two 

to three years to open to the public. 

For those running glamping businesses, 

the friendly ear of someone who has 

been through it themselves can be a 

lifeline. Sarah Riley, founder of Inspired 

Camping and the Glamping and Unique 

Holiday Rentals podcast, recently cited 

the glamping industry as one of the most 

supportive and nurturing she’s ever 

encountered. 

Heather McRae, of Heart of Scotland 

Glamping, first visited the Show in 2015 

and has attended every year since. After 

various planning hiccups, the build on her 

site has now started. She said: “Having 

been at the show and come up with the 

concept through discussions with others in 

the industry we had this really clear vision 

in our heads of what it would be like and 

how it would be unique, and that is what 

has carried us through.” 

Did you miss out? There’s always 2020! 

SEE YOU THERE! 

The Glamping Show 2020 will take 

place from 17-19 September at NAEC 

Stoneleigh. www.theglampingshow.com 

OAB’s Top Picks 

Greendown Shepherd Huts 

Greendown specialises in bespoke 

handcrafted wooden shepherd huts 

and is increasingly manufacturing 

for the hospitality industry. It offers a 

Bed and Breakfast Hut which is ideal 

for businesses aiming to grow or for 

individuals looking to expand their 

rental or Airbnb portfolio. This 20ft, fully 

equipped hut features a double bed, 

kitchen and shower room. 

Huts are manufactured from a 

dedicated workshop in Saltford and 

have an expected lifespan of 20-40 years. 

www.greendownshepherdhuts.co.uk 

Coir Store 

Coir Store imports 100 per cent 

natural coir matting direct from the 

manufacturer. Its mats are unbleached 

and golden in appearance, naturally 

fire retardant and resistant to moisture, 

moth, rot, bacteria and salt water – 

coir is not called the ‘golden fibre’ for 

nothing! 

Ideal for bell tents, yurts and tipis, Coir 

Store’s half moon mats are extremely 

popular. Hemmed and machine stitched, 

mats are available in two qualities 

(Anjengo/Vycome and Vycome/Vycome) 

and two different weaves (Panama or 

Herringbone). www.coirstore.co.uk 


➌ 

Compoost Toilets 

Composting loos that looks like 

conventional toilets! The family run 

Compoost Toilets offers two models 

including the a deluxe fibreglass toilet with 

a 12V self-stirring mechanism and extractor 

fan. When the toilet seat is lifted the diverter 

has been designed to have a larger urine 

area allowing men to stand up. There is no 

need to sprinkle sawdust as it’s self stirring 

at the press of a button. 

On average you could get 10 uses in the 

solids container before it needs to be simply 

lifted out and emptied. 

www.compoosttoilets.com 

BCT Outdoors 

BCT Outdoors is a long established 

British tent and marquee manufacturer 

specialising in the glamping, tour operator, 

festival and leisure market. Its range of 

glamping tents are all built for commercial 

use and include bell tents, tipis, yurts, tent 

suites and the new geodesic dome. 

BCT Outdoors supplies major users such 

as Eurocamp, Contiki and Glastonbury 

Festivals as well as many smaller users. 

All its products meet British, EU and US 

standards for fire retardancy and most 

products are designed for commercial 

year-round use. www.bctoutdoors.com 

CampPlus 

Introducing the Barravan! It’s CampPlus’ 

popular 430 glamping barrel mounted 

on a galvanised trailer frame. Easy on 

planning permission (if needed), and easy 

on installation on all terrains without 

foundations, it can also easily be used offgrid 

with 12v LED lighting and optional gas 

or oil heating. 

The CampPlus team is also working 

hard on making the Barravan road legal for 

barrels on the go! www.campplus.co.uk 

Low Road Nursery 

Billed as ‘luxury on a budget’ this new 

British designed/built 16 Amp plug and 

play glamping pod starts at £6,000. The 

fully kitted out version is £7,800+vat and 

comprises accommodation for four, with a 

double bed at one end and two singles in 

a bunk configuration at the other. The top 

bunk hinges down to form the back of a 

settee, and a kitchenette (with hot and cold 

water, sink, boiler, full oven, induction hobs 

and extractor fan) completes the unit. It also 

has plug and USB sockets for power and 

charging. 

Structural features include a Firestone 

rubber roofing system, double glazed oak 

doors and 4” insulated cavity walls. 

www.lowroadnursery.co.uk 

Heartwood Saunas 

These luxury saunas are made with love 

in Wales. Available in two designs, or as a 

bespoke build, walls are 150mm thick with 

a unique vapour barrier and are heavily 

insulated with 100 per cent Welsh sheep 

wool. The range also includes plunge pools 

and a free-standing outdoor shower; a 

refreshing pairing with any sauna. 

The majority of timber comes from a 

privately owned, sustainably managed 

woodland on the edge of the Snowdonia 

National Park. www.heartwoodsaunas.com 

GeoPods 

These delightful small domes offer a more 

naturalistic take on a geodesic structure. 

Built with hubs (clever connectors that 

make geodesic domes quick to build), the 

hazel or split chestnut ‘sticks’ simply snap 

into place in just 20-30 minutes. 

The 3m interior easily accommodates a 

double bed and offers over 6’ head height. 

The 250gsm fire retardant polycotton cover 

features a zip door, mosquito door, two 

triangular window vents with mosquito 

netting plus additional trickle vents and 

access for electricity. 

www.geopods.buildwithhubs.co.uk 


PEOPLE 

Along with 

plenty of 

determination, 

it is a passion for 

fantasy fiction 

that conjured 

up North Shire, 

a magical world 

in the heart of 

North Yorkshire 

ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT 

Carol 

Cavendish 

CAROL KNEW from a young age that she was 

never going to enjoy working for someone else. 

Despite leaving school at 14, she went on to 

study physiology and anatomy before heading 

out into the world of enterprise. “I started in 

2000 with a plus size ladies clothes shop called 

Curvey,” says Carol. “I was a single mum with 

two children but, with the help of the Prince’s 

Trust, went on to design dance wear.” She is 

also a professional singer, interior designer, has 

taught mixed martial arts and writes children’s 

books in her spare time – she is also a keen 

photographer! 

It was Carol’s deep love of fantasy literature 

that inspired the launch of North Shire in 2015, 

a collection of magical accommodations based 

on the imaginings of Tolkien, JK Rowling, Roald 

Dahl and more. 

Having spent most of her life in the city of 

Sheffield, when Carol met her then partner 

Carl, they decided to look for somewhere more 

rural to start a new business outdoors. “We 

searched the length and breadth of the country 

for somewhere suitable,” she says. “We were 

18 18 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

PEOPLE 

not really sure what we wanted to do but found 

‘Bunnyland’ in Saltburn-on-Sea, Teeside, in 

2010.” 

Bunnyland had opened in the 1980s and 

needed a lot of work. “Along with the land, 

we inherited 200 rabbits and Guinea pigss 

seven cockerels and a peacock called Merlin! 

It also had a dog kennels and campsite which 

just didn’t work together. We closed it down, 

rehomed the animals (we kept Merlin – he owns 

the place) and opened as Golden Hill Farm, a 

Camping and Caravanning Club campsite.” 

THE MAGIC STARTS 

On site was a cottage that had homed pot ash 

miners. When they moved out, Carol set about 

creating her first magical offering. “It became 

Storybook Cottage, and I had so much fun in 

designing it. The staircase is painted like books 

and there’s a Narnia cupboard – the entrance is 

full of fur coats and leads to a secret children’s 

bedroom.” 

The idea behind the cottage is to encourage 

children to read. “As a child I was obsessed 

with books by Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton’s 

Faraway Tree stories, and now I am just as in 

love with the Potter books and Tolkien. The 

fairytale escapism makes me so happy. I was 

very dyslexic and I think I pushed more to 

learn to read because of it – this is just one 

demonstration of my strong willed nature!” 

Next up was the Shire House. “I wanted to 

recreate a Hobbit home with a magical yet 

luxurious interior.” The authentic, grass covered 

structure features circular doors and windows 

“AS A CHILD I WAS 

OBSESSED WITH BOOKS 

BY ROALD DAHL AND ENID 

BLYTON’S FARAWAY TREE 

STORIES, AND NOW I AM 

JUST AS IN LOVE WITH 

THE POTTER BOOKS AND 

TOLKIEN” 

and many little touches that delight lovers of 

both the books and films. “We had support from 

a Five Lamps grant, a Coastal Communities 

grant and the Redcar and Cleveland council. 

My Dad helped out with some private finance 

and The North York Moors National Park was 

also very helpful. When it was built the press 

coverage was global and we were put very much 

on the map.” 

North Shire has to be careful about how it 

describes its fantastical offerings. “We don’t use 

the word Hobbit to describe the Shire House, 

and we are careful to be very clear that anything 

we create is an independent business and not 

associated with any authors or studios.” 

FINANCE 

Carol’s third project was even more ambitious. 

“I wanted to recreate Hagrid’s hut (now called 

the Ground Keeper’s Cottage) from Harry Potter, 

and this was an epic task.” Originally thinking 

about making it from stone, Carol ended up 

using fire retardant fibreglass. “A friend of 

mine, Billy Cessford, builds film sets and is 

exceptionally clever. We had a plan but we 

needed money. 

This came in various forms. “John Carling 

and David Lamb from Solutions Northern 

magicked up the funds! We got a high interest 

loan from Reward Finance Group in Leeds 

(where David Jones and Alan Sanderson looked 

after us) and this was added to with a match 

funded RDPE grant. The North York Moors 

National Park also gave us a grant to help us 

grow and bing tourism into east Cleveland. I 


PEOPLE 

CHALLENGES 

Not everything at North Shire has gone 

smoothly, and the business spent many years in 

planning. “We used local agent Derek Brough. 

He has guided us through all our plans to 

expand as planning in National Park is complex. 

The whole enterprise has had some massively 

stressful moments but I really believe that you 

just need to keep pushing and it will pay off. 

“I have learned a lot by trial and error and 

believe this is the only way to do it. The Green 

Dragon Cafe has cost a lot more in staff than 

it has taken in revenue so we tried moving 

the office into it but that didn’t work. We have 

decided to turn it into a new ‘experience’ (top 

secret for the moment) and open the bar in the 

barn in the evening for guests.” 

“SINCE WE ADDED THE ENCHANTED BARN IT HAS JUST 

FLOWN. WE HAD A WEDDING FAIR LAST SUNDAY AND GOT 20 

BOOKINGS FROM IT!” 

also have to thank our accountant John Milner 

from Milner Smeaton.” 

It took a couple of years to get everything in 

line but the funding covered the build, a new 

car park, the on-site Green Dragon Cafe and the 

Enchanted Wedding Barn, a 30x15m structure. 

“We added the barn as we were doing more 

and more weddings and events. Enchanted is a 

good name for it as it features indoor trees with 

chandeliers hanging from them. Brides often cry 

when they see it!” 

Despite this huge investment, Carol reports 

the business makes good profit. “Since we 

added the Enchanted Barn it has just flown. 

We had a wedding fair last Sunday and got 20 

bookings from it!” 

The venue side of the business is also 

popular with corporates and has delivered 

events for Welcome to Yorkshire and the North 

York Moors National Park. “We also held a Fairy 

Festival, which attracted 1,000 people, hold 

wizarding weekends and have a lot of fun at 

both Halloween and Christmas. This year we 

have shipped in 7,000 pumpkins and are offering 

wand making and a dance for ‘witches’ at our 

Halloween party. 

“We have also launched a Christmas 

competition which has made it onto Fox News, 

NBC and into the Times magazine. It is to win 

seven nights in The Ground Keeper’s Cottage 

over Christmas plus lots of other goodies 

including tea with Harry Potter, a steam 

train ride from the station where some of the 

Harry Potter scenes were filmed and presents 

delivered by Santa. All proceeds are going to JK 

Rowling’s charity, the Lumos Foundation.” 


PEOPLE 

Carol likens her business to bringing up a 

baby. “If you are not worrying then you aren’t 

doing it right!” she says. “It has costs £100,000s 

and given me a lot of stress and headaches 

along the way but it is totally worth it. There is 

a great saying, “He who dares wins Rodders.” 

You have to have nerves of steel – you either fail 

and learn or succeed and learn, but it’s a win 

either way!” 

LOCAL LOVE 

Championing local is an important part of North 

Shire’s ethos. “This area is a cauldron of magic. 

East Cleveland may not be one of the most 

talked about parts of the country but it is full 

of charisma and charm, from the Saxon Queen 

burial ground to the hidden beaches. Despite 

being in the North York Moors, we are classified 

as Teeside, an area that is overlooked a lot. We 

try to be the gateway to the area as North Shire 

gives people a reason to venture off the A171 

from Whitby. 

“Job creation is also very important to me 

and we employ eight people in our team. We are 

massively grateful to Teeside based businesses 

– there are some wonderful individuals doing 

some incredible things here.” 

With such a passion for business, and for 

championing local, Carol now runs seminars 

from The Shire, encouraging and supporting 

new businesses. “Many of the analogies I use 

to help people understand what running your 

own business is like involve boats. If you want a 

9-5 existence, buy a yacht for some comfortable 

sailing. If you want to really go places, start with 

some logs and a bit of rope and teach yourself to 

sail. Calm seas make poor captains but once you 

have learned to navigate 60 foot waves you will 

have a crew and have built yourself a galleon. 

You will also have truly learned how to have real 

adventures in life.” 

DETAILS 

North Shire 

Liverton, Saltburn-by-the-Sea 

Cleveland, TS13 4TJ 

01287 642228 

www.northshire.co.uk 



CASE STUDY 

ecoYoga 

A wild riverside retreat where guests can ‘bathe’ away 

their stress in a range of incredible outdoor facilities 

Nick and Rachel Loening have converted a former activity centre in 

the Highlands to a Japanese inspired bathing and yoga retreat. Now 

ramping up their corporate offering, guests can de-stress in a collection of hot tubs, baths 

and rainforest showers dotted along the river Liever. Although don’t pet the cat – she’s 

as wild as the scenery! We speak to Nick. 


When did you start your 

venue business? 

The business began in 2005 with 

the purchase of Inverliever Lodge 

and the slow development and 

upgrading of current and new 

buildings. We had previously run a 

yoga centre in Edinburgh and were 

looking to set something up in a 

remote area where people could 

reconnect with nature. 

We began running occasional 

retreats in 2008 and over the years 

these have become more regular 

(now weekly). With larger guest 

numbers we have almost reached 

full capacity for ecoYoga as a 

retreat centre. 

Tell us about your location 

and site 

ecoYoga is a five acre site at the 

southern tip of Loch Awe in Argyll 

and Bute. Inspired by nature, we 

created it as an expression of our 

belief in a healthy, happy, carbon 

free and sustainable lifestyle. 

Formally an outdoor activities 

centre, we have transformed 

Inverliever Lodge over five years 

into a guest house. We now offer 

13 bedrooms and a shared yurt at 

the centre. We also have a hydro 

turbine powered by the river 

that runs through the site. It is so 

effective that powering the lodge 

uses just 2 per cent of its output 

and we sell the rest back to 

the grid. 

We encourage guests to explore 

the untouched corners of the site 

but due to its rugged nature we do 

ask that they follow some safety 

guidelines – including the petting 

of our beautiful cat Lily; she is part 

bred Scottish Wild Cat! 

What facilities do you offer? 

We have a glazed yoga studio 

overlooking the gorge of the river 

Liever with underfloor heating and 

a range of spa facilities. 

At the ecoYoga centre we believe 

that there is nothing better in life 

than a good long soak, chin deep, 

in hot water. We therefore offer a 

choice of bathing places for our 

guests from a simple cleansing 

shower to deep immersion in 

our wooden hot tub. All our 

bathing is powered by 100 per 

cent renewable energy and the 

water used is from our own private 

spring - a wonderful 'soft' water 

that leaves the skin soft and shiny. 

Our bathing facilities follow 

the natural flow of our stretch of 

river. The sento dome is a geodesic 

glass structure filled with natural 

light. Close to the yoga studio, it 

houses rainforest showers and a 

hot tub which comfortably sits half 

and dozen people and is inspired 

by the ancient purification rites of 

Japanese bathing. 

Following the river from the 

sento dome is our artisan sauna. 

Built with sustainable Scottish 

Douglas fir wood it has its own 

natural spring water plunge pool 

and can be reached via a few 

steps, or a secret passage. 

Just below the sauna the river 

pours past the Upper Gorge Bath. 

Built into the rock, with hot and 

cold running spring water, this 

beautiful bath offers the perfect 

opportunity to scrub, soak and 

contemplate, or just dream. 

The Lower Gorge Bath is located 

where our river plunges into a 

natural gorge and joins the mighty 

Liever River. This deep bathtub - 



that easily fits two - has piped hot 

and cold water, and stands on a 

solid wooden platform overlooking 

a waterfall. Guests can alternate a 

hot soak with a wild river swim. 

We also have 10 main 

accommodation rooms with 

en-suite toilets, three rooms in a 

stone built bothy and shared yurt 

accommodation. 

What services do you offer? 

We offer fully catered yoga 

retreats, centre hires (where clients 

can book the whole centre for a 

fully catered retreat) and selfcatering 

holidays. 

As well as private and group 

retreats we have created a 

business retreat package for 

corporate bookings. Our venue 

offers an absolutely unique 

corporate retreat - perfect for 

developing teams, fostering 

creativity, strategy planning, 

mindset transformation and 

mindfulness training – all in a 

welcoming and energising wild 

setting. 

A typical corporate retreat 

includes vegetarian cuisine, 

inspiring, private rooms for 13+ 

participants and two facilitators, 

yoga classes each day (tailormade 

to requirements for relaxing, destressing, 

invigorating etc.), and 

sole use of all the ecoYoga Centre 

facilities (hot tub, plunge pools, 

hot wild river baths and artisan 

sauna). 

We also offer a tour of the 

ecoYoga hydro power station, 

luxury minibus transfers from 

Edinburgh or Glasgow and a free 

“WE ALSO 

OFFER A 

TOUR OF THE 

ECOYOGA 

HYDRO 

POWER 

STATION, 

LUXURY 

MINIBUS 

TRANSFERS 

FROM 

EDINBURGH 

OR GLASGOW 

AND A FREE 

RETREAT FOR 

TWO, WHICH 

IS A GREAT 

OPPORTUNITY 

FOR 

ORGANISERS 

TO PLAN 

THE EVENT” 

retreat for two, which is a great 

opportunity for organisers to plan 

the event. 

In order to make sure we are 

aligned with a corporate client’s 

vision, we offer customers a 

briefing with our staff to make sure 

everyone is on the same page. 

On the corporate retreat part of 

our website we show what we offer 

versus what we don't. This works 

well to show our main points 

of difference, eg. unique and 

comfortable accommodation in a 

wild natural location vs. a sterile 

environment, fresh air and great 

views vs. corporate blandness, 

soft water that leaves your skin 

feeling deliciously smooth vs. 

over chlorinated hot tubs, really 

remote nature vs. easy access by 

motorway, owls hooting at night 

vs. light pollution. 

Describe how you researched 

and sourced your structures 

All structures were built with 

recycled ecological and 

environmentally friendly 

materials. Research was based on 

decades of experience working 

with environmental building, 

houses and energy etc. 

A good friend of mine is Laird 

Henderson, who created the 

Ice House on Lochgoilhead and 

was featured in the first series 

of Channel 4’s The Restoration 

Man. We both have experience in 

building from reused materials 

and worked together to create 

the structures at ecoYoga. 

How do you publicise yourself? 

Mainly word of mouth, however 

we also have a website, 

Facebook, Instagram and free 

publicity with magazines/online 

platforms. I believe in word of 

mouth as the most powerful 

form of exposure, and our unique 

offering and beautifully wild 

location has attracted a lot of 

press coverage. 



How would you describe your 

style or unique selling point? 

Our USP is that the centre was 

inspired by nature and designed 

to integrate seamlessly with the 

nature around it. We promote 

a way to use nature to live in 

abundance while also being 

sustainable. 

Have you worked with any 

industry bodies or consultants? 

We have worked with consultants 

who created our website to ensure 

it ranks highly in search engines 

and is encrypted to avoid data 

being compromised. 

What are your plans for next 

season? 

We are hoping to offer more in the 

way of corporate business retreats. 

“OUR USP 

IS THAT THE 

CENTRE WAS 

INSPIRED BY 

NATURE AND 

DESIGNED TO 

INTEGRATE 

SEAMLESSLY 

WITH THE 

NATURE 

AROUND IT” 

class from 8am-10am, this is 

followed by a delicious brunch 

served at 10.30am. Guests then 

have free time to relax, go on walks, 

have a massage or use the facilities. 

Soup is served at 1.30pm, followed 

by another yoga/meditation 

workshop from 4pm-6pm and 

dinner at 6.30pm. 

What do you enjoy about the 

business and why? 

That we are able to offer guests 

the chance to get away from their 

busy lives and spend time being 

in nature; seeing guests leaving 

relaxed and refreshed and full of joy 

and happiness is very special. It is 

especially satisfying when guests 

from a corporate background who 

may live hectic, stressful lifestyles 

get the opportunity to truly let go 

and unwind. 

What are you most proud of? 

The number of returning guests 

that come on our retreats - we must 

be doing something right! 

We also have six members of 

staff living on site from March to 

November and I am proud of what 

we have created for them – a caring 

and healthy environment in a 

wonderful part of the world. 

What advice could you give 

to someone coming into the 

industry? 

To go with their gut and consult 

with as many different people 

to enable you to make the best 

decisions possible. 

DETAILS 

ecoYoga 

Inverliever Lodge 

Ford 

Argyll PA31 8RH 

01546 810259 

www.ecoyoga.org 

Describe your average day 

mid-season 

There is no average day at ecoYoga! 

During a retreat we offer a yoga 



INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 

Directory 

Listing 

Strategies 

Should your venue list with wedding 

directories? Kelly Chandler and Emma Hla 

explain the why and the how for the best 

return on investment 

GETTY IMAGES 

YOU ALREADY have the message that your 

online presence is vital if you are a venue 

and looking to appeal to the 30 something 

bridal customer of 2019. 

You are likely to have considered or 

invested in listing with established online 

platforms, be they third party specialist 

wedding directories, blogs or resources that 

have more presence and strength online 

than your own venue and can get you in 

front of the right eyeballs. 

Listing alone isn't the route to all success 

but it is incredibly valuable and there are 

some strategies you need to know to make 

the very best of your investment. 

I’m delighted to be presenting this feature 

very much in partnership with Emma Hla 

of Coco Wedding Venues, the UK’s original 

style focused directory and a highly popular 

‘wedding directory’ that a number of my 

niche-market rural and open air venues are 

part of. 

WHY SHOULD YOU LIST? 

If you’ve got your Google ducks in a row, 

then getting yourself on directories is 

another valuable layer of marketing - and 

layering your marketing is super important. 

Here’s why… 

It’s thought to take around six to eight 

touch points (and rising) before a couple will 

buy into what you’re selling. A touch point 

can be any encounter where a prospective 

buyer engages with your business. So, this 

could be an ad, a post on social media, 

a Facebook review, an email, a brochure 

or indeed a venue listing on a third-party 

website. All of these touch points add up to 

a story and will ultimately give the buyer 

confidence in your ‘product’, leading to a 

conversation and hopefully a booking. 

As mentioned above, they’re a great layer 

in your sales process and will ultimately 

refer couples to your venue. Many platforms 

and blogs will have thousands of visitors 

per day, and if it’s a wedding venue focused 

website then a high percentage of these 

visitors will be in venue ‘buying’ mode. 

Established directories will also have a 

high domain authority, meaning they’re 

considered a good source of information 

by Google and will appear high on Google 

searches. This is especially great for venues 

just starting out. 

Some directories and blogs are very savvy 

when it comes to upcoming trends and 

changes in the industry, so being affiliated 

with the right platform will mean that your 

venue will reap the benefits of this insight. 

Online platforms will also have a larger 

reach than most print publications, so an 

advert on a digital publication will have a 

higher ROI and most importantly you can 

track your success easily through Google 

Analytics or a unique tracking link. 

“THERE ARE MANY TYPES 

OF WEDDING VENUE 

DIRECTORIES OUT THERE, 

IN FACT IT SEEMS LIKE 

THERE’S A NEW PLATFORM 

LAUNCHING EACH WEEK, SO 

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH 

ONE SUITS YOU AND YOUR 

VENUE?” 

KNOW YOUR CLIENT 

This is a subject close to my heart and one 

that Emma and I couldn’t agree more on. 

Modern business success stories are usually 

those who really ‘niche down’ into their ideal 

client and set the rest to one side. The same 

can be said of online directory presence as 

Emma explains here... 

There are many types of wedding venue 

directories out there, in fact it seems like 

there’s a new platform launching each week, 

so how do you know which one suits you 

and your venue? 

There are some obvious choices when it 

comes to platforms, but my advice is to also 

consider the smaller niche platforms too. 

The larger, well-established directories will 

absolutely send you traffic and referrals but 

sometimes the smaller, focused directories 

will have a specific audience which you 

can tap into to tailor the referrals you’re 

receiving. If you feel aligned with that 

directory then you will probably attract their 

fabulous like-minded couples that will truly 

understand your venue and your ethos. 

But here’s the key – who are you selling 

to? What do they do? What are their 

interests? What type of wedding will they be 

having? What’s their budget? All platforms 

should feel aligned with your venue, your 

brand and ultimately the couples you want 

to talk to. 

SHARE THE LOVE 

Once you’ve chosen the directories you wish 

to advertise on, don’t favour one over the 

other. 

Think you’re getting more from one 

platform? It might be because you’re only 



communicating to that one person/directory 

or perhaps you’re spending more money on 

boosts and additional marketing with them. 

Ensure the same updates and information 

is given to all directories and plan out 

additional marketing activities with each 

one. 

Understand what you get for your 

membership with each platform and make 

sure you take full advantage of it – for 

example, if they have an affiliated blog 

then submit real weddings, advice pieces or 

styled editorials. If they have an event diary 

then get your open days and fairs listed. If 

you have a special offer then make sure this 

is visible on all listings, however you might 

want to consider tailoring offers as a form of 

tracking referrals. 

CHECK IN AND ‘DO THE WORK’ 

The days of ‘list and run’ are over to be 

blunt, so in order to reap the rewards from a 

relationship with a third party directory you 

need to nurture and feed your investment. 

Always check in with your listing and 

review the information you’re presenting; 

it’s so important your listing is up to date. 

It’s quite surprising how many venues will 

change their email or telephone number but 

not update third-party websites! 

Keeping your listings up to date will not 

only ensure couples can reach you, but the 

information you share will also help qualify 

your referrals. 

I would advise checking in at least once 

every quarter to ensure information is still 

correct. Your galleries and images should 

also be updated twice a year – before 

your peak summer season and again in 

December, ready for the big engagement 

season. 

After each season, review the images 

from your recent weddings and pick out 

your ‘hero’ shots. Updating your listing 

twice a year will keep things fresh, provide 

new content for social use and of course 

add new Google juice! 

The nature of venue hunting means that 

you’ll have a constant stream of new eyes 

on your listings, so it’s not about content 

being seen before, but rather about staying 

ahead of the industry. Fashions and trends 

move at an alarming rate and by renewing 

your images after each season you’ll be 

speaking to current couples looking for a 

venue that reflects them. 

REFERRALS – THE BIGGER PICTURE 

When you join a directory, referrals will 

come to you in two ways – direct and 

indirect. It’s very easy to focus on the direct 

referrals and yes, they’re absolutely a 

simple way to track your success on that 

platform, but do they tell the whole story? 

An indirect referral can be just as 

important but this will show up in your 

analytics as a direct referral or an organic 

search referral, rather than from your 

affiliated marketing platforms. For example; 

a couple could be browsing Coco Wedding 

Venues, see your venue and then open a 

new tab to Google search it. This will be 

viewed by your own analytics as a Google 

click-through rather than affiliated to the 

Coco platform. This is where looking at 

referrals and statistics in a more holistic 

way can benefit you and your marketing 

approach. 

Here are three simple tips when it comes to 

referrals: 

› First of all, treat all referrals in the same 

way by having a slick and super-fast 

response process. This can be templated, 

but always ensure you’ve made it feel 

personal and it’s written in a tone that 

reflects you and your venue’s vibe 

› Don’t focus on just one metric when 

you’re analysing the success of your listing – 

instead, alongside key metrics, understand 

your finder views, page views and shortlist 

adds from the platform. This will help to 

complete that bigger picture 

› Have a section on your contact form asking 

where the couple found you, similarly ask 

a couple in email or in person on a show 

round. The default answer may be ‘Google’ 

purely because they are absorbing so much 

information when venue searching, but you 

might also start to see a pattern if couples 

mention specific websites. 

What’s the average? 

Understand the average number of click 

throughs and direct messages per directory. 

Don’t compare one with the other, but 

instead compare directly with platforms' 

own stats - how is your venue performing 

against this? If it’s below average then 

what can be done? This doesn’t just fall 

onto the platform, but it’s rather a two-way 

conversation. 

What can the platform do for you and how 

can you improve your listing/engagement 

with it? 

This could be solved by: 

› Updating your listing imagery 

› Utilising all tools available - testimonials, 

late availability and special offers or a film 

› Asking about additional paid boosts. 

If your venue is underperforming across 

all platforms against the previous year, then 

consider other factors that can influence 

this – the number of engagements that year, 

trends such as couples wanting to marry 

in 2020 rather than 2019, and of course the 

current political climate, are all huge factors. 

WHAT DOES ROI MEAN TO YOU? 

When you join multiple directories, return on 

investment (ROI) will have a slightly different 

meaning for each. So, decide what that ROI 

looks like and then measure. 

For some directories, it might mean that 

you need to book five weddings to justify 

the price. For others, it might be just one 

booking. For some platforms, it might be 

a brand alignment exercise, so how will 

you manage your ROI expectations here? 

Each directory will have its own unique 

selling point, so understand what the ROI is 

per platform instead of applying a generic 

calculation across all. 



COCO WEDDING VENUES 

“LOOK AT YOUR ANALYTICS AND COMPARE YEAR TO YEAR SO 

THAT YOU CAN SEE IF YOUR REFERRALS ARE GROWING OR 

FALLING VERSUS THE SAME YEAR TO DATE (YTD) PERIOD” 

UNDERSTAND THE SEASONS 

If you’ve been working in the wedding 

industry for a while, then you’ll know all 

about the engagement seasons. However, if 

you’re new to a role or are about to launch 

your venue then this one is for you. 

Directories have two peak seasons and 

they fall in late December through to early 

March and again from July to the end of 

October. These are key times for couples to 

get engaged and start the venue searching. 

Outside of these periods you can expect 

traffic and referrals to fall a little. 

If you’re concerned that your referrals 

have fallen during the months of May or 

November then this could just be the natural 

seasonal dip, so instead of comparing 

month to month, look at your analytics and 

compare year to year so that you can see if 

your referrals are growing or falling versus 

the same year to date (YTD) period. This is 

also a good exercise for your own website 

traffic. 

Understanding the engagement seasons 

will also allow you to plan your marketing 

and hit those key engagement times with 

additional marketing activities. 

HAVE A PRESS FOLDER 

READY TO GO! 

Listing a venue should be super simple… 

Whether it’s being done for you, or you’re 

completing a profile yourself. The best way 

to always be prepared is to have a press 

folder which is kept up to date throughout 

the year. This should contain: 

› Your ‘need to know’ details at a glance 

such as capacity for ceremony/reception, 

marriage license and accommodation 

information 

› Your blurb about the venue – a short 

summary alongside a more detailed ‘storytelling’ 

version, covering all aspects of your 

venue 

› A file of professional high resolution 

images (minimum 10, maximum 100) 

› Photography credits for all images 

(preferably in the image file name). 

If you look after this press folder then it will 

make joining blogs and directories super 

easy and they will love you even more in 

return. 

WHAT NOW? 

Once you’re listed with a directory it’s not 

a done deal that the enquiries will roll in 

and you’ll instantly (and magically) convert 

them to bookings. When you list with a 

directory, it’s just part of the sales process, 

not the whole shebang. It’s now that you 

should look at your own processes to see 

how they play their part in the sale. 

Review your in-house collateral, review 

how you respond to enquiries, what 

does your show round process look like 

and, if we roll it all the way back to the 

beginning, when a couple clicks through to 

your website from a third-party platform 

what are they seeing? All of the above is 

something that I absolutely love exploring 

and refining with my one to one consulting 

clients, achieving those ‘ah ha’ moments 

and setting steps to improve conversion of 

those valued enquiries. 

Listing your venue on a directory isn’t the 

end of the story… it’s just the beginning. 

ABOUT THE 

AUTHORS 

Kelly Chandler 

Wedding Consulting 

helps unique places 

and spaces to thrive 

in the modern wedding 

market via a range 

of specialist one to one 

consulting and group training 

programmes. 

Kelly has a wealth of specialist wedding 

industry experience through more than 

15 years leading her award-winning 

independent wedding planning 

business, The Bespoke Wedding 

Company, together with a directorship 

at industry body, the UK Alliance of 

Wedding Planners. Kelly is proud to eat, 

breathe and sleep weddings - setting 

standards, inspiring, mentoring and 

motivating others. She is a wellrespected 

go-to expert in the business 

of weddings with a unique grasp of 

both modern bridal expectations and a 

venue’s commercial needs. 

www.kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk 

Emma Hla founded awardwinning 

website Coco 

Wedding Venues which 

currently showcases 

550+ wedding venues 

across the UK, with 

more being added 

weekly. Split into eight 

categories (Bohemian 

Beats, Coastal Cool, City 

Chic, Classic Elegance, Rustic 

Romance, Modern Vintage, Luxe Edit 

and Delicious Destinations), it’s simple 

for the site’s visitors to quickly find the 

perfect location to suit their style. Emma 

personally selects each featured venue 

and also provides plenty of inspiration on 

the Coco Wedding Venues blog. 

www.cocoweddingvenues.co.uk 


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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 

Markers of Success 

How venues can help event bookers with reputational ROI and 

demonstrating brand values in a post-Attenborough world 

SPENDING BIG money on an event 

inevitably means that there needs to be 

some kind of return on investment (ROI). 

This used to be measured rather 

simplistically and anecdotally, with verbal 

feedback: ‘the service was fantastic’; ‘we 

had a lovely time’; ‘the stage and set was of 

theatrical proportions’; ‘there was plentiful 

food’. 

Then procurement departments got 

involved in buying meetings and events 

and, due to their process driven approach, 

they were far more prescriptive in what they 

wanted to measure. 

Bookers had to quantify ‘what was 

achieved’, ‘what messages were imparted 

to the delegates’ and ‘are the messages and 

teachings still ingrained’. ROI consequently 

became very formulaic. Businesses sprung 

up hypothesising, turning knowledge 

retention into informatics and the events 

industry into a quasi-space commodity. 

Fast forward a decade and we are all in 

the business of sharing our experiences 

online. And yes, return on investment 

remains imperative and it’s a requisite of 

business; however today’s measurements 

and success criterion have changed. 

The maturation of the events market 

means that companies have a better 

understanding of the purpose behind their 

events - so much so they are a core part of 

the marketing mix and now less likely to 

be considered a flighty excuse for bashing 

expenses. And in being part of the marketing 

mix it means that better measurements are 

in place to understand the returns. Return 

on investment or return on attendance, the 

success criteria behind events are changing. 

Today’s success criteria are increasingly 

driven by both user generated content and 

the organisation’s desire to fulfil its wider 

corporate social responsibility. 

An image shared, liked and commented 

upon on one of the social media platforms is 

now as valuable to marketers as knowledge 

retention of a delegate. After all, events 

have become brand experiences and as 

such enable attendees to live the brand 

for a short moment. And unprompted 

amplification through shares, likes or 

“SOCIAL SHARES ARE 

INSTANTANEOUS AND A 

BRAND CAN BE DAMAGED 

QUICKLY BY THE WRONG 

IMAGE BEING PUSHED OUT 

ON SOCIAL MEDIA.” 

comments is an important part of a 

marketer’s remit to spread the word. 

Equally, being seen as a mindful 

organisation who cares about the planet 

and its future isn't just important to 

Generation X and Z, it’s increasingly part 

of corporate governance. Choosing supply 

partners with a like-minded conscience, 

considering wastage at events, not overly 

burdening guests with cheap plastic 

giveaways and looking at food miles all 

need to be considered by event managers. 

And if a budget holder can report back on 

the considerations and actions taken to 

reduce impact, then the returns are there. 

Social shares are instantaneous and a 

brand can be damaged quickly by the wrong 

image being pushed out on social media. 

The individual plastic bottle that was a 

former statement for luxe is out, the flash 

stage and lighting that draws heavily on 

electricity is getting frowned upon and the 

buffet groaning with food is plain distasteful. 

The harsh realisation that nowadays 

everywhere is a stage means that planners 

need to question everything and seek 

alternatives to ensure that the images of 

their events that inevitably get shared are 

a true representation of their company’s 

values. 

As venues and suppliers we should 

all be helping planners to make more 

environmentally considered decisions. And 

while there are no firm quick fixes, it’s bit by 

bit that we can help. 

If success is marked as return on 

investment, then make sure that every 

touchpoint has been considered and can 

stand the scrutiny - not by the procurement 

department, but the global online public. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Andrew White is MD of Triggerfish 

Communications, a specialist in helping 

heritage venues and leisure attractions build 

awareness and market share in the business of 

events. www.triggerfish.co.uk 

GETTY IMAGES 



NETWORKING IS a great way of 

getting your brand/product out 

there into the marketplace. This 

can be face to face networking, or 

on social media through platforms 

such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram 

and Facebook. 

We should all be networking if 

we want our businesses to grow. It 

takes most of us in some way out 

of our comfort zone and means 

we need to learn new skills but 

networking is a very powerful 

advertising tool if you do it well. 

We are in a ‘people buy people’ 

world and you are a walking, 

talking advert. True, the people you 

network with need to have a use for 

your product, but they are much 

more likely to come to you if they 

know the person behind it. You are 

the person they are buying into, you 

are your product, you are 

your brand! 

TARGETING YOUR 

AUDIENCE ONLINE 

Let’s start with digital networking. 

It’s vital to know who you are 

looking for, so your message 

is targeted. Are you looking for 

corporate clients? Are you looking 

for couples for weddings? Make sure 

you have done your research and 

everything is in place so when you 

get your first enquiry you can come 

straight back to them and explain 

what you are going to do for them. 

Do you want the Meetings, 

Incentives, Conference & Events 

(MICE) market? These may come 

direct or via a large agency and are 

often easiest to track down online 

via LinkedIn or Twitter. LinkedIn is 

a B2B meeting place that now has 

similar functionality to Facebook. 

Make sure you have a headline on 

your profile stating who you are 

looking to help - by interacting with 

other people’s posts, your name 

and headline will constantly 

come up. 

Do you want wedding/social 

business? If so, you probably want 

to have Facebook, Instagram and 

Pinterest pages, which you should 

update regularly and interact 

with on a daily basis (ideally). 

These are the best platforms 

for B2C requirements. These 

clients are probably going to buy 

from pictures, so lots of pictures 

showcasing what you can do, how 

versatile you are, and how clients’ 

events are all about them not you 

# # 

“JOIN CHAT 

HOURS ON 

TWITTER TO 

MEET LOCAL 

BUSINESSES 

ONLINE. IN 

MY AREA, 

#HERTSHOUR 

IS MONDAY 

8-9PM; 

EVERYBODY 

ARRIVES AND 

HAS THE 

#HERTSHOUR 

HASHTAG 

BEFORE 

EVERYTHING 

THEY SAY” 

GETTY IMAGES 

– this is really important. Get some 

testimonials on here; people want 

to know you are tried and tested, 

and you are going to do what you 

say you are going to do! 

Join chat hours on Twitter to 

meet local businesses online. In 

my area, #hertshour is Monday 

8-9pm; everybody arrives and has 

the #hertshour hashtag before 

everything they say. There is 

usually a topic for each evening, 

on which you can add your input, 

just remember the # so you can be 

seen. Turn up regularly and you 

will raise your profile and become 

well known. Work out the ones 

which are right for you and attend 

regularly – this is key. 

It takes on average eight 

touch points before people start 

seeing who you are and that you 

understand your market and 

client needs. Clients will then start 

interacting with you and direct 

messaging for more information. 

You have to prove to them that you 

are an expert in your field and then 

people will start asking for your 

input - this is a great way to build 

up your client base. They will then 

start pointing people towards you; 

referral networking is the best form 

of networking. It’s the warm intro 

from someone they already trust 

that makes all the difference. It 

will come but you need to build 

up to this. 

Networking 

Claire Lee on connecting with new clients 

both online and face to face 



REAL WORLD NETWORKING 

Face to face networking is the most 

powerful way to build relationships. 

Attend conferences, offer to speak 

on subjects you have experience in 

and go along to expos to build up 

your knowledge and your contacts. 

Take a stand at an expo and be the 

face behind the name, talk to people 

and help your brand come alive. 

Put yourself up for awards in your 

industry. This is a great exercise as 

it makes you look at your business 

with fresh eyes and as a client 

‘looking in’. Should you make it to 

the finals you will have your name 

across all channels of social media, 

and the publicity that goes with 

it. Whether you win or not you get 

your name up in lights on the night! 

Perhaps also sponsor a category of a 

local industry awards - this gets your 

name out there again and probably 

across the related social media 

channels. Whenever you appear 

on social media, like and share the 

comments and add your thoughts. It 

becomes an online conversation. 

As with all networking, if you have 

said you are going to do something, 

you must do it. You become the 

# 


Claire Lee started 

Venue Queen in 

2016 after many 

years in the hotel 

industry, offering a 

free of charge venue 

finding service and 

a consultancy for 

independently owned 

venues, allowing 

them to maximise 

their revenue 

across all sectors. 

She more recently 

launched www. 

borrowmygarden. 

co.uk, a listing site for 

outdoor event spaces. 

Her passion is helping 

independent venue 

owners understand 

how to make the 

most of their venues. 

07769 660744 / www. 

venuequeen.co.uk 

reliable, dependable expert in that 

field. People will start to seek you out. 

NETWORKING GROUPS 

There are usually lots of networking 

groups in each area. Choose those 

that relate to the business you want 

to do and research which ones will 

work. Think about your expected 

return on investment, ie. how many 

contacts would you like to get from 

an event? What is your commitment 

to each group? Some will be paid 

membership with committed 

weekly or monthly meetings, others 

are drop ins. Some are great for 

socialising but give very little return. 

I do go to some of these as I like 

them and enjoy connecting with 

people but accept that my ROI is 

nil. There are many I have stopped 

attending as the ROI is nil and I 

don’t enjoy the meetings – accept 

this and find others which are suited 

to you and your business. 

Networking events are great 

at connecting people and a lot of 

business can be gained as well as 

moral support. It’s a balancing act of 

the ones you like and the ones you 

get a return on. Sometimes it’s just 

good to be out on the social side 

of work, meeting other people in a 

similar situation. 

Some local councils are also 

supportive of small businesses and 

will facilitate networking. Think 

about the area where you want to 

be – sometimes these cross county 

lines or multiple towns. Select a few, 

try them and then try some more. 

TAKE AWAYS 

When live networking, the very 

least you should take with you 

is a business card, but other 

marketing merchandise may also 

be of benefit. Aside from brochures, 

think of something that sells your 

business and fits in with your brand, 

something the people you meet 

can take back to the office/home 

with them that will remind them of 

you and what you do. This may be 

something that is of benefit - on my 

desk now I am looking at a branded 

tissue box, pen holder, coaster, hand 

cream, lip salve and USB sticks. I see 

them every day - for me that’s what 

good marketing is all about. I never 

forget these brands as they look at 

me all day; it does work! 

At the end of each networking 

session, whether online or live, 

review and collate the business 

cards and information you have 

collected. If you have business 

cards write the date, time, location 

and the meeting they relate to. In a 

year’s time you will have forgotten! 

Important; do not bombard anyone 

with spam emails (selling your 

product) but do send an email 

saying how nice it was to meet or 

e-meet them, and that you would 

like to get a better understanding 

of what they do, offering a coffee 

or a follow up phone call. Take this 

relationship to the next level - how 

can you do business together? 

HOLDING A NETWORKING EVENT 

If you are a venue, offer to host 

an event. Very often costs are 

covered, but not always, so do 

check. Sometimes it may be a 

complimentary room/area and tea/ 

coffee is required which can give 

you the opportunity to showcase 

your business offering. If you have 

suppliers you regularly work with, 

ask them to come in and support 

you, eg. if you are a venue and 

you work with a florist, very often 

they would be happy to provide 

some floral decoration in return 

for leaving their business cards or 

for them attending. They probably 

network too and would welcome 

the promotion! Make sure you put 

everything out on social media with 

lots of pictures. 

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS 

You need to network regularly; 

it isn’t enough to turn up once 

and then say I have been to that 

group and got nothing from it! 

You need to go regularly to build 

up relationships with people. 

Networking contacts are very 

supportive of each other. Often 

when they are out and someone 

asks them if they know of a business 

or venue, not only are they likely 

to recommend you, they are also 

probably going to offer to connect 

you directly. A new customer being 

handed to you, how nice! Always 

remember to say thank you and, if 

that client confirms a big order, the 

gesture of a bottle of wine, some 

flowers or a box of chocolates is 

always a great way to show your 

appreciation as without that 

introduction you probably wouldn’t 

have got that piece of business. 

So, get out there and network 

your socks off either in person or 

virtually - you will reap the rewards! 


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PRODUCT IN FOCUS 

Professional 

Services 

Kelburn Garden Party and 

Kelburn Psychedelic Forest 

Carnival 

Service: Public liability, employers liability, 

hired-in equipment and cancellation Insurance 

From: Integro Entertainment & Sport Insurance 

Brokers (Manchester 0161 302 0056 / 

www.integroentertainment.com) 

Details: The annual programme of installations, 

music and performance events at Kelburn Castle 

features a diverse program of activities. Kelburn 

Arts delivers the Kelburn Garden Party and the 

Psychedelic Forest Carnival and has been a client 

of Integro Entertainment & Sport for over seven 

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Undisclosed Castle Venue in West England 

Service: Ecology and landscape architecture 

From: Diversity Environmental Consultants (01452 771010 / 

www.diversity.biz) 

Details: A sought after venue for weddings, corporate events and 

outdoor activities, this castle estate in the west of England features 

historic parkland, gardens, and a range of natural habitats including a 

river of international importance for wildlife. 

The owners are currently in the process of converting and 

refurbishing a collection of old farm buildings into high quality 

accommodation. Prior to building works commencing, planning 

consent had to be obtained from the local council and legal 

permissions relating to the protection of wildlife and other natural 

resources received from government agencies such as Natural 

England. 

Working closely with the architect and client from early design 

stages, Diversity Environmental Consultants helped navigate the 

project through a series of complex environmental issues to achieve a 

successful planning outcome. This in turn has enabled building work 

to start on time so that accommodation can be ready for the next 

booking season. 

The services have included: ecological surveys of habitats and 

protected species (bats, great crested newts, otters and reptiles), 

environmental management plans, protected species licensing, 

arboricultural assessment, and landscape design for the gardens, 

access roads and parking. 

Feedback: Architect George Chedburn said: “Resolving issues relating 

to ecology and landscape is fundamental to a project of this nature 

being successful. Diversity Environmental Consultants provide the 

level of ecological and landscape architectural expertise needed, while 

being sensitive to the needs of the client and other team members.” 

Hawarden Castle Pavillion 

Service supplied: Event management and logistics, 

lighting, sound, power, furniture and staging 

From: Event Equipment (01829 289888 / 

www.eventequipmetltd.co.uk) 

Details: Event Equipment not only has a phenomenal 

amount of AV equipment, power infrastructure and 

furniture available, but also a proven ability to manage 

events from the planning stages to completion. The 

company’s relationship with Hawarden Castle Estate has 

grown over the years and it is now an integral part of its 

annual festival, The Good Life Experience. 

Set within the Hawarden estate, with views of two castles 

and rolling historic parkland, the site is one of Wales’ most 

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Logistics and layout is key as Event Equipment 

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team loves building the framework into the land, lighting 

the historic castle to enhance its buildings. The company 

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Feedback: Vicky Gladstone, The Good Life Experience 

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A hobby turned thriving glamping 

business on the Isle of Wight 

Helen and Frazer Cunningham were among the UK’s glamping 

pioneers when they started letting their Airstream trailer in 2004. In this, 

their 16th season, the couple’s fleet now numbers 18 but their seasonal 

offering remains true to its roots, with a real vintage atmosphere 

and “a healthy dose of kitsch”. We talk to Helen. 

What’s your back story – your life 

before glamping? 

What started out as a hobby turned into 

a life-changing business. We bought 

our first 1965 ‘Tradewind’ Airstream 

over from America in early 2004. Having 

a holiday home on the Isle of Wight, 

it made sense for us to keep it on the 

island. The original idea was to use it 

ourselves and maybe rent it out for the 

occasional holiday and photoshoot. 

However, once we had our hands on our 

‘trailer’ we really caught the bug and 

had a ‘what if…’ vision for a whole field 

of retro caravans. 

Our first local newsagent 

advertisement caught the eye of a travel 

editor from The Guardian newspaper 

who came to stay and gave us a great 

review, bringing in our first spate of 

bookings. Word spread during 2004 

and we were thrilled to find that so 

many others loved the idea of a stay in a 

vintage caravan. We made the move to 

“WE PUT OUR 

HEARTS INTO 

ALL OF OUR 

PROJECTS 

– WE DO 

WHAT WE 

LOVE OUR- 

SELVES AND 

HOPE THAT 

GUESTS WILL 

LOVE IT TOO” 

the Island full time in 2007 and 2020 will 

see our 17th season! With 13 American 

vintage caravans, as well as our various 

British classic caravans, we have 18 in 

the fleet now. 

We are very proud to have been 

among the very first businesses offering 

glamping holidays in the UK and the 

original glamping holiday operators on 

the Isle of Wight! 

As Vintage Vacations became our full 

time jobs (our previous 25 year careers 

were in the photographic industry), we 

added to our holiday locations with The 

Mission, The Scout Hall and The Shack. 

We also ‘curate’ The Bungalow. We are 

always on the lookout for interesting 

places and never quite know what 

our next project will be (well, we do 

actually… Tiny Homes Holidays). 

We put our hearts into all of 

our projects – we do what we love 

ourselves and hope that guests will 

love it too. We like to think our places 

are low on twee and high on real 

‘vintage’ atmosphere, with a healthy 

dose of kitsch to stop it all getting too 

serious. 

How did you research the business 

before entering it? 

We did zero research – we just bought 

an old caravan and stated renting it 

out. We had literally no idea it would 

turn into a life-changing business! 

Tell us about your location and site 

One of the biggest challenges was 

finding a home for the business 

and it took six years to get planning 

permission. We have been at our 

current site at Hazelgrove Farm for 12 

years. When we originally started we 

were simply some vintage caravans in 

a farmer’s field, and to be honest we 

haven’t really changed the business 

model. We like to keep things really 

simple and let the vans speak for 

themselves. 

How did you tackle getting planning? 

We had to employ specialist planning 

consultants – it cost us thousands of 

pounds and one failed application on a 

piece of land that we bought. We were 

advised that the land was suitable 

but had not foreseen the vitriolic local 

objections! This was 13 years ago 

when little was understood about 

niche tourism. The land is now home 

to Tiny Homes Holidays, which again 

faced objections but was approved by 

planning committee. 


GLAMPSITES 

How did you finance the project? 

For Vintage Vacations we had a DEFRA 

grant of £12K that we had, of course, 

to match with our own funds. Our 

landlady was also able to benefit with 

a tag along grant for development of 

her own small farm enterprises. 

How did you work out your brand 

and how do you publicise yourself? 

Vintage Vacations was a lightbulb 

idea that just happened at the right 

time and grew like a snowball with 

us hanging on to it! Because we were 

doing something really new our press 

coverage grew organically. It was the 

first review (by an Observer journalist 

who was one of the first people to stay) 

that really kickstarted the business. We 

have always had quite a strict policy 

regarding the press that we liaise with 

– only high end. 

We are always amazed by and 

grateful for the continued press 

interest. It really was a case of a good 

idea at the right time. We do not send 

out press releases but we do send 

out updates to our local destination 

marketing organisation (DMO), Visit Isle 

of Wight, which has a wonderful press 

department for which we are grateful 

and happy to pay our destination 

business improvement district (DBID) 

contributions to. 

“WE ARE 

ALWAYS 

AMAZED 

BY AND 

GRATEFUL 

FOR THE 

CONTINUED 

PRESS 

INTEREST. 

IT REALLY 

WAS A CASE 

OF A GOOD 

IDEA AT THE 

RIGHT TIME” 

How would you describe your ethos 

and unique selling point? 

Our ethos is to provide a fun and stylish 

glamping break. We never ‘over sell’ 

what we offer - again the Airstreams 

speak for themselves! 

How did you choose your interior 

decoration? 

The Airstreams are so iconic we wanted 

to keep them as original as possible. 

We have always loved vintage, and 

after having worked as a photographic 

stylist for 20 years, I had amassed a vast 

collection of ‘props’ that all found good 

homes! 

We decided to gently restore our vans 

rather than rip them out completely. 

Call us old romantics but we feel that 

this keeps the ‘soul’ of the caravan and 

continues the tradition of many happy 

holidays past. What this means is that if 

the original Formica and door handles 

(for example) are a bit worn but still 

working perfectly well we will leave 

them intact, but things like cookers, 

soft furnishings, beds etc. are replaced 

with sympathetic alternatives. Vintage 

fabrics and accessories are used where 

we are able. 

Onboard facilities include fridges, 

cookers, heaters, toasters, and CD 

radios. Lots of kitchen equipment is 

provided as are towels and fresh white 

linen. We also have a stock of vintage 

board games and classic CDs. 

All of the American vans have 

onboard showers and there is a toilet 

facility on site not far away (guests can 

also hire a chemical loo). The British 

vans do not have onboard hot water or 

showers and are priced for a fun budget 

break. 

Each caravan has it’s own brightly 

painted picnic bench, parasol, classic 

deckchairs, barbeque and log burner. 

What challenges have you faced? 

Weather, maintenance of vintage 

caravans, growing competition, 

weather, finding a home, weather… 

but after 16 years we have most of this 

nailed (apart from the weather). 


GLAMPSITES 

What are your plans for next season? 

We will be revamping some of the vans 

(we always do winter revamps) and we 

already have a few weddings, group 

bookings and holiday bookings in place 

– we feel 2020 will be a strong year! 

We have also started a new off-shoot 

business providing curated holidays 

for women (www.wyldesistas.com) 

in which Vintage Vacations will play a 

strong role. 

Describe your average day midseason 

LOL! If you look on my Instagram for 

vintagevacations you will see a day in 

my life story. We run three businesses 

(to be four when Wyldesistas launches 

on 3 November) so I am constantly 

spinning plates. The biggest learning 

curve for me over the last three years 

has been learning to delegate. We are 

lucky to have some fantastic people 

working for us. 

On site at Vintage Vacations a 

day would consist of sorting out 

the day’s bookings and liaising with 

new bookings, answering enquiries, 

organising staff and changeovers 

for vans, cleaning the toilet block, 

maintenance and grass mowing (it’s 

a big field!). Maybe putting up one of 

our vintage pop up vans that acts as 

extra bedrooms, or a tent… or even 

our vintage marquee that is hired out 

for group bookings. Then there is book 

keeping, booking ferries for guests and 

dealing with our various accounts for 

linen, cleaning materials and waste 

management. We also greet every guest 

personally to show them around their 

Airstream accommodation. 


GLAMPSITES 

Do you enjoy the business? 

Yes! I still get bowled over by the beauty 

of the Airstreams every day as I drive 

onto the field. We get really lovely guests 

and that interaction is one of the nicest 

aspects of the job. I also really enjoy the 

styling and preparing of the vans for 

guests. 

What are you most proud of? 

Having a good idea and not being 

afraid to go for it. If we had a pound for 

everyone who said to us “I thought of 

doing that” we’d be very wealthy! 

We are also delighted with our 

accolades. We received a ‘Highly 

Commended’ award at the IOW Chamber 

of Commerce Business Awards for 

Excellence in 2009 and were floored to 

actually win an award in 2010 in the 

Tourism & Leisure category. 2012 saw 

us as runners up in Coast Magazine’s 

awards (Best Caravan and Camping 

Site). The Shack won Cosiest Cottage 

Hideaway in the 2013 My Isle of Wight 

Awards, and in 2014 and 2015 we picked 

up two further My Isle of Wight Awards 

for the Best Place to go Glamping for the 

airstreams. 

What other outdoor hospitality sectors 

do you operate in? 

While glamping is our first love, we have 

now taken the glamping vibe to the next 

level with our Tiny Homes Holidays. By 

this I mean we have created permanent 

structures with nothing temporary or 

‘camping’ about them, open all year and 

with an on-site studio for workshops 

and retreats. We also have a beachside 

shack, a converted tin tabernacle and 

a converted Scout hall – these heritage 

buildings have been an essential source 

of winter income alongside the seasonal 

glamping business. 

“... IN 2014 

AND IN 2015 

WE PICKED 

UP TWO 

FURTHER 

MY ISLE 

OF WIGHT 

AWARDS FOR 

THE BEST 

PLACE TO GO 

GLAMPING 

FOR THE 

AIRSTREAMS” 

What advice could you give to 

someone coming into the industry? 

Honestly? Do not be a “me too” 

- glamping is now an established 

industry and you have to be original. 

It’s not easy money and it’s hard work! 

Another option would be to buy an 

existing glamping business that is 

thriving and take it to a new lease of 

life with your own unique viewpoint. 

Vintage Vacations is for sale! (www. 

vintagevacations.co.uk/vintagevacations-sale). 

One other thing I would like to 

add about running a glamping 

business. Depending on your stage 

of life, running a seasonal business 

has superb advantages. The main 

one being that you can work like 

mad for seven months of the year 

and have a two or three month long 

‘holiday’. If, like us, you are bitten by 

the wanderlust bug this is a major 

advantage! 

ADDRESS BOOK 

AIRSTREAMS 

Imported from the USA 

TIPIS 

Eves Tipis www.eves-tipis.co.uk 

DIRECTORIES 

Canopy & Stars 

www.canopyandstars.co.uk 

CoolStays www.coolstays.com 

One Off Places 

www.oneoffplaces.co.uk 

INSURANCE 

Compass www.compass.co.uk 

DETAILS 

Vintage Vacations 

Hazelgrove Farm 

Ashey, Ryde 

Isle of Wight, PO33 4BD 

07802 758113 

www.vintagevacations.co.uk 


Importers and restorers 

of vintage Airstreams 

With over 12 Airstreams in stock, select your trailer and we can 

renovate it from the chassis up and convert it into whatever you 

want it to be. Choose from a bespoke re-fit or simply a polished 

shell for you to fit out. 

Our highly skilled team will create stunning interiors, convert to 

UK running gear and polish to a mirror shine. Or take it as it is 

and do the whole thing yourself! 

We specialise 

in the supply 

and refurbishment 

of classic Aistreams 

from the 1940s 

through to the 

mid 1970s. 

Please call Jonathan on 07795 495 493 to discuss your requirements. 

www.vintagetraveltrailers.co.uk 

We ship completed projects worldwide. Regretfully, we are unable to take 

on restoration projects other than on Airstreams purchased from us.

YOU CAN FIND 

EDEN ANYWHERE 

CAT VINTON 

Enjoying nature doesn’t mean sacrificing your home comforts – something that 

glampers love to hear. That’s why the Eden shower from Kinedo is a site owner’s 

favourite. There’s no need for tiling or silicone, which is great for flexible wooden 

constructions, and it requires no additional panels or curtains. Plus, it comes with 

Kinedo’s exemplary service, so it’s naturally the best all-in-one, leak free solution. 

Designed by the experts at 

kinedo.co.uk 

Follow us on

GLAMPSITES 

Nomadic Musings 

An International Perspective on Glamping 

Shifting Sands 

Louis Thompson illustrates three major global hospitality trends 

that are set to disrupt the industry, providing a great opportunity 

for the glamping sector 


Louis Thompson is CEO 

of Nomadic Resorts, an 

interdisciplinary design 

and project development 

company servicing the 

hospitality industry with 

offices in the Netherlands, Sri 

Lanka, Mauritius and South 

Africa. 

Using a holistic approach, 

Nomadic creates sustainable 

resorts, tented camps, lodges 

and residential projects that 

reflect a true sense of place 

and fit organically into their 

natural surroundings. Its 

ethos is that designs should 

serve as a bridge to connect 

nature, culture and people. 

The team specialises in 

sustainable architecture, 

contemporary bamboo 

construction, treetop 

living concepts, as well as 

tent design, engineering, 

manufacture and installation. 

Over the last 15 years Louis 

has worked on some of the 

leading luxury tented camps 

across the world including 

Wild Coast Tented Lodge in 

the south of Sri Lanka, Soneva 

Kiri on Ko Kut island in 

Thailand and Hoanib Skeleton 

Coast Camp in Namibia. The 

projects have won multiple 

awards in both the design and 

hospitality sectors including 

the 2019 Ahead award for the 

best resort in Asia and the 

2018 UNESCO Prix Versailles 

for the best restaurant design 

in the world. 

louis@nomadicresorts.com 

www.nomadicresorts.com 

A SERIES of images have inspired my 

musings this issue - each image is 

associated with a tourism related theme 

that represents a shift in the global 

hospitality landscape. For many of our 

readers these themes are likely to affect 

their business in both the short and long 

term. 

1 

QUEUES ON MOUNT EVEREST 

This is an actual photograph 

of the highest summit on earth… a 

queue of people waiting to reach the peak 

in freezing, dangerous conditions. The 

photo illustrates the ubiquitous nature of 

overtourism. Historically, this relatively recent 

phenomenon has been associated with 

urban cultural sites such as Venice, Paris and 

Barcelona, but over the last few years it has 

been observed in rural destinations across 

the globe, particularly locations that have 

some specific photographable attraction 

that is easily shared on social media – the 

Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye, Maya Bay in 

Thailand or the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. 

We witnessed the disagreeable reality 

of overtourism at Yala National park while 

building Wild Coast Tented Lodge – queues of 

diesel pick-up trucks full of tourists waiting to 

glimpse a leopard or elephant. 

We do not believe this is a passing trend 

– the twin threat of increasing use of social 

media and exponential growth in 

international tourists, will ensure 

that many first tier ‘bucket list’ 

destinations will fall victim 

to swarms of tourists as 

the number of global 

travellers increases. 

ABOVE: UNWTO tourism projections 

The consequences will be three fold: 

› New developments in these destinations 

will become increasingly regulated 

› Limitations on visitor numbers will be 

initiated in many leading tourism sites 

› Second tier destinations will gain traction 

as alternative options. 

As a result we believe these changing 

tourism patterns will allow new destinations 

to blossom. Off the beaten track attractions 

that were previously under the radar, will 

become highly sought after as alternatives 

to traditional sites that are iconic, but 

inaccessible. 

Secondly, hospitality brands and glamping 

concepts with a strong sustainability platform 

and corporate social responsibility 

programs will gain access to 

destinations as new planning 

regulations come into play. 

Mount Everest 


GLAMPSITES 

“FLYING OVER THE 

BUSH IN A BI-PLANE 

AND STAYING IN A 

TREEHOUSE TICKS 

THOSE BOXES” 

Stranded Thomas Cook travellers 

2 

THOMAS COOK COLLAPSE 

After 178 years of operation, Thomas 

Cook, one of the world’s biggest leisure 

groups with sales of £7.8 billion, 19 million 

annual customers and 22,000 employees, 

filed for bankruptcy leaving hundreds of 

thousands of tourists stranded abroad. 

These images of tourists struggling to 

return home were transmitted across the 

entire planet instantaneously by the global 

media. The tangible, misfortune of those 

travellers undermines the credibility of the 

traditional package tour travel industry 

and is likely to have a profound impact on 

tourism for years to come. 

The reasons for the bankruptcy were 

multiple – a heatwave in 2018, high levels 

of debt, ill-advised mergers, the value of 

the pound sterling and Brexit insecurity all 

played their role in the crisis. However the 

reality is that the company was victim to 

changing patterns of behaviour – Just one in 

seven of us now pop into a high street travel 

agency to buy a holiday, according to travel 

agent trade body ABTA. Those who do tend 

to be over 65, and in lower socio-economic 

groups, with less money to spend. 

Thomas Cook may well be the first 

domino to fall – traditional travel agents will 

simply not be able to compete with online 

counterparts that don’t need to staff 500 

high street outlets, and therefore have a 

fraction of the operating costs. In addition, 

younger travelers have the tools available to 

book their own flights and create their own 

itineraries with the click of a mouse. 

The repercussions of these changes will 

be seismic – traditional online aggregators 

will inevitably gain more and more market 

share, but the entry of Amazon and Google 

into this space will lead to a bloodbath. 

We also wonder how long the hospitality 

sector will continue to pay ever increasing 

commissions to online travel agents (with 

low overheads) when the sector is facing 

increasing competition from the shared 

economy providers like Airbnb. Our advice 

is to make sure you have a strong online 

presence to drive direct sales; do not be 

over dependent on OTAs and keep a careful 

eye on the blockchain – a flat fee booking 

channel could transform the sector once 

more. 

3 

NAY PALAD BIRDS NEST AT 

SEGERA, KENYA 

This photo of Nay Palad Birds Nest at 

Segera in Kenya symbolises a fundamental 

shift in the concept of hospitality – it 

combines three significant trends: 

› Experiential travel – the resort is selling a 

unique experience in a unique environment 

for 2,000USD++/night, not a hotel room. 

Blasé luxury travellers are looking for 

something special – an unforgettable 

moment that they can share on their social 

media. Flying over the bush in a bi-plane and 

staying in a treehouse ticks those boxes. 

› Design - over the coming years the 

hospitality industry will have to bring 

something new to the table to defend its 

market position against the shared economy 

competition from the likes of Airbnb. The 

diversity of accommodation types currently 

being offered on Airbnb is astonishing, and 

the company is expanding into experiential 

tourism in a big way. To justify their prices 

hotels, resorts and tented camps will need to 

think way outside of the box - be it a floating 

suite like the Manta Ray Resort in Tanzania, 

a treetop dining experience at Soneva Kiri or 

Snohetta’s underwater dining experience in 

Norway. In the era of Instagram image is all. 

Magical experiences can be created for every 

budget – the secret is imagination. 

› Sustainability – Wilderness Safaris, the 

group that has built the Birds Nest at 

Segera, has four core values: Conservation, 

Community, Culture and Commerce; the 

company has invested in community 

support, solar panels, rainwater 

collection, wildlife conservation, home 

grown vegetables and much more. These 

sustainability initiatives are no longer 

restricted to luxury African lodges – they are 

increasingly expected by guests throughout 

the sector. Eco-tourism is here to stay and 

initiatives like Travalyst launched by Prince 

Harry, Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Skyscanner 

and Ctrip suggest that companies with the 

appropriate eco-credentials may have a 

significant competitive advantage: in 2019, 

71 per cent of travellers told Booking.com 

that they believe companies should offer 

more sustainable travel choices. 

Each of these themes has a significant 

impact on the travel industry, but combined 

together they suggest that there will be 

monumental upheavals in the sector over 

the coming years – traditional models 

may simply become redundant and new 

concepts will grow to take their place. 

For the glamping sector these could 

be exciting times – nature based tourism, 

alternative lodging, farm to table dining and 

outdoor adventure sports are on the up, 

and what was once a niche is developing 

into a travel sector in its own right. To cater 

to this nascent sector we launched our new 

operating brand Nomadic Escapes at the 

Indie Lodging Congress in Los Angeles last 

week. To find out more visit 

www.nomadic-escapes.com 

Nay Palad Birds Nest, Kenya 


Bespoke, Luxurious 

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Whatever you may need a shepherd hut for, we can deliver! 

From our dedicated workshop in Saltford, our specialist team 

deliver quality huts for shepherd hut lovers across the 

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Stylish good looks 

easy installation 

simple maintenance 


GLAMPSITES 

Futureproofing Business 

Canopy & Stars’ co-founder Tom Dixon uses booking stats to help glampsites 

secure a sustainable future, in all senses of the word 

SINCE 2010, Canopy & Stars has curated 

a collection of the most inspiring places 

to stay in the great outdoors, connecting 

independent owners to guests in search of a 

‘life more wild’. We are a leading marketing 

and booking agent in the glamping industry 

and are proud to have a 98 per cent owner 

retention rate. Having worked with over 750 

successful glamping sites, we like to think 

we’ve learnt a thing or two along the way! 

Let’s start with the good news; the 

glamping industry is still growing. Since 

Canopy & Stars launched 10 years ago, 

we’ve seen a huge growth in the number of 

glamping spaces in the UK and the appetite 

from guests has not faded. There’s been 1.8 

million searches online relating to glamping 

in the past 12 months alone, and at Canopy 

& Stars we are seeing even stronger growth; 

our bookings are growing by 20 per cent year 

on year. Right now is a great time to start 

your journey into the glamping industry 

and to create a sustainable business, both 

economically as well as ecologically. 

Across the travel industry there is a trend 

48 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 

towards staycations; a Barclays Report from 

earlier this year cited that ‘52 per cent of all 

consumers surveyed will take most or all 

this year’s holidays in the UK’. Those aged 

25-34 and 35-44 are the most likely to see 

the UK as a main holiday destination and 

90 per cent of Canopy & Stars bookings are 

within the UK. Classic destinations such 

as Cornwall and the Lake District remain 

popular, but we are seeing the biggest rises 

in guest numbers in the North East and the 

Midlands. 

“THERE ARE OTHER 

MACRO TRENDS THAT ARE 

SUPPORTING THE GROWTH 

OF THE INDUSTRY SUCH AS 

A GREATER APPRECIATION 

OF THE VALUE OF TIME IN 

NATURE FOR HEALTH AND 

WELLBEING” 

The industry remains short-stay focused 

and guests are booking their breaks earlier 

and earlier; as of September 2019 we are 

seeing a 41 per cent increase in bookings 

for next year and we have been opening 

our owners’ calendars earlier to meet this 

demand. 

There are other macro trends that are 

supporting the growth of the industry such 

as a greater appreciation of the value of time 

in nature for health and wellbeing. Plus of 

course the desire to have sustainable low 

impact holidays with a low carbon footprint. 

Glamping has a key role to play here and 

has the potential to be an exemplar for 

sustainable tourism. 

The outdoor holiday industry is shifting 

quickly and growing in new directions; we 

are considering progressive ways to evolve 

the industry and helping owners to do the 

same by thinking bigger and smarter. After 

collating our data and expertise, we’ve 

found 10 trends that will help you ensure 

your glamping business is ready for the 

future.

GLAMPSITES 

1 

BREATHTAKING LOCATIONS ARE KEY 

With staycations on the rise, UK holidaymakers want something beyond 

the expected and to see an exciting, dramatic setting. Places near to rivers, 

lakes, quarries, ancient woodlands, walled gardens and private beaches all work. 

Planning can be a challenge, but don’t let this stop you from exploring options 

on your land as these places will continue to stand out in years to come. If you 

don’t have what might immediately be a breathtaking location, then that doesn’t 

preclude you from creating an incredible experience. Just work with what nature 

has provided and make the experience connected to what’s special with the 

setting you have. If your site lends itself to a certain type of space or experience, 

go with that, and don’t force something that just doesn’t feel right. 

2 

CONSIDER A YEAR-ROUND 

EXPERIENCE 

Glamping has evolved from its early 

days of canvas and summer seasons; we 

are now seeing year-round bookings and 

owners should consider how to make 

the most of this opportunity. Our winter 

bookings have seen between 30-40 per 

cent increase year-on-year over the last two 

years. Look at winter-proofed structures 

with heating and insulation to make sure 

your space is a great place to stay all year. 

On average our cabins receive around 

a third of their bookings in peak season 

periods, so demand and income potential 

for you is year-round, if you get the 

experience right. 

3 

OCCASION VACATIONS 

Over 50 per cent of all Canopy & Stars bookings 

in 2018 were celebrating an occasion (the most 

popular include special birthdays, anniversaries and 

honeymoons). Bear this in mind when designing 

your experience; small touches can go a long way 

and some of our sites offer an option of a private 

chef or romantic hampers. Don’t forget the surprise 

element on arrival – this could be as simple as a 

bottle of local wine or some homemade chocolates. 

4 

BOLD DESIGNS 

Stay ahead of the curve and be bold with your ideas! Guests 

want something that they can share on social media, so 

think differently and creatively about a structure that will really 

get you noticed. At Canopy & Stars we’ve worked on all sorts of 

places – from giant beehives to floating cabins – and can offer 

advice to those looking to get their dream off the ground through 

our consulting services. 

5 

PETS LOVE 

GLAMPING TOO 

We have seen a 

number of stays with pets 

grow by nearly 60 per 

cent in the last two years 

and this trend shows 

no signs of slowing. 

Go the extra mile and 

don’t just accept pets, 

positively welcome them 

as part of the family with 

special treats on arrival. One 

of our spaces, Yurt Sanctuary in 

Somerset, has a ‘doggy spa’ for pets 

wanting a treat and owner, Michelle, dog-sits if guests want 

an evening at the pub without their pup. 

6 

OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES 

With people choosing to stay close to home, guests are looking for more 

than just a place to stay; they want more excitement and elements 

of play that connect them to the great outdoors. Wild swimming, outdoor 

cooking on an open fire and wildlife spotting are all great ways for guests 

to feel like they’ve had a more holistic stay. A trend with no signs of slowing 

down is outdoor bathing; our Hot Tub collection remains our most popular 

with over 17,000 searches for places with a hot tub each month! Traditional 

wood-fired tubs remain the most popular, but some owners are opting for 

outdoor bathtubs or showers as a more manageable option. Dive deeper 

into experiential features and consider what your land can offer – you might 

be able to offer cider pressing if you’re situated in an orchard, or stargazing if 

you are in a Dark Sky Reserve. 


GLAMPSITES 

7 

WELLBEING 

Wellness tourism is growing twice as fast as global tourism, 

and this presents a huge opportunity for those in the 

outdoor holiday industry. Connection to nature is incredibly 

important, not only for our wellbeing but to give us a greater 

understanding of our natural world and how we can look after 

it. One of our main goals is to facilitate this connection, and as 

a glamping site owner you can too. Consider offering therapies, 

such as yoga, massage or meditation run by professionals or even 

facilitate a self-led experience. One of our spaces has created a 

woodland reflexology walk, giving guests the opportunity to feel 

different textures under their feet and explore the local area. 

8FUTURE GROWTH 

Whether you are 

new to glamping 

or have an established 

space, it’s important to 

consider ‘what next’ and 

how your business might 

expand in the future. We 

act as a business partner 

for our owners; we give 

them ongoing advice and 

support to help them 

grow their business and 

keep abreast of trends. 

A whopping third of our 

owners have added new 

spaces since they joined 

the collection and this 

number is only growing. 

9RUNNING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS 

We are in the middle of a climate crisis and 

consumers are demanding more ecological 

awareness and action, whether that’s from their 

friends, families, employers or brands and businesses 

they ‘buy’ from. As part of the glamping industry, you 

are naturally connected to the land and in a position 

to teach guests about the wildlife and ecology unique 

to your site. Really try to extend this thinking in 

everything you do and how you do it. As an example, 

Canopy & Stars has pledged to plant a tree for every 

booking as part of our response to the climate 

emergency and, with our community of owners and 

guests, have an ambition to plant one million trees in 

the next five years. This is just one of the ways in which 

we are trying to do more. Nature has in so many ways 

given us our business and so we want to make sure we 

give back. 

10 

FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE 

Working with the right people will allow you to grow your business in the right 

way. You can consider this at every part of the experience; ensuring that the 

bathroom products are kind to the environment, providing local produce for guests on 

arrival to support your local economy and celebrate what’s special about your location, 

to finding a build partner that works collaboratively with you. Of course, who you market 

your site with is just as important and at Canopy & Stars we are dedicated to celebrating 

‘better travel’ and doing things differently; our specialist team can act as an extension of 

your business and make sure the right guests find your space. This hands-on support and 

partnership approach is valued highly by our owners. We are striving to create a community 

of like-minded guests and owners and to connect things together. 


Tom Dixon is managing 

director at Sawday’s 

Canopy & Stars, a 

collection of selected and 

inspected special places 

to stay and experience the 

great outdoors across Britain, 

France, Spain, Portugal, Italy 

and Scandinavia. From humble 

beginnings in 2010, the agency has 

grown to more than 500 places; everything 

from treehouses, yurts, and converted horse 

trucks, to cabins, Gypsy caravans and Iron 

Age roundhouses. Championing the small 

and independent, and being an advocate of 

sustainable tourism, the team genuinely care 

about what they do, and how they do it. 

0117 204 7802 / www.canopyandstars.co.uk 


stay somewhere different 

Join our dynamic portfolio of 

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We also supply and install UK-made self-catering 

accommodation in a variety of different styles, finishes 

and sizes to suit your location. 

Office: 01738 850203 

Mobile: 07921 866 967 

www.scotiacabins.co.uk 

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GETTY IMAGES 

Interior 

Design 

Get stuck into your next project 

with advice from Kate Morel 

AS ALL hospitality sectors become more 

competitive and our visitors and guests 

become more discerning and intelligent, 

distinctive interiors are even more essential 

to our business success and branding. If you 

are considering creating a completely new 

space, or making-over an old one, and want 

to keep the project in-house, grab a coffee 

and read on. 

The principles of interior design apply 

to all spaces, be they a hotel bedroom, 

treehouse or wedding ceremony area, and 

although interior design is often interpreted 

as the cosmetic finish, it sometimes involves 

much more. This can mean changes to 

structural elements, relocating functional 

areas, plumbing and electrical work. As 

such, I thought it might be useful to try and 

cover more than just the decorative aspect. 

EVALUATION 

› Use of space 

An essential exercise is to evaluate how 

people will interact with the space, the 

practicalities of how it will function, and 

the flow of movement from one area to 

another in use. Scale drawings are usually 

a must anyway, but DIY design apps such 

as Roomsketcher are really useful here, 

especially if one finds visualising imaginary 

3D interiors difficult. I find it helpful to 

‘walk’ myself through the space, using it as 

intended and checking that practicalities 

are considered, as well as looking for 

opportunities to make the space more 

attractive, convenient and comfortable. 

› Utilities 

We might also need to assess plumbing 

and/or electrical work, for example if it’s 

a bathroom upgrade, does the new WC 

outlet join the drain in the same position, 

or will the floor have to be ripped up? If it’s 

a bedroom makeover, does a new floorplan 

require newly positioned sockets? It’s less 

likely we’ll need to think about these things 

for a cosmetic makeover, but if they’re old 

they might be due for replacement anyway 

or make a space looked dated. Unless they 

are vintage features it’s worth upgrading 

them at the same time. 

› Lighting 

Consider the space’s geographical 

orientation and number of windows; north 

facing might need light, warm colours, south 

facing could take cooler, or even bolder. 

Does the space need new/more electric 

lighting, reading lamps over the bed, is it 

time to add some mood lighting, or a showstopping 

fitting or feature? 

› Budget 

Until the scheme and all required works are 

finalised we’re more likely to be gathering 

estimates than quotes, but they’re a start. 

For most projects, and especially older 

structures, it’s wise to include a contingency 

value for unforeseen cans of worms, delays 

and additional work. 

I’d also like to add that limited budgets 

don’t always equate to lesser results. In fact, 

quite the opposite, but DIY skills, creativity 

and a thrifty eye are definitely an advantage! 


GLAMPSITES 

BROWNSCOMBE LUXURY GLAMPING 

NORTH STAR CLUB 


DESIGN 

This is the part that everyone gets excited 

about, where the style and colours take 

shape, and our creative flair can come 

into play. If we operate in the boutique or 

experiential sector (or want to) our design 

focus will be on creating an immersive 

experience. This can be an elusive concept 

to grasp as it’s an abstract factor, but 

Aristotle’s quote ‘the whole is greater 

than the sum of its parts’ explains it 

rather nicely. An evocative interior is the 

result of carefully chosen components, 

drawn together to create an overriding 

experience, an atmosphere, an element 

of magic. How we go about this is another 

article in itself, but authenticity is one 

quality that springs to mind. As elusive 

as this might be, it’s a concept worth 

mastering as it has a positive effect on 

revenue and reviews. 

The design process has a few tried and 

tested tips so let’s take a quick canter 

through some that will contribute to a 

fabulous, easy-peasy interior: 

STARBED HIDEAWAYS 

then buy paint, we can get paint mixed 

into any colour we want. Life is too short 

to do this the other way around and try 

to find a fabric to match a paint shade 

› Get samples of everything you can and 

put them in situ, colours change in 

different lights and spaces 

› Once the scheme is chosen and your 

procurement list is made, vigilantly 

source appropriate furnishings and 

fixtures to suit, and stick ruthlessly to 

the scheme. Adding unsuitable, random 

items just because they’re on offer or 

sitting in the storeroom will undermine 

the result you’re trying to achieve 

› Be mindful of lead times – even nonbespoke 

items are made to order so 

check supply dates before ordering 

– furniture from trendy online stores is 

quite the culprit here 

› It takes more time but try not to buy 

everything from one store or the 

resulting interior will resemble their 

catalogue photoshoot. Mix it up 

› Depending on one’s own experience, 

if the project is large scale or involves 

structural changes, an architect might 

be a valuable investment. In addition 

to obvious benefits, they will be up 

to speed on current restrictions and 

responsibilities around listed buildings, 

build regulations and other legislations 

› Trending colours and styles: It looks like 

‘Mid-Century’ and Scandi will be with us 

for a while yet, but the likes of annual 

fashion colours and copper accessories 

will not and are best avoided 

› Statement pieces: These add a sense of 

extravagance or luxury and can certainly 

create engaging marketing images – 

think large mirrors, art, bold ornaments, 

trees, headboards, sculptures etc. 

› Opposites attract: Not the easiest of 

tricks to pull off, but two opposing 

styles can create a unique or bold look. 

› Originality: Commissioning appropriate 

furniture, accessories and one-off pieces 

will add an unmistakable stamp of 

uniqueness to the finished scheme. It 

will also make your ‘look’ more difficult 

for others to replicate 

› Colours: We usually refer to the colour 

wheel and rules, but sometimes 

interesting effects are achieved 

by throwing rule books out of the 

(beautifully dressed, of course) window. 

I’m an advocate for taking inspiration 

from nature as she creates colour 

palettes that are effortlessly appealing to 

the human eye and emotions 

› Soft furnishings: Choose fabrics first and 

QUALITY UNEARTHED / PIP'S PLACE 


GLAMPSITES 


BROWNSCOMBE LUXURY GLAMPING 

For example, I’m currently working 

on a project that mixes contemporary 

with Morris style textiles, or how about 

something masculine and industrial 

with bold florals? 

A design scheme may also need to 

reflect aspects such as the business 

model, branding or architecture and can 

be completely dictated by some or all of 

these. Whatever the influencing factors, 

our task is to bring all the necessary 

factors together into a coherent scheme, 

and to do so our ideas need to be 

organised into an editable, easy-to-view 

format. Mood boards are a great way to 

do this because we can chop and change 

them until we’re satisfied with the result. 

Play around with various colours, styles 

and combinations to the point where 

you’re happy with the overall look. It 

might take a while, but when it does gel, 

it’s time to source the individual pieces 

and you’re good to go! 

Thanks to the media, more people 

are design-aware these days, and even 

if that’s not applied to their own homes, 

it can and does affect where they 

choose to spend their leisure time. If we 

add the experiential travel and leisure 

movement into the mix, it’s no wonder 

that meaningful and design-led holiday 

accommodations and venues are more 

sought after. Fortunately, it’s also easier 

than ever for us to find the inspiration and 

products to create better experiences and 

stylish environments, so happy designing, 

and do send me your photos! 



Believing that they are equally 

essential to success in today’s 

hospitality sector, Kate Morel’s 

work bridges both creative 

and financial elements. 

Her extensive experience 

supports business growth 

and diversification by creating 

profitable business models 

and unique selling points that 

push beyond the norm to 

deliver what guests are looking 

for – authenticity. As creative 

director for Morel & Co, Kate 

and her team of architects, 

builders and designers also 

focus on experiential concepts 

when creating their cabins, 

treehouses and interiors. 

An ambassador for this niche 

hospitality sector, Kate is a 

regular contributor to Open Air 

Business, presents new ideas 

and insights at leading events, 

and runs workshops on creating 

successful developments in 

this growth sector. She also 

supports a sustainability 

institute in South America, and 

mentors budding students 

and professionals entering 

hospitality, tourism and design. 

www.katemorel.com / info@ 

katemorel.com / Facebook 

Group: Glamping Business Link. 

Gathering inspiration 

› Pinterest 

The Pinterest website/app is a great source 

of ideas where photos can be arranged 

into collections on ‘boards’. Once you’ve 

set up an account, create some boards for 

each area – bathroom, bedroom etc. and 

add images to them by either pinning from 

other boards on Pinterest, or, if you add the 

Pinterest extension to your web browser, 

directly from other websites. You can also 

share your boards with others that have a 

Pinterest account so they can view and add 

images too. 

Tip: When creating a new board you’ll 

see a small box with ‘keep this board 

secret’ by it – tick this to keep your ideas 

private or they will be viewable by anybody 

with a Pinterest account, including your 

competitors! 

› Other places 

Another great way to get inspired is to stay 

in or visit other places, this gives a much 

better sense of little details, quality and 

atmosphere that can’t be discerned from 

website images alone. I also find ideas in 

my collections of old magazine clippings 

and books, historical research, museums, 

craft centres, country festivals, galleries, 

and even films. Sometimes ideas literally 

pop into my head while doing the washing 

up or when out in nature at beaches and 

woodland. When our mind has a little free 

space of its own to wander, inspiration 

seems to find an easier route into conscious 

thought. 

› Mood boards 

A mood board is simply a collection of 

images of potential design components, 

juxtaposed to see how well they interact 

with each other. For example, a bedroom 

mood board will have a bed, bedding, table 

lamps, rugs etc, and we’ll add or remove 

different components as necessary until we 

feel it’s starting to gel. Things that don’t fit 

in will quickly stand out, making it easier 

to eliminate items or colours that don’t 

contribute to the look we want to achieve. 

Pinterest is based on this concept, so a 

board could be created to bring together 

the key components of a room. There are 

many other photographic and design apps 

which will create a collage, Canva.com 

being a popular and easy-to-use example. 


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GLAMPING 

PODS 

Luxury on a Budget 

Contact Robert Mycroft 

Low Road Nursery, 61 Low Road, Clowne 

Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 4LQ 

01246 810488 / 07958 498331 

robert.lowroad@btinternet.com www.lowroadnursery.co.uk 

We are a new company with 

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We have 2 toilet 

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12V Self Stirring (deluxe only) 

Extraction fan 

A light Illuminates when the 5L 

bottle liquids needs emptying, or 

we have a soakaway version to pipe 

liquids away 

07904 627298 

www.compoosttoilets.com 

email: compoosttoilets@gmail.com 


GLAMPSITES 

We Love… 

ESSE’s new cook stoves 

Why 

ESSE’s Warmheart and Bakeheart cook 

stoves are equally at home in a cosy 

rural retreat or a remote cabin in the 

wilderness. The more compact siblings 

of the best-selling Ironheart, their 

combination of durable British design, 

robust build quality and performance 

makes them a favourite for wood-fired 

heating and cooking in small spaces. 

Launched at River Cottage HQ 

in Devon, the Bakeheart and 

Warmheart are elegantly 

proportioned. The Bakeheart 

provides cosy radiant heat, a 

graduated temperature cooking 

hob and a generous baking 

oven. The smaller Warmheart 

is perfect for a back-to-nature 

retreat. 

From 

ESSE Engineering 

01282 813235 

www.esse.com 

OAB 

LOVES… 

Interiors 

We Love… 

Contract bunk beds from Mattison 

Why 

The Apollo pine bunk bed frame is a heavy 

duty bunk bed suitable for all contract use 

and conforms with British consumer safety 

regulations (BS EN 747). Multi-functional 

and ultra-secure, the Apollo frame comes 

in two widths - 75cm and 90cm - and 

alternative finishes are available for 

quantity orders. 

The frame is detachable and can be 

used as two single beds to maximise 

room occupancy and versatility. Special 

features are a fixed position ladder, which 

can be assembled on either side of the 

frame, and a solid slatted base providing 

firmer support and allowing air to circulate 

beneath the mattresses. 

From 

Mattison Contract Beds 

01473 255888 

www.mattisoncontractbeds.co.uk 

We Love 

Dandy Dura matting from Marquee 

Floors by William Armes 

Why 

New to the range of durable 

flooring from Marquee Floors by 

William Armes are the DandyWeave 

half moons. Ideal for bell tents, 

yurts and tipis, this polypropylene 

matting is very easy to maintain, 

extremely durable, fully reversible, 

lightweight and weatherproof. 

Available in Coffee or Silver, this matting 

comes in half moon shapes and can be crafted with or 

without pole cut-outs. Also popular as entrance matting, 

DandyWeave is fire tested and classified in accordance 

with Flammability BS EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009 which 

complies with European Standards. 

From 

Marquee Floors by William Armes 

01787 372988 

www.marqueefloors.co.uk 


GLAMPSITES 

We Love… 

Interior accessories from 

Boutique Camping 

Why 

All the little bits you need 

to transform a glamping 

tent. From furniture to 

cushions, bunting to tea 

light chandeliers, Boutique 

Camping has curated a 

range of interior accessories 

for a variety of looks from 

Moroccan to Scandi cool. 

There is also a range of 

heating options, flooring 

and extras to pimp a tent 

including bamboo centre 

poles and inner tents to 

create extra ‘rooms’. 

We particularly love the 

macramé items, including 

the hanging centre pole 

decorations, and boho 

dreamcatchers. 

From 

Boutique Camping 

0203 394 2986 

www.boutiquecamping.com 

We Love 

BBQ huts from Scotia Cabins 

Why 

BBQ cooking out of the rain! 

Manufactured by hand in the 

UK using traditional methods 

and top grade timber, these 

huts carry a no quibble 10 year 

guarantee. 

Unique in their ‘sloping wall’ 

design, guests can sit in comfort 

and with a feeling of extra space. 

Also great as accommodation, 

with adaptable benches that 

form beds. 

Available in 7m, 10m and 

14m, 17m and a massive 25m, 

guests can slow cook their 

meat, pour the Pimms or 

heat up their mulled wine in 

the barbecue kettle, sit back 

and enjoy! Snuggly deer skins 

and accessory packs are also 

available. 

From 

Scotia Cabins 

01738 850203 

www.scotiacabins.co.uk 


Supported by: 

GEI12 will take place on Tuesday 3 rd March 2020 

at the Royal Garden Hotel, London 

EARLYBIRD TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE! 

To get involved: hello@agreenerfestival.com 

www.agreenerfestival.com/gei 

Sign-up to our mailing list and follow us on social media to join the conversation 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


EVENTS 

CASE STUDY 

Starry Skies 

Family Camp 

Festival fun outdoors for children and their grown-ups 

Starry Skies provides a safe natural environment for children to adventure 

in, and plenty of after dark fun for parents. It has sustainability embedded 

at its core and aims to be 100 per cent powered by waste vegetable 

oil or other biofuel. Organised by Kambe Events, co-founder Chris 

Johnson is behind the Festival Vision:2025 initiative, which is greening up the live events industry. 

Describe your event and how many 

people it attracts? 

Starry Skies Family Camp is a 

gloriously mucky hybrid between 

family festival and camping holiday 

– taking the best aspects of both of 

these and presenting them in the 

beautiful Welsh hills to an intimate 

community of under 500 families. With 

a focus on creativity, community and 

sustainability, Starry Skies is where 

the kids roam free! Created by Kambe 

Events, it’s the younger sister of our 

flagship event Shambala. 

Explain a bit about your venue and 

its history 

In the past few years we have moved 

to a cosy smallholding nestled in 

Monmouthshire, Wales. During the 

year the site is a functioning farm, 

boasting a gorgeous old barn that gets 

transformed into our ‘Centre Camp’ 

hosting our Barn Stage, food market, 

bar and ‘family rave’ space. The site 

has the space for kids to roam around 

in open fields and explore in its ancient 

“AS LONG- 

TIME FESTIVAL 

ORGANISERS 

WE LOVE 

TAKING OUR 

KIDS TO 

FESTIVALS, 

BUT GOING 

AS A FAMILY 

CAN OFTEN 

FEEL A BIT 

LIKE YOU’RE 

MISSING OUT 

ONCE THE 

SUN GOES 

DOWN” 

woodland growing on top of an Iron 

Age settlement. 

What is the event’s history and what 

made you create it? 

Starry Skies was born from our own 

realisation that going on holiday with 

the kids can turn into an expensive 

battle of endurance. As long-time 

festival organisers we love taking our 

kids to festivals, but going as a family 

can often feel a bit like you’re missing 

out once the sun goes down. The 

institution that is the family camping 

trip often leaves you feeling more 

exhausted than before, contending 

with the weather and trying to keep 

everyone occupied and engaged. 

We wanted to present something 

that took the best aspects of a family 

festival with a genuinely great camping 

experience. We wanted to combine 

the proper sense of community and 

excellent programming found at 

festivals with unadulterated family 

time in the great outdoors. 

We’re now in our eighth year delivering 

our independent, intimate event to 

families across the UK. The motivations 

for starting Starry Skies remain central 

to how we run the event, making sure 

families are stimulated, and kids can 

roam free and get back to nature! 

How does the relationship work with 

the venue you hold the event at? 

We hire the site and work closely with 

the owners in the lead up to the event, 

keeping them informed of our plans. 

We like to maintain a close working 

relationship with the land owners, 

inviting them to have a presence 

during our event build and play a role 

in the build of the event itself. 

How did you find applying for 

permission to run the event? 

The licensable activity is all housed 

in pre-existing barns on site, a very 

authentic countryside venue for our 

music and bar offering! Because of 

this we can operate on a temporary 

events notice. We do not make any 

compromises on how we run the 


EVENTS 

event in regards to EHO stipulations 

as we set very high standards of event 

management internally. 

How have you planned the layout of 

the event? 

Often an atmosphere is created by 

the aesthetics of an event. We look at 

booking rustic hand-crafted structures 

and awnings that lend themselves 

to the community feel we foster and 

which show the attention to detail 

going into the event. In booking these 

structures, alongside our decor, we are 

able to champion the creativity and 

love of the natural world that is central 

to our programme. 

We also try to pair the structure with 

the activity that will be taking place 

inside. For example, we have: a cream 

traditional marquee for the ‘Arty Farty’ 

space as it lets in lots of natural light 

for the crafts; a colourful mini-top for 

the circus space; and a comfortable 

wooden yurt for the medical 

and lost kids space as it’s welcoming 

and warm. We also use the permanent 

structure of the on site barn as our 

main centre-camp space where people 

meet to eat, drink and dance. 

We build our site map on 

Vectorworks, creating different layers 

for structures, power, water and 

sanitation etc. 

How did you research and source 

your marquees, flooring, bars etc? 

We have many pre-existing 

relationships with providers, and the 

ongoing database we have from years 

of working on Shambala provides us 

with a good starting point. We are not 

totally beholden to specific providers 

though – each year we review how 

services were delivered and if they can 

be improved with our sustainability 

policies in mind. 

What entertainment do you offer and 

how do you choose and source it? 

Starry Skies offers all sorts with a 

huge programme of activities to 

occupy and inspire kids of all ages 

and their parents. Our emphasis 

is definitely on creative play in the 

great outdoors. There are a few big 

hitters like Woodland Tribe, which 

facilitates children building their own

EVENTS 

also keep some back as contingency 

that our crew can lay out in other areas 

on site in case bad weather affects the 

ground in high traffic areas. 

dream adventure playground with 

hammers and nails, championing 

risky play alongside our Forest School. 

We also have a circus tent helmed by 

Bigtopmania which is a firm favourite. 

We then offer an evolving roster of 

workshops for all ages, a Health and 

Healing area and also a handful of 

excellent music acts every night. 

What provisions do you make for 

power, lights and sound? 

We work closely with our power 

provider (BES Systems) who also 

provide our sound and lighting for all 

the spaces. We liaise with them during 

the lead up to the event to gather the 

power specs for site requirements 

(toilets, showers, site lighting), venues 

and traders. We add details of generator 

locations, power lines and site lighting 

(such as our festoons) to the map and 

share with them. 

They then come to site, set up and 

remain on site for the duration of the 

event. They manage the main stage 

lighting and sound in our barn too. 

Starry Skies aims to be 100 per cent 

powered by waste vegetable oil or other 

biofuel. The lighting on site is LED and 

low energy throughout. The only fossil 

“WE TAP INTO 

THE EXISTING 

AUDIENCE OF 

SHAMBALA 

FAMILIES ON 

OCCASION, 

AND HAVE 

USED OUR 

SOCIAL 

MEDIA 

CHANNELS 

TO BUILD A 

YEAR ROUND 

COMMUNITY 

ON FACEBOOK 

AND 

INSTAGRAM” 

fuel used on site is the gas for cooking in 

the cafe and heating shower water. 

How do you manage admissions and 

visitor safety? 

We employ a traffic management team 

to manage the ingress of cars and 

campervans to the event. We don’t 

allow our visitors to drive and unload 

their equipment next to their camp. 

Instead we have a drop off system 

where a team drives through the car 

park while people are arriving and 

collects their luggage. This is then 

dropped off to one of two luggage drop 

off points in the campsites so guests 

don’t have such a long way to go with 

it. Systems such as these ensure the 

safety of our site from the first arrivals, 

allowing kids to roam free from the 

off, and is made possible by the 

intimate size of our site (and boundless 

enthusiasm of our lovely crew). 

What ground protection do you use 

for cars and footfall? 

There is a slight incline on the ground 

into the main car park and also a bit of 

a hill in the campervan field, so we hire 

some track mats in from GT Trax to lay 

on the main runs into these areas. We 

How do you publicise the event? 

A mixture of approaches really. A lot 

of families return to Starry Skies year 

on year, so word of mouth is a key 

thing - if people have a great time, 

they'll recommend us to their family 

and friends. We tap into the existing 

audience of Shambala families on 

occasion, and have used our social 

media channels to build a year 

round community on Facebook and 

Instagram. 

In 2019, for the first time, we 

partnered with a few parenting 

‘influencers’ but were very cautious 

about making sure the people we 

worked with were a strong match with 

Starry Skies’ values, so more roughand-ready 

outdoorsy folk, rather than 

the glossy, everything-is-perfect types. 

We do also occasionally partner with 

brands whose products and ethos are 

aligned with ours, to run competitions 

together and extend our reach into 

new audiences. We worked with Quirky 

Campers this year, whose beautiful 

camper van conversions are a great fit 

with Starry Skies, which was a really 

successful partnership. It’s all about 

sticking true to your principles and 

making sure the places you advertise 

and those you partner with are aligned 

with your message and values. 

What challenges have you faced? 

The weather is always the number one 

challenge for outdoor event promoters. 

This means that contingency planning 

has to be comprehensive for all 

eventualities. This does have an effect 

on budgets come rain or shine during 

the show, as producers have to have 

emergency infrastructure to deploy 

such as trackway. 

What are your plans for next year? 

We will continue to focus on our 


EVENTS 

core aims of culturing in children an 

appreciation and love of nature so 

that they will become the future Earth 

protectors, and hopefully do a much 

better job then the generation that has 

preceeded them. 

What advice could you give to 

someone coming into the outdoor 

event industry? 

Use The Purple Guide for guidance on 

what you need for different event types 

and audience numbers. Be prepared to 

work in all kinds of weather conditions 

and be prepared/have contingencies 

in place. 

Contact is key! Setting up regular 

meetings with different teams and 

land owners is essential for running a 

tight ship and creating communicative 

“BE 

PREPARED 

TO WORK IN 

ALL KINDS 

OF WEATHER 

CONDITIONS 

AND BE 

PREPARED/ 

HAVE CON- 

TINGENCIES 

IN PLACE” 

working relationships. This also puts 

you in the best position for maintaining 

a clear oversight of everyone’s 

requirements. 

We’re big believers in the event 

industry taking responsibility 

and making commitments on the 

organisational level to sustainability. 

There are some really great resources 

out there, including our Kambe 

Resource that draws from our 

experience as industry pioneers with 

Shambala. Keep an eye out on any 

Festival Vision:2025 developments, 

which will create new free-to-use 

resources enabling the industry to go 

green and innovate. 

ADDRESS BOOK 

MARQUEES 

Smiddereens 

www.smiddereens.com 

STAGES, AV & POWER 

BES www.bes-systems.co.uk 

DECOR 

Event Flag Hire 

www.eventflaghire.co.uk 

GROUND PROTECTION 

GT Trax www.gttrax.co.uk 

TOILETS & SHOWERS 

Posh Wash Showers 

www.poshwashshowers.co.uk 

TICKETING 

TheTicketSellers 

www.theticketsellers.co.uk 

DETAILS 

Starry Skies 

5-9 August 2020 

Cwm Cayo Farm 

Usk, Monmouthshire 

www.starry-skies.net 


ARTISTS & BANDS | FESTIVALS | PRODUCTION | PROMOTERS | TOURS 

YOU PROVIDE THE SHOW 

WE PROVIDE THE COVER 

MUSIC & EVENT INSURANCE SPECIALISTS 

Providing tailored insurance solutions for the entertainment industry 

www.integroentertainment.com 

To discuss your insurance requirements contact Tim Rudland on: +44 (0)203 915 0343 | tim.rudland@integrogroup.com 

Integro Insurance Brokers Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: 71 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BS. Registered Company in England: 2957627. 

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twitter: @weareharrisons 


Charity 

Partnerships 

Kambe Events’ Kate Burgess on creating events 

with heart though charitable collaborations 

AS AN organisation, setting out 

core principles that animate 

and guide your decisions can 

lend everything you do a sense 

of integrity and coherency. 

With the constant challenges, 

developments and evolving 

constraints that come with 

running events, having core 

intentions to nail yourself to is 

one way to make sure you are 

delivering something with heart. 

There is clearly a growing 

demand from audiences for 

principled parties. Being keyed 

into the communications aspects 

of festival delivery, it’s impossible 

to not be aware of the growing 

conversation around single 

use plastic, waste and good 

sustainability practice. Twitter 

explodes every weekend over 

festival season with comparisons 

between various events’ 

“aftermath” pictures. Audiences 

are increasing ready to call 

their beloved events industry 

to account, because, to borrow 

#MusicDeclaresEmergency’s 

coinage, there can be “No [party] 

on a dead planet.” 

Our audiences want to trust that 

we are thinking about more than 

just exponential profit margins, 

whether this is purely from a 

customer experience level or 

grounded in wider concerns about 

ethics, ethical consumption and 

sustainability. If they can trust we 

are thinking about people (and 

planet) they know they can party 

in good conscience. Trust is built 

through consistent messaging 

and in delivering an event that 

‘practises what you preach.’ The 

significance of this cannot be 

understated. In an audience survey 

after Shambala 2018, 38 per cent 

of respondents said they valued 

the “ethos” of the event above all 

else, with 7.3 per cent specifically 

stating it was the absence of 


EVENTS 

corporate influence that made 

their Shambala experience. 

At Shambala, our principles 

become a metric of accountability. 

We are 100 per cent independent 

and will always be so. 

Independence is a hard fought 

thing though. It is increasingly 

difficult for festivals to remain 

independent (if they want to) in 

this oversaturated and highly 

competitive festival landscape, 

where big backing means big 

budgets, and where many 

independent events are eventually 

absorbed by large corporations. 

Networks such as the 

Association of Independent 

Festivals (AIF) offer support by 

connecting independent UK 

festivals. Being independent 

means we can concentrate on 

making unbiased decisions 

that will benefit our community 

and, hopefully, society as a 

whole. In saying no to corporate 

“RATHER THAN PEDDLE 

TAT, WE WANTED TO 

PRESENT OUR AUDIENCE 

WITH QUALITY GOODS 

THAT CONNECT THEM TO 

A STORY.” 

partnerships we are able to 

curate the festival on our own 

terms and support organisations 

that represent what we are 

about, beyond the field. Charity 

partnerships are a key component 

of expanding our connections 

across organisations, without 

curtailing our integrity and 

autonomy. 

There are myriad ways to work 

with charities at an event. Services 

such as Lost Property, secure 

lock-ups and phone charging can 

all be out-sourced to charities 

so they can fundraise on site. 

You can also invite charities to 

run stalls and workshops at your 

event. Having Earth Protectors 

on-site was a perfect fit with our 

2019 Extinction Carnival, and 

was a fruitful arena for them to 

communicate their Stop Ecocide 

campaign. Merchandise is another 

avenue where charity partnerships 

can work well. Rather than peddle 

tat, we wanted to present our 

audience with quality goods 

that connect them to a story. So, 

when they buy a reusable, RAW 

Foundation manufactured bottle 

on site to use at our water refill 

stations they know a portion of 

each sale goes straight to Bansang 

Hospital Appeal and FRANK Water, 

charities tackling lack of health 


Kate Burgess works as 

marketing assistant 

for Kambe Events, 

covering its events 

Shambala Festival 

and Starry Skies 

Camp. She joined 

the team in 2018 

and runs Shambala’s 

Adventures In Utopia 

blog. Headed for a 

part-time Masters 

degree in cultural 

theory, Kate, like 

Kambe, is passionate 

about where 

culture, creativity 

and community 

can intersect 

to bring about 

more ecological, 

sustainable futures. 

www.kambe-events. 

co.uk 

access and water poverty. 

A story can be told through 

charity partnerships on every level. 

It is another opportunity to engage 

our audience and share with them 

what we are about. Each year our 

“Flags For…” campaign sets up a 

Crowdfunder page with a chosen 

charity that spotlights a new issue. 

In 2019, the Shambala audience 

raised over £10,000 for Unseen, 

a charity tackling modern day 

slavery. This campaign involved 

building a close relationship with 

Unseen’s marketing team in order 

to maximise reach. We were able 

to tell a story together that made 

sense for both organisations. With 

charity partnerships there is a 

mutuality that is often lacking in 

corporate pairings. 

With Shambala’s “Flags For…” 

each donation is visualised on 

site in the strings of Nepalese 

prayer flags framing our main 

stage. These flags become a 

prominent symbol of the collective 

fundraising our audience has done 

over the months leading up to the 

festival. It serves as a wonderful 

reminder of what larger scale 

events like festivals can do when 

they mobilise their audience, 

alongside incredible charities and 

NGOs. 

You can find out more about 

Unseen’s fight to save the 

only UK helpline for modern 

slavery at www.unseenuk.org/ 

helplineappeal 


Green Goblet Ltd 

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EVENTS 

GETTY IMAGES 

GUEST COMMENT 

Minimising 

Weather Risk 

How to reduce 

insurance cost in a 

changing climate 

with advice from 

Integro’s associate 

director Gary 

Brooks 

THEY DO say you that you can’t eliminate 

risk. In terms of financial risk, in some 

circumstances, that’s not quite true; 

you can transfer it, and insurance is a 

form of risk transfer. For the payment of 

a premium you can move the risk of a 

financial loss to an insurer. 

There are of course numerous risks 

that an event organiser is confronted 

with from the planning phase through to 

the execution of the event. For the past 

30 years and more, individuals at Integro 

have been providing insurance to the 

event industry at a multitude of levels 

covering many different subjects such as 

injury liability insurance and equipment 

insurance. In respect of outdoor events 

however, the hot topic arising from 

the 2019 season is event cancellation 

insurance. 

A STORM BREWING… 

In August, this subject of cancellation 

insurance hit the headlines due to the 

arrival of storm Idris and the subsequent 

cancellation of an unusually high 

number of UK music festivals including 

Boardmasters, Houghton Festival, Rewind 

Festival North and a large number of other 

outdoor events spread across the country. 

Much of the subsequent media coverage 

centred on the question ‘Does this mean 

that event cancellation insurance will be 

more expensive in the future?’ 

Our reach in the live event industry 

means we have an almost unique 

perspective that gives us the long view 

on these types of losses, where there are 

multiple cancellations due to one cause. 

Whatever your position on the subject, 

there is an increasing view that our 

“WHATEVER YOUR POSITION 

ON THE SUBJECT, THERE IS 

AN INCREASING VIEW THAT 

OUR CLIMATE, AT LEAST IN 

THE UK, IS BECOMING MORE 

UNPREDICTABLE” 

climate, at least in the UK, is becoming 

more unpredictable. It’s true to say that 

going forward, when an insurer considers 

a quotation for an event they will be less 

reliant on weather statistics and more 

reliant on what the event organiser is 

actually doing to manage their own risk 

and guard against a cancellation. It’s 

becoming clear that in 2020 we will have 

to work harder to demonstrate that the 

risk being transferred is being well thought 

through and well managed. 

WHAT DO INSURERS WANT TO SEE? 

There are a number of sudden and 

unforeseen scenarios that could give rise 

to a cancellation of course but, in respect 

of outdoor events, the focus is often on 

adverse weather and within that the most 

common cancellations that we see are due 

to rainfall or high winds. 

When obtaining a quotation from 

insurers there are certain things they want 

to know, and certain documents they will 

want to see. The quality of information 


EVENTS 

GETTY IMAGES 

provided at this stage will have an effect 

on the decision an insurer makes about 

not only the premium but conditions of the 

policy too. To get the best deal possible 

you should aim to provide the following: 

› Site Plan 

This must outline the location of the event 

in the context of the surrounding areas, 

while also showing the positioning and 

layout of the main aspects (staging, bar, 

merchandise stalls etc.) 

› Event Budget 

This will need to detail all costs and 

revenue streams that you are expecting in 

respect of a successful event. The budget 

supplied will form the basis for the amount 

or ‘sum insured’; accuracy here is key 

› Event Safety Management Plan 

Insurers will want to see the number of 

individuals and number of contractors 

working on the event and understand 

what their roles are. Crucially however the 

Event Safety Management Plan should also 

include a wind management plan and a 

wet weather management plan 

› Wind Management Plan 

Insurers will want to see that the organiser 

is aware of the maximum wind speeds 

that all temporary structures are able to 

withstand, furthermore there needs to 

be a written plan that explains the action 

points at each wind speed level up to those 

critical levels 

› Wet Weather Management Plan 

This must outline how wet weather is 

being monitored, and crucially what 

contingent equipment or scenarios are 

“YOU NEED TO HAVE A 

COMPREHENSIVE WIND 

MANAGEMENT PLAN 

THAT CAN DEMONSTRATE 

TO INSURERS THE RISK 

THRESHOLDS OF CERTAIN 

WIND SPEEDS...” 

available to be deployed to combat the 

effects of wet weather. 

The more information we supply to a 

potential insurer the better, and by that 

we mean the more the chance of a fair 

cost. Make sure you know the history of 

the site you are using; How many events 

have taken place there in the past? 

Have there been any cancellations due 

to wet weather? Have you checked the 

Environment Agency flood map? Is there 

hardstanding anywhere across the site, 

even if it’s for use by production only? If 

not, are you using trackway? 

High winds are often an issue in the UK, 

even if the structures you are using are 

not supporting people there is still a risk 

that items such as advertising hoarding or 

stage dressings become loose and cause 

injury. You need to have a comprehensive 

wind management plan that can 

demonstrate to insurers the risk thresholds 

of certain wind speeds. It will help to be 

able to clearly demonstrate exactly what 

the consequences of high winds are, and of 

course the more resilient your structures, 

the better risk you present. 

As stated in all of the above there will be 

an enhanced focus on your contingency 

planning. You will need to demonstrate 

that you have a budgeted amount set 

aside to draw down in order to call on 

items such as extra trackway, wood 

chip, straw, or even the ability to adjust 

the position of the site if possible. The 

more you can demonstrate that you 

have thought through these scenarios 

and budgeted for them, the greater the 

downward pressure on insurance cost. 


Gary Brooks 

is associate 

director at Integro 

Entertainment & 

Sport Insurance 

Brokers, a speciality 

brokerage that works 

with many of the biggest 

names in the music and 

events, film and television, theatre, and 

sports industries. 

Integro’s experience means it 

understands the nature of risk and has 

innovative solutions to clients’ exposures, 

designing insurance programmes that are 

responsive to complex needs. 

The Music & Events team is drawn from 

the strategic acquisition of respected 

insurance brokers Doodson Broking Group, 

Robertson Taylor W&P Longreach, ACJ and 

Stonehouse Conseillers. Integro has access 

to a range of insurers within the market, 

as well as its own exclusive delegated 

authority scheme, underwritten by one of 

the world's largest insurance companies. 

0161 419 3089 / 

www.integroentertainment.com 


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EVENTS 

Campsite 

Waste 

ks 

dise 

akers 

BACK IN 2018, we were confronted with the 

aftermath of festival camping when image 

after image of campsite waste, mainly 

tents, appeared in the press. The “teenage 

wasteland” of our times. But in fact, waste is 

a problem that besets many different types 

of events. Just watching the clear up after 

Notting Hill Carnival with over 60 tonnes of 

waste left behind confirms that waste is a 

problem not just restricted to festivals. But 

what is a uniquely festival problem, and one 

that we are all too familiar with, is that of 

single use disposable tent waste. 

The many schemes and approaches which 

have been tried over the last decade have 

not put paid to the problem and for the 

bigger camping festivals the problem just 

seems to get worse each year. 

REASONS AND MYTHS 

Reasons for tent waste are variously given as 

lazy punters who couldn’t care less (campers 

too hungover to repack pop-up tents), the 

weather (it’s wet, it’s muddy and many just 

want to get home after the party), simple 

economics (a festival tent, chairs and table 

cost around £40 and hold little value so 

why bother to take home something that’s 

Teresa Moore on a 

perennial festival problem 

– single use tents 

probably broken and you’re going to get rid 

of anyway), marketing (the “festival tent” 

has come to imply disposability), and of 

course peer influence (everyone else leaves 

stuff behind). 

We’ve also seen the rise of the “it’s OK 

to leave your tent as they all go to charity” 

myth. It started with the best of intentions; a 

couple of festivals teamed up with charities 

in a genuine attempt to put leftover tents to 

good use. Suddenly leaving your tent behind 

became the morally right thing to do and 

resulted in even more tent waste. Those 

charities such as Festival Waste Reclamation 

and Distribution that collect tents say they 

are only able to salvage 1 in 10 at best, partly 

because many are in no fit state for reuse 

and partly because they simply don’t have 

“SUDDENLY LEAVING YOUR 

TENT BEHIND BECAME THE 

MORALLY RIGHT THING TO 

DO AND RESULTED IN EVEN 

MORE TENT WASTE” 

the storage capability to hold very many 

before redistribution. As a result, many 

festivals now tell their audiences not to leave 

their tents as they don’t go to charity 

SCALE OF THE PROBLEM 

This summer it was estimated that around 

20 per cent of tents (1 in 5) had been left at 

a major camping festival of 60,000-70,000 

campers. My research into this problem in 

2012 found that 1 in 6 tents were left behind. 

Evidence then of a growing problem. If the 

2018 figures are accurate, this would mean 

that around 14,000 tents were left at a single 

large festival. Scale this up across the UK and 

Europe, where we know the problem is also 

growing, and we are potentially looking at 

hundreds of thousands of left behind tents. 

All adding to the plastic pollution problem. 

It’s rather ironic that in 2018 when David 

Attenborough and the so- called “Blue 

Planet effect” drew attention to a global 

plastic waste emergency, inspiring the 

national conscience to wage war on single 

use plastics, that the single use plastic tents 

somehow slipped the net. And, of course, 

there is a financial cost to all of this. 

WHAT CAN BE DONE? 

One solution comes with the development 

of compostable tent materials. There are 

currently several forms on the market, 

some pre-erected, with new ideas being 

developed. For the most part this is a shortterm 

solution; they don’t have a long life 

GETTY IMAGES 

Lighting 


EVENTS 

and the term “compostable tent” tends 

to perpetuate the idea of single use and 

disposability when what we really need is to 

move towards longer life and reuse. 

Speaking of pre-erected tents, glamping 

is likely to continue to grow, potentially 

eliminating a proportion of tent waste, 

however the majority of the tents are still 

made from plastic derivatives and there 

is little independent research currently to 

understand how many times these tents 

can/are being used before they are disposed 

of, and where. 

Bridging the gap between glamping’s 

plastic tents and short-lived tents made of 

compostable materials is the comeback of 

the canvas tent. Canvas tents have a much 

longer life and they are repairable. There 

are a few companies out there now who 

upcycle vintage tents from the seventies 

supplying them set up and ready to use by 

the festivalgoer - a cool option which avoids 

all the old issues of carrying a very heavy wet 

tent back home. 

The main problem though is that while 

these companies are filling a nostalgia niche 

with a sustainable option, they are small 

operations and the supply of vintage tents is 

of course limited. 

Buying a festival tent that you can 

repair is almost a thing of the past but 

new EU proposed legislation, now referred 

to as the “Right to Repair Law”, may 

just change things. Although targeted 

at the manufacture of white and tech 

goods, there is no reason why this law, if 

introduced, couldn’t be used to target tent 

manufacturers. As the UK’s environment 

minister is quoted as saying, “We want 

manufacturers and producers to make 

products easier to reuse and repair, to make 

them last longer.” (Independent Jan 2019). 

With 18 states in the US ready to enact 

this law along with the EU and UK it has 

the potential to transform manufactured 

goods eliminating built in obsolescence 

and the way they are made, and with the 

right pressure there is no reason why this 

shouldn’t include tents. It is unlikely to 

change things in the short term, sadly, but in 

the longer term… watch this space! 

Schemes that have been successful are 

those which focus on green camping and 

behaviour change, by which I mean those 

campsites where festival audiences bring 

their own tents and, in exchange for things 

like better showers and toilets, security and 

GETTY IMAGES 

great food, they agree to adhere to certain 

principles or rules such as taking their tents 

home and leaving a clean campsite. Love 

Your Tent and Respect schemes at the Isle 

of Wight Festival, Greenpeace’s new “Eco 

Camp” at Download Festival and “Clean 

out Loud” at Roskilde Festival have all 

demonstrated that with the right approach 

things can change. It is only surprising 

that this approach hasn’t gathered more 

momentum. 

It could be argued though that these 

schemes don’t go far enough as they 

only cover a small area; less than 10 per 

cent of total camping at festivals. Having 

researched this problem for the last few 

years, talking to hundreds of festival 

campers along the way, it’s my conclusion 

that real behaviour change needs a bigger 

prompt. And the way to do this is to make 

green camping both the default camping 

option and at the same time the cheapest 

camping option. Yes, you can still camp 

brown and dirty if you choose to but it will 

cost you more. 

So, my challenge to festival organisers 

with tent waste problems is to take a serious 

look at long term strategies to change 

festival camping behaviour. In 2020, festivals 

that have no green camping could make a 

start and introduce it as an option. Those 

that do already have green camping should 

focus on expanding their green campsites 

with a goal to make green camping the 

cheapest and the default camping option. 

This is a big ask for festival organisers but 

the tent waste problem has been going on 

for far too long now. 

Green Events Innovations Conference 

So how did we do in 2019? There are signs 

that some festivals made real progress on 

the problem but we await the data now to 

really understand what happened. If you 

want to find out why not come to GEI12 

on 3 March 2020 where we will review this 

year’s tent waste progress and discuss 

much much more on the latest innovations 

and progress on greening our events. 

www.agreenerfestival.com/green-eventsinnovations-conference-gei 

Postscript - 

Campsite Chaos 

In 2018, Yourope’s GO Group and A 

Greener Festival joined forces and created 

“Campsite Chaos”, a new initiative on the 

problem of campsite waste. Campsite Chaos is 

a closed group for festival organisers, providing 

a forum for frank and honest discussion of their 

campsite waste problems. Members can share 

their experiences including their successes 

and failures. The forum is held at both 

the Eurosonic and Green Events and 

Innovation Conference. 


Teresa Moore is a director of A Greener Festival. She is also a researcher and has been looking at the problem of tent waste at festivals for a number of 

years. She carried out the first pan European survey on the tent waste problem in 2012 for A Greener Festival and Go Group. For the last four years she has 

conducted research on the campsites at the Isle of Wight Festival amongst others, and in 2018 advised Greenpeace on setting up Eco Camp at Download 

Festival as part of ongoing research for her PhD in Sustainable Event Management. 


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EVENTS 

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The Country Brocante 

Product supplied: Several ITA 35 

and 45 indirect oil fired heaters and 

white insulated tower distribution 

outlets 

From: Thermobile (07850 988382 / 

www.thermobile.co.uk) 

Details: Thermobile’s heaters were used by Cotswold 

Marquees (www.cotswoldmarquee.co.uk) at this annual event in the 

Cotswolds on the Daylesford Organic Farm Estate. The event is open to the public 

and traders arrive from all parts of the country to sell their vintage mirrors, chairs, 

fabrics and jewellery. 

The heaters supplied are indirect fired heaters from Thermobile’s ITA range. 

They provide clean fume-free heating, good air flow, a low noise level and simple 

operation (basic remote control). Also supplied was high temperature flexible 

ducting with white powder coated, fully insulated tower distribution outlets. Heater 

options include bulk tank connection, fan only (for summer use), hour clock, twin 

outlet ducting kits, and a variety of distribution hoses and outlets. 

Thermobile offers a wide range of marquee heaters including five oil fired ITA 

models (including standard and robust 240 volt or dual voltage versions), four IMA 

models (single-phase) and three IMA models in three-phase, oil or gas fired versions. 

Feedback: Cotswold Marquees said: “Thermobile has been our heater company 

of choice for indirect marquee heaters. We have a number of ITA 35/45s that have 

proved to be effective and reliable.” 


PRODUCT 

SNAPSHOTS 

Super Bright, Efficient Lighting Towers 

Morris Site Machinery 

01902 790824 

www.morrismachinery.co.uk 

Silent Diesel Generators 

HGI Generators 

01629 824 284 

www.hgigenerators.com 

HGI’s diesel 6kVA HRD060 features the premium 

Yanmar L100 air cooled engine coupled to the renowned 

Meccalte brush-less alternator. A 26 litre base frame fuel tank 

provides 16 hours run time at 75 per cent load. 

Included as standard is the 3110 Deep Sea control module. The control panel is also 

fitted with an array of MCB protected 16A and 32A sockets in either 110V or 230V. 

Easy to manoeuvre with the wheel kit, it’s fitted with a certified central lifting eye 

and integral fork pockets, plus, with full access to the engine and alternator with the 

canopy hinged open, routine maintenance is a simple task. 

The SMC TL90 Evolve is easy to service, has a 

fuel efficient run time of 185 hours and can be 

fitted with three different lamp head options, 

including the six LED lamp head, which makes 

it the brightest lighting tower ever produced by 

Morris Site Machinery. 

The recently launched SMC SL60 Link lighting 

tower can be linked to the TL90 Evolve, emitting 

67 per cent more light with a 17 per cent 

saving on fuel costs and carbon emissions. The 

lightweight, compact machine can run from 

another lighting tower, mains, or a generator 

– in fact a three phase generator can power 24 

units. 

Generators 

20KVA – 1000KVA 

Synchronised 

generators 

Containerised 

generators 

Towable generators 

20 -100KVA 

Changeover panels 

Distribution Equipment 

Transformers 

Fuel management 

Bunded fuel tanks 

GENERATOR HIRE 

in an INSTANT 

We have the knowledge and expertise to service all your 

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0800 389 9191 

instantpower@cwplant.co.uk 


Spot light 

A roundup of products for the outdoor hospitality industry 

THE NEW KULA SUITE 

Kula Tents 

+31 657 787 377 

www.kulatents.com 

The new 7m x 10m Kula Suite 

accommodation tent is perfect 

for small or large families and 

takes influence from a bygone 

era of remote luxury and safari 

lodge opulence. Its unique design 

is perfect for creating enjoyable 

and ambient interiors for groups 

and families and fits well into any 

site layout, small or large. 

We provide optional high end 

timeless interiors with ambient 

lighting, bespoke furniture and 

stylish soft furnishings as well 

as a luxury spacious bathroom 

tent. Our tents are fabricated to 

high standards of craftsmanship 

and designed for functionality, 

offering beautiful living 

spaces for all your glamping 

requirements. 

IMPORTERS AND RESTORERS OF 

VINTAGE AIRSTREAMS 

Vintage Travel Trailers 

07795 495493 


Vintage Travel Trailers 

specialises in the supply 

and refurbishment of classic 

Airstreams from the 1940s 

through to the mid 1970s. With 

over 12 Airstreams in stock, 

select your trailer and we can 

renovate it from the chassis up 

and convert it into whatever 

you want it to be. Choose from 

a bespoke refit or simply a 

polished shell for you to fit out 

yourself. Our highly skilled team 

will create stunning interiors, 

convert to UK running gear and 

polish to a mirror shine. Or take 

it as it is and do the whole thing 

yourself! We ship completed 

projects worldwide. 

MODULAR FLOORING 

EverBlock UK 

02037 959090 


EverBlock UK supplies a 

complete line of interlocking 

modular flooring systems for a 

variety of uses from dance floors 

to tent flooring, stadium turf 

protection systems to temporary 

exhibition flooring. 

Used by venues, tent and 

event companies, hotels, 

residential and corporate 

users, each flooring version has 

unique features specific to its 

application, yet modules work 

together and can interconnect, 

providing great flexibility – eg. 

the wood finish modules work 

with the solid coloured floors. 

The system incorporates the 

latest aesthetic trends, advanced 

connection technology and a 

focus on structural strength. 

TENTS OF EXCELLENCE 

BCT Outdoors 

01274 728469 

www.bctshop.co.uk 

Ever since Lord Baden Powell 

created the Scout movement 

back in 1908, BCT has been 

producing tents of excellence. It 

invests heavily in R&D and uses 

traditional skills, manufacturing 

everything at its factory in 

Bradford. Its canvas glamping 

accommodation includes 

premium bell tents in four sizes, 

safari tents, a nomadic yurt and 

geodesic dome. Most structures 

come in canvas or ‘Super All 

Season’ polyester. 

BCT also offers a wash, proof 

and repair service for any tents, 

with the washing facility capable 

of handling up to 90kg. 


BEST OF BRITISH – BESPOKE 

GEODESIC DOMES 

TruDomes 

02476 326585 

hello@trudomes.com 

www.trudomes.com 

The team at TruDomes comprises 

home-grown experts in the field 

of British designed, engineered 

and manufactured geodesic 

domes. It boasts the design and 

manufacturing capabilities to 

help businesses create truly 

unique and profitable space 

solutions. Attractively priced, 

the range starts at cosy dining 

or lounging spaces with the 

smallest bespoke dome being 

created to perfectly fit a hot tub 

to maximise the feeling of luxury. 

At the other end of the scale are 

the colossal domes, which can 

comfortably cater for events 

and parties, act as classrooms, 

or accommodate a large family 

or group that want to glamp 

together. 

GLAMPING TRIPOD 

Woodworks Designs 

07707 173969 

www.woodworksdesigns.co.uk 

Introducing a new concept 

in glamping accommodation 

– the Tripod. Its comprises 

six triangular sections bolted 

together at the apex to form a 

strong, unique structure. 

The tranquil interior space enjoys 

natural light from the windows 

incorporated into the triangular 

sections. Each sectional panel is 

fully insulated and weatherproof 

sealed. 

Tripod units can be connected 

together to form larger 

accommodations and can be 

supplied ready to plug into the 

mains or fitted with solar panels 

for off-grid use. Other designs 

available, see the website for 

more. 

THE NEW MODULAR TURNKEY 

Blackdown Shepherd Huts 

01460 929774 

www.blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk 

Take a seat in Blackdown 

Shepherd Huts’ new Modular 

Turnkey. The latest addition to 

Blackdown’s Turnkey range of 

shepherd huts has an ingenious 

design that provides flexible 

seating solutions while still 

having all the benefits of the 

classic Turnkey design. 

The Modular has L-shaped seating 

with storage, a height adjustable 

oak table, and part of the L can be 

moved to create seating on three 

sides of the table. The table can 

be reduced in height before the 

bed is pulled down beneath the 

stargazer glass ceiling. 

EXQUISITELY CRAFTED CABINS, 

TREEHOUSES AND MORE 

Wild Hart 

07971 869058 

www.wild-hart.co.uk 

Wild Hart creates exquisitely 

crafted and award-winning 

cabins, treehouses, playscapes 

and furniture. The company 

ethos is to use sustainable local 

timber and work collaboratively 

to support local business. With 25 

years woodworking experience 

and a love of nature Wild Hart 

has worked on many projects 

including a playscape at the 

Museum of Welsh Life, Siege 

Engines at Caerphilly Castle, 

the triple gold medal winning 

Zoflora & Caudwell Children’s 

Wild Garden at Hampton Court 

Palace in 2017, and the 'Back to 

Nature' gardens at both Chelsea 

and Hampton RHS flower shows 

designed by the Duchess of 

Cambridge. 


Classified Directory 

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Cabins and 

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From 

£3,685 

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01389 887205 www.logspan.com 

01278 238390 

Sewage Treatment Systems 

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Modular Flooring 

for all Applications 

02037 959090 


Perfect for 

glamping, 

camping and 

caravan sites 

01295 236101 • sales@theseptictankstore.co.uk 

www.theseptictankstore.co.uk 

GLAMPING 

PODS 



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& Event Domes 

W. TruDomes.com T. 02476 326585 

Bespoke, Luxurious Shepherd Huts 

0117 986 9685 


01246 810488 / 07958 498331 

www.lowroadnursery.co.uk 


If you need help with the 

Safety, Security or 

Stewarding at your events, 

please get in touch 

01483 266486 / 020 8545 2492 

info@theeventpartnership.co.uk 

www.eepsafety.com 

TWO-WAY RADIO 

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Call FREE: 

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sales@dcrs.co.uk 

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BUSINESS INNOVATION 2019 

INNOVATION 2019

DAY IN THE LIFE 

THOMAS SPRONK 

24 HOURS WITH... 

Claire O’Neill 

A day in the life of A Greener Festival co-founder Claire O’Neill as she 

assesses the sustainability of Dockyard Festival in the Netherlands 

THIS MORNING I am at Amsterdam Dance 

Event (ADE), and this week has been a 

marathon. I have delivered a Green Keynote 

for the AGM of the Association for Electronic 

Music (AFEM), spent two days environmental 

assessor training for A Greener Festival 

(AGF), held the first meeting of our new GEX 

Creative Europe project with four festival 

partners, and attended the ADE Green 

Conference. Last night I was also at the 

DGTL Festival at NDSM Warehouse to see 

Orbital, whose performance was as thought 

provoking and impeccable as always. We 

arrived home at 4am. 

Today I assess Dockyard Festival for 

the “A Greener Festival Award”. They have 

submitted their self-assessment and I review 

our follow up questions and touch base 

with fellow AGF assessor for the day, Klavdia 

Debelova, to plan our meeting place and 

travel. 

I am looking forward to meeting the 

Dockyard organisers and team. The selfassessment 

has described some great 

initiatives and the organisation is clearly 

committed to seeking sustainable solutions. 

Additionally there are friends and colleagues 

who work in the green event space in the 

Netherlands who we will see today. I hope 

that we are able to meet all of the necessary 

people and see enough of the event to 

complete the extensive assessment. It is 

important to gather as much information 

on site as possible to ensure we are able to 

score and contextualise any post event data 

we’re sent. 

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO GATHER 

AS MUCH INFORMATION ON 

SITE AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE 

WE ARE ABLE TO SCORE AND 

CONTEXTUALISE ANY POST 

EVENT DATA WE’RE SENT” 

We have reviewed the festival’s selfassessment 

in advance so we recap when 

Klavdia and I meet. Klavdia has reviewed the 

supporting documents which are in Dutch, 

and we have already begun the analysis of 

the event’s communications and transport 

options for its audience. 

We take the complimentary shuttle bus 

from the Metro to the festival site. Once 

on site we do a walk around, observe the 

materials used, installations, signage and 

communications, waste management, 

front of house, electrical usage, toilets, and 

speak with caterers, litter pickers, bars, and 

members of the audience and staff to find 

out how the site is being managed, and 

whether the green initiatives and actions 

we’ve read about in the self-assessment are 

being well communicated, understood, and 

implemented on site. 

Next we meet with Jean-Pierre 

Timmermans, the sustainability coordinator, 

and commence a guided tour of the back of 

house with introductions to directors, key 

personnel and contractors. This includes 

observation of waste water processes, 

set up of power networks (in this case 

through battery and generators), the décor 

and materials storage containers, waste 

sorting and storage areas, artists’ areas and 

so on. We make notes and take pictures 

throughout, and following the meetings we 

enter further information into the assessor’s 

report and highlight which areas we will 

need post event evidence and data for (eg. 


DAY IN THE LIFE 

PROFILE 

“I LOVE THIS JOB AS I AM ABLE TO VISIT SOME OF THE 

MOST IMPRESSIVE EVENTS FROM A VAST SPECTRUM OF 

CULTURES, ART FORMS AND GENRES WITH THE SOLE 

PURPOSE OF SEEKING OUT AND ENCOURAGING BEST 

PRACTICE IN SUSTAINABILITY” 

the waste and recycling quantities, fuel 

usage, transport data, survey results and 

so on). 

The next phase is to see how all of the 

systems and actions are running when 

night falls. As the full audience is present 

at this stage it is important to see how 

any systems and infrastructure work 

under full capacity, in the dark, perhaps 

with the added challenge of inebriation 

(of the audience – not us). This is also the 

time that tech production is “all systems 

go” as headliners take the stage (in this 

case four stages). On egress, the work 

continues, observing the traffic, waste 

management and communications 

around the event perimeter. This is only 

the beginning, as the detailed analysis 

and feedback report will come following 

the event when we have gathered all 

evidence. 

Today has gone smoothly. When 

looking at an assessment day, problems 

may be in relation to access, or if during 

our assessment we spot a leak, hazard or 

issue that would be useful for the site or 

production team to be aware of. Today 

no such issues arose. 

The wonderful thing about the AGF 

Assessment is that we are also assessing 

the food sustainability, including 

sourcing, what food is served in, 

communication on menus and actions 

to reduce waste and salvage what is left 

over. So, eating a good lunch is a part of 

the job! 

I feel very positive at the end of the 

day because this has been an event 

that is clearly committed to excelling 

where possible to make things greener. 

All of the people we met throughout 

the team were able to explain how 

their department was working towards 

realising the event’s sustainability plans. 

We saw inspiring actions in relation to 

waste management and investment 

in green energy systems. Plus we were 

lucky to see Len Faki play an excellent 

set, with an impressive LED lighting 

display in the Figure arena before our 

departure. 

I love this job as I am able to visit some 

of the most impressive events from a 

vast spectrum of cultures, art forms and 

genres with the sole purpose of seeking 

out and encouraging best practice in 

sustainability. We meet like-minded 

people who are doing amazing work to 

reduce waste, increase resourcefulness, 

care for nature, share the good message, 

rethink our materials use, and to do all of 

this with an enhancement of experience 

and artistic expression. My job allows the 

opportunity to connect the dots between 

many organisations in the events and 

arts spaces, to accelerate our transition 

towards a sustainable future. What’s not 

to love about that! 

CLAIRE O‘NEILL 

Claire is co-founder and 

director of A Greener Festival 

(AGF), organiser of the Green 

Events & Innovations Conference 

(GEI), and chair of the Green Working 

Group at the Association for Electronic Music. 

Claire’s 2006 research led to the formation of AGF, 

which has since assessed 500 events worldwide 

including Glastonbury Festival (UK) and Roskilde 

Festival (DK) through The Greener Festival Award, 

trained over 100 assessors, and founded GEI, the 

sustainable event conference in London. Claire 

heads up the AGF consultancy with clients including 

Paradigm (formerly Coda) Agency, AEG Presents, 

and the Royal Horticultural Society. 

The Green Events and Innovations Conference, 

entering its 12th year on 3 March 2020, kicks off the 

International Live Music Conference (ILMC). Claire is 

co-founder, producer and curator of GEI, welcoming 

environmental experts and the live industry to 

accelerate progress towards greener events. 

As part of Arcadia Spectacular, Claire works as 

show manager and aerial performer at Glastonbury 

Festival and on International tours. Additionally, 

Claire is a director of the not for profit arm “Arcadia 

Reach CIC” established in 2018 to develop positive 

social projects. 

Claire has also been general manager of the 

Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), new 

media and licensing manager at Media Records, and 

held varied festival management roles spanning 15 

years. She also flew off the London Olympic Stadium 

roof dressed as Mary Poppins for the 2012 Olympic 

Opening Ceremony! 

A GREENER FESTIVAL 

AGF is a not-for-profit company, committed to 

helping events, festivals, venues and artists around 

the world to become more sustainable and to 

reduce environmental impacts. As pioneers in 

event sustainability since the first research in 2006, 

AGF provides certification, training, expertise and 

facilitates the exchange of best practice. www. 

agreenerfestival.com 

DOCKYARDS FESTIVAL 

Dockyard Festival is a techno and house party in 

the Dutch capital during Amsterdam Dance Event. 

Presenting a lineup of influential artists across four 

stages, each in their own massive tent, the festival 

has an energetic and raw atmosphere. 

www.dockyardfestival.com

Open Air Business October/November 2019

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