May/June 2021
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
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ISSUE 42 | <strong>May</strong> <strong>2021</strong> | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
WELCOME<br />
“AN OUTPOURING of joy,” describes Professor Iain Buchan as he<br />
talks about the crowd atmosphere at the Sefton Park test event<br />
this spring. In an in depth look at the science behind this pilot<br />
festival (and the other events held in Liverpool to assess the effect<br />
meeting en-masse without masks etc. has on the spread of Covid)<br />
he underlines just how many people are working at full capacity to<br />
get our hospitality and live events industries back on the road. This<br />
is echoed by Symphotech’s Eddy Grant as we go behind the scenes<br />
with him preparing the way for 6,000 unmasked partygoers at a<br />
Liverpool nightclub.<br />
One thing’s for sure – the processes, energy, determination<br />
and will are all there to get live events back safely and as awesome as ever, and as I write the<br />
headlines are announcing that just 15 people from the 58,000 that attended these pilots tested<br />
positive for the virus. If that isn’t a clear signal to the powers that be I don’t know what is.<br />
With all eyes on 21 <strong>June</strong>, there is plenty of future gazing going on, and it’s time to prep.<br />
Andrew White and Charlotte Winship have excellent advice for venues to maximise on<br />
bookings in a world with different expectations to those 15 months ago, and Caroline Cooper<br />
gives tips on recruiting.<br />
In the glamping industry, things are about to ramp up. Research from Champneys shows<br />
searches for glamping are up 678 per cent on last year, so much so that there is now some<br />
serious investment from ‘big’ hospitality in back-to-nature stays. Watch out for a new launch<br />
coming from us in the summer – Resort & Retreat, aimed especially at the big boys. If you want<br />
to be on the mailing list for a sample issue, please email tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
With glamping embedded in the idea of reconnecting with nature, I am so pleased to be<br />
able to share Swallowfield Glamping Retreat’s story on the creation of a wildflower meadow –<br />
I am looking forward to seeing the results of my own hard work soon too.<br />
Finally, does anyone need a railway glamping cabin? There is a beautiful example for sale<br />
due to a change in circumstances – hunt for it inside.<br />
Tally Rix<br />
Editor / Publisher<br />
Contents ISSUE 42 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
PUBLISHERS<br />
Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com<br />
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
EDITOR<br />
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
ADVERTISING SALES<br />
Marney Whyte - 01892 677743<br />
marney@openairbusiness.com<br />
ADMINISTRATOR<br />
Kirsty Farrow – 01892 677740<br />
kirsty@openairbusiness.com<br />
DESIGN<br />
James English -<br />
www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk<br />
PUBLISHED BY<br />
Coffee Shop Media Ltd<br />
www.coffeeshopmedia.com<br />
Milroy House, Sayers Lane,<br />
Tenterden, TN30 6BW<br />
01580 848555<br />
OPEN AIR BUSINESS IS<br />
NO LONGER FREE<br />
To start a paid subscription, please visit<br />
www.openairbusiness.com/subscribe<br />
UPFRONT<br />
5 News<br />
8 Product News<br />
11 Entrepreneur’s Chat<br />
– Tom Raynham,<br />
Raynham Estate<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
17 Alnwick Gardens –<br />
home to the world’s<br />
largest treehouse<br />
22 Filling the Gap – tips<br />
on recruiting new<br />
team members<br />
25 Ghost Events – avoid<br />
getting ghosted by<br />
corporate bookers<br />
26 Rapid Evolution – a<br />
look into the future<br />
for wedding and<br />
event venues<br />
29 Marquees – products<br />
in action<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
32 Yurtcamp Devon –<br />
22 yurts in a 40 acre<br />
woodland<br />
36 Making a Meadow<br />
– reinstating a<br />
hay meadow at<br />
Swallowfield<br />
Glamping Retreat<br />
40 Small Space Trends<br />
– embracing design<br />
post pandemic<br />
44 Growing Followers –<br />
tactics, hashtags and<br />
influencers<br />
47 Pods, Huts and<br />
Lodges – products in<br />
action<br />
EVENTS<br />
50 Wealden Times<br />
Midsummer Fair – a<br />
showcase for 200<br />
hand-picked retailers<br />
54 Covid and Temporary<br />
Structures – how the<br />
pandemic effected<br />
the marquee industry<br />
56 Testing the Safety<br />
Net – how science<br />
and society came<br />
together in Liverpool<br />
60 Flooring and<br />
Ground Protection –<br />
products in action<br />
62 Spotlight<br />
63 Classifieds<br />
65 Behind the Scenes –<br />
Eddy Grant, The First<br />
Dance<br />
Find more expert advice online:<br />
www.openairbusiness.com<br />
SUBSCRIBE<br />
ONLINE<br />
PODS,<br />
HUTS &<br />
LODGES<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
ALNWICK GARDEN • YURTCAMP DEVON • WEALDEN TIMES MIDSUMMER FAIR<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
› Marquees<br />
› Recruitment<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Making Meadows<br />
› Small Space Design<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Test Events<br />
› Ground Protection<br />
COVER PHOTO<br />
One of two bespoke cabins by Cedar Tree Pods built<br />
for Downash Wood Treehouses in East Sussex. The<br />
cabin pictured features dual aspect bi-folding doors,<br />
underfloor heating, a kitchen and shower room. See<br />
page 48 for more. www.cedartreepods.co.uk<br />
BUSINESS<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3
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