March/April 2022

FUNCTION VENUES
environmental, practical or social
issues and take guests on tours of
the site to learn about the various
ways in which we make Green &
Away a sustainable venue.
Describe how you researched and
sourced your structures
All our main structures are
temporary, which we set up in one
location every summer over a period
of two to three weeks. These mostly
consist of bespoke or second-hand
canvas marquees which we have
purchased from small British or
European suppliers over the years.
A number of smaller structures are
cobbled together using excess stock
material and many of the facilities
are made by ourselves on site (such
as our wooden composting toilet
cubicles and outdoor showers).
“EACH YEAR WE
DECIDE HOW
TO ARRANGE
THE SITE TO
BEST SUIT
OUR SUMMER
PROGRAMME
AND THE EXTRA
STRUCTURES
WE MAY
INCLUDE”
We take care to consider where
the products come from, the
impact they may have on our field
(such as avoiding contributing to
microplastics) and make purchases
guided by our procurement policy,
always keeping safety, longevity and
sustainability in mind.
How do you work with your
customers to make their event
unique?
Due to the temporary and low
impact nature of our venue, we are
very flexible in the services we can
provide guests and tailor things to
each event. In the run up to events
we are in close contact with the
organisers to ensure that we can
accommodate their needs.
Each year we decide how to
arrange the site to best suit our
summer programme and the extra
structures we may include. Our site
has been used by varied groups
from lively wedding celebrations of
140 people to an intimate workshop
of four on a painting course. By
our very nature as a low impact
environmental organisation, we
aim to ensure that everyone leaves
us feeling a sense of experiencing
something new or familiar in a
unique setting.
How do you publicise yourself?
The large majority of new enquiries
for bookings come from our website,
social media and search engine
18 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM