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FUNCTION VENUES of suppliers who each shout about each other. How would you describe your style or unique selling point? I think our location is incredibly special and has largely influenced how we put everything else together. I think folk come to us looking for a relaxed, natural, authentic experience which is close to nature and produced in a way that’s totally in tune with the individual. What challenges have you faced historically? Cash flow has always been the biggest challenge here as we are constantly in a development phase of some kind; it’s very easy to tip the balance. We have always had to cut the cloth as we have it and at times be patient, which we can find really difficult! How did you manage through the pandemic? As with everyone in the industry this has been an incredibly difficult time to navigate, particularly as the events side of our business now forms such a large part of the “NEXT YEAR WE WANT TO CREATE A BIT MORE SPACE TO ALLOW US TO HOST OUR OWN EVENTS – SUPPER CLUBS, GIGS, A CRAFT MARKET AND LOTS OF MUSIC” equation. We very much scraped through, literally with our money running out right as we were able to take more deposits. We had very little financial support as we were deemed to be one self-catering unit at one address. But the ‘roaring 20s’ came after the last great plague so it does really feel like the level of enjoyment and pleasure from gathering in any form is so much higher and more valued than before, so we are just looking forwards. How large is your team – any special people you’d like to mention? We are a team of six. Myself and husband Ross look after the management and development of the business, and in November 2021 we took on a completely new team which has been a very energising process. We have a series of heads of departments now after many configurations, and this seems to be the best way forward. Each individual has ownership of their role and we are at the final stages of just letting them run with it. We have Dawn Fraser, our resident events manager, Tom Kaye, resident caretaker, chef Lindsay Douglas and head of housekeeping/aesthetics/ gardens, Lucka Poyner. As with all small teams, we come together on big housekeeping days or cottage renovations. We share meals together and regularly engage in ‘inspire me’ days. A big focus for us has been team mental health and development so we really strive to get this right for all members individually. We have recently connected up with Kelly’s Cause which is a mental health first aid trainer and we’re hosting a session with them along with a number of local independent businesses later in the year. Have you worked with any industry bodies or consultants? We engaged with a financial consultant pre-pandemic and it was massively useful to hear an outside perspective on our place. We will continue with this and have also sourced some personal mentors who are working within the industry which we find hugely inspirational. 16 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
FUNCTION VENUES and it morphs easily from one thing to another now with great ease. It can be a retreat space for yoga or meditation and then a beautiful space for a family dinner gathering. It can host a small intimate gig of 100 or a day time social with pizzas flying out from the bar. It has also been used for many community focussed events such as our kids Wild Club and small team building groups. What are you most proud of? I think we feel most proud when we see our guests having a very real moment of enjoyment in their surroundings, whether they tell us or, for example, on a retreat when there is a shift and people leave with their shoulders a bit lower. We feel proud that we have created the environment for them to relax. What are your plans for next season? We have mapped out the events for next year and have purposefully reduced the number of retreats and weddings and placed them carefully within the year. This season feels a little over stretched as we realise that we have just said yes to everything during lockdown in the attempt to get back on our feet. Next year we want to create a bit more space to allow us to host our own events – supper clubs, gigs, a craft market and lots of music. We are also hoping to develop our onsite grocer which was set up through Covid times but now forms a really important part of the business. We make meals on site from our own produce and local ingredients for guests to pre-order to have in their accommodation on arrival, together with carefully matched wines, some local organic beer and other holiday treats. We are hoping to build a physical premises for this where we’ll have a coffee machine for morning coffee and hot cinnamon buns along with gifts to accelerate the shift into holiday mode; books, kites, bows and arrows, drawing books, bath salts and candles. “AS WITH ALL SMALL TEAMS, WE COME TOGETHER ON BIG HOUSE- KEEPING DAYS OR COTTAGE RENOVA- TIONS. WE SHARE MEALS TOGETHER AND REGU- LARLY ENGAGE IN ‘INSPIRE ME’ DAYS” Describe your average day mid-season There is no average day! Each day can be completely different, from huge changeover days where we all muck in, to setting up the tipi for a firelit public yoga class, to tending the garden, cooking up a storm or hosting a gig… and everything in between! We have two little boys so our priorities always begin from there. What do you enjoy about the business? I love the variety and opportunity surrounding us. We have an incredible local community on the doorstep and are constantly being approached to host really interesting events. Last week we had Charlie Gladstone host a workshop on ‘gentle leadership’ based on his incredible book Do Team (a must read). We had 30 local hospitality businesses who we work closely with throughout the year in the tipi and it was buzzing! What other outdoor hospitality sectors do you operate in? The tipi has provided us with a real multi-functional space What advice could you give to someone coming into the industry? If you create a space that can be easily multi-functional, then dip your toe into lots of different events and see what feels good. We’re now at the point where we know what is a good fit for us but it’s taken some time. Variety is the spice of life! ADDRESS BOOK TIPI Tentipi www.tentipi.com LIGHTING Limelights www.limelights.co.uk DIRECTORIES I-escape www.i-escape.com Kip Hideaways www.kiphideaways.com Wedding Collective www.theweddingcollective.co.uk CONSULTANCY Bright Chilli www.brightchilli.com INSURANCE Allianz www.allianz.com DETAILS The Dell of Abernethy Dell Road Nethy Bridge Inverness-shire PH25 3DL 01479 821643 www.thedellofabernethy.co.uk WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17
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Page 5 and 6: Half of Brits Welcome Hospitality T
Page 7 and 8: Event Operations and Staffing Servi
Page 9 and 10: PEOPLE ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT CHARLE
Page 11 and 12: PEOPLE NOT REALLY ‘GLAMPING’ Be
Page 13 and 14: Raising the Game in outdoor Hospita
Page 15: FUNCTION VENUES In the summer we po
Page 19 and 20: FUNCTION VENUES is that the couples
Page 21 and 22: FUNCTION VENUES INDUSTRY COMMENT Bu
Page 23 and 24: FUNCTION VENUES Family-friendly Spa
Page 25 and 26: FUNCTION VENUES MEET THE SUPPLIER G
Page 27 and 28: FUNCTION VENUES PRODUCT IN FOCUS Ma
Page 29 and 30: FUNCTION VENUES Fairway Inn, South
Page 31 and 32: GLAMPSITES CASE STUDY The Roost Lux
Page 33 and 34: GLAMPSITES “I BECAME A BIT OBSESS
Page 35 and 36: Covers arranged on all types of acc
Page 37 and 38: MAINSTREAM INSPIRATION More and mor
Page 39 and 40: GLAMPSITES SOLAR POWERED SYSTEMS Th
Page 41 and 42: The Biggest and the Best - NATIONWI
Page 43 and 44: GLAMPSITES Jonathan Trelfa General
Page 45 and 46: Free next working day delivery* on
Page 47 and 48: GLAMPSITES PRODUCT IN FOCUS Pods, H
Page 49 and 50: GLAMPSITES Stouslie Snugs, Scottish
Page 51 and 52: EVENTS Describe your event and how
Page 53 and 54: EVENTS ADDRESS BOOK Any special tea
Page 55 and 56: EVENTS CASE STUDIES SOLAR PV AT BOO
Page 57 and 58: EVENTS eradicate a great deal of st
Page 59 and 60: First Class Cleaning for Your Event
Page 61 and 62: EVENTS Underneath the Stars Festiva
Page 63 and 64: Classified Directory TWO-WAY RADIO
Page 65 and 66: PEOPLE Behind the Scenes with… Ha
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ISSUE 38 | October/November 2020 |
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