Issue 51

ISSUE 51 | 2022 | www.openairbusiness.com
BUSINESS
INFRASTRUCTURE
FUNCTION VENUES
› Sharing Snaps
› Kitchen Efficiencies
GLAMPSITES
› Architects
› Natural Pools
EVENTS
› Green Hydrogen
› Tent Waste
CASE STUDIES:
SYCHPWLL CENTRE • BROOK COTTAGE SHEPHERD HUTS • IRLAM LIVE

ISSUE 38 | October/November 2020 | www.openairbusiness.com
ISSUE 35 | March 2020 | www.openairbusiness.com
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
ISSUE 39 | January 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com
ISSUE 33 | January 2020 | www.openairbusiness.com
FUNCTION VENUES
BUSINESS
/ /
GLAMPSITES
EVENTS
> Legalities
> Biophilic Design
> Seasonal USPs
> Bespoke Structures
> Wedding Insights
> Professional Services
CASE STUDIES: HEATON HOUSE FARM • BROOK MEADOW • DOGFEST
FUNCTION VENUES
OAB Gathering 2020 – Don’t miss our very own conference this March!
Alfresco Dining
› Promoting Events
› Market Research › Testing Times
› Contingency Plans › Booking Channels › Necessary Change
CASE STUDIES:
SKIPBRIDGE COUNTRY WEDDINGS • TRECOMBE LAKES • WEEKEND AT THE ASYLUM
> Events Report
> Changing Diets
> Marquees
/ /
GLAMPSITES
CASE STUDIES:
FUNCTION VENUES
› Venue Searches
› Customer Excellence
EVENTS
STAYCATION
INVESTMENT
GLAMPSITES
› Tree Advice
/ /
› Glamping Show
CASE STUDIES:
FUNCTION VENUES
› Changing Habits
› Industry Taskforce
CHILLI BARN • MAD DOGS & VINTAGE VANS • HEVER CRAFT AND DESIGN FAIR
EVENTS
› Event Glamping
› Coping with Covid
/ /
GLAMPSITES
› Casual Excellence
› Planning Exemptions
EVENTS
THE ORCHARD AT MUNSLEY • HOLLY WATER HOLIDAYS • LANTERNS AT CHESTER ZOO
Customer
First
› 2021 Predictions
› Marketing Post-Covid
FUNCTION VENUES
› Delegation
› Instagram 1
› Start-up Venues › Small Space Design
CASE STUDIES:
HOUCHINS • THE PADDOCK RAMSBOTTOM • FRINGE BY THE SEA
/ /
GLAMPSITES
BUSINESS
EVENTS
› Placemaking
› Covid Insurance
ISSUE 40 | February 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com
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ISSUE 51 | 2022 | www.openairbusiness.com
WELCOME
ONE OF the favourite parts of my job is getting to
know the wonderful people who drive our industry.
Marney, Steve and I are fortunate to run into so many
of you in our daily work producing the magazine and
we share editorially many of those running venues,
glampsites and events. But it got me thinking; how
many opportunities are there for the average reader to
understand the people behind the businesses behind
the ads? They are a great bunch, many of whom have
become friends so I thought it was high time for you to
get to know them better too.
It started in the last issue but that ‘page 3 intro’ was all taken up with
blowing our own trumpet at 50 issues! So, belatedly, here is a formal pointer
to the second part of our Get to Know segment. Find out what makes our
featured suppliers special and a few fun facts about them. It’s been an
interesting exercise – we now know what you drink, what you watch and what
you like to get up to. Can I take this opportunity to publicly thank Andy Huett
from Coir Store who was the only one to think to order me a drink while at the
bar!
Finally, on what is our 51st issue, may I also draw your attention to
something that clearly heralds us as having ‘made it’ in trade mag publishing
– a quote from none other than Tom Cruise! (page 24).
Tally Rix
Editor / Publisher
PUBLISHERS
Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com
EDITOR
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com
ADVERTISING SALES
Marney Whyte - 01892 677743
marney@openairbusiness.com
David Hobden - 01892 677741
david@openairbusiness.com
ADMINISTRATOR
Kirsty Farrow – 01892 677740
kirsty@openairbusiness.com
DESIGN
James English -
www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk
PUBLISHED BY
Coffee Shop Media Ltd
www.coffeeshopmedia.com
Milroy House, Sayers Lane,
Tenterden, TN30 6BW
01580 848555
Contents ISSUE 51 – 2022
OPEN AIR BUSINESS IS
NO LONGER FREE
To start a paid subscription, please visit
www.openairbusiness.com/subscribe
UP FRONT
4 News
7 Product News
10 Entrepreneur’s Chat
– Emily Wilsdon,
Creeksea Place Barns
FUNCTION VENUES
14 Sychpwll Centre – a
unique, eco-friendly
venue
18 Sharing Snaps –
harnessing usergenerated
content
24 Venue
Infrastructure –
products in action
GLAMPSITES
29 Brook Cottage
Shepherd Huts – a
luxury hut retreat in
Wales
34 Natural Pools –
create swim spaces
without chemicals
37 Architects –
selecting and
working with design
professionals
EVENTS
48 Irlam Live – a family
friendly festival in
Manchester
52 Green Hydrogen for
Events – innovation
in portable power
54 Tent Waste – a
circular solution
57 Get to Know… the
people behind the
products
58 Event Infrastructure
– products in action
Find more expert advice online:
www.openairbusiness.com
SUBSCRIBE
ONLINE
INFRASTRUCTURE
FUNCTION VENUES
› Sharing Snaps
› Kitchen Efficiencies
GLAMPSITES
› Architects
› Natural Pools
EVENTS
› Green Hydrogen
› Tent Waste
BUSINESS
20 Kitchen Efficiencies
– save water and
energy when
specifying
23 Get to Know… the
people behind the
products
41 Get to Know – the
people behind the
products
45 Glamping Tents –
products in action
62 Spotlight
63 Classifieds
65 Behind the Scenes –
Christian Kremer, The
AIRSCREEN Company
CASE STUDIES:
SYCHPWLL CENTRE • BROOK COTTAGE SHEPHERD HUTS • IRLAM LIVE
COVER PHOTO
The Star and Mouse Picture Show (www.starandmouse.com)
open air cinema at Lanwades Hall, Newmarket, featuring an
AIRSCREEN classic 30x17ft (9.15x5.15m) screen.
+49 251 60 90 250, info@airscreen.com, www.airscreen.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3

PITCHUP.COM
Another
Staycation
Summer Ahead
DATA FROM Pitchup.com shows that
we are in for another bumper staycation
summer. Bookings for UK sites are up
by 72% compared to the same period
pre-pandemic. Forward bookings are also
looking strong, with a 104% growth in
those made by mid-April compared to the
same point in 2019.
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said:
“Over the last two years our site owners
have told us about many customers that
have swapped holidays abroad for stays
closer to home and have enjoyed it so
much that they plan to continue, and the
figures would certainly seem to bear that
out.”
There’s more choice than ever this year
too, with 360 new UK sites listed on the
platform compared to the same time last
year.
Pop-up Campsite
Welcomes 8,000
WHITTLEBURY PARK Hotel and Spa Resort welcomed more than 8,000 campers for the
2022 Formula 1 British Grand Prix hosted a 10 minute walk away at Silverstone Circuit
on 1-3 July.
With over 5,000 plots available and all tickets sold, the Northamptonshire resort
opened its doors to 50% more campers than in 2019 and offered entertainment, live
music, a pamper tent, on-site food and drink and a big screen playing Grand Prix action.
Charles Sargeant, managing director, said: “This was our biggest ever camping event
and are thrilled to have provided so many people with such an unforgettable weekend.
We work tirelessly to make sure that a stay at Whittlebury Park’s campsite is an
experience, not just a place to sleep, and this is reflected in the number of visitors who
return year on year for the fun, energy and high-quality service we provide.”
Glamping tents and wood cabins were also available featuring Queen-sized double
beds, tables, fairy lights and a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine.
Sustainable Events
Summit at The
Showman’s Show
VISION: 2025 will be presenting a new action-focused conference
format for the outdoor events industry when the Sustainable
Events Summit 2022 heads to The Showman’s Show, Newbury
Showground, on Wednesday 19 October.
With a programme centred around the latest research tools
and knowledge, it will bring event organisers, academics, local
authorities and experts together to drive debate, resource
development, collaborative industry standards, best practice and
innovation in shaping the industry’s response to climate change.
Event director Jeremy Lance said: “Driving forward innovation
in sustainability is important to us as event organisers and to our
visitors and exhibitors. Vision:2025’s conference has become a key
component in the industry’s response to climate change and we’re
thrilled that The Showman’s Show has become its regular home
and plays its part in facilitating the conversation.”
4 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Awards for Excellence
Secret Meadows
VISITENGLAND HAS announced the winners of its annual
Awards for Excellence 2022, celebrating the best of the
country’s tourism industry.
The 19 Gold Award winners were announced at an
evening ceremony on 8 June hosted by Clare Balding at
the Library of Birmingham. Winners were selected from
hundreds of tourism businesses across England – special
congratulations to those from the glamping and boutique retreat industry!
The Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year top three were Secret Meadows
(Suffolk) who took Gold, with Brook Meadow (Leicestershire) and Landal Sandybrook
(Derbyshire) in Silver and Bronze position.
​Treeopia (Worcestershire) also wowed judges, taking Gold in the ​Self-Catering
Accommodation of the Year category.
Connecting Festivals to the Grid
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC has announced funding to drive a new research project within Music
Declares Emergency. The project aims to drive grid connections to UK festivals and begin
the transition of the UK outdoor live sector to grid power. Such a transition will ultimately
reduce carbon emissions for the sector in relation to temporary power generation.
Festival Republic will support the project closely with the aim of presenting fully
renewably powered, grid connected stages at three Festival Republic events for the 2023
season, and to help create a pathway for other promoters and event organisers to follow.
The project is part of the ongoing work within Festival Republic to create sustainable
and environmentally friendly outdoor events. For the first time, Reading and Leeds will be
powered by 100% HVO biofuel. Across its outdoor portfolio for summer 2022, there will
also be a continuation of sustainability initiatives including £1 from every Reading parking
pass being donated to Trees For Cities, a priority car park for Reading car sharers with Go
Car Share, a paper cup and rPET bottle deposit return scheme, no virgin single use plastic
sold, campsite recycling rewards and Take Your Tent Home campaign.
IN SHORT
› GLAMPING IN
PRINCE WILLIAM’S
HELICOPTER
Prince William’s
RAF Sea King
helicopter has
found a new home at
Pinewood Holiday Park in
Scarborough. It is one of three rescued
from the scrap heap by site owner
Ben Stonehouse and given a £250,000
restoration. Two of the three helicopters
rent out at £159 a night while a third has
been converted to a seafront café.
› FESTIVAL POWERED BY GREEN
HYDROGEN
The 25th HebCelt festival achieved a
Scottish first by having one of its main
performance areas powered by green
hydrogen. The Islands Stage in the main
arena used the zero-emissions energy
for three days and nights, powering 12
acts.
HebCelt is the first major event in
2022 for Harris-based PlusZero which
uses clean power sourced from its
green hydrogen production facility
in Stornoway. It is decarbonising
the events sector by replacing diesel
generators with portable, zero-carbon
alternatives. The project has funding
from EventScotland’s National Events
Programme. Turn to pages 52-53 for
more.
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC
MAC CABINS LIMITED
Modular • Artisan • Contemporary
Glamping Sites, Leisure Parks, Holiday Rentals,
Bed & Breakfasts (B&B), Hotels & Resorts, Golf Clubs,
Camp Sites, Holiday Retreats, AirBnB and Land/
Garden Owners.
Whether you are looking to start,
expand or diversify your own
existing holiday rental business,
MAC Cabins brings you the
perfect selection of the best
Timber Log Cabins, Glamping
Pods, Timber Lodges and Small
Homes Tiny Houses, collectively,
for you to choose from.
MAC Cabins actively supports and promotes the sustainable tourist industry.
0800 999 1564
maccabins.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 5

Discover the latest products and services
for the Outdoor Event Industry
19th & 20th October | Newbury Showground
Marquess • Structures • Tipis • Toilets • Mobile Bars •
Sustainability • Generators • Power Distribution • Furniture •
Audio Visual Equipment • Pop-up Tents • Lighting • Stages •
Catering • Security
The Outdoor Event Services Exhibition
www.showmans-directory.co.uk
Tel: 01747 854099 Email: info@showmans-directory.co.uk

PRODUCT
MHM Expands Ultra-silent Generator Range
PLANT EQUIPMENT provider MHM
has expanded its range of Event Ready
generators, which now covers models from
10kva to 500kva. The units, painted in a
distinctive pink livery, all feature MHM’s
ultra-silenced technology, reducing noise
emissions to as low as 50dBa at seven
metres.
Brad Ireland, group sales director, said:
“We’ve extended the Event Ready range due
to increased demand for these products
from the event and film industries. They are
quiet, reliable and robust machines that are
specifically designed for outdoor events or
for use on movie and TV sets, providing the
same power as our standard MHM generators
with the benefit of reduced noise levels.”
The generators all have Stage V compliant
Kubota, Yanmar, Kohler or Iveco diesel
engines and are compatible with HVO fuel,
enabling the user to reduce their emissions.
They also feature MHM’s unique automatic
engine protection system. This shuts down
the engine to prevent damage caused by
issues such as low oil pressure, low fuel,
battery charge failure, and high engine
temperature.
Other standard features include deepsea
panel, a three-way fuel valve, 12V battery
isolator switch to minimise the risk of a flat
battery, and a fully bunded base to prevent
fuel leaks or spillages. Transport around site
is made easy with an integrated lifting eye
and forklift pockets. Designed with the UK
and Ireland hire markets in mind, the Event
Ready generators also feature an engine oil
drain pump to reduce service time.
Incorporated in 2010, MHM has rapidly
grown into a leading supplier of equipment
to the UK and Irish rental markets. It
specialises in power generation, fluid
storage, site lighting, and solar-hybrid
generators.
0808 168 9099, sales@mhm-group.co.uk,
www.mhm-group.co.uk
Lease
Huts
Available
Now
GREENDOWN SHEPHERD Huts
is launching a lease hut for the
hotel and holiday let market that
starts from just £184pw with
an option to own at the end of
the term. A limited number are
available to business users only.
Huts to purchase are also in stock
from £29,000 to £120,000.
To find out more, or if you
would like to visit the company’s
new workshop and display area,
please get in touch.
0117 986 9685, info@
greendownshepherdhuts.co.uk,
www.greendownshepherdhuts.
co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 7

PRODUCT
Voyager Houses
in the UK
VOYAGER HOUSES is new to the UK but in a short time has managed
to catch the attention of hospitality businesses. As a result of
participating at two expo shows in Cornwall, it has sold its first house
to a wedding venue in south Cornwall and took many other orders.
Voyager Houses UK serves clients with tiny homes built on trailers,
static cabins and off-grid energy systems. Check out its three
innovative tiny models – Voyager 1, Hubble and Viking 1 (pictured).
07470 004191, info@voyagerhousesuk.com,
www.voyagerhousesuk.com
Solar Heating for
Hot Tubs
SOLARISKIT HAS developed an attractive, easy to
install solar heating solution for hot tub owners.
The kit includes everything you need to install the
system, including SolarisKit's unique prismatic
solar collectors, a low power (10W) pump and solar
controller, and the additional accessories needed to
carry out the connections.
To help make installation as easy as possible,
SolarisKit has published a step-by-step video to
talk users through the installation – no professional
installers are needed thus saving even more in costs.
The HT100 hot tub heating kit is the ideal solution
for any owner of a hot tub looking to reduce
heating costs and improve sustainability. Kits can
be purchased online from www.solariskit.com and
quickly shipped within the UK.
SolarisKit is proudly made in the UK and is a
Certified B Corp company.
07470 493134, hello@solariskit.com,
www.solariskit.com
Introducing the
Petrichor
PATHFINDER HOMES has introduced a new model
featuring recycled and reclaimed materials. Designed
with meticulous attention to detail and with a relentless
‘that’ll do, won’t do’ approach, The Petrichor is built
to BS3632 residential standards and includes all the
modern conveniences while offering a deep-rooted
story, with every piece of cladding having a background
and history of its own.
A perfect fit for the holiday home market, the
Petrichor’s layout and style suits boutique getaway
accommodation with a stripped back aesthetic
combined with a clever layout and plenty of luxury.
01626 833799, sales@pathfinderhomes.co.uk,
www.pathfinderhomes.co.uk
8 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

No matter how busy your day has been, there’s
always time to relax in one of our bespoke hot tubs.
E-MAIL
info@woodpeckertubs.co.uk
PHONE
+44 7435 8669 29
WEB
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk
Huts available for delivery
Summer2022
T: 0117 986 9685
www.greendownshepherdhuts.co.uk
Hotels • B&B • Your Garden
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 9

PEOPLE
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT
EMILY WILSDON
How husband and wife team Emily and Harry Wilsdon
channelled their love of art and theatre to create
experience-centred hospitality

PEOPLE
riginally from the States, Emily moved to the UK
at 21 where she met her husband Harry. Both
studied fine art and took ownership of a derelict
farm in 2008.
“Harry is from a farming family and we
originally bought the site for its land, but there
were some agricultural buildings prime for
conversion including a 15th century timber barn.
Harry is a builder and we had developed a couple
of properties so we decided to create some
holiday lets. This was the start of Creeksea Place
Barns.
“Things took off in 2010. I had been teaching
at a primary school and was on maternity leave.
I remember my son William at a day old and me working on the
website. I remember that first call from a potential guest – Harry took
it and he was so excited he wrote down the dates they wanted to stay
but no other details! That was when we decided I would handle the
bookings…”
The couple soon had six holiday lets and two hotel style rooms
and were busier than ever. Needless to say, Emily didn’t return to
teaching.
When demand called for it, the couple converted another building
into a café, originally intended to serve guests. “The café was meant
to be quite low key, serving coffee and cake to guests but the locals
love it and it has become a community hub and drives the rest of the
business.
“When the café opened we ran loads of events to get noticed,
including evening pop-up restaurants, dog festivals and themed days.
This helped build a local following. We have held our mid-summer
festival for about seven years – a two night event featuring local
bands, a craft tent, food vendors etc. and attracting about 500 people.
I absolutely love doing it!”
DIVERSIFICATION
Creeksea Place Barns has grown organically, reinvesting at every
stage as the business matures. It is still an arable farm run by Harry’s
father who has also just installed 30 acres of vines. By 2016, it had an
onsite gym and spa and, last year, added a barn venue for weddings
and events – the Canary Shed.
“We’d had a few couples hire the whole site for accommodation
for nearby weddings so we thought why not offer weddings here?
We looked around the area and tried to find a point of difference for
ourselves. We are right next door to Creeksea Place, a Tudor mansion,
which offers a traditional wedding experience but not everyone
wants that so we have gone after the ‘alternative’ market. We created
a colourful, fun, bright space – a farm feel with a modern, artistic
twist. We both love art so have had a lot of fun with original artworks,
and eclectic, homely furnishings.
“We stayed sympathetic to the original features such as the elm
beams in the barn, and even the cool corrugated iron roof on the old
industrial building that became the café. In fact we took it off, put up
a new, insulated roof then re-erected the original roof inside”.
It’s inside the new Canary Shed where Emily and Harry’s creativity
was really let loose. “We knew we wanted a chevron wall at one end
and approached a local farmer who had a lot of waste potato crates.
It was a real lockdown project, breaking up the boxes and cutting
the shapes. Harry would be in there every night piecing it together.
The offcuts were used on the other walls as randomly as possible to
create an intricate puzzle”.
STAFF
Creeksea now has a team of around 40, a long way from the days
when Emily and Harry were managing the site and working in the
café. “We had a part time cleaner but we were so busy that when one
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
“WHEN THE
CAFÉ OPENED
WE RAN LOADS
OF EVENTS TO
GET NOTICED,
INCLUDING
EVENING POP-
UP RESTAU-
RANTS, DOG
FESTIVALS AND
THEMED DAYS”
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 11

PEOPLE
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
“WE’VE GOT TO A POINT WHERE WE DON’T
OUTSOURCE ANYTHING NOW. WE HAVE FIVE
PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE FULL TIME AS WE
HAVE RECENTLY TAKEN ON A MARINA AND
HOTEL! THE MARINA IS SORT OF INHERITED
BUT THE HOTEL IS A REALLY EXCITING NEW
STRING TO OUR BOW”
lady turned up for an interview we said we urgently needed help that
day and she never left! She’s still with us now.
“Our staff are 100% the most important part of our business,” says
Emily. “We’ve learned a lot over the years in terms of hiring people
and putting them in the right places for their skill sets. We made
mistakes too… I had a brilliant girl who was front of house in the
café and when our manager left she was very keen to try the role.
Unfortunately she crashed and burned – it just wasn’t the right fit for
her.
“As we have grown we have hired people from other larger
businesses. Our general manager Julie came from management at
Sainsburys. She has brought a lot of learning to us in terms of policies
and procedures. We are really open to changing our systems and
adapting when people suggest more efficient working practices.
“We’ve got to a point where we don’t outsource anything now. We
have five people in the office full time as we have recently taken on
a marina and hotel! The marina is sort of inherited but the hotel is a
really exciting new string to our bow”.
ESCAPE ROOM IN REVERSE
The Clockwork Hotel in nearby Burnham on Crouch is an experiential
attraction that turns escape rooms on their heads. “We bought
the building – a rundown old pub – at an auction. We both love
immersive theatre and the original plan was to have an experience
where guests could stay and we’d have actors employed to interact
with them but the business model didn’t add up as the staff costs
would be enormous.
“So we went for an escape room where instead of having to solve
puzzles to get out of a room, guests have to work out how to get
in for their night’s stay! It’s been so much fun but it was certainly a
challenge and I don’t want to ever design an escape room again! We
had to map out how groups of people would move around a relatively
small space so they cross over smoothly and create a mix of games
from physical to mental and enough alternative puzzles to keep
repeat guests interested. Thinking about all the eventualities and
how people might be able to cheat etc. was so mentally exhausting
that we had to limit our brainstorming sessions to one hour a day.
12 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

PEOPLE
“The business model works well too. We can offer a high level
experience at a minimum cost by making the fabric of the hotel
work for us. We have 11 rooms that sleep 22 people and charge £160
per person per night. We hire the hotel out as exclusive use to one
group at a time and it is fantastic for hen and stag dos, corporate get
togethers etc. Occupancy is brilliant with every weekend booked
until 2023 and a few mid-weeks. The great thing about it is that if we
have no one in we just lock up and leave. Staff wise, we have a bar
attendant and a high energy host that guides groups through the
games”.
Emily had looked at offering more quirky accommodation at the
farm but the planners were not keen. “We had a vision for a carbon
neutral glampsite, the idea being that guests could only travel to us
using public transport. We are walking distance from the town and
the railway station but the pre-app suggested it would be a no go so
we haven’t gone ahead.
Rather than being put off, Emily and Harry have already identified
their next creative offering… “We have an old WWII Nissen hut on
site and the plan is to turn it in to a mini cinema where guests can
make their own film and then have a private viewing”.
It’s just as well that the business is thriving, jokes Emily, “I
don’t think we could ever get other jobs as I am pretty much
unemployable now; I know I wouldn’t hire me!”
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
DETAILS
Creeksea Place Barns, Creeksea Place Farm, Ferry Road
Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex CM0 8PJ
www.creekseaplacebarns.co.uk
www.clockworkhotel.co.uk
LEX FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY
Composting
Toilet Solutions
Including our new disability/accessible toilet solution
• Customisable
• Quick delivery
• Ready for use
• Made in the UK
www.sheepshed.co.uk • hello@sheepshed.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 13

FUNCTION VENUES
CASE STUDY
Sychpwll Centre
A 10 acre eco-friendly venue on the Powys/Shropshire border
which is “far from commercial”
We talk to Sebastian
Hendry about how a family
home and smallholding
has evolved into a venue
based on eco and organic
principles. Sychpwll offers
a blank canvas for a small
amount of weddings and
events along with camping
and glamping.
When did you start your venue
business and what is its history?
It started organically really, I
can’t pinpoint an exact date. In
1982 my parents saved Sychpwll
from dereliction and the site
became an organic smallholding
with various outbuildings. In the
mid to late 1990s the open hay
barn and old tractor shed were
turned into straw-bale buildings
and used to house various arts
and environmental activities/
charity work. It became a venue
by virtue of the fact that there
were requests for residential
activities, and the place evolved to
accommodate these events safely
and responsibly.
Tell us about your location
and site
The Sychpwll Centre is a 10 acre
eco-friendly smallholding situated
on the banks of the River Vyrnwy,
right on the Powys/Shropshire
border. We are a bit hidden really,
we are only a few miles from a ‘main
road’ but often guests remark that
the peace and tranquillity feels like
a world away from life’s everyday
stresses.
“IT BECAME A VENUE BY VIRTUE OF
THE FACT THAT THERE WERE
REQUESTS FOR RESIDENTIAL ACTIVI-
TIES, AND THE PLACE EVOLVED TO
ACCOMMODATE THESE EVENTS
SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY”
14 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK
“WE THINK THAT CAMPING RIGHT NEXT TO
OTHER PEOPLE OR IN DESIGNATED BAYS
SHOULD BE FOR GLASTONBURY AND NOT A
HOLIDAY!”
We have seven acres of
wildflower meadow that is divided
by a wildlife corridor, a unique
walkway where the trees create
an arched corridor, providing a
protective habitat to a variety
of birds and other wildlife. The
wildflower meadows both have
their own distinctive character;
the grass in the five acre space
is allowed to grow tall allowing
various paths to be mowed whereas
the two acre meadow is nice and
enclosed offering a great view of
Rodney’s Pillar. A third field adjoins
a wooded area leading to the river.
There are several established
unique straw-bale and lime plaster
structures and studios, ranging from
a kitchen to a performance space,
as well as other accommodations,
each with their own individual
charm.
What facilities for outdoor
functions do you offer?
When it comes to outdoor functions
we are more of a blank canvas.
We have seen pretty much every
temporary structure here over
time and are generally very flexible
in allowing people to choose the
perfect structure for them.
We have a number of
accommodation options located
on site. We have two self-contained
spaces, firstly ‘The Cabin’ which sits
on stilts at the edge of the five acre
meadow and secondly ‘The Hobbit
House’ which is a unique straw-bale
building with two bedrooms. We
also tend to have a glamping bell
tent set up in the summer months
and a few other unique spaces for
people to stay when the site is hired
for exclusive use.
Camping is also an option and
we self-cap numbers on the site
to a max of 100 people so there is
always a huge amount of space for
everyone. We think that camping
right next to other people or in
designated bays should be for
Glastonbury and not a holiday!
How do you work with your
customers to make their event
unique?
Every event at Sychpwll is unique.
To us the site is very special, it’s also
our home after all. When a potential
customer reaches out about a
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK

FUNCTION VENUES
wedding or event we generally
encourage a visit as it’s the only way
to really appreciate what the site
has to offer.
We only allow a handful of
weddings/events each year so we
can help make sure everyone who
has a celebration here will be able
to make it a completely memorable
experience. We can of course offer
advice as to what works best, but if
people want to create a glamping
village for their 40th birthday, use
the wildlife corridor as an extended
walk to the ‘alter’ or set up a cinema
for the kids in the straw bale barn,
we can help create it.
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK
How do you publicise yourself?
Until very recently we were purely
through word of mouth. When my
wife and I moved back from living
in Asia a few years ago we started
to use our dormant Instagram and
Facebook accounts a little more and
now try to post pictures of the site
throughout the year.
We advertise some of our
accommodation options on Airbnb
and, camping wise, we are listed
on PitchUp but I would say about
70% of the people who visit us are
returning guests. Many of our event
bookings are actually made through
people who have stayed before
and fell in love with the site. For
example, a lovely couple who came
to camp last year, recently returned
to stay in the glamping bell tent
and got engaged on site! They are
now planning their wedding here
for 2024.
“MANY OF
OUR EVENT
BOOKINGS
ARE
ACTUALLY
MADE
THROUGH
PEOPLE
WHO HAVE
STAYED
BEFORE AND
FELL IN LOVE
WITH THE
SITE”
How would you describe your
style or unique selling point?
I think you have to visit to really
understand the USP. We are
definitely far from ‘commercial’,
we hold on to the eco and organic
principles that the site was built on
and really only try to attract guests
to the site who can respect it for
what it has become.
We are particularly popular with
families with children as the site
allows the children to explore,
play in the play area and really
switch off from the screen. I think
being tucked away on a private
road allows our guests to escape
everyday life. Like I mentioned
earlier, this is our home and it
makes us happy to see people enjoy
the space just as much as we do.
What challenges have you faced
historically?
We are situated between the
confluence of two rivers and
flooding has been an issue from
time to time. These days the
buildings are all protected from
any flood water by a raised bank
but that does not mean that in
the midst of winter some of the
low lying local roads become
unpassable from time to time. This
is one of the main reasons we are a
summer site!
Trying to get people to recycle
what they can is also a bit of a
challenge! We make it as easy as
we can with a designated recycling
area, but I must admit I still find
myself going through black bin bags
when I hear a clink of glass.
How did the pandemic impact
you?
Like the whole industry we
obviously suffered with guests not
being able to visit. Thankfully our
daughter, Lena, was born during the
16 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK
NESTA LLOYD WWW.NESTALLOYD.CO.UK
first lockdown so we used the many
lockdowns and restrictions to bond
as a family and spend quality time
together.
We also used the time to fix up
some of the buildings, clean out the
reedbed ponds and do a little tree
trimming.
How large is your team – any
special people you’d like to
mention?
We are a very small family team
comprising myself, my wife Debbie
and my father Peter. We do most of
the work ourselves and appreciate
and respect what we each
contribute to the running of the site.
We all live onsite and the
business is very much intertwined
into our daily lives. Our two year old
and collie dog will often join us in
welcoming people and giving tours
of the site.
We have a few special friends
who come and stay with us from
time to time over the season to help
lighten the load and get on top of
the polytunnel!
“WE HAVE A
FEW SPECIAL
FRIENDS WHO
COME AND
STAY WITH
US FROM
TIME TO TIME
OVER THE
SEASON TO
HELP LIGHTEN
THE LOAD
AND GET ON
TOP OF THE
POLYTUNNEL!”
What are your plans for next
season?
Next season, we very much hope to
continue as we are. We look forward
to welcoming back our returning
groups and hopefully meeting a few
new ones.
We are looking into possibly
building a few solar eco showers,
maybe even one near the river for
those who choose to get wet feet.
Describe your average day
mid-season
Every day is different and this
is an element we love. It could
be anything from hosting lots of
families camping, to setting up for a
weekend wedding or welcoming a
yoga/taekwondo group onto site. At
times, it can definitely be difficult to
juggle managing the site along with
our other jobs and a toddler in the
mix, but we love where we live and
we enjoy being able to share this
magical place with others.
What are you most proud of?
This year we were named as one of
the top 20 campsites in the whole of
Wales as chosen by holidaymakers
themselves. We didn’t know about
it but was nice to read the article on
Wales Online.
ADDRESS BOOK
YURT
Yurt Maker www.yurtmaker.co.uk
FURNITURE & STYLING
TMS www.tmsevents.co.uk
GENERATOR
Phils Tool Hire (Welshpool)
www.philstoolhire.co.uk
EVENT TOILETS
Powys Luxury Loos
www.powysluxuryloos.co.uk
INSURANCE
The Tourist Trial (Compass)
www.tttinsurance.co.uk
DETAILS
Sychpwll Centre
Llandrinio
Powys SY22 6SH
www.sychpwllcentre.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17

FUNCTION VENUES
Sharing
AYNHOE PARK
Snaps
Charlotte Winship on
how to harness user
generated content for
your venue on Instagram
LOVE IT or hate it, social media
is king when it comes to reaching
your ideal audience and will
play a significant role in your
venue marketing plan. Instagram
continues to be the most popular
platform for venues to reach their
target audience and making your
spaces Insta-ready should be a
priority. Here’s why…
How much time you spend
posting new content, sharing
stories or designing reels will
depend on the resources you
have available. We all know the
algorithms love consistency but
when you have a small team
available and are juggling multiple
roles (sales, wedding planner,
estate manager, HR, gardener, H&S
officer, administrator, accountant,
farmer etc) this is often simply
not achievable. This is where you
need to look to user generated
content (UGC). This simply means
encouraging visitors, guests and
suppliers to post content on their
own Instagram feeds about your
venue, developing your reach.
Anyone can be an influencer and
millions of us are documenting
our lives every single day, sharing
exciting experiences, places we
love and unusual sights. With the
summer wedding and event season
back in full swing, and guest lists
at full capacity, now is prime time
for you to encourage your visitors
to share their love of your venue
on the ‘gram. So how do you get
everyone snapping and sharing?
1
Curate a selfie
Most people love a selfie and if you can curate
a ‘venue signature’ worth photographing then
you are on to a winner. Find something that
will leave a lasting memory and encourage
visitors and guests to share the moment they
were with you on Instagram. Here are some
ideas to provide them with an authentic
talking point that is sympathetic to your
venue style, values and ethos.
Do you have a view over land or sea unique
to your venue which you can’t help but share?
Think about where your visitors can see it
best? Visitors and guests to Adventure Park
Snowdonia can expect stunning landscape
photography amongst their wedding album
of views over the distinctive peaks and valleys
of North Wales, and who can forget the bride
zip-lining in her wedding dress!
It doesn’t have to be visual. How about
an unusual audio experience? Voices in the
corridors? Atmospheric music from the flower
beds? Poetry in the loos? The Hive at Kew
Gardens is a biophilic outdoor installation
incorporating the sound of a honeybee chorus
which is streamed live from a real beehive to
speakers. The live stream is also linked to LED
lights which flash according to the intensity
of the bees’ activity. The more distinctive
and immersive the experience is, the more
memorable it will be and likely to be talked
about over social media.
If technology is not your thing, how about
tactile props? Everyone loves a dressing up
box or a themed photobooth. Or perhaps an
interesting or unusual artefact that guests
KAT FORSYTH (WWW.KATFORSYTH.COM)
would love to be snapped next to? Think
along the lines of the fantastical taxidermy
that caught the imaginations of past guests
and visitors to Aynhoe Park.
Do you have unusual pets or wildlife
grazing in your grounds? How about a soak in
an outdoor bath overlooking a lion enclosure
à la Port Lympne in Kent?
A natural feature is highly prized. The
bridge over the moat at Ditton Manor in
Berkshire is a perfect picture spot. Guests also
film themselves trying to find their way out of
the maze.
Talk about your special features on your
own Instagram account to build awareness
and help visitors find them by drawing
attention to them during events. Pave a path
or use some branded signage to help direct
people.
Don’t make guests wait until later to post
their pics. Make sure they have free access
to a good Wi-Fi connection so that they
can share their photos then and there. It’s
‘Insta’gram after all.
The Hive at Kew Gardens
Fantastical
taxidermy at
Aynhoe Park
JEFF EDEN, RBG KEW
18 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
2
Hashtag this
There are millions of hashtags, some useful for growing your organic reach, others with fewer
followers but a niche and targeted audience to help you make those all-important sales. Niche
your own audience with a personal and unique hashtag. Choose something catchy, memorable
and distinctive to your venue and brand. Do some research to make sure no one else is using it.
Use it on your own social media channels, publicise it and encourage your existing followers
to use it. Share it with your wedding couples when they book and invite them to tag you during
their wedding planning. Promote it to guests and visitors to your venue especially near your
talking points; “Like this? #...”
AYNHOE PARK
4
#4 Incentivise your
followers
Run a competition. Everyone who
follows your venue, shares your post
and tags you in their (positive) posts
can be entered into a prize draw at
the end of the month/season/year.
Make sure you offer a significant
prize that’s worth winning to
encourage people to make the effort.
The more people who enter and tag
you, the more value to you.
3
The carousel at
Preston Court
PRESTON COURT
Share the love
Your event and wedding suppliers will also be trying to feature as much as
possible on social media. Show your suppliers a bit of love and appreciation
and no doubt they will show you a bit in return. Make sure you follow all your
favourites on Instagram. Support and promote the suppliers who you want to
see again, the ones that made your life easier and who share the same style,
ethos and values. Share your collaborative successes.
Post pictures of the memorable events you have worked on together.
Suppliers can then re-share and spread the love. Build good relationships with
your wedding photographers and ask them to share their wedding albums.
Ask their permission to post their images on your Instagram and website. You
will also need to ask permission from your wedding couples. Make sure you
tag the photographer whenever you share their work.
The bridge at Ditton Manor
DITTON MANOR
Outdoor bath at
Port Lympne
5
PORT LYMPNE
Be thankful
Finally, please don’t forget to respond to people who do tag you. If you
have time, write a thank you but at the very least ‘like’ their post. It
is a courtesy and will encourage more of their engagement and their
followers’ engagement. Once they have tagged you, you can then re-share
their post to your other followers to gain even more value.
User generated content doesn’t just help your marketing activity, it can
also help to develop that important ‘know, like, trust’ factor. People are
more likely to trust their friends’ recommendations. Outsiders chatting
positively about your venue is as good as a direct review. If a crowd is
consistently sharing positive stories about your venue then even better.
Visitors regularly sharing content about you will have a huge impact on
helping to build the familiarity of your venue. People like to follow trends
so, chances are, if their friends ‘like’ you then they will ‘like’ you too. See
you on the ‘gram!
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 19

FUNCTION VENUES
Kitchen
Efficiencies
Specifying a new catering facility? Read on for how to
achieve maximum water and energy efficiencies
IF YOU offer any kind of catering you know
that success includes the menu you offer,
the customer experience, and the feeling
customers get from eating at your venue.
But every passing year is an opportunity
to improve other aspects. Renovating your
kitchen could be the occasion to make
your establishment more sustainable and
make savings on your bills.
Renovating your kitchen is different
from the many changes you can introduce
gradually, such as adding sustainable local
products to your menu or progressively
changing your providers to those that
have better environmental policies. Those
changes are ‘easy’ because they are not
definitive – you can change your decision
and re-introduce some of your previously
popular dishes if the alternatives don’t
work out.
Renovating your kitchen, however,
should be done in one go (you don’t want
to find yourself closing and dismantling
your kitchen every six months to change
just one thing!) and ideally once and for
all. Here, going back on your decision is
much more difficult and costly – this is
why you need to prepare thoroughly.
SERIOUS CHANGE – SERIOUS GAIN
When you plan to renovate your kitchen, it
is essential to benefit from the renovation
as a great opportunity to limit your
consumption of energy and water.
There is a wide variety of appliances
on the market and the choice can be
daunting. This article presents six that
generate the most water and energy
savings. Choosing the most efficient
models will save your venue considerable
money on annual energy and water bills.
When choosing a new PRSV, opt for a model
with low-flow nozzles using less than 6
litres/minute.
WATER CONSUMPTION
Pre-Rinse Spray Valves (PRSVs)
The use of high pressure rinsing nozzles
to prewash dishes before putting them in
dishwashers is a very common practice.
However, pre-rinse spray valves can account
for 30% of all water used in the kitchen!
When choosing a new PRSV, opt for a model
with low-flow nozzles using less than 6
litres/minute. It will be a huge gain in water
consumption as regular nozzles use even
three times more (15 litres/minute). Also,
look for sensor-activated models assuring the
water is sprayed only when needed.
Dishwashers
Dishwashers are responsible for another
30% of the water use in a typical restaurant’s
kitchen. Efficient dishwashers can even
halve your current water consumption! For
an average restaurant, choosing an efficient
dishwasher can result in savings of 150m3
of water per year. It is, however, not only
the question of water saving – as water
consumption is very much linked to energy
and detergent consumption.
A lot of energy is used to heat up water, and
reducing the amount by a few litres at every
cycle or reducing the temperature at which
the water is heated will have a direct effect
on your electricity bill. Additionally, with
dishwashing chemicals that have a constant
dilution rate per litre of water, the less water
you use, the less detergents are needed in the
machine.
GETTY IMAGES
20 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
Dishwashers are available in many sizes
and types, and are usually classified in three
groups:
› Under-counter or over-counter stationary
front-loaders
› Stationary and pass-through hood-types
› Rack conveyor machines and large flight
type machines.
Unless you have a very large kitchen,
hood-type dishwashers are likely to be
the most appropriate for you (while
tunnel dishwashers are used in larger
establishments needing the capacity to wash
dishes for over 500 meals per hour). The
ideal model should:
› Use less than 3 litres of water per rack
in case of stationary (under-counter or
hood type) dishwashers and less than 2
litres of water per rack in case of conveyor
dishwashers. It is important to check
because average commercial dishwashers
use considerably more (3.8 litres per rack)
› Limit heat losses thanks to good insulation
(at least 20mm)
› Include a drying air heat recovery system
› Have appropriate programmes and
options so that you can optimise settings
in relation to how dirty the serving ware is
› Enable you to connect it to the kitchen
hot water supply, which is likely to heat up
the water much more efficiently than the
dishwasher itself.
STEAMERS FOR COOKING
If you use a steamer to cook, you should
know that an efficient steamer can use
over 10 times less water than the old boiler
steam cooker you may have. So-called
‘connectionless' or 'boiler-less' steamers
use 8 litres an hour (instead of the 100 litres
per hour by recycling steam in heated water
reservoirs.
For an average restaurant, the installation
of an efficient steamer could save 200m3 of
water per year.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Besides savings in water consumption,
selecting the most efficient appliances can
bring even more considerable savings in
terms of energy. Here are three appliances
that will further help optimise the energy
consumption in your kitchens.
Efficient cookers
Typical hobs will serve you 20 years so it
is crucial to choose the right one. Gas and
induction hobs are the most efficient. Which
one to choose? It depends on the source of
the electricity – if it is renewable, then opt
for induction cookers, and if not (meaning
sourced from fossil fuels), choose gas hobs.
Refrigeration systems
When looking at fridges, freezers or cold
GETTY IMAGES
“CONSIDER REUSING THE WASTE HEAT FROM YOUR KITCHEN
TOO. BY USING A HEAT EXCHANGER YOU CAN DIRECT
THE HEAT GENERATED IN THE KITCHEN TO OTHER PARTS
OF A BUILDING THAT NEED HEATING, SAVING ENERGY
CONSUMPTION”
room installations, you should check
two parameters: the specific energy
consumption (measured in kWh of electricity
per litre of volume per year) and the
refrigerant leakage rate. For large solid
door upright cabinets, you should look for
fridges with a specific energy consumption
of less than 1.14 kWh/l/year and freezers
consuming less than 3.6 kWh/l/year.
Ideally, if you redesign the fridges in your
kitchen, you should also design them so
that they are well insulated and you don’t
have to open and close large doors all the
time. Finally, your equipment should be
well maintained to minimise leaks, and also
use refrigerants with low global warming
potential, such as hydrocarbons, ammonia
or CO2 to limit the environmental impact of
any refrigerant leakage.
Ventilation and heating
Kitchens usually generate a lot of heat,
and there are ways in which you could
save money by managing your ventilation
more efficiently. Check the speed of your
ventilation or extractor fan. Huge energy
gains could be made if it runs too fast by
slowing it down – you could consume up to
87% less if the fan turns at half the speed!
You can also think of installing processorcontrolled
fans, which could cut your energy
consumption by more than half. Such an
investment can have a return of about a
year (depending of course on the size of the
kitchen and other parameters). Ask your
HVAC expert when you are considering the
maintenance or replacement of your fan.
Consider reusing the waste heat from
your kitchen too. By using a heat exchanger
you can direct the heat generated in the
kitchen to other parts of a building that need
heating, saving energy consumption.
ASK THE STAFF
For each of the devices described in this
article, it is crucial to choose the most
appropriate size and make sure that your
team uses it in the correct way and to its
full capacity (your efforts to consume less
water and energy will go down the drain
if, for example, your dishwasher operates
half-empty). For this reason, check what
the needs of your kitchen staff are before
making a considerable investment. It is
a future-oriented step, both in terms of
protecting the environment and cutting
costs – and we all know that the prices of
both water and energy are going up!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Take A Green Step is brought to you by
the European Commission’s directorate
general for the environment, supported by
the European Commission’s Joint Research
Centre. For more advice, best practise
and case studies, visit www.ec.europa.eu/
environment/emas/takeagreenstep
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 21

R
CWC Advert (Open Air Magazine).pdf 1 23/02/2021 12:04:51
Expert
advice to help you
achieve the most
from your venue
business.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
• Increase
profitability
• Reach your ideal
customers
• Maximise sales
opportunities
• Streamline your
processes
www.charlottewinship.com
07493 350303 / charlotte@charlottewinship.com
Stunning tents for
stunning events!
Since 1889 OPAS have
been keeping things
looped, clipped, stuck,
pinned, strapped, sewn,
riveted, hooked, zipped
or popped together.
WE LOVE STRETCH TENTS!
Years of experience, passion and enthusiasm
to get what you want from your event.
Sales, full installation and custom
design services.
Our comprehensive range of top value quality
textile and marine fasteners, marquee and
exhibition stand materials are backed up with old
fashioned service and free technical support.
OPAS are also certified to ISO 9001/2015
underscoring our commitment to achieving and
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AUTHORISED DISTRIBUTOR
t: 01920 830256 e: info@alternative-stretch.co.uk
w: www.alternative-stretch-tents.co.uk
@alternative_stretch_tents
Call, email or go online for advice and wholesale quotations.
01903 239 955 | sales@opas.co.uk
www.opas.co.uk
22 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
MEET THE SUPPLIER
Get to Know…
Time to make some professional friendships – get to know the people behind the products!
Bradley Ireland
Group sales director,
MHM Group
08081 689099,
sales@mhm-group.co.uk,
www.mhm-group.co.uk
What does your company do?
Manufacture, sales and rehire of power
generation, fluid storage and site
lighting equipment.
What makes your company’s services
special?
We are focused on eco innovation and
sustainability. We listen closely to our
customers and refine our products and
service to suit the industry.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Driven, supportive, family orientated
and always willing to help others.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Willing to support, confident, good
listener, strong leader, respectful,
motivated.
Craziest thing you have done?
Travelled through Europe with a group
of friends in a car that had no sat nav or
fuel gauge.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
Lager or rum and coke, or a mojito if I’m
feeling fancy.
Favourite animal and why?
Lion because they’re strong powerful
and majestic.
Favourite film?
Hustle – I liked the grittiness and
element of truth throughout the film.
Christian Kremer
Founder and owner,
The AIRSCREEN Company
GmbH & Co. KG
+49 251 60 90 250,
info@airscreen.com,
www.airscreen.com
What does your company do?
We sell AIRSCREEN inflatable screens,
projectors and sound systems
worldwide.
What makes your company’s services
special?
We sell our products in more than
130 countries and have produced the
largest inflatable screen in the world.
Describe yourself
Always seeking fairness and
understanding, trying to make the
world a bit nicer and more colourful.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
I hope they’d say something like fair,
humorous, professional.
Craziest thing you have done
Crossed the Alps twice by bicycle in 14
days.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
Whiskey Sour or a beer, depending on
how thirsty I am.
Favourite animal and why?
Dog – most have a good and relaxed
approach to life.
Favourite recent film and why?
Spencer – loved the atmosphere and
Kristen Stewart.
Roxana
Frasineanu
Director,
Voyager Houses UK
07470 004191,
www.voyagerhousesuk.com
What does your company do?
We design and create eco tiny houses
on wheels.
What makes your company’s services
special?
We offer smart living solutions with very
high specifications.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Very ambitious person with big dreams
– I never give up.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Crazy but also a very dedicated and
open person.
Craziest thing you have done
Meeting my partner on a dating site
and moving in together after only two
months.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
I don’t really drink much but I will never
refuse a good cocktail.
Favourite animal and why?
Horses… awesome creatures!
Favourite current telly?
Lie to Me... just fascinated with body
language.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 23

FUNCTION VENUES
PRODUCT IN FOCUS
Infrastructure
The Pulpit Rock, Norway
Product: AIRSCREEN classic 12m x 6m
(40ft x 20ft)
Supplier: The AIRSCREEN Company GmbH
& Co. KG, +49 2516 090250,
info@airscreen.com, www.airscreen.com
Details: Preikestolen, or “The Pulpit Rock”,
is a tourist attraction in Norway. The steep
cliff rises 604m (1,982ft) above Lysefjorden.
At the top of the cliff is an almost flat area
of approximately 25x25m (82×82ft) where
the movie premiere of Mission: Impossible –
Fallou took place.
Cinema wherever you can imagine,
AIRSCREEN makes it easy to set up giant
movie screens in extreme or delicate
locations. Here, 2,000 spectators had to walk
for four hours to reach this extreme point
close to the sky and high above the water.
AIRSCREEN is an inflatable frame with an
attached projection screen. It uses a system
of tensioning tethers and ratchets to secure
against wind and typically only takes 30-60
minutes to install. Being lightweight and
easily transported, AIRSCREEN is suitable for
all locations: heritage sites, the middle of a
desert or, like here, high on a mountain top.
Customer feedback: Actor Tom Cruise
said: “2,000 feet, 2,000 people, four hours
of hiking. The most impossible screening of
Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Thank you all
for coming!”
24 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
East Mersea Hall, Essex
Product: Fire Cage 1800
Supplier: Savage BBQ, 01158 990323, rachel@savagebbq.co.uk,
www.savagebbq.co.uk
Details: East Mersea Hall in Colchester, Essex, is an award winning
wedding and special events venue owned by Chris and Kirsty Lowry.
The couple wanted something for their outdoor space
that would make them stand out from the crowd and
offer guests a ‘live fire cooking’ experience.
They chose Savage BBQ’s Fire Cage 1800, the
largest in the range, and their chef has never
been happier. He is creating some incredible
food cooked and served outside and which
looks amazing in photos!
Customer feedback: Venue owner Kirsty
Lowry said: “Our fire cage is absolutely
incredible. It undoubtedly gives the ‘wow’
factor to all of our events. We are all about
the theatre when it comes to our food and
this certainly plays the ultimate part. Every
guest is always amazed.”
Stradey Castle, Llanelli
Product: PERFO-AK Anchor Tiles - Ground
Reinforcement System
Supplier: PERFO - S2T Group, 01992
522797, info@perfo.co.uk,
www.perfo.co.uk
Details: The family owners of the Grade 1
listed Stradey Castle had a requirement to
significantly increase parking provision at
the property in order to facilitate expansion
of its use as a venue for weddings and
functions, as well as a filming location.
Access to a grassed area used for
marquees and as an outside space also
needed to be reinforced to prevent damage
being caused by the vehicles of caterers
and other suppliers.
Due to the sensitive nature of the
location, tarmac or concrete was not
desired. For both applications, S2T
Group’s PERFO-AK Anchor Tile ground
reinforcement system of interlocking,
self-anchoring tiles was selected. The car
park was created on an area of scrubland
which was cleared and levelled, a sub-base
prepared at the PERFO-AK tiles embedded
into a layer of fine crushed stone. Seeded
soil was added to the parking bays so that
they would green over to differentiate
them from the manoeuvring areas. The
resulting self-draining, durable car park
blends in with the natural surroundings
while providing parking for approximately
50 cars.
Access to a grass tennis court, which is
used as an open space and for the siting
of marquees, was also reinforced with
PERFO-AK Anchor Tiles to prevent rutting
of the ground during events. In this case
the tiles were compacted directly into the
existing grass surface. A few months after
installation the grass had grown back
through the tiles so that they were not
visible, restoring the natural appearance.
Customer feedback: The Mansel-Lewis
Family said: “Five years after installation
both the car park and access track
continue to perform excellently, enabling
us to provide guests and suppliers with
dry, stable, self-draining parking and
access while maintaining the attractive
appearance of this beautiful location”.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 25

FUNCTION VENUES
PRODUCT SNAPSHOT
Adjustable Casual Dining Set
Gardenman
03332 008333
sales@gardenman.co.uk
www.gardenman.co.uk
Perfect for outdoor drinks in a more relaxed manner, the
Chapelfield Adjustable Casual Dining Set is constructed
using a full aluminium structure wrapped with handwoven
flat and round grey weave. The rising table comes
with a glass top and is easy to use. Plenty of room to fit
family and friends, the chairs are complemented with
comfortable showerproof cushions.
This complete range is backed with a five year structural
and UV guarantee ensuring peace of mind and years of
relaxation. Visit Gardenman for more details and other
products in the range.
Semi Permanent Marquees
HTS TENTIQ
01276 462600
salesuk@hts-tentiq.com
www.hts-tentiq.com
HTS TENTIQ supplies one of the most diverse ranges
of commercial tents and structures globally, from
small, economical pagodas and party tents to striking
large event marquees and multi-storey temporary
structures.
Our semi-permanent structures come with a
wide range of design options, enabling you to fully
customise and enhance the appearance, comfort and
functionality of the structure.
Enhance the visual appeal of your venue while
increasing its capacity for events, weddings, parties,
and corporate functions. A semi-permanent marquee
is a great investment for your venue.
Off-grid Compost Toilets
Sheep Shed Creations
07980 802149
hello@sheepshed.co.uk
www.sheepshed.co.uk
Complement your off-grid accommodation with these stylish and
customisable composting toilets. The waterless toilets arrive preassembled
and ready for action. Choose from a range of colours
and options and even add your own branding. Delivery is quick and
easy via the UK pallet network. Sheep Shed Creations also makes a
larger accessible composting toilet for users with disabilities.
26 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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28 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

GLAMPSITES
CASE STUDY
Brook Cottage
Shepherd Huts
A
start-up five hut retreat
on the border of the
Snowdonia National Park
With backgrounds in fine art,
Mark Barrow and Jonathan
Gooders moved to the
countryside and renovated a
cottage before turning their
attentions to hand-building
shepherd, poachers and gypsy
huts. Their adults-only site
launched in late 2021 and sprang
to fame after being featured on
BBC’s Interior Design Masters.
We talk to Mark.
What’s your back story – your life before
glamping?
Both Jonathan and I have fine art
backgrounds – Jonathan is a painter and
sculptor and I specialise in modern British
art and original vintage movie posters (www.
picturepalacemovieposters.co.uk). We also
ran a bespoke conservation picture framing
business in Wimbledon for over 15 years,
dealing with top West End galleries and
museums.
What made you decide to start offering
glamping accommodation?
We had decided on a lifestyle change and
knew we wanted to move to the country (I
grew up in Gloucestershire). After buying and
renovating a cottage, we started the build of
the huts, which in total took just under two
years. We opened in November 2021.
How did you research the business before
entering it?
We spent around six months researching
the market; what was already available and
how we could use our skill sets to create
something unique.
Tell us about your location and site
We’re based just outside Pwllheli on the
glorious Lynn Peninsula in North Wales, near
the border of Snowdonia National Park, with
the famous Italianesque village of Portmeirion
on the doorstep, in an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty. Each of our five hand-built
huts overlooks our own private lake, which is
host to an array of wildlife, with uninterrupted
far-reaching views to Yr Eifl (The Rivals)
mountains in the distance.
How did you tackle getting planning?
We initially put in a pre-application document,
which received a favourable response, then
after purchasing the house applied for full
planning with a 20 page supporting document.
There was a slight issue after planning had
been provisionally granted about a floodplain
nearby (which had never in reality flooded), so
we had to adjust the placing of the huts, but
in fact this worked out better anyway as each
hut now has a view of the mountain range and
the lake.
How did you finance the project?
Mainly with our own funds from the sale
of our previous house and a loan via the
Development Bank of Wales.
What glamping accommodation do you
offer and why did you choose it?
We have five hand-built (by us) huts; one
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 29

GLAMPSITES
shepherds hut (which is the largest),
two poachers huts and two gypsy
huts.
We are open all year and our
choice of the three styles of huts and
the way we designed the interiors
was with this in mind (each has a
wood burning stove for example).
What occupancy levels and price
per night do you achieve?
Our prices range from £115-£145
per night, depending on the hut.
Two of our huts are dog friendly and
those have an extra £10 per night
charge. We opened in November
2021 and were full over Christmas
and New Year and have been
steady ever since. Our main target
is long weekend stays and as we’re
adults only we very much appeal
to couples looking for a rest and
recharge.
How did you work out your
brand and how do you publicise
yourself?
Because we both have backgrounds
in fine art we had a very clear idea
of the look and feel we wanted
to project, based on the target
audience we wanted to reach, so
that defined the brand, look of the
website etc.
We are registered with a few of
the more specialist portals, but
most of our bookings come via
our own website. We’ve also been
featured in numerous magazine
30 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

GLAMPSITES
“WE TREAT EACH GUEST AS THOUGH
THEY WERE THE FIRST AND TRY TO
MAKE THEM FEEL SPECIAL”
articles and included in The Times
Top 25 Best Glamping Stays in the
UK, The Guardian Top 10 Best New
Glamping Sites and The Sunday
Telegraph Top 10 Wild New Stays in
Britain. We were also used by the
BBC for episode 5 of the last series
of Interior Design Masters.
How would you describe your
ethos and unique selling point?
We try to be as sustainable as
possible and offer a high end
experience. We treat each guest
as though they were the first and
try to make them feel special. The
most obvious unique selling point
is our location and the surrounding
area, so we very much encourage
people to explore and experience
that during their stay, though some
guests just want to chill and spend
their whole break in the hut.
How did you choose your interior
decoration?
Mainly as a result of being featured
on Interior Design Masters. We’d
already done the initial fit out,
installed the hand-built kitchens
etc. ready for the TV team to come
in and do their thing. It was a great
experience, but we then spent three
and a half months after filming
going back over each hut to bring
them up to the standard we were
happy to present.
The designers did a fantastic job,
but they only get two days, so the
finish wasn't to our level. We have
also completely redesigned two of
the huts from scratch ourselves.
What challenges have you faced?
Where would you like to start! The
pandemic of course has effected
everyone to a greater or lesser
• Super hygienic LDPE interior lining for quick handovers.
• Durable and classic Thermowood
exterior complements the glamping setting.
• Choice of Internal or External wood fired heaters.
• Two sizes available 4 person / 8 person.
Snowford Hill, Southam CV47 9QE t 01926 504067
e sales@glamptubs.com
www.glamptubs.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 31

GLAMPSITES
degree and was something none
of us had predicted, but having
relocated lock stock and barrel,
there was no plan B, so we had to
make it work.
Initially we had planned to build
two huts and get the business
started, but when the opportunity
of being featured on Interior Design
Masters came up, we had to plough
on and complete all five huts. There
were long 15-16 hour days, seven
days a week!
What are your plans for next
season?
To continue to build our reputation
and to introduce some unique
experience based breaks working
with other small businesses here in
North Wales.
Describe your average day midseason
Fairly relaxed. We work with a
specialist cleaning company who
do the clean between changeovers,
though we always do the dress
ourselves as we feel it is very
important to include the personal
touch and guests do notice and
appreciate it.
Do you enjoy the business?
We love it! As Churchill said: “If you
find a job you really love, you’ll
never work again”. Well that’s not
entirely true of course, but the
sentiment certainly is. It is great
to be able to share this wonderful
part of the world and know that our
guests leave us feeling uplifted and
recharged.
What are you most proud of?
Just how much we have managed
to achieve in a relatively short
“TO
CONTINUE
TO BUILD
OUR
REPUTATION
AND TO
INTRODUCE
SOME
UNIQUE
EXPERIENCE
BASED
BREAKS
WORKING
WITH OTHER
SMALL
BUSINESSES
HERE IN
NORTH
WALES”
timeframe, given that we have done
it all pretty much single handed.
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
We focus our attention on giving
people the very best experience
possible, but as mentioned, we
will be developing specific bolt-on
offerings later in the year – watch
this space!
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
industry?
Research, research, research. Since
we started our journey nearly six
years ago, we have noticed an
enormous explosion in glamping,
especially during the past two
years. It seems like everyone and
their granny thinks it’s easy money
and all they have to do is stick a pod
or yurt in a field.
There seems to be a bit of a
saturation of a lot of the same stuff
at the moment, all chasing the
same market. I expect a number
of the newer sites to drop off over
the next two or three years as many
have gone in with the wrong idea
or not properly researched just
what it takes to establish and run a
successful glamping retreat.
DETAILS
Brook Cottage Shepherd Huts
Yr Erw, Y Ffôr,
Pwllheli,
Gwynedd LL53 6RR
01758 701551
www.luxuryglampingwales.co.uk
32 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

GLAMPSITES
Natural
Pools
Create the ultimate in immersive, back to nature
experiences while increasing your sustainability
credentials
GETTY IMAGES
NATURAL POOLS are designed to be
hygienically operated without the need for
continuous chemical disinfection, and with
minimum energy and water requirements.
Inspired by natural lake systems, natural
pools are often constructed to look
like a pond or a lake and incorporate a
natural filtration system in the form of a
regeneration zone. In this zone specially
selected plants and an aggregate substrate
filter nutrients, algae and micro-organisms
out of the water.
Natural swimming pools – which can
be as small as 15m2 – come in two main
forms:
› the traditional natural pool (or pond);
› and the living pool, which visually looks
more like a traditional filtered pool.
In the case of natural pools, a dividing
wall reaching to approximately 100mm
below the water surface separates the
regeneration zone from the swimming
zone to prevent contamination of
swimming water with soil and aggregate
material. Water may also be passed
through a mesh screen and phosphate
sink, and additional aquatic plants added
to the swimming area, to provide further
“NATURAL POOLS REQUIRE
MORE SPACE THAN
CONVENTIONAL POOLS
OF THE SAME SWIMMING
AREA. HOWEVER, THEY CAN
BE INTEGRATED INTO THE
SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE,
AND CAN SUPPORT LOCAL
BIODIVERSITY BY PROVIDING
A HABITAT FOR AQUATIC
SPECIES”
water purification if required.
Living pools, on the other hand, can be
designed to look conventional, with clear
separation of the main swimming area
from the planted regeneration area. They
may even be heated and located indoors,
as demonstrated on the Artehof Aparthotel
and Campsite in Germany.
Typically, glampers spend their holidays
closer to nature and are receptive to the
concept of natural pools. These pools
avoid the use of chlorine and other
disinfection agents or treatment systems
such as ozonation, thereby almost
eliminating the resource depletion
and ecotoxicity impacts of swimming
pools, and significantly reducing energy
consumption.
Natural pools require more space than
conventional pools of the same swimming
area. However, they can be integrated
into the surrounding landscape, and can
support local biodiversity by providing a
habitat for aquatic species. So, in addition
to reduced ecotoxicity effects, natural
pools are likely to result in a significant
positive effect on biodiversity compared
with conventional pools.
CONSTRUCTION DESIGN
As with conventional pools, it is
important that the pool and filter system
(regeneration area) are sized to cope with
expected peak demand. Natural pools are
not able to hygienically cope with high
peak usage rates.
The edge of the pool should be raised,
and/or a drainage ditch constructed
completely around the pool to ensure
that no run-off water enters the pool.
Construction of the main body of the
pool is as per conventional pools. A
rubber membrane or similar flexible
34 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

GLAMPSITES
Basic schematic water circulation and
filtration in a natural pool system
INSPIRATION GREEN
impermeable barrier may be used
depending on the desired finish.
The main distinguishing feature of a
natural pool is the regeneration zone
separated from the main body of the pool
by a submerged diving wall. There are a few
options to consider:
Concrete or cinderblock walls
› Precise geometric shapes
› Vertical walls from top to bottom in the
swimming area
› Higher input in materials and costs
› Self-construction is possible.
Corner element construction
› Pre-fabricated components
› Quick and easy construction
› Attractive design
› Swimming area can be shaped as desired
› Wooden slats provide seating.
Earthwall construction
› Gently sloping shape of the swimming
area
› Economically priced
› Larger surface area needed due to
greater width of earth wall.
REGENERATION ZONES
Regeneration zones are comprised of an
inert coarse substrate such as gravel or
loamy sand. Topsoil is avoided, as the idea
is to provide a substrate for plant roots
to absorb nutrients from the percolating
water, and not to introduce additional
nutrient sources. Additional components
of the regeneration zone may include lime
and elements to bind nutrients and fine
particles.
A range of aquatic plants can be used,
both in the regeneration zone and the
main pool body. These can include
submerged oxygenators, floating plants,
shallow marginals, deep marginals, bog/
marsh and waterside species. Wherever
possible, indigenous plants should be
used as they should be adapted to the
local environment and will maximise the
biodiversity benefits arising from a natural
pool.
In order to provide effective water
treatment, the mix must contain marsh
plants that are able to decompose
compounds to their constituent elements
within the root zone.
ADDITIONAL FILTRATION SYSTEMS
Following filtration in the regeneration
zone, water may be pumped through a selfcleaning
mesh screen of 0.3mm to remove
any remaining algae and micro-particles.
Although usually not necessary when the
regeneration zone is operating correctly,
a phosphorus filter may be installed to
prevent algae growth (phosphorus is a
limiting nutrient in freshwater). Closed
pressure filters are available that can be
installed separately within the pool and
cycle water through a filter substrate
containing elements that bind phosphate.
MAINTENANCE
Aquatic plants grow quickly and may
require periodic thinning and pruning.
Removing the plant mass each autumn acts
as a sink for impurities and nutrients from
the system. A surface leaf skimmer should
be used to remove floating debris from the
water, while silt (a combination of decaying
vegetation, dust and other detritus) can
be removed by either a vacuum or bottom
purge system. Where present, phosphorus
filter systems need to be periodically
rinsed, and the filter substrate changed
every few years.
ECONOMICS
The cost of construction for a natural
pool is in the region of £300-£600 per
m2 and decreases as the pool area
increases. However, maintenance costs are
significantly lower, as chemical purchasing
is avoided and electricity consumption is
typically lower than for conventional pools
as the shallow water in the regeneration
zone heats up quickly.
Advantages
Natural pools offer considerable
advantages over conventional
swimming pools. These include:
› No harmful chemicals
› An attractive and natural-looking
feature
› Water warms up more quickly in the
sun owing to shallow depth in the
regeneration zone
› Less maintenance
› Biodiversity gain
› The creation of a unique back to
nature experience for guests.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Take A Green Step is brought to you by
the European Commission’s directorate
general for the environment, supported
by the European Commission’s Joint
Research Centre. For more advice, best
practise and case studies, visit www.
ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/
takeagreenstep
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 35

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36 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

GLAMPSITES
The Treehouse by
Wee Studio (China)
Architects
Barbara Griffin-Wright on selecting and working with an architect
WEE STUDIO
WITH THE events of the last few years, there
has been an increasing desire for us all to
be able to escape, travel and explore new
places. The fantastic thing about glamping
is that small or temporary structures can
be located on interesting sites providing
potentially unique experiences.
I imagine we all have a vision of the
Danish obsession ‘hygge’. Although we
don’t have an exact translation, the general
concept relates to comfort, coziness and
contentment along with cherishing the
little things. Time spent with friends or
family does not need to be big and showy.
It can be calm and quiet. These kinds of
experiences can be created using temporary
lightweight structures, movable pods or
more permanent builds, and the importance
of understanding context and taking
advantage of landscape, orientation and
natural features is essential to creating the
right atmosphere.
With a recent boom in glamping, and
many new entrants to the market, it is more
important than ever to differentiate your
glamping offering. While some businesses
will thrive offering standardised glamping
pods and bell tents (perhaps given a superb,
high demand location or on-site/nearby
activity) others will need to work harder to
create the experience today’s holidaymakers
expect.
“WITH A RECENT BOOM IN
GLAMPING, AND MANY NEW
ENTRANTS TO THE MARKET,
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EVER TO DIFFERENTIATE
YOUR GLAMPING OFFERING”
Unleashing your imagination can be a
hugely rewarding experience and working
with an expert who can help you realise a
vision for creating something unique to you
and your site can be a fantastic business
opportunity.
THE PROCESS
For any project where you might think that
glamping accommodation might be a great
idea, do your research first! Very often the
planning application process needs to be
undertaken, or at the very least an initial
feasibility study with an architect. It is a
step-by-step process and although it is
easy to find many beautiful rural sites or
quirky urban forgotten corners, the viability
of a project will be strongly linked to local
tourism policy and context. So the first step
is very definitely research and feasibility.
If you have a site in mind, and you think
it might be viable, initial sketch concepts
based on site constraints is often really
useful when having consultations with
planners, locals or investors. I would
always recommend that if you are having
conversations with the local planning
authority to have some sketches to get them
engaged and excited about the concept.
Sometimes this will be done informally but
increasingly you will need to go down the
route of a pre-planning application to get
some formal feedback.
Developing a brief with an architect and
exploring potential ideas, identifying the
strengths and weaknesses of a location
and considering what your budget is and
the potential of phasing are all aspects
of starting a project. Something else that
our clients have been asked for during the
planning process is a business plan. This will
help you consider the budget, growth and
phasing of a project.
SELECTING AN ARCHITECT
As an architect I would say that you should
look for someone with a good imagination!
There are architects that specialise in
different kinds of buildings or projects and
generally our design ability will mean that
most architects will be able to fulfil the brief.
However, I think that you will know when
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 37

GLAMPSITES
SEBASTIAN COX
Sylvascope treehouse by
Sebastian Cox (England)
Immerso Glamping by Fabio Vignolo
and Francesca Turnaturi (Italy)
FABIO VIGNOLO AND FRANCESCA TURNATURI
Outlandia by
Malcolm Fraser
Architects (Scotland)
MALCOLM FRASER ARCHITECTS
Mr Plocq's Caballon by Aurélie Poirrier (France)
CORENTIN SCHIEB, AURÉLIE POIRRIER
route through to achieving your goals.
In terms of an architect’s fees, this will
depend on how an architect charges.
Sometimes this is based on a percentage
of the overall budget for a project.
However, from experience, where projects
may not have exact parameters at early
stages, fees are generally based on time
expected to be spent at each stage. Hourly
rates can vary but any architect will be
able to give guidance on this.
you meet a potential architect if they are the
right fit for you.
Remember these kinds of projects are
not generally straight forward, otherwise
everyone would do them. Firstly and most
importantly does the architect seem to be
excited by the project? Do they ask lots of
questions and give you the impression that
they are up for a challenge? If so put them on
the short list!
I would always advise that if you are
speaking to a number of architects try to
arrange an on-site meeting with each so
that you can talk face to face and that the
architect can fully appreciate the location.
Shop around. Speak to architects locally and
nationally if you see someone’s work that
you like or feel that they might be a good fit
for your project!
Make sure to check that any architects
you are speaking to are registered member
of ARB (The Architects Registration Board).
Only qualified architects can be members.
Some people think that RIBA is the
professional body but associate members
who are not architects can still be members.
You can check if someone is a registered
architect on the ARB Register at www.
architects-register.org.uk. Another useful
website is the RIBA Find an Architect
website. This is a free to use website
where you can input a set of criteria and
your information will be sent to chartered
architects that might be the right fit for you
(www.find-an-architect.architecture.com).
FEES
The other thing to think about is the fee
and what services an architect is offering
at each stage. Ask for a breakdown – the
feasibility study stage, then onto planning,
then onto technical design and project
management. Fees will vary depending on
the complexity of the project, the location,
scale and the amount of written reports
the architect may need to do in addition to
the drawing and design work.
In many cases planners want to see
visualisations and a Design and Access
Statement (a report that supports a
planning application, illustrating the
process that has led to the development
proposal and explains the design) in
addition to the standard drawings. These
things can increase the architect’s fees.
From my experience sometimes an initial
fee for a feasibility study to help establish
the scope of the project and some initial
concept sketches and fact finding is hugely
valuable to establish the next steps and
EXTRA PLANNING COSTS
It is worth remembering that there will
most likely be additional fees given
the nature of a potential site. Ecology,
tree and topographical surveys may be
required. Again, establishing this at an
early stage is very important.
Another issue that has been raised
on projects we have worked on is
accessibility to and around the site. Is
there a public transport route to the
site, is there vehicular access and, if so,
is there good visibility from the access?
Believe it or not these sorts of things
can be real stumbling blocks in making
your dream of glamping a reality with
planners.
Another very important tip is to consult
with the neighbours if you have them.
They will have concerns and if a planning
application is sprung on them without
notice they may be less likely to be
cooperative.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ADSDF are architects who both design and build. We love working on diverse
kinds of projects that are a challenge! We specialise in working in rural contexts,
converting old buildings and working closely with our clients to develop a project
from initial fuzzy thoughts through to a clear strategy.
We love to work holistically helping our clients to join the dots between planning, business,
budget and design. We are a family business – a husband and wife team, with both sons involved
in the business. We are designing for clients as well as building our own dream, converting an
old RAF military base into our future home. Follow ADSDF on Youtube at Home_from_a_ruin
38 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 39

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GLAMPSITES
MEET THE SUPPLIER
Get to Know…
Time to make some professional friendships – get to know the people behind the products!
Andy Huett
Director, Coir Store
07884 303082,
andy@coirstore.co.uk,
www.coirstore.co.uk
What does your company do?
Importer and supplier of coir matting
for glamping and events.
What makes your company’s services
special?
All products are 100% natural and
chemical free. We aim to deliver as
fast as possible.
Describe yourself in 10 words
An ageing stoner who likes to travel.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Fairly easy going, but can get wound
up at times.
Craziest thing you have done?
Rode 60,000km on a motorbike
around India.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
A pint of bitter and a daiquiri for the
lady.
Favourite animal and why?
Elephant. Large, impressive animal,
intelligent and placid.
Favourite current telly?
Sky Arts. Intriguing programmes
about bands and the making of classic
albums.
Teresa Jones
Teresa Jones
Director, Scandinavian Homes
0845 299 6337,
www.scandinavianhomes.com
What does your company do?
Highly insulated log holiday homes
ideal for all year use.
What makes your company's services
special?
Complete flexibility in design,
specification and construction.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Loves helping customers choose
what’s right for them.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Thoughtful, helpful and willing to ask
awkward questions.
Something nobody would know
about you?
Not many people know that I play
double bass with local orchestras.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
A pint of the best local real ale. If that’s
not an option then a nice glass of
white wine.
Favourite animal and why?
Unfortunately no longer with us, our
cat, Ginger Biscuit, aka the company
Chief Morale Officer, as he would
always say hello to visitors.
Favourite telly?
I’m addicted to home makeover
programs!
Julie Friar
Director, Friar Best
Insurance Services
01394 383868,
www.friarbest.co.uk
What does your company do?
Specialists in advising on and
arranging insurance for glamping
holiday sites.
What makes your company’s
services special?
Understanding the glamping industry
and associated risks for arranging
insurance.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Dedicated to providing the right
insurance for glamping site owners.
How would your co-workers
describe you?
Leaves no stone unturned when
something needs sorting.
Craziest thing you have done?
Any craziness has been with an
audience.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
Mojito or Bacardi with ginger ale
Favourite animal and why?
I love all animals and birds, but love
watching the cows and sheep in field
next to where I live.
Favourite TV show?
Vera – down to earth, clever and often
with a good moral message.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 41

GLAMPSITES
MEET THE SUPPLIER
Get to Know…
Time to make some professional friendships – get to know the people behind the products!
Audrius
Novogreckis
Partner, Woodpecker Tubs
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk,
07435 866929
What does your company do?
We offer a range of hot tubs and sauna
products.
What makes your company’s services
special?
We are able to meet and exceed the
needs of our customers by ensuring
that we put their health and wellbeing
at the forefront of everything we do.
Describe yourself in 10 words
A family man wanting to treat people
like family.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Energetic, enthusiastic with a real
attention to detail.
Craziest thing you have done?
Well now that would be telling – I just
love having fun! I love nature and
being out in the fresh air, I also like to
spend time with my family.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
I love beer and cocktails, so maybe a
blonde beer or a Cosmopolitan.
Favourite animal and why?
Elephant, because they are strong
and fearless but incredibly family
orientated.
Favourite TV show?
For me it has to be Stranger Things.
It is incredible viewing and a great
programme to get into. It’s my type of
series.
Dirk McFarlane-
Aitken
Director, MAC Cabins
01837 357014,
www.maccabins.co.uk
What does your company do?
Largest supplier of glamping pods,
timber lodges, cabins and buildings.
What makes your company’s services
special?
We can vouch that with every building
our customers will receive a structure
that has a higher standard spec than
most other comparable products.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Ambitious, hard-working, considerate,
an eye for detail and creative flair.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Dirk is passionate about his customercare
and believes in his products.
Craziest thing you have done
Scuba dived in Egypt and convinced
the instructor I was a qualified diver
and three stone heavier than I actually
am, amazingly I am still here.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
A pint of ale.
Favourite animal and why?
Giraffe – as a child I had a very vivid
dream about a young giraffe that lived
in the woods behind our cottage in
Cornwall, called Liberty.
Favourite current telly
Gold Rush – because it shows that
sometimes life is a struggle but good
people prevail.
Alicia Whymark
Market development
manager, Portable Power
Technology
01474 761051,
alicia@portablepowertech.com,
www.portablepowertech.com
What does your company do?
We offer a wide range of off-grid
power options.
What makes your company’s service
special?
We have a really personal and handson
approach with all our customers.
Describe yourself in 10 words
I’m a loud, friendly, passionate person
and I’m always late.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
I’m too scared to ask after six years
here! They’d definitely say I’m late.
Craziest thing you’ve done
I last minute booked to go to a music
festival with zero camping equipment
and no time to get any… Interesting
weekend.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
You can’t beat a good gin and tonic.
Favourite animal and why
Tricky one! I have a cat and a dog so
my allegiances are very split there... I
always think narwhals look so cool.
Favourite current telly?
Succession. No question –
incredible TV.
42 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

S2T GRASS
REINFORCEMENT
PERFO
interlocking tiles - effective
protection for soft ground
Ideal for the reinforcement of
parking areas, access tracks,
pitches etc. at:
- camping & glamping sites
- open air event venues
- country & leisure parks
Tel. 01992 522797
www.perfo.co.uk
01453 767171
www.bondfabrications.co.uk
enquiries@bondfabrications.co.uk
British Design & Manufacture of Unique Bespoke Canvas Structures & Safari Tents
From our Gloucestershire factory Bond have served the British outdoor hospitality industry for over 30 years. With an emphasis on
client-led design, high performance technical fabrics alongside traditional British workmanship, Bond offer an unrivalled custom design
process to create unique, beautiful structures. From high luxury glamping locations to exclusive outdoor event experiences, we can offer
full CAD design support, exceptional quality and a personal service to create the image and identity your venue requires.
Call us to discuss your own project.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 43

2022
BIGGER
THAN
EVER
Thurs 15 th - Sat 17 th
September 2022
NAEC, STONELEIGH PARK
Register now: www.theglampingshow.com

GLAMPSITES
PRODUCT IN FOCUS
Tents
The Sea Forts, Cornwall
Product: 20 bell tents
Supplier: Autentic, +32 55 50 17 64,
info@autentic.world, www.autentic.world
Details: Sea Forts is a wild coastal campsite
and wildlife sanctuary with breathtaking views of the Cornish
coast. Autentic supplied 20 bell tents, in a combination of
Moss, Roasted Pumpkin, Turmeric and Blue Lagoon in 5.2m
and 3.6m sizes.
Standing proud in the camping field, the tent colours
complement the landscape – the yellows of the gorse,
the reds of the local earth, the greens of the wild
grasses. A combination of aesthetic charm and
low visual impact within the site of historical significance
on a national level.
The tents are beautifully made with strong sturdy
canvas and attract a lot of positive comments and
attention from passers-by. Guests love their
spaciousness, feeling of warmth, safety and
luxury.
PRODUCT SNAPSHOT
Massive 8m Ultimate Pro
The Bell Tent Shop
07834 768348
thebelltentshop@gmail.com
www.thebelltentshop.co.uk
Our amazing 8m Ultimate Pro double
door bell tent is a huge 100% cotton
canvas tent with two A-frame doors.
The extra door gives you the option
of joining another 8m bell tent using
an awning to provide a second room.
The canvas is made of our 360gsm
heavy, breathable, waterproof
canvas and includes a bathtub style
floor and zipped in groundsheet,
allowing the side walls to be
rolled up to allow air-flow through
the tent. This tent is perfect for
camping in style, for large families
and gatherings. Perfect for the
serious camper and professional,
this tent comes with a 12 month
manufacturer’s warranty.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 45

GLAMPSITES
Meadow Field Luxury Glamping,
Warwickshire
Product: Two luxury safari tents (5.4m x 12.5m)
Supplier: Bond Fabrications, 01453 767171, enquiries@
bondfabrications.co.uk, www.bondfabrications.co.uk
Details: Based on a working farm in the peaceful Warwickshire
countryside, Meadow Field is immersed in nature with the
backdrop of a family run farm. Bond Fabrications has installed
two of its largest safari tents on the site to offer guests the best
combination of rural peace and exceptional luxury.
Owners Julianne and David Mold wanted to create a highluxury
finish for their guests. It was important to maximise the
beautiful views and give each tent room to breathe too. The tents
ordered were a custom size at 5.4m wide and 12.5m long – huge
structures that offer guests maximum space and luxury.
Bond worked closely with the couple to get the interior layout
just right, including a unique internal bathroom. Bond’s team of
carpenters also constructed a custom deck and internal walls.
Bond is proud to be a true British manufacturer and takes great
pleasure in working closely with its clients.
Customer feedback: Site owner Julianne Mold said: “Having
researched the various safari tent options out there, we chose
Bond for their unique structures and the ability to bespoke
design each tent layout to suit our ideas. Michelle and Mike have
been very helpful with lots of valuable advice readily supplied.
“The carpenter they recommended was a real asset to
the project and his knowledge and experience in the tent
construction itself was invaluable. Our safari tents are still very
new, but we know that should we ever need any further support
in the future that the team at Bond will be there to support us.
“The wonderful feedback we have
received from our guests has
proved that we made the
right choice. We would
highly recommend Bond’s
British manufactured
canvas safari tents,
especially if you are
looking for a truly
unique end product”.
PRODUCT
SNAPSHOT
The Nova Air Dome
Boutique Camping
0203 319 1315
info@boutiquecamping.com
www.boutiquecamping.com
Boutique Camping’s pole free Nova Air Dome simply
plugs in and pumps up in just 10 minutes.
Novas include large windows with external flaps for
redirecting rain pour and guy-rope free webbing straps.
Starting at 3m, it is the only tent of its size to comfortably
accommodate a double mattress due to the obstructionfree
internal living space. The range also includes a 4m
and 5m model with a sleeping capacity of eight.
Airy in both name and nature, the Nova Air Dome
is made from a lightweight polycotton canvas, which
at 200gsm has a lighter load and quicker drying time,
without compromising on the breathable and insulating
qualities. Boutique Camping’s range of canvas tents is
treated with a water, UV and rot repelling agent so you
can achieve longevity no matter where you set up camp.
Authentic Mongolian Yurts
Mongolian Yurts UK
07974 139 078
info@mongolianyurts.co.uk
www.mongolianyurts.co.uk
These spectacular yurts
comprise handcrafted
Mongolian frames with
bespoke UK-made FWR Regentex canvas covers.
Available from 5m to a spectacular 19m diameter, the range
caters for all scenarios, from a cosy couple’s retreat to a family
or group space sleeping up to eight people, or seating 35 for
dining. Also perfect as chill out spaces, for yoga classes and
more.
With beautiful detailing, these authentic yurts create
a unique, memorable accommodation for guests that
matures with age. With full height walls, lockable doors and
woodburning stoves, they create spacious civilised living
spaces.
46 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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As featured on
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 47

EVENTS
CASE STUDY
Irlam Live
Bringing the community together in Manchester over
four days in June
Irlam Live 2022 took place
over the four day Platinum
Jubilee Weekend from 2-5
June. Headline acts included
Marti Pellow, Bananarama, The
Feeling and N-Trance. We talk
to Darren Goulden.
Describe your event and how
many people it attracts?
We are a boutique family festival
with a unique atmosphere. We are
in our sixth year and attract 5,000
people per day over a four day
event.
Explain a bit about your venue
Our venue is a purpose built
amphitheatre (2011) in the heart of
Prince’s Park in Irlam, Manchester.
The park has been an integral
part of the Irlam and Cadishead
community since the 1930s.
What is the event’s history and
what made you decide to run it?
We have been running our event
since 2016, originally it was going
to be a food and drink festival
with tribute bands but the event
was adopted and supported
by the community and local
businesses which enabled us to
set our sights higher. The idea
came about as there was so little
going on in the area and the
annual summer fair had got to be
embarrassingly small and out of
date!
48 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
How did you research and source
your infrastructure?
We do research online and also
visit numerous events looking
for new suppliers and contacts.
We also network and attend the
Showman’s Show. We have our
own bars and bar staff.
How does the relationship work
with the venue?
The venue is owned by Salford City
Council (SCC) and we have had our
differences regarding the amount
charged, but we are on a better
understanding after this year’s
event.
How is your relationship
with the local authority and
community?
The local authority is SCC and our
relationship has been rocky but we
are OK now. Our relationship with
the local community however has
never been better. People have
taken our event into their hearts
and adopted it as their own. To
this end the local community is
very protective of the event.
How have you planned the
layout?
As the event has grown
massively the layout is done
“PEOPLE HAVE
TAKEN OUR
EVENT INTO
THEIR HEARTS
AND ADOPTED
IT AS THEIR
OWN. TO
THIS END
THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY
IS VERY
PROTECTIVE
OF THE
EVENT”
on a CAD drawing program to
scale. This forms part of our
event management plan. A large
stage, marquees, toilets, power
generators, seating and fencing
make up the infrastructure. We
use track matting for ground
protection.
How do you work with creatives
to make these spaces work?
We have a great creative team
and we have done our homework
to make sure we make the most
of the spaces provided. We use
Buddah Group for décor and
lighting.
What entertainment do you offer
and how did you choose and
source it?
We offer a myriad of
entertainment, from world
class artists to opportunities for
grassroot bands. In between we
have a silent disco, princesses,
dinosaurs, table tennis, football
goals and a funfair.
This year we kicked off on the
Thursday with ‘Cool Britannia’
– the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
day – and some awesome tribute
bands including Real Magic Queen,
Revival Abba, Aladinsane (Bowie),
Take Off That, LMX (Little Mix) and
Tony Lewis as Robbie Williams.
We had lots of things happening
off stage too, including a fantastic
model-making workshop from
the Oscar-winning Aardman
Animations.
Friday generally has an indie feel
and we had leading Oasis tribute
band NOASIS headlining the
main stage for the second time.
Runaway Killers, Ultimate Stone
Roses, Bob Marley Experience,
Small Weller and Amy Winehouse
Alive also played. Off stage, we
had Chomp, the UK’s largest T.Rex,
making a terrifying walkabout.
On Saturday we had Banarama
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 49

EVENTS
headlining the main stage along
with N-Trance, Brutus Gold’s Love
Train, Abz Love from 5ive and Ben
from Phats & Small. The Feeling,
Heather Small, Nadine Coyle from
Girls Aloud, Hue & Cry and Doctor
and the Medics played on the
Sunday.
What provisions do you make for
power, lights and sound?
We bring in all our own power,
lights and sound each year – the
ban on red diesel has certainly
increased costs of the power for
the weekend.
How do you manage admissions
and visitor safety?
We have a dedicated security
team from Exclusec who manage
admissions and keep visitor safety
as the priority.
"WE HAD TO
MOVE OUR
EVENT FOUR
TIMES BUT
MANAGED
TO GET IT
AWAY IN
SEPTEMBER
2021"
How did you cope during 2020
and 2021?
We had to move our event four
times but managed to get it away
in September 2021. We received
no help at all, especially from the
likes of the Arts Council or, in fact,
anything from the government.
How do you publicise the event?
Through our social media and PR
channels. We have around 8,000
followers on Facebook.
What additional challenges have
you faced?
All the new criteria post Covid.
How have you financed the
event and how profitable is it?
We have had very little in the
form of grants over the six years.
Sponsorship, ticket sales and
running our own bars have helped
to finance the event. Profitability
improved after years 3 and 4.
What are your plans for next
year?
We are doing Irlam Live and two
new events in 2023.
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
outdoor event industry?
Come and have a coffee and a
sit down and I could save you a
considerable amount of time and
money if you’re thinking of getting
into events!
50 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
ADDRESS BOOK
MARQUEES
Big Tops www.bigtops.co.uk
North West Marquees
www.northwestmarqueehireuk.co.uk
STAGES
Showtec www.showtec.co.uk
DÉCOR & LIGHTING
Budda Group www.buddhagroup.
co.uk
HEAT & POWER
Euro Generators
www.eurogenerators.co.uk
BARS & CATERING
Joseph Holt www.joseph-holt.com
TOILETS
Nixon Hire www.nixonhire.co.uk
TICKETING
Universe www.universe.com
WI-FI & CARD MACHINES
Breath Payments Epos
www.breathepay.co.uk/smart-posand-epos
SECURITY
Exclusec www.exclusec.co.uk
INSURANCE
Event Insurance
www.events-insurance.co.uk
DETAILS
2-4 June 2023
Prince’s Park
Liverpool Road
Irlam
Manchester M44 6BR
www.irlamlive.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 51

EVENTS
Green Hydrogen
for Events
Vision: 2025 asks PlusZero’s director of story, Mark Irving, about the
growing market for its green hydrogen portable power offer at events
In 2021, PlusZero ran series of trials for
its green hydrogen-fuelled generators to
power high-profile events as diverse as
COP26, the Edinburgh Festival and the
international Extreme E sports car rally
in Dorset. Fast forward to June 2022 and
the company hit the headlines with plans
to power Scotland’s HebCelt Festival
at Stornoway using green hydrogen
produced locally on the Scottish Western
Isles.
Here Mark Irving updates us on the
learning from the trial events, what
makes green hydrogen green, the
results of PlusZero’s research into public
perceptions, and why it is committed to
education on the efficacy of hydrogen as a
combustion fuel.
“Hydrogen’s
potential as a
renewable energy
source across diverse
energy applications is
creating huge interest
worldwide. Green hydrogen
is forecast to meet up to
22% of total global energy
demand by 2050 with an
annual sales value of up to
$600 billion”.
(INTERNATIONAL
RENEWABLE ENERGY
AGENCY IRENA,
JAN 2022).
WHY DO we need carbon-free power? Well,
$14bn is spent annually on diesel generators
worldwide, in sectors as diverse as outdoor
events, film location powering, construction
and back-up power, in fact anywhere where
portable (off-grid) power is needed. These
diesel generators burn 95bn litres of diesel
at a cost of $126bn and emit 250m tonnes
CO2e per annum.
In order to meet global net-zero targets we
need a carbon-free alternative. To achieve
this, PlusZero provides a fully integrated,
end-to-end green hydrogen solution:
production, distribution, operation.
WHAT IS GREEN HYDROGEN?
Green hydrogen is defined as hydrogen
produced by splitting water into hydrogen
and oxygen using renewable electricity.
PlusZero Energy is our green hydrogen
production and distribution business that’s
already producing green hydrogen at our
Western Isles site. Using electricity produced
by locally sourced wind power, we convert
water into green hydrogen and oxygen
through a process of electrolysis. It’s ‘green’
because the wind power is fully renewable.
One of Scotland’s great natural gifts is the
ready availability of wind, with the Western
Isles offering rapid scalability (between
1GW to 2GW) to become one of the biggest
production centres for green hydrogen in
Europe.
PlusZero Power is our clean power
business, bringing a modular range of
hydrogen-fuelled generators to the market
that replace polluting diesel versions (which
are often unregulated). The UK market
alone for portable diesel generators is
worth £0.5bn. Think of the CO2 and other
emissions we could prevent (and the air
quality we’d improve) if even a large fraction
of these were converted to work on green
hydrogen!
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
FAMILIARITY
Our research has discovered that most
crews using portable power (whether
they’re making the next Netflix series,
creating a major outdoor event or building
a new hospital) like to work with what
they know best; an internal combustion
engine (ICE). That’s why our approach is to
produce generators using hydrogen-fuelled
combustion engines that work in almost the
same way as diesel ones, but without the
CO2 and NOX. Easy to learn, easy to use.
There’s significant proven demand in the
UK, EU and GCC (Gulf) for the clean portable
power offer that green hydrogen provides.
The main limiting factor to scaling up the
business to enable us to respond fully to our
customer pipeline demand is the current
shortage of green hydrogen. That’s why
we’re also seeking investment to scale up
The 2022 HebCelt Festival uses green
hydrogen powered generators
HEBCELT FESTIVAL
52 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
our PlusZero Energy business to 50MW (first
phase).
PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING
A big issue is public recognition: while
investors are thronging around hydrogen,
people generally don’t know much about it.
Therefore, we commissioned a report into
public perceptions of hydrogen in Scotland,
with some surprising results (younger
people are the least knowledgeable about
it, even though they are more likely to be
interested in environmental issues).
While lots of businesses in the renewables
space talk about hydrogen, very few of them
have delivered. We spent 2021 undertaking
a series of demonstrator trials of our green
hydrogen-fuelled generators to power
high-profile events as diverse as COP26,
the Edinburgh Festival, the international
Extreme E sports car rally in Dorset, and a
major Scottish government hosted event
at Edinburgh Castle. All were world firsts
in terms of using green hydrogen. That’s
why our brand strapline is ‘We’re Making
Hydrogen Happen’.
A FESTIVAL FIRST
We learned a lot from doing these
events: understanding the challenges
of pioneering clean portable
power – from getting generators
ready to transporting them
and the green hydrogen to
site, to educating clients
and potentially sceptical partners about
the beautiful circularity and sheer efficacy
of hydrogen as a combustion fuel – formed
from water, its waste product is water.
And now we’re powering the wonderful
2022 HebCelt Festival at Stornoway. We’ll
be using our combustion-engine based
generators to provide clean power for the
event’s Islands Stage for three days and
nights, powering 12 different acts. It will be
the first festival in Scotland to run a full stage
consecutively for the duration of a whole
event on green hydrogen.
HebCelt is right on our doorstep, so we’re
really thrilled to be bringing clean portable
power to our neighbours – green hydrogen
power that’s been produced on the Western
Isles. It’s an important example of how
clean energy, when produced with the
consent of local community organisations,
can return its social and
environmental
benefits directly to local people. It’s a
community-based solution with a global
footprint. What we’re doing here can be
replicated across the world, and that’s why
our ambitions are truly international.
WHAT ABOUT THE CARBON?
Let’s not forget the core mission. Here’s
one example. Based on figures provided
for diesel use at the last HebCelt Festival
in 2019, the use of our green hydrogenfuelled
generators will save over 1,000
litres of diesel use and over three tonnes
of CO2 emissions. This is approximately
the equivalent of 27 car journeys from
Edinburgh to Stornoway and back, based on
average mpg figures.
Imagine this replicated for every
outdoor event in the UK. And then at every
construction site, film location – anywhere
using portable power.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Irving is director
of story for PlusZero, a
leading green hydrogen
clean power solutions
provider supporting the rapid
decarbonisation of sectors reliant
on diesel generators.
For more information, see www.
pluszero.energy and join PlusZero
in making hydrogen happen.
*This article originally appeared in the June 2022 Vision: 2025 newsletter.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 53

EVENTS
Tent Waste
We talk to Dean Betts from Circular Camping about solutions to tent waste at events
GETTY IMAGES
TELL US ABOUT THE TENT WASTE
PROBLEM AT EVENTS AS IT STANDS
TODAY
Waste is inevitable at any event, and tent
waste is only part of the wider picture. The
reason for some camping equipment to
be abandoned is simply that it is broken
beyond repair, or it has reached the end of
its natural lifespan.
This does not explain the reason behind
the scale of the problem though, which
lies mainly in the fact that much of the
equipment being marketed to festivalgoers
is simply not fit for purpose.
Substandard products are
offered at seemingly bargain
prices, but the user experience is
so disappointing that many of these
low end items are eventually left
behind when the buyer realises that
they are of no further use.
THE CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM
There has been a race to the bottom
in terms of price and quality in the
camping sector in previous years, with a
wide range of discount retailers offering
discounted seasonal products. Camping
equipment needs to keep you warm, dry
and comfortable. With such low quality
production, the lifespan of these products
is very short.
We have been running campsite salvage
operations for over a decade now, and very
rarely find equipment in good condition
with a shelf price of over £100. Whilst
nobody has ever had a wonderful night’s
sleep in a single skin pop up tent, every
year we have thousands of people going
to their first festival, and learning these
lessons the hard way.
Another aspect which influences the
amount of waste abandoned at events, are
practical considerations such as the size of
the event and the distance from the car to
the campsite. In simple terms, the further
you have to walk, the more likely you are
to abandon your equipment, especially in
bad weather.
Add to this the fact that you are
hungover, potentially wet and muddy,
with people around you also abandoning
their equipment, and you can see how the
problem begins to spiral.
CHANGING ATTITUDES
Some events, like Shambala, have an
incredible waste policy which rewards
customers for keeping the site tidy. There
is a culture of ‘clean’ there. The key is to
incentivise customers – free tickets and
drinks always help.
Other events are approaching this
retrospectively after years of negligence
and have an uphill battle on their hands.
Education is great, but it usually comes
54 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
in the form of posters and tweets. More
active, practical solutions are needed.
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
At Circular Camping we offer a full wrap-around
service to help events drive down campsite
waste, comprised of three main elements:
1. We provide pre-pitched tent hire, using
salvaged and reconditioned equipment. Every
tent that we hire out is potentially one less
going to landfill
2. We run a sustainable camping shop which is
focused on selling mainly salvaged equipment
at affordable prices
3. We then stay on site to run the campsite
salvage after the event, and accept donations
from people who have no further use for their
camping equipment.
Setting up donation/upcycling points and
incentivising customers to use these areas
is an easy win for events. It takes very little
investment, but helps to segregate the waste so
that it can easily be reused. Properly marketing
and then incentivising customers to use these
services is paramount.
In time, I believe that festivals will move
towards a model which sees a much higher
percentage of their audience staying in prepitched
accommodation as a way of limiting
the potential for abandoned tents. It is of
course another valued revenue steam for event
organisers.
TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE EVENTS
YOU HAVE HELPED
Download Festival this year was the cleanest
that I have seen it in almost 10 years working
at the event. The sustainability team are doing
a great job of spreading the message and
supporting our operation.
Our shop there was stocked with all of the
“IN TIME, I BELIEVE THAT FESTIVALS WILL MOVE TOWARDS
A MODEL WHICH SEES A MUCH HIGHER PERCENTAGE
OF THEIR AUDIENCE STAYING IN PRE-PITCHED
ACCOMMODATION AS A WAY OF LIMITING THE POTENTIAL
FOR ABANDONED TENTS”
equipment which we salvaged from Creamfields
South, a festival which took place just a few days
before. It is the perfect example of creating a
circular economy within the festival industry,
which is what we are here to do.
When we left Download Festival, two days
after the event, I can confidently say that there
was not a single piece of good quality/reusable
camping equipment left behind, such was the
success of our salvage operation.
Download is a huge festival, and that is a
landmark achievement for us. With the support
of the organisers we can do much more to
further improve sustainability at that event and
assist them in their net zero vision.
To offer another example, we were called
in to operate the first ever campsite salvage at
Lost Village festival in 2020. On the back of a
successful first year, we pitched our tent-hire
service to them, and after two years this has
grown exponentially. The team that runs the
event has been great in terms of supporting
and helping to grow and advertise the service,
and they are seeing some great results in terms
of recycling figures and a reduction in carbon
emissions. Everything salvaged from Download
will be sold in our shop there.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dean Betts formed Circular
Camping in 2013, looking for
a niche within the camping
industry. He is motivated to find
practical, professional solutions
to drive down camping waste. As the
business continues to expand, he is looking
forward to working with more like-minded
people within the industry who want to
take sustainability at their events to the
next level. www.circularcamping.com
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 55

C RE®
EVENT-STRUCTURES
UNIQUE OUTDOOR
MULTI-LEVEL STRUCTURES
CALL NOW FOR A FREE QUOTE
T: 0845 299 6499 - E: sales@core-eventstructures.com
www.core-eventstructures.com
ADVERT-EVENT-STRUCTURES.indd 1 27/01/2022 12:07:22
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T E N TS & MA R Q U E E S
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out colourful Big Big Top Top style style Marquees.
Staffed by a crew of highly experienced
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t: 01654 700030
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e: info@topcatbigtops.co.uk
w: www.topcatbigtops.co.uk
56 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
MEET THE SUPPLIER
Get to Know…
Time to make some professional friendships – get to know the people behind the products!
Josh Heyburn
Managing director,
Festivall Services
01144 055044, www.festivall.services
What does your company do?
Quality temporary event staffing to
festivals, festive events and more.
What makes your company's services
special?
We connect people but, more
importantly, we care about our people.
We provide high welfare standards, are
eco-conscious and pay the living wage.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Brave, fearless, tough, trustworthy,
daring, faithful, understanding, wellmannered
and positive (I just did a quiz
to generate this).
How would your co-workers
describe you?
Great on a good day, avoid on a bad day.
Something nobody would know
about you?
I have such a big LEGO collection that
I've had to start storing it in a secure
container as the house was getting
too full.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
Is it happy hour? If so, Long Island Iced
Tea x 2! If not, what ales or ciders are
on tap?
Favourite animal and why?
Pandas are my spirit animal; they
symbolise underlying strength. They
also sleep a lot and can be very clumsy
– I can relate!
Favourite current telly?
I'm so far behind on TV, but that's what
happens when you form a company
I suppose. I'm dying to catch up on
Stranger Things (no spoilers!).
Ryan Taylor
Marketing and sales
coordinator,
All Weather Access
01371 700510,
info@all-weatheraccess.co.uk,
www.all-weatheraccess.co.uk
What does your company do?
Provide temporary access and ground
protection.
What makes your company's services
special?
We provide an efficient and tailored
service to businesses and individuals
across the UK.
Describe yourself in 10 words
Enthusiastic and motivated with a drive
to succeed.
How would your co-workers describe
you?
Excited, passionate and has a friendly
nature.
Something nobody would know
about you?
I have travelled all over Europe and
lived in Germany for five years.
We're in a bar – what do you order?
Double vodka Red Bull.
Favourite animal and why?
Dogs due to their loyal and loving
nature.
Favourite TV show?
Money Heist, I was hooked from the first
episode.
Tom Wilkes
Director, Alternative
Stretch Tents
01920 830256,
info@alternative-stretch.co.uk,
www.alternative-stretch-tents.co.uk
What does your Company do?
Hires, installs and sells gorgeous,
premium grade stretch tents.
What makes your company’s services
special?
Meticulous attention to detail with a
'can do attitude' and a friendly bunch
of riggers!
Describe yourself in 10 words
Currently hot, it’s 40 degrees!
Hardworking boss = hard working team!
How would your co-workers
describe you?
Driven, ambitious with an annoying eye
for detail!
Craziest thing you have done?
Most probably classified.
We’re in a bar – what do you order?
Demi panache (French shandy!)
Favourite animal and why?
Other than our black lab it’s got to
be chickens! amazing adaptors,
surprisingly clever and my first business
at nine years old.
Favourite current telly?
Not too much time for that but probably
Gold Rush or Rolling Stones Rock n
Roll Circus.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 57

EVENTS
PRODUCT IN FOCUS
Infrastructure
Jubilee Celebrations, London
Product: Projections and searchlights
Supplier: EMF Technology, 020 8003 3344, info@
emftechnology.co.uk, www.emftechnology.co.uk
Details: EMF was proud to be involved supplying
video projection mapping services for the Queens
70th Jubilee weekend. The company was contracted
to supply large scale technical video projections and
searchlights across the façade of Royal Horse Guards
Parade, London
Using three, 30,000 lumens Christie projectors, EMF
created blended video mapped projections across
the façade of Royal Horse Guard Parade. Nine high
powered searchlights were also used to complement
the Jubilee events at Horse Guard Parade and
Buckingham Palace.
The artwork was created in-house by EMF’s
content producers to the clients requirements.
Due to the sensitive nature of the locations, all equipment
had to be placed within a high security area, which created a
few challenges, but luckily the team is experienced at
challenging and innovative events.
58 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Goodwood Estate,
West Sussex
Product: iCONIC 100 mobile
LED screen
Supplier: ADI, 0800 592 346,
info@adi.tv, www.adi.tv
Details: For the world-famous
Goodwood Festival of Speed, ADI
supplied a site-wide mobile LED
solution to help engage, entertain
and inform the thousands of visitors
that attended. For the 2019 event this
included a large, high resolution 100m
mobile screen for Sky’s outdoor cinema,
with ADI specifying the ideal display for the
audience size and viewing distance, along
with audio and technical support.
The venue is set in 12,000 acres of West
Sussex countryside and plays host to some
of the UK’s most prestigious live outdoor
events including Goodwood Revival and
Qatar Goodwood Festival.
ADI’s iCONIC range of mobile LED
screens feature at outdoor cinemas and
live events across the UK, providing costeffective,
yet high impact solutions that
boast swift set-up times and unrivalled
stability. ADI has worked on outdoor
cinema projects at a variety of venues
including Castle Howard, Loch Lomond,
Lytham Beach, Alnwick Castle and
Trafalgar Square.
Feedback: ADI has worked with
Goodwood for over five years to supply
large LED screens to suit particular event
concepts and activations across the site.
By working with ADI, Goodwood has
access to the world’s largest, highest
resolution fleet of mobile LED screens,
in addition to ancillary services like
video distribution, production, outside
broadcast and branding that help deliver a
seamless event.
Coombe Abbey,
Warwickshire
Product: IMA 150 indirect
oil fired heater for the main
marquee and an IMA 61
heater for the marquee
extension
Supplier: Thermobile,
02476 357960,
andy@thermobile.co.uk,
www.thermobile.co.uk
heating this area. The structure is in use 52 weeks of the year
so it is important guests are comfortable throughout the
colder months. The heaters have been reliable with
excellent digital information to monitor output
air temperature, and technical advice is readily
available and much appreciated.”
Details: Coombe Abbey’s
large semi permanent
marquee from Umbravilia
Marquees has a seating
capacity of 500 and, at 45x15m
(plus extension), requires some
thought as to how to heat. Following
a consultation with the venue owners,
Thermobile recommended overhead heat blown in through a clear
PVC duct, which prevented hot spots and provided the circulation
of warm air. Exit holes were positioned in the duct to direct the hot
air evenly around the large structure.
The indirect oil fired heaters selected for both the main marquee
and the extension offered efficient use of fuel with consumption of
14.8 litres per hour and 6.5 litres per hour respectively.
Customer feedback: : “We have worked with Thermobile for
15 years so were very confident in taking advice from them for
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 59

EVENTS
Drive-through Cinema, Beaconsfield
Product: 1,208 Euromats
Supplier: All Weather Access, 01371 700510,
info@all-weatheraccess.co.uk,
www.all-weatheraccess.co.uk
Details: The popularity for drive-through cinema
has soared in recent months, with products from All
Weather Access proving popular among organisers. All Weather Access’s
temporary roadway is part of the basic infrastructure required for such
events, enabling cars to traverse the grass fields such events are invariably
located in.
All Weather Access was contacted by an events company regarding a
specific site in Beaconsfield – a grass field by a motorway. Operations
manager, Dudley, attended the site and assisted with the creation of a
workable layout and plan for the enormous cinema ensuring safe vehicle
flow in and out and avoiding anyone getting stuck.
The client decided on medium duty Euromats. This gave a cost saving
over the alternative Tufftrak roadway and was more than adequate for
the traffic which would be cars rather than heavier vehicles. Euromats can
also be moved by hand if required, allowing for last minute alterations if
necessary.
The 1,208 Euromats were installed over two days and were left down
for just over four weeks. This enabled the events company to squeeze in
a staggering amount of evening film viewings, which really did help the
financial viability of the project.
Feedback: The company were extremely pleased with the products All
Weather Access supplied and the team’s work ethic and professionalism.
They hope to use its services again in the future.
PRODUCT SNAPSHOT
Self-powered Solar Lighting
Tower
MHM Group
08081 689099
sales@mhm-group.co.uk
www.mhm-group.co.uk
MHM Group’s innovative Street-
Lite is a standalone, self-powered
solar lighting tower, that is
completely diesel and engine
free. Developed to reduce
carbon emissions and energy
consumption at events across the
UK, the Street-Lite is very simple
to use and easy to set up.
The lighting tower features
an integrated AGM (absorbed glass mat) sealed-led battery and has
no complicated wiring or fixings. The battery is charged via its highefficiency
solar panel which will operate in most weather conditions.
Uniquely, the Street-Lite is fitted with an automatic movement sensor
that dims the light when it detects no movement and increases light
coverage when motion reappears, for safety and improved surveillance.
The Street-Lite’s batteries are charged via a 175kW solar panel and can
run up to 13 hours in a single charge. The lighting tower has many of the
attributes of a standard diesel-powered set, with the exception that it
runs entirely from a combination of solar/battery power.
Zero Waste Flexible Event Structures
CORE Bar and Event Hire
0845 299 6499
sales@core-barandeventhire.com
www.core-barandeventhire.com
The MESR-Technic structure from CORE Bar and Event
Hire takes advantage of the extensive benefits of
carbon fibre and carbon fibre composite materials.
Create structures for almost any outdoor or even
indoor event, with multiple levels and numerous
shapes and configurations.
Infinite flexibility means endless possibilities.
These structures are modular and adaptable, light
enough to be transported and assembled by a small
team, yet strong enough to provide a festival stand or
community space for those events that need it most.
Fully assembled within a few hours, MESR-Technic
provides quick and safe solutions with a zero waste
philosophy.
60 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

SUPPLYING THE EVENT INDUSTRY
CROWD CONTROL & POLICE MET BARRIERS,
TEMPORARY FENCE & HOARDING PANELS
Working in connection with
LPH Concerts & Events | Leicester City Council | VW Music
MSV Donington Park | LOROS | Leicester City Football Club
We can also provide a full service of delivery, install,
de-rig and collection. Nationwide service available.
NO JOB TOO SMALL
www.redherringeventservices.co.uk
charles@redherringeventservices.co.uk
01652 640 426 07860 950 894
5 Woodpecker Way, Kirton in Lindsey, Gainsborough, Lincs. DN21 4FD
Registered in England and Wales No 6033966 VAT 897 8620 52

Spot light
A roundup of products for the outdoor hospitality industry
ALL NATURAL HALF-MOON MATS
Coir Store
07884 303082
andy@coirstore.co.uk
www.coirstore.co.uk
Coir Store is an importer and
purveyor of premium quality
coir matting for the glamping
and marquee hire sectors. Coir
flooring products have been used
for centuries due its durability,
longevity and for being naturally
flame resistant. All products have
been flammability tested and
certified by UKAS to BS 5287:1998/
BS 4790:1987.
Constructed from 100%
unbleached and natural Vycome
yarns in a Panama weave, each
half moon is hemmed on the
circumference edge and double
machine stitched.
Available in nine sizes, from 3.6m
to 7m diameter, Coir Store provides
free delivery on all orders within
the UK mainland.
LOG HOMES FOR EVERY
OCCASION
Scandinavian Homes
0845 299 6337
homes@scandinavianhomes.com
www.scandinavianhomes.com
A Scandinavian Homes log
cabin gives you top quality
accommodation for your guests,
suitable for use year round –
whatever the weather! Cool in
summer and warm in winter, a log
holiday home brings the beauty of
nature inside. Easily customised,
our wide range of models can be
designed specifically to suit your
target market.
Log buildings are great for other
uses too, such as cafes and event
spaces. Contact us today to discuss
your holiday lodge, mobile home or
other log building plans.
CONCRETE ALTERNATIVE
FIRST BASE Ground Screws UK
01548 859879
info@firstbasegroundscrews.co.uk
www.firstbasegroundscrews.co.uk
Sustainability is in many people’s
minds and, in the context of
foundations, minimising the use
of concrete is a priority. Ground
screws are a high-quality alternative
to concrete and are perfect for
structures such as pods, cabins
and lodges, even in poor ground
conditions and on slopes. Add
in their re-usability, speed of
installation, long lifespan and low
impact on the soil environment you
have a very effective, stable solution
for your foundations.
FIRST BASE Ground Screws UK
provides a friendly, professional,
wraparound service, from initial
advice and ground testing to
package tailoring, project support
and installation using a national
network of installation partners.
BUILT TO IMPRESS
Rural Accommodations
01524 792633
logcabinworld@btinternet.com
www.logcabinworld.co.uk
Rural Accommodations is one of
the UK’s leading suppliers of log
cabins and chalets for domestic
or commercial use, all with a
distinctive style.
The company is now delighted
to introduce bespoke hand
built shepherds huts, A-frames
and pods to its ever increasing
portfolio, all to the very highest
standard. The perfect business
opportunity, additional living space
or for catering, our structures are
available in various sizes, painted
and decorated throughout in a
colour of your choice and ready to
furnish.
All structures are fully insulated
with 240V electrics, double sockets,
lighting, double glazed windows
and laminated flooring.
62 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

PERFO GROUND REINFORCEMENT
SYSTEM
S2T Group
01992 522797
www.perfo.co.uk
S2T Group’s PERFO range of
ground protection products
comprises a system of interlocking,
self-anchoring permeable plastic
tiles which are embedded into an
existing surface, eg. a mature grass
area or prepared base consisting of
a layer of crushed stone chippings,
depending on the application.
A number of light to heavy duty
solutions are available to suit
varied ground conditions, traffic
profiles and loading requirements.
Unlike other geogrid systems,
PERFO tiles are usually installed
without the need for excavation,
being compacted directly into
the existing surface using rollers
or compactor plates. Installation
is therefore rapid and planning
issues less problematic.
HOT TUBS WITH CUSTOM OPTIONS
Woodpecker Tubs
07435 866929
info@woodpeckertubs.co.uk
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk
Whether you are in the wilderness,
at a holiday retreat or at home
relaxing, Woodpecker Tubs can
reach the furthest outposts to give
you the ultimate experience in
relaxation, health and wellbeing.
Offering high quality hot tubs
from the Ofuro model through
to the Elite (with many new add
ons), Woodpecker Tubs meets the
needs of our customer base, which
are both wide and varied in their
nature!
In addition to the hot tub range, we
also offer saunas. To view our full
range of products and options visit
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk
Classified Directory
C RE®
BAR& EVENTHIRE
STYLISH CUSTOMISABLE BAR RENTAL
01453 767171
www.bondfabrications.co.uk
enquiries@bondfabrications.co.uk
DRY HIRE OR FULL SERVICE
T: 0845 299 6499 - E: sales@core-barandeventhire.com
www.core-barandeventhire.com
Advert - small.indd 1 16/04/2021 16:04:43
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 63

Classified Directory
TIMBER INTENT LTD
01297 444416 • mail@timberintent.co.uk • www.timberintent.co.uk
tensile fabric structures • standard and bespoke
architecture • design • planning
01654 700030
07956 878157
www.topcatbigtops.co.uk
Colourful
BIG TOP STYLE MARQUEES
MANUFACTURE
FOR SALE OR TO HIRE
Finman
Glamping
Cabins and
BBQ Huts
NorthStar Leisure
The Wood Fired Hot Tub Specialists
NORTHSTARLEISURE.COM
From
£4,992
UNIQUE • QUALITY • CUSTOMISABLE
01389 887205 www.logspan.com
64 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

PEOPLE
Behind the Scenes with…
Christian Kremer
Behind the scenes with the man behind the screens…
We talk to the founder and managing director of The
AIRSCREEN Company
Describe your role
Well, I run the company, so my
responsibilities pretty much cover
everything. But I do have great colleagues
that keep a lot of details away from me. Or
do you mean me as a dad? That’s another
story. My kids might tell you something
about my role!
What is your background?
I was born in 1971 and grew up a small town
in northern Germany. Two of my uncles
were cinema owners. So, there is movie-
DNA in my blood I guess.
My life changed forever when my uncle
met Günter Ganzevoort, the inventor of the
world’s first inflatable movie screen at a
cinema convention. With this world novelty,
we started organising open-air cinema
events all around northern Germany.
After I finished my university career
in Germany and Spain with a master’s
in international business studies, we
professionalised the company, built around
the AIRSCREEN product.
Now AIRSCREEN is a world-renowned
brand for high quality inflatable movie
screens made in Germany. It helped that
movie premieres and film festivals used
(and use) our products. Will Smith, Robert
De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford –
so many actors and directors have stood in
front of an AIRSCREEN to present their films.
Give us an idea of your daily routine
I am pretty much like an electron whose
position in space is hard to describe.
Heisenberg might help. Sometimes in the
office building in Münster, working in our
warehouse, in the factories, at our clients’
events, with the family in Berlin… Thank
God I have a special rail pass that covers all
this!
Any upcoming exciting projects?
Many things! Right now, we are in our peak
season and again AIRSCREENS are the ‘must
have’ product for this summer. We will
employ more people by the end of this year.
Great events are coming up like an
open-air movie premier on the Montjuic
in Barcelona and a friend and AIRSCREEN
user in southern France will be setting up
a screen in a Roman amphitheatre. I love
when architecture and the event match! A
customer in Singapore wants to organise
the biggest crowd ever for an outdoor movie
event with multiple AIRSCREENS and Michael
Moore will be screening films on a gigantic
AIRSCREEN at the shores of Lake Michigan
by the end of July. There is amazing stuff
coming up in many parts of the world.
What are your main challenges?
To keep cool. Work theoretically never
ends, we work all around the Earth in over
130 countries. But of course we have many
partners who support us with AIRSCREEN
rental and sales. Personally, you have to find
a balance between work and the other things
in life that are valuable like family, time to
relax and holidays. If you don’t step back
sometimes, I think your body will suffer in
the long run. For sure, your family would.
I sometimes try to take a longer break
to get new inspiration and a different
perspective. What always helps is a bicycle
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 65

PEOPLE
trip. I do this typically once a year where I
take let’s say 14 days off and go (alone) with
my bike to a distant point in Europe. If there
are Alps in between me and my goal, even
better. These are memorable experiences
that help me to feel nature and life as such.
I love it! And of course in the slower season
(November to February) I typically take
some time off with the family. We enjoy
being by the sea. Looking at an ocean is the
best meditation.
Give us a stressful situation that you’ve
overcome
Well, some years ago we set-up a giant
screen (100ft or 30m wide) at the birthplace
of James Dean in Indiana, USA. It became
stressful because a hurricane came our way.
We had to quickly deflate the AIRSCREEN
and secure it on the ground with steel
ropes. Then we hid in a truck and it felt a
bit like when Judy Garland got sucked up
by the wind hose in “The Wizzard of Oz”.
The truck was shaking, and I thought: “This
is the end!”. But when the sky suddenly
turned from green to blue again, we found
ourselves still on the airfield where the event
took place. Thank God our improvised tie
for the AIRSCREEN did the job, so nothing
was destroyed or harmed. The next day, the
show went on.
How does your team work together?
My employees are like friends to me. Most
important in any kind of relationship is
mutual respect. If we reach a goal, we
celebrate together. I let them participate on
the company’s success with bonuses, so we
all can feel proud and happy in what we are
doing.
“IF WE REACH
A GOAL, WE
CELEBRATE
TOGETHER.
I LET THEM
PARTICIPATE
ON THE
COMPANY’S
SUCCESS WITH
BONUSES, SO
WE ALL CAN
FEEL PROUD
AND HAPPY IN
WHAT WE ARE
DOING”
What are you most proud of?
We installed the world’s largest AIRSCREEN
on St. Mark’s Square in Venice for a movie
premier during the film festival. When (baby)
Maddox on Angelina Jolie’s arm boxed
against the AIRSCREEN (and hopefully
felt the strength of the frame) that was a
situation I cannot forget and yes, it made me
proud.
Generally I feel pride that we inspire
people in many parts of the world to get
creative with cinema, showing great films
on giant screens under the stars. Inflate
an AIRSCREEN, put up some sound and a
projector and be the director of your own
cinema. To see those hundreds or even
thousands of guests coming to an open air
event makes me deeply happy.
Please tell us why you love your job
I can’t think of much nicer work. We only
work with great people who live for the
arts, who love movies and outdoor cinema.
These folks are just amazing and keep
on developing new event ideas with our
products. It never gets boring, and I am
looking nearly 30 years back! Not a single
day!
ABOUT THE AIRSCREEN COMPANY
The AIRSCREEN Company has developed and
sold inflatable movie screens for much more
than a decade and offers a worldwide service
partner and rental network. The company
hit the world record for the largest inflatable
cinema screen on Earth (130ft width) and
continues to amaze customers in over 130
countries with its innovation.
The AIRSCREEN Company is situated in
Münster, Germany, in between Dortmund and
Bremen, and its screen are made in Germany.
DETAILS
The AIRSCREEN Company
GmbH & Co. KG
+49 170 77 55 969
kremer@airscreen.com
www.airscreen.com
66 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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