Issue 60
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
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ISSUE <strong>60</strong> | 2023 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
WELCOME<br />
Authenticity is a common theme in this issue. In an age where we<br />
have the ability to fake pretty much anything in the digital world<br />
it’s no wonder that in our ‘real’ lives we crave the genuine.<br />
Andrew White, as always, ponders some big questions in the<br />
context of the meetings and events sector. How authenticity, and<br />
the lack of it, presents both opportunities and threats, and needs<br />
reflecting in your T&Cs for the future. Intrigued? See pages 30-31.<br />
Adhurst Yurts (pages 36-39) has authenticity at its core. It is<br />
unashamedly an immersive nature experience, “thunder and<br />
spiders included.” While owner Alison Lubbock makes it clear that<br />
this is not to every guest’s taste, she is able to achieve phenomenal<br />
nightly rates by adhering to an unwavering ethos – to deliver a “monastery with nature as<br />
the cathedral”.<br />
The young festival AlderFest may have only been established two years ago but has<br />
clearly got the authenticity recipe right. Staying true to itself is paying dividends. The<br />
Bebbington family, owners of Alderford Lake, put their heads together and distilled what<br />
their day-to-day visitors would want out of a live event. McFly, Sam Ryder, Strictly Come<br />
Dancing stars and a 12ft T-Rex seem to have hit the nail on the head at the family focussed<br />
festival, and they are on track to hit profit in year three.<br />
And now for some random bits that don’t really follow the thread from above but I want<br />
to point you to nonetheless!<br />
First, no matter where you are hosting guests, if they are staying overnight on your watch<br />
then giving them a good night’s sleep is surely top of the agenda. Turn to pages 40-41 to<br />
learn what’s going on inside a mattress and how to make sure you choose the right one.<br />
Scare attractions – a tacky American import or an important shoulder month revenue<br />
earner? Perhaps you can find a happy balance for your venue – see pages 64-65 for advice<br />
from one of the best.<br />
Finally, grants. You have until 1 November and 1 December respectively to apply for help<br />
with tree and hedge planting from Woodland Trust. Find the details on pages 28-29.<br />
See you at the trade shows – make sure to come and say hello.<br />
PUBLISHERS<br />
Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com<br />
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
EDITOR<br />
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
ADVERTISING SALES<br />
Marney Whyte - 01892 677743<br />
marney@openairbusiness.com<br />
David Hobden - 01892 677741<br />
david@openairbusiness.com<br />
ADMINISTRATOR<br />
Kirsty Farrow – 01892 677740<br />
kirsty@openairbusiness.com<br />
DESIGN<br />
James English -<br />
www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk<br />
PUBLISHED BY<br />
Coffee Shop Media Ltd<br />
www.coffeeshopmedia.com<br />
Milroy House, Sayers Lane,<br />
Tenterden, TN30 6BW<br />
01580 848555<br />
Tally Rix<br />
Editor / Publisher<br />
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Contents ISSUE <strong>60</strong> – 2023<br />
UP FRONT<br />
4 News<br />
6 Product News<br />
9 Glamping Show<br />
Preview<br />
12 Farm Business<br />
Innovation Show<br />
Preview<br />
16 Entrepreneur’s Chat<br />
– Emily Aitchison,<br />
Kenton Hall Estate<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
21 Browning Bros. –<br />
luxury events and<br />
quirky stays<br />
27 Plants for Grants –<br />
opportunities from<br />
Woodland Trust<br />
30 Check your T&Cs –<br />
are you ready for the<br />
future?<br />
33 Get to Know – make<br />
some venue industry<br />
friends<br />
35 Flooring – products in<br />
action<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
36 Adhurst Yurts –<br />
serenity in the woods<br />
40 Mattresses – do you<br />
know what you’re<br />
buying?<br />
42 Staying Ahead –<br />
quick tips to keep your<br />
offering fresh<br />
54 Get to Know – make<br />
some glamping<br />
industry friends<br />
47 Specialist Structures<br />
– products in action<br />
52 Sustainability –<br />
products in action<br />
EVENTS<br />
57 AlderFest – a young<br />
but mighty new event<br />
63 Scare Attractions –<br />
advice from one of the<br />
best<br />
66 Challenging<br />
Assumptions – the<br />
latest sustainability<br />
report from AGF<br />
69 Get to Know – make<br />
some event industry<br />
friends<br />
70 Structures – products<br />
in action<br />
75 Visitor Management<br />
– products in action<br />
76 Spotlight<br />
78 Classifieds<br />
81 Behind the Scenes –<br />
Hearthworks<br />
Find more expert advice online:<br />
www.openairbusiness.com<br />
SUBSCRIBE<br />
ONLINE<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
BROWNING BROS. • ADHURST YURTS • ALDERFEST<br />
BUSINESS<br />
SPECIALIST<br />
STRUCTURES<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
› T&Cs<br />
› Planting Grants<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Mattresses<br />
› Staying Ahead<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Marquees<br />
› Infrastructure<br />
COVER PHOTO<br />
Armadilla designs, manufactures and delivers luxury<br />
experiential accommodation. Its iconic Pod has become a<br />
design classic, known for its curved walls and sleek, ecosmart<br />
interior. 0131 440 4000, sales@armadilla.co.uk,<br />
www.armadilla.co.uk<br />
Photo courtesy of Luxury Hideaways.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3
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