Open Air Business September/October 2016

ISSUE 4 | September/October 2016 | www.openairbusiness.com
BUSINESS
ACCOMMODATION
› Standing Out
› Treehouses
SHOW
PREVIEWS
See Us At: The Glamping Show, Showman’s Show
and Farm Business Innovation Show
FUNCTION VENUES
› Marquees: Hire or Buy?
› Furniture
EVENTS
› Working with Councils
› Card Payments
ALSO:
BREXIT AND ITS EFFECT ON THE INDUSTRY

ISSUE 4 | September/October 2016 | www.openairbusiness.com
WELCOME
Welcome
Introducing Open Air Business
NOW THE MEDIA hype has died down over
Brexit, we have asked seven experts spanning
the breadth of the outdoor hospitality industry
for their take on the referendum result.
Whether you have a function venue business,
a glampsite or you are an outdoor event
organiser, the news is not all bleak.
The consensus is that Great Britain is likely
to attract more inbound tourism and event
attendance from overseas, while domestic
travel and local weddings start to look more
appealing for Brits. So, look out for the opportunities and get planning to make
the most of the gains.
Continuing our commitment to authoritative content, we have also found
experts to quiz on plenty of other topics. We ask marquee suppliers about the
economics of hiring or purchasing a marquee structure for a function venue,
treehouse designers how these structures can add the wow factor and increased
occupancy to a glamping business, and chip and pin providers about the
logistics and technology necessary for cashless payments at outdoor events.
Also in this issue is an excellent article by Kate Morel on how to make your
glampsite stand out from the rest, while Julie Whalley offers first hand advice on
dealing with councils when organising an event – we enjoyed her explanation
of why things can be difficult and how to handle politics! With case studies from
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, we continue to showcase successful
businesses from across the industry, and from across the British Isles.
PUBLISHERS
Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com
Tally Wade - tally@openairbusiness.com
EDITORIAL TEAM
Susannah Millen - susannah@openairbusiness.com
Tally Wade - tally@openairbusiness.com
ADVERTISING SALES
Antoinette Marley - 01892 677721
antoinette@openairbusiness.com
DESIGN
James English -
www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk
PUBLISHED BY
Coffee Shop Media
t: 01580 848555
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The House on the Hill, Friezley Lane,
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Find more expert advice online:
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It’s show time!
In the next three months, the outdoor hospitality industry will enjoy three
dedicated trade shows – the Glamping Show (22-24 September, Stoneleigh
Park, Warwickshire), the Showman’s Show (19-20 October, Newark Showground,
Berkshire) and the Farm Business Innovation Show (9-10 November, NEC,
Birmingham). We have previews on each and will be attending all three, so make
sure you seek us out and say hello! Each show is sure to be a great opportunity
to buy, learn, network and get inspired. Make sure you check out the seminar
schedules and exhibitor’s lists online – see our previews for details.
Tally Wade
Editor / Publisher
NOW
LIVE
ISSUE 4 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 | www.openairbusiness.com
SHOW
PREVIEWS
See Us At: The Glamping Show, Showman’s Show
and Farm Business Innovation Show
ALSO:
BREXIT AND ITS EFFECT ON THE INDUSTRY
ACCOMMODATION
› Standing Out
› Treehouses
FUNCTION VENUES
› Marquees: Hire or Buy?
› Furniture
EVENTS
› Working with Councils
› Card Payments
BUSINESS
COVER PHOTO
Eco Tents from Eco Structures Australia at the Donnybrook
Eco Retreat in Luskintyre, New South Wales, Australia. Turn
to pages 44-45 for more or visit www.ecostructures.com.au
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3

INSIDE
Contents ISSUE
#4 | September/October 2016
6 News
9 Industry Talk – How will Brexit affect
the outdoor hospitality industry?
12 Show Previews – The Glamping
Show, Showman’s Show and Farm
Business Innovation Show
FUNCTION VENUES
18 Rossahilly House – From holiday
home to beautiful wedding venue
22 Marquees: Hire or Buy? – Duncan
Moore asks the experts
26 Function Furniture – How to create
beautiful spaces with clever furniture
choices
28 Promo Photos – Plan, prepare and
go professional says Isabel Smith
ACCOMMODATION
33 Dundas Castle – Exclusive hire
wedding venue opens a 5* glampsite
36 Standing Out – Kate Morel on
making your glampsite the best it
can be
40 Treehouses – The magic, charm and
profitability of camping in the canopy
44 Sponsored Feature – Introducing
the Eco Tent, a modular structure for
year round occupancy
EVENTS
49 Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza
– An initiative to boost tourism, this
event now attracts over 500,000
52 Working with Councils – How to
mine your council’s resources while
avoiding the politics
54 Card Payments – The technology
and logistics of taking card payments
outdoors
58 Sustainable Power – Powerful
Thinking makes the case for cutting
carbon at outdoor events
63 Spotlight
64 Classifieds
66 Periwinkle
✁
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The latest news from the world of outdoor hospitality
£3.5 million glamping
and caravan village
Work has begun on a £3.5m glamping, caravanning and
camping village on the edge of Shrewsbury. Caravan
dealership Salop Leisure is building the park, which has
room for 120 touring caravans, beside its headquarters
at Emstrey reported the Shropshire Star, and will create
eight jobs.
“We are keen to develop a park that is a new concept,
at one with nature, and will instil a feeling of wellbeing
and tranquillity in our visitors,” says Mark Bebb, Salop
Leisure’s managing director. “Our lives have become
dominated by technology, with our children glued to
iPads and the Internet. We want to get them experiencing
the grass between their toes and enjoying the glamping
experience.”
The local paper goes on to detail the new facility,
which will include a natural swimming pool, spa, pilates
and yoga studio, gym, play area, fire pit, fishing pool,
walking and cycling paths, and a cafe.
Trade Show of the Year
The Farm Business Innovation
Show has won one of the most
coveted awards in the events
industry - the Exhibition News
Awards ‘Trade Show of the
Year’ award. The UK show,
organised and run by Prysm
Media Group, was up against
some of the world’s largest,
most established shows from
across all industries, including
the fashion, manufacturing,
education and retail sectors.
Organisers said, “This is
not just a win for the Farm
Business Innovation show,
but the rural and farming
industry as a whole. Without
a doubt this recognition has
put to the forefront of the UK’s
business and economic scene
the importance and impact
that this challenging and vital
sector has.”
The Farm Business
Innovation show returns to
the NEC, Birmingham, on
the 9-10 November. It is the
place farmers, land owners
and rural entrepreneurs can
find everything they need to
diversify, innovate, increase
sustainability and grow or start
a rural business. The event is
free to attend, just register at
www.farmbusinessshow.co.uk.
Turn to pages 16-17 for more
on the show.
Next course
12th October
Learnings from
Starting a Glamping Business?
Save Money. Save Time.
Learn from real experiences.
“Save yourself a fortune and get a guru!”
Thomas Noel, The Gathering
inSpire, enaBLe, Succeed
learningsfromlonglands.co.uk • 01271 882004
6 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

AFO’s 30th anniversary conference
THE ASSOCIATION OF Festival
Organisers (AFO) celebrates 30 years
at its popular annual conference on
11-13 November. Over 250 delegates
from the festival and events industry
will be joining together to celebrate
the association’s 30th birthday at
Ettington Chase Conference Centre,
Stratford-upon-Avon.
Since its formation in 1986, when
a small group of like-minded festival
organisers got together to chat and
share ideas, the AFO’s membership
has grown to over 200 festival and
event organisers, suppliers, agents
and freelance individuals.
The conference is open to all in the
industry; delegates are an exciting
mix of volunteer and professional
festival and event organisers,
bringing together teams that have
been operating for generations, first
time organisers and new suppliers
with familiar names. From Friday
evening to late
lunch on Sunday,
the session rooms
and stages will
be buzzing with
headline speakers,
presentations,
discussions, ‘how
to do that’ sessions
and panel debates.
The Trade Market
forms the all-important networking
hub and two Showcase concerts
will feature the best up and coming
artists on the festival scene.
Steve Heap, general secretary
of AFO, says, “Whatever your role
or interest in festivals or events, if
you are dedicated to learning and
teaching, sharing and networking
to continuously improve the scene,
you’ll find plenty of common ground
at the AFO Conference.”
AFO has announced its first
speakers and sessions:
› Sustainability – Chris Johnson
(Powerful Thinking)
› Health and safety and risk
assessments - Mike Richmond
(The Event Safety Shop Ltd)
› Beginners guide to running a
festival – Steve Heap (AFO)
› Eventree case study - Mo Jones
(TheTicketSellers) and Jon Walsh
(Shambala Festival)
› Legal advice - Jon Payne (LSL
Solicitors)
› Looking after your audience - panel
includes Dave Boardman (The
White Ribbon Campaign) on the
safety of women, plus speakers
on the safety of children and the
safety of vulnerable adults.
Other confirmed topics
include: PRS; ‘How do
festivals attract the 60
million UK residents
who have never been?’;
women in the festival
industry; and ‘Are there
really too many festivals?’
More topics will be
announced over the
coming weeks.
Delegate passes are now on sale
at the early bird rate of £110 for AFO
members, £135 for non-members
(until 31 October 2016).
Trade stands cost £300 for AFO
members and £400 for nonmembers.
Book via the AFO website
at www.festivalorganisers.org
CampPlus in the UK
CampPlus, Dutch manufacturer of en-suite
campsite pods, will be represented in the
UK exclusively by Caravan Park Electrical
Services (CPES). Ted Waring, director of CPES,
says: “I first came across the CampPlus units
when we were contracted to install them at
Sand-le-Mere and Trevella holiday parks. I
was impressed by the quality of the pods and
I think that the concept of en-suite camping
has a great future in the UK. We have started
to broaden our services with the introduction
of the CamperClean unit. CampPlus en-suite
pods are a logical next step.”
Erik Verwaaijen of CampPlus says, “We are
very happy with CPES as our UK distributor.
They are an innovative company with
an excellent reputation in the UK leisure
industry.”
CPES will be exhibiting the latest CampPlus
model, the Duo, at The Glamping Show
on 22-24 September at Stoneleigh Park,
Warwickshire. Turn to page 12 for a show
preview.
Tel: 01945 463857 Mob: 07775 921182
info@fireworksdisplayteam.co.uk
www.fireworksdisplayteam.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 7

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INDUSTRY TALK
GETTY IMAGES
Threat or Opportunity?
Belinda Booker asks key figures what Brexit means for the outdoor hospitality industry
IT MIGHT BE ‘business as usual’ for the time being, but as
Brexit negotiations begin in earnest what is the likely impact
on the outdoor hospitality industry?
Major concerns for hospitality businesses include the
potential loss of affordable Eastern European labour and
the possibility of another recession. A drop in domestic
consumer confidence could mean greater reluctance to spend
on attending events and weekends away, and significantly
reduced budgets for those getting married. On the other hand,
a weaker pound could lead to an increase in inbound tourism.
To gain a better understanding of the effects of Brexit on
venue operators, accommodation providers and outdoor
event organisers, we asked seven industry leaders for their
opinions.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 9

INDUSTRY TALK
THE FUNCTION
VENUE SECTOR
LESTER GETHINGS,
Co Director, National
Association of
Wedding Professionals
“The decision by
Britain to leave the
European Union will
undoubtedly have
an effect on the wedding industry, as well
as the entire UK economy. However, until
Article 50 is triggered, and at least two years
of negotiations have taken place, no one can
gauge much from the short, medium or even
the long term as none of us know what will
happen.
“While many businesses are feeling the
kneejerk reactions from the result, and
cannot help but focus on the negatives, there
are some potential benefits too.
“The dramatic fall in the value of the pound
can, perhaps, be seen as an immediate
positive, because it makes our economy
more competitive than it has been in recent
years. As weddings are all about selling goods
and services, this fall will make our industry
more attractive to continental and overseas
clients. For couples wanting a destination
wedding, the UK could become the new ‘go
to’ destination. Potentially, wedding venues
in particular, could benefit from an increased
customer base.
“Without being tied to a single European
market, the UK will be free to explore new
trade agreements and this could certainly
benefit the hospitality side of the wedding
industry if cheaper foodstuffs become
available.
“Weddings are such positive and happy
occasions that small business owners should
embrace that positivity, and forge a new
entrepreneurial spirit.”
PETER DUCKER, CEO,
Institute of Hospitality
“There are
opportunities to be had
for venues that are agile
enough to capitalise
on a potential uplift in
demand for UK based
weddings. Outbound flights may increase
in cost and the value of sterling will remain
challenged globally in the short and medium
term. More couples may therefore opt to
marry and honeymoon in the UK in order to
keep their costs down.
“Venues need to consider how they will
manage their staffing in order to cater for
the opportunities this may bring as well as
be creative in their use of space in order to
accommodate more weddings.”
GETTY IMAGES
Ciara Crossan, CEO,
Wedding Dates
and Institute of
Hospitality Business
Partner
“Of course the threat
of the country going
back into recession is
a real worry and this will have an impact on
wedding spend. Though people generally
still tend to get married in periods of
recession, their budgets are much tighter.
This will be a worry for venues that are
just starting to see people loosen the
purse strings again after the last recession,
particularly in areas outside of London.
“There is a definite opportunity to
capitalise on the weak sterling as fewer
people are likely to travel abroad now to
get married and may choose to stay in the
UK for their big day instead.
“Venue operators should promote their
venue to UK couples who may be living
abroad to entice them to come home to
get married and save some money. Ireland
is the obvious choice, but British people
live all over Europe or even further afield in
Australia, New Zealand, Canada or America.
Facebook targeting makes it relatively
straightforward to target groups like that
to tempt them to consider returning to the
UK for their big day. Venues could facilitate
Skype show rounds for those couples who
are abroad.”
THE ACCOMMODATION
SECTOR
SALLY BALCOMBE,
CEO, VisitBritain
“We’re responding
to the EU
referendum result
in three ways. The
first is we need to get
out the message that we are very
much open for business. There is no
change to any travel arrangements
to Britain and we very much want
people to come.
“The second thing we’re doing is
thinking about how we make people
feel welcome. Some of the sentiment
out there has some less positive
aspects and we need to counter that.
We need a clear, positive message
that everybody is welcome from all
parts of the world and particularly to
our European market that represent
two-thirds of visitors to the UK.
“The third thing is around value.
With the exchange rates as they are
we now represent very good value
for money, particularly from markets
like the US where the dollar is now
strong against sterling. These are our
three core messages.
“We’re getting geared up to do a
lot of activity in the US to respond
to that dollar exchange rate and
go into market with some tactical
campaigns.
“We understand that the flip side
of currency is it’s more expensive
for UK citizens to travel abroad.
Therefore, there’s a real opportunity
to say to people that this is the year
to have a ‘staycation’ in the UK.”
10 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

INDUSTRY TALK
THE OUTDOOR
EVENTS SECTOR
STEVE HEAP, General
Secretary, Association
of Festival Organisers
“In the events industry
there have been many
changes, especially
in recent years. There
have been variations,
new laws and guidance; some of which we
have welcomed and others questioned. But
in the main the safety of our workers and our
customers is paramount and as technology
moves us onwards we have a duty to keep
up and be safe.
“Economically I have been employed by
several events funded from European cash
in the form of regional development funds,
and direct and indirect grants from Europe.
So if what the Brexit team tell us is true (and
I doubt it), that the £350m per week saved
will go to the NHS, then where do events,
festivals and tourism get their financial
support?
“Our new PM and Cabinet will no doubt
pick up where the previous left off, with
cuts in local authorities, Arts Council, social
cohesion and health support. They will
probably put billions into defence and spend
a small fortune on ‘getting us a good Brexit
deal’.
“Our events industry will be back to
‘carnes’, ‘border searches’, ‘insurance
premium hikes’ and a reluctance by our old
EU colleagues to accept what we want to
take on tours of Europe. We must invest and
organise to maintain our top table credibility
as an island that is worth visiting. We have
the best festivals, the greatest heritage
and years of professional experience in
the conference and exhibition world. Our
inbound tourism should remain at the top.
“However, to maintain this I expect once
again the festival and event organisers
will knuckle down and do their best to
keep the show up and running. They will
deliver economic value, social cohesion and
quality of life through a shared culture in
UK communities. European visitors will, as
always, be very welcome.”
RICHARD LIMB,
President, National
Outdoor Events
Association
“We think Brexit has
the potential to affect
us all a lot, but it all
depends on what
happens with the economy, the value of the
pound and its effect on international trade
and interest rates and how that impacts on
us domestically. Will it or won’t it lead us
back into recession?
“If anyone from Europe wants to go to
Glastonbury or wherever, they will still do
so. We cannot see travel prices going up as
the pressure that airlines would put on the
EU if they lost business would be immense.
“If equipment is coming from Europe
they will still want the business, but more
importantly it will open the door for UK
companies to gain more business here.
Those that take their equipment over to
Europe will continue to do so as they are
required to at the moment. We live in a
supply and demand world; if the demand
is there, you’d better believe there will be
a supply.
“Our event industry is important to
the UK economy. Firms such as Festival
Republic and Live Nation trade throughout
Europe with festivals in Spain, Ireland,
Norway and Germany that will generate
millions for the local economy, so we
cannot see the governments in those
countries stopping them or taxing them
more highly.
“The free movement of labour could
be an issue, but in the short term Britain
may become more popular as a tourist
destination as the exchange rate changes.
“We are fairly certain that Scotland will
be voting again on it remaining as part
of the UK. This time we think it will go.
Northern Ireland might do the same and if
it goes, Wales may go as well.
“It may be good or bad but the potential
effect could be massive. It is too early
to know the impact, but we cannot be
confident that it won’t affect us much.”
PAUL REED, General
Manager, Association
of Independent
Festivals
“Following the
referendum decision
to leave the European
Union, AIF will
continue to represent the best interests of
the UK independent festival sector. We’ll be
working hard in the coming months with
our members and the wider industry to fully
understand the ramifications and ensure
that relationships throughout the festival
community are not diminished.
“We’ll maintain positive relationships and
ensure that the sector has a strong collective
voice, also maintaining our connections with
organistaions including UK Music, YouRope,
the Association of Festival Organisers,
the International Festival Forum and the
Creative Industries Federation.
“The festival market has developed as a
truly European market aimed at Europewide
audiences. This is a great strength and
won’t substantively change.
“The key questions are: Will it now
become more complicated to work across
borders? What will the impact be on touring
musicians, especially emerging artists, in
terms of visas and other issues? We could
also potentially see a reduction in ‘music
tourism,’ which generated £3.7bn for
the UK economy in 2015, with a year-onyear
increase of 16% in overseas tourists
attending music events. There are more
questions than answers as we survey the
initial fall out.
“It is business as usual for now and will be
for the next couple of years at least. There is
naturally some concern about the economic
uncertainty that lies ahead and the impact
this may have on business and we are
currently waiting for the dust to settle and
for the short term political and economic
consequences to play out. We have a strong
relationship with the Department of Culture,
Media and Sport (DMCS) and this will be
a topic very much on the agenda in our
conversations with them.”
FACING THE FUTURE WITH OPTIMISM
While these industry experts agree there will undoubtedly be challenges
ahead as Britain’s new relationship with the EU is hammered out, they also see
opportunity.
Economic uncertainty is countered by increased competitiveness that could
boost inbound tourism and event attendance from overseas. Meanwhile,
domestic travel and local weddings start to look like a better deal for Brits.
Outdoor hospitality professionals who are proactive and start responding to
this opportunity now can safeguard their businesses for the future.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 11

INDUSTRY NEWS
The Glamping Show
22-24 September, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG
www.theglampingshow.com
THE GLAMPING SHOW is a standalone
sales and marketing platform launched
last year specifically to address the
growing glamping sector.
Visitors to this year’s show can expect
to see an increased exhibition space
both inside and out to accommodate
more exhibitors and allow for larger
sites to showcase structures. There will
be an even wider variety of glamping
tents, pods and lodges on display as well
as ancillary products including toilets,
showers, off-grid energy and lighting.
Returning exhibitors include Exclusive
Tents from South Africa, who will be
bringing with them their Bububu Tent
fully furnished and on sale at a special
Glamping Show price. Also returning
is Cedartree who’s Faraway Lodges
are designed especially for glamping
locations; full of character, quirky and
different with a lifespan of at least 30
years.
New exhibitors to the show this year
include: Mango Crafts, designers and
manufacturers of outdoor furniture; Tiks
Pac, environmental stations for the free
distribution of dog waste bags; Dub Box,
retro camping at its best – a two-berth
practical camper caravan that can be
finished to match your car or van’s
interior and exterior décor; Waterless
Toilets, off-grid toilets for clients without
access to mains sewage; The Garden
Oven Company, manufacturers of
wood fired outdoor ovens; and Bond
Fabrications, a leading UK manufacturer
of bespoke marquees and glamping
structures.
“The team here at Bond are very
excited to be exhibiting one of our
safari tents at show this year,” said Mike
Halliwell, managing director. “We are
incredibly proud of both the products
and the service we provide our clients
and it is always a great pleasure to watch
our customers’ initial ideas grow into a
thriving glamping business. We will be
on hand to discuss the many options
we have available and to demonstrate
the quality and workmanship of our
structures.”
In addition to the wide array of
structures and products on show, visitors
will also have the opportunity to learn
about establishing their own glamping
site or indeed enhancing their existing
glamping business. Seminar subjects this
year include alternative technologies,
marketing, planning permissions, solar
energy, choosing the right structure,
diversification, inspiring your staff,
‘success story’ case studies, customer
service, insurance and much more. Make
sure you register to attend to ensure your
place in the seminar room.
For more information and to register
for the show visit
www.theglampingshow.com
We’ll be there! Stop by for a chat at Stand 132
12 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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leading art gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Quickes
Cheesemakers, Yorkshire Wildlife Park,
Knowsley Safari Park, Twycross Zoo, New
Forest Water Park and Cambrian Birds.
Somerset based Boldscan developed
the Clubhouse as part of its Albion Canvas
Structure range, which has led the field
in glamping tents and equipment. The
Clubhouse concept grew out of demand from
customers who wanted a unique design for
festivals, weddings, cafes, bars and conference
rooms with a clear span structure, rather than
traditional marquees with centre poles.
Clients to date have chosen the traditional
Clubhouse for its rustic colours that meld
effortlessly into the landscape. However,
Boldscan has just launched an exciting
alternative; the Contemporary Clubhouse for
those who want to stand out from the crowd.
The clean white canvas walls and a slate blue
coloured roof have a modern vibe and make
this the perfect venue for a cool wedding.
THE CONTEMPORARY CLUBHOUSE
Devon based cheesemaker Quickes had a
limited capacity to serve refreshments in the
shop at the Crediton farm. It was suggested
that they open a café and within eight weeks
the new ivory canvas Farm Kitchen was up
and running. It took just two days to erect.
The New Forest Water Park has installed the
Clubhouse to hold safety demonstrations
for up to 100 people at a time. Mark Jury,
QUICKES FARM KITCHEN
Visit
Boldscan at
The Glamping
Show – Stands
OSA2 / OSA26
company director, commented, “Given our
setting in the magnificent New Forest, first
impressions are very important; the new
structure had to blend effortlessly into the
landscape. It also fulfilled our other criteria: it
was cheaper than building and was quick to
erect.”
Boldscan’s managing director, Steve
Hansford commented: “The design of the
Clubhouse has been a great success. With
standard and bespoke sizes it has proved
the solution for many enterprises looking to
expand quickly and inexpensively.”
www.boldscan.co.uk / 01823 665849
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 13

INDUSTRY NEWS
The Showman’s Show
19-20 October, Newbury Showground,
Berkshire, www.showmans-directory.co.uk
FIRST HELD IN 1984, The Showman’s
Show is the UK’s original and most
comprehensive exhibition of products,
services and entertainment for the
outdoor and special event world. Today,
the show attracts nearly 5,000 visitors
over two days and has in excess of 340
exhibitors demonstrating the most
sophisticated structures, equipment,
technology and entertainment
demanded by the event industry at
large.
The Showman’s Show is unique in
that it allows companies to showcase
their products and services in their
usual environment, which is why the
exhibitors are the most important part
of the event. As always, the floorplan
will feature a good mixture of industry
staples and practical solutions
alongside quirky and creative ideas.
More than 40 new companies have
confirmed their attendance, so there
will be plenty of previously unseen
products and services on display.
There will be a focus on delivering
fun and entertainment. The Acts and
Attractions tent has proved popular
with exhibitors and visitors since its
introduction in 2014. In addition, the
rise in demand for sustainable products
and the surge in appetite for all things
technology related is also reflected in
the exhibitor list.
With the introduction of the Campfire
Sessions, organisers felt that the time
was right to create a dedicated event
app for the show, allowing visitors to
keep up to date with the full programme
and the other activities taking place
around the showground. It is available
to download now so visitors and
exhibitors can start planning their visit
and schedule meetings in advance.
Visitors will also find it useful for
locating exhibitors’ stands, allowing
them to quickly and easily navigate
their way around the event, find who
they are looking for and maximise their
time at the show.
For more information about the
Showman’s Show 2016 and to register to
attend for free, please visit
www.showmans-directory.co.uk
Top Picks
› Themes Incorporated is launching a
brand new concept entitled ‘Christmas
Creations.’ It will be offering creative,
flexible and cost effective solutions to
make festive events spectacular.
› Batmink, trade distributors of
professional audio, lighting, hardware
and effects equipment, will return this
year to launch two new products: a
crowd barrier system and Smart Festoon,
an intelligent festoon cable for lighting
canopies.
› The Tipi Company is looking forward to
launching an online interactive training
portal for its large event tipis inspired by
the homes of nomadic tribes.
› The Covers and Linings Group will
be displaying its interior linings and
promoting marquee hire. It will also
introduce three new companies to its
existing portfolio including Chameleon
Furnishings.
› Röder HTS Höcker will be joining forces
with Floorstak and will showcase an
array of event structures and tents. Visit
the stand to view FloorStak’s system
for supporting and levelling temporary
structures on sloping and uneven
ground.
› Arcotherm’s stand will feature a seated
area where customers can sit and discuss
any prospective heating requirements;
it will also make it easier to view
structure drawings, make any necessary
calculations and to provide quotations.
› Special effects company MTFX will be
displaying its snowy chalet, with ice wall,
snow machines and dozens of snow
products you can touch and feel. Also
returning will be its show stopping Water
Fire Fountain.
› The National Outdoor Events
Association (NOEA) will be unveiling
its new vision, alongside announcing
a dynamic line up for its annual
conference and launching a new support
programme.
› Portable Floormaker is launching a
new range of products including Barlok,
developed to enhance popular portable
bar unit systems with new rounded
corner units, and improvements to
Outlok, an easy and fast lay portable
floor system.
› Aztec Tents, manufacturer of frame and
tensile marquees, will be exhibiting for
the first time, showcasing a new coating
technology.
14 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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www.zipbar.co.uk

INDUSTRY NEWS
The Farm Business
Innovation Show
9-10 November, NEC, Birmingham, www.farmbusinessshow.co.uk
LANDOWNERS, FARMERS AND rural
entrepreneurs will find the greatest
opportunities to make more money from
their land at the Farm Business Innovation
show.
The event is returning to the NEC,
Birmingham, on 9-10 November to continue
its exponential growth alongside sister
shows Country House Business Innovation
and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation, all
under the banner of Rural Entrepreneur
Live. Visitors will be presented with
diverse content, interactivity, cutting edge
exhibitors, and life changing opportunities.
The Farm Business Innovation show
continues to be the only farm business
event that offers the guidance, inspiration,
supplies and resources for diversifying out
of agriculture. Last year 4,500 farmers, land
owners and people with an interest in rural
business attended to take advantage of the
exclusive seminar and workshop schedule
as well as networking opportunities and
hundreds of exhibitors.
Quality speakers
When it comes to getting the business
advice you need, it pays to listen and learn
from those who have a track record of
unique success and experience. The finest
line-up of speakers working in the rural
business sector and agriculture will make up
the keynote schedule, and will provide you
with an unsurpassable depth of knowledge
and insight to help you transform your land
to bring in more money.
The schedule of seminars throughout the
show covers a variety of topics, including
glamping, events, functions, farm shops,
micro-breweries and more. The conference
will also explore the latest trends in
diversification that farmers and rural
entrepreneurs will look towards next year.
Join the likes of Isabel Smith, who will
deliver a guide to making money from
the wedding industry; Ben Leeke on the
pros and cons of running a festival on your
land; and numerous speakers on how to
incorporate glamping into your business
including Tom Dixon from Canopy and
Stars, Kate Morel and Tim Rees from Quality
Unearthed, Mark Scott from Clear Sky Safari
Tents, and Jason Thawley from Tree Tent
International. There is also a huge amount
of great planning, funding and business
advice on offer, relevant to all sectors.
Exhibitors
Farm Business Innovation 2016 will involve
the industry’s most progressive and
influential suppliers, who will use the show
as a platform to showcase their innovative
and leading products, services, concepts
and equipment.
Among the 300 suppliers at the show will
be the CLA – the official partner of Farm
Business Innovation 2016 - who will be
providing specialist advice on every aspect
of landownership, from law, taxation, and
environment, to planning and land use.
Top Picks
For function venues
› Visit Tentipi to see some
breathtaking, modular marquee
structures – ask about the
economics of hiring or buying –
you can add more modules as you
need them.
› Want to add impact with lighting?
Blanchere Illuminations will
inspire you with some fabulous
products and ideas for your
outdoor spaces.
› Trot over to Tasty Trotter Event
Supplies for hog roasts and BBQ
supplies.
› For furniture, visit Commercial
Furniture UK – it has a great
selection of indoor and outdoor
products.
› If you are a land owner or country
estate, drop into Savills for advice
and consultancy on diversifying
into the function venue market.
For glamping businesses
› For glamping structures, check
out Clear Sky Safari Tents, Tree
Tent International (see our tree
house feature on pages 40-
42), Country Cabins, The Tipi
Company, Wigwam Holidays, Yurts
for Life, Lotus Belle Tents and
many more!
› Beautify your interiors with
Boutique Camping’s glamping
accessories and Green
Decor’s recycled products,
16 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

and your exterior spaces with
Firespheres (they have to be seen
to be believed). Don’t forget the
more mundane elements too!
Mattressman has a range of quality,
cost effective products to ensure
your guests get a great night’s sleep.
› For promotion, visit Quality
Unearthed, Canopy and Stars and
Farm Stay UK among others. Make
sure to also chat with Quality in
Tourism to see how accreditation
could boost your business.
› Toilets, washrooms and site
facilities? Visit CampPlus for ensuite
cabins and Eco Toilets for
composting solutions. Oh, and don’t
forget the hot tub! Naked Flame
Eco Tubs offer a sustainable, low
maintenance option.
For events
› Chat with Tiger Tea about holding
events on your land and how to
make sure it runs smoothly.
› Invite the Play Bus Company along
– a soft play double decker – to draw
children and parents to any event,
while Rainbow Productions offers
appearances from over 100 licensed
children’s characters!
› All events need insurance, so seek
out a specialist - try Marsh and Co.
Make sure you capitalise on the unique
opportunity to interact with the rich variety
of suppliers at the show and benefit from the
industry knowledge and insight they can offer,
as well as the options for changing your land
and creating new streams of revenue.
Give your business an even greater chance
of success by boosting your digital expertise
with Google and the Digital Garage. Special
training sessions will help you improve your
digital presence by optimising your website,
social media and online video, and ensure
you’re more visible than ever through expert-
led sessions on search engine optimisation,
local listings and search engine marketing.
Awards
For the first time, November’s show will
see the Farm Business Innovation Industry
Awards. Focusing on key areas in rural
businesses, the awards will highlight and
celebrate successes across the country.
Entrants will be judged live by a panel of
leading experts at the show, and will have the
chance to explain their innovative product or
service. There are three awards:
› The Enterprise Award, which recognises the
business that has excelled in industry, trade
or innovation over the past year.
› The Environment Award, which recognises
and rewards the business whose service
promotes environmental best practice
through positive environmental impact or
an approach that improves sustainability.
› The Innovation Award, an accolade that
celebrates the most innovative concept
that has broken new ground in the sector
and stands out from the competition due
to factors such as design, operation and
effectiveness.
Boost revenue
Having always been highly regarded for its
education, creativity, trade opportunities,
and dynamic atmosphere, Farm Business
Innovation was officially recognised as
the country’s best trade show at the 2016
Exhibition News Awards, winning the
ceremony’s most competitive category, the
Trade Show of the Year Award.
Event director Gary Hall, says: “I am
absolutely thrilled to have won this fantastic
accolade. The award serves as perfect
recognition for the incredible rise of the show
and the service it provides to the rural and
farming industry.”
Country House Business Innovation show
Running side-by-side with Farm Business
Innovation is the Country House Business
Innovation show, the biggest and most
comprehensive event of its kind for country
estate owners and entrepreneurs striving
for success in one of the most exciting and
competitive sectors in British business
today. The show highlights the most exciting
new products, services and ideas around
to help start, grow or improve country park
businesses.
Holiday Park & Resort Innovation
Holiday Park & Resort Innovation is a unique
event for entrepreneurs looking for the
inspiration, advice and resources they need
to put their holiday business on the map
with the brightest ideas and most innovative
products and services from the industry’s
most progressive companies.
Both sister events have their own seminar
and conference schedules, line-ups of leading
suppliers, industry awards, and shows packed
with interaction, education, information and
incredible trade opportunities.
Farm Business Innovation is free to attend.
To book your ticket and find out about every
speaker, seminar, supplier and feature visit
www.farmbusinessshow.co.uk
We’ll be there! Stop by for a chat at Stand 1460
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17

FUNCTION VENUES
CASE STUDY
Rossahilly
House
A lough side venue that ‘ticks a lot
of boxes’ for brides the world over
Located in the Irish Lake District, overlooking Lough Erne and the
golf resort designed by Nick Faldo, Rossahilly House has made a name for itself as being
friendly, focussed and accommodating. From open air ceremonies, cosy barn receptions
and grand marquees on the lawn, Rory Houston and his family have created their business
from careful research and following trends. Houston chats to Open Air Business.
When did you start your function
venue business and what made
you decide to do it?
We acquired Rossahilly House in
2006 (before we had children) with
some hair brained plan to make
it a future home. At the time we
lived in London and both travelled
extensively with work. In the
beginning, we let the house for
family weekends and holidays only.
When our second child was born in
2009, we decided the time was right
to move to Northern Ireland. We
had plenty of bookings so couldn’t
yet move in. Instead, we decided to
live elsewhere and extend our offer
to weddings and hence devised a
business plan for a wedding and
“ROSSAHILLY
IS SITUATED
AT ONE
OF LOUGH
ERNE’S MOST
SCENIC
POINTS
OVERLOOKING
SOME OF ITS
ISLANDS”
function venue with a difference.
The old adage, ‘you don’t know
what you don’t know’ was never
so true!
Tell us about your location
and site
Rossahilly House is situated on
a hill about four miles from the
island town of Enniskillen in Co.
Fermanagh, known as the Irish
Lake District. The house has
impressive views of Lough Erne. It
is a huge waterway and referred
to as the longest navigable inland
waterway in Europe. Rossahilly is
situated at one of its most scenic
points overlooking some of its
islands and opposite the world
famous Nick Faldo designed golf
course - also where the 2013 G8
Summit was held. It is unique in
that it adjoins a small airfield and
in order to access Rossahilly, guests
must cross a live runway. While this
does present challenges at times,
it is at least easy to give people
directions!
What facilities for outdoor
functions do you offer?
We tick a lot of boxes. Not only do
we offer a comfortable (and warm)
barn that seats up to 100 guests
for dinner or a ceremony, we can
also accommodate up to 18 guests
in the beautiful bedrooms, many
of which have views overlooking
the lough. Our most active target
market is for Fermanagh bred
brides, who go overseas to work,
meet their beau and want to get
married back in Fermanagh. As a
result, we have hosted weddings
for families from across the globe.
The accommodation is therefore
perfect for the groom’s family who
often wish to stay a few days and
explore our lovely part of the world.
The front lawn is suitable for a
multi-tipi structure or indeed a
traditional framed marquee with
all the trimmings, making the views
stunning for all who attend. We
18 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

are surrounded by farmland with
cows and sheep often observing
the goings on during a wedding
function.
What services do you offer?
The gardens, the barn and the
beautiful Beckett Room are all
licensed for ceremonies. Depending
on the size and requirements of
each couple, we can accommodate
a ceremony in the barn, followed
by drinks and canapés on the front
lawn and then a wedding reception
in a marquee or tipi into the
evening. Alternatively, for smaller
ceremonies, we may accommodate
up to 40 people in the Beckett
Room with panoramic views across
the water. The Beckett Room also
features a wooden fire surround,
crafted by the same person who
carved the fireplaces for the Titanic
and this creates a very special
atmosphere (with not an iceberg
in sight).
We outsource our catering to a
superb local supplier, Horseshoe
and Saddlers of Enniskillen.
Having tried many of Northern
Ireland’s finest event caterers, we
have partnered Saddlers as they
offer much more than just superb
catering and have become adept at
providing comprehensive wedding
“WE CAN
MAKE OUR
VENUE ONE
OF THE MOST
ENCHANTED
AND
BEAUTIFUL
FOR
SMALLER,
INTIMATE
WEDDINGS
ON THE
ISLAND OF
IRELAND”
and function planning so we can
concentrate on property and estate
matters. The fact that they have
catered for the Queen and many of
the Royal Family as well as various
dignitaries does no harm to our
reputation either. A successful
partnership is worth taking time
to get right as it can pay enormous
dividends in the long run.
How did you research and source
your marquees?
Initially, wedding guests asked
if they could source their own
marquees to increase guest
capacity. We subsequently
researched a number of Northern
Irish companies that could provide
what we were seeking. It was a
steep learning curve. We first hired
a luxury marquee for a season,
but building control treated it like
a permanent structure, which
was challenging and costly. They
had no experience of what we
were doing and therefore kept
introducing new restrictions
and policies throughout the
process. Then we had to decide on
flooring. Wooden flooring didn’t
give the effect we were seeking,
but carpets were too thin to be
useful for anything more than a
single wedding making the cost
unsustainable.
We subsequently investigated
buying our own. The salesman
named all the places he was
selling to and it immediately lost
its ‘uniqueness’, plus the cost
would have allowed us to extend
the barn and refurbish the house
and grounds so we had a re-think.
We concluded that it was best to
concentrate on what we do best
and improve upon it. We therefore
focused on loughside garden
ceremonies and barn receptions.
We partner Maverick Marquees
who provide beautiful stretch
canvas covers, which not only
offer peace of mind to couples
regarding inclement weather but
also provide an additional space
for music, dancing, outdoor bar
and many other functions. The fact
that they come draped in stunning
lighting complements our venue
and creates a little bit of magic!
We are of the opinion that after a
few years of experimenting with
different concepts, we have come
out stronger with our own niche
product.
How do you work with your
customers to make their event
unique?
We look at trends and consider
how we can appeal to those who
require something a little different
from the norm. Many couples have
been to other venues for friends’
weddings and we work with each
couple to provide something
unique to them that shows off
their individual personalities and
style. We do not have a set format
but a set of guidelines that help to
establish what they are seeking. We
then provide a template along with
our catering partners for them to
consider and potentially tweak to
compliment their own ideas.
How do you publicise yourself?
Initially, we bought costly print
advertising and articles in the
usual industry magazines. After
balking at the price and never
quite being able to monitor the
impact, we moved on to slightly
quirky wedding fares, rather than
the big ones dominated by hotels
and so on. Now we have become
more established, word of mouth
is the best advocate (it does take
time) and we compliment that
with selective use of social media
and occasional local adverts and
articles of newsworthy items. Our
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 19

FUNCTION VENUES
website and the use of SEO is our
best medium for obtaining initial
enquiries from all over the world.
How would you describe your
‘style’ or unique selling point?
Friendly, focussed and
accommodating. We are very
aware that our style does not
suit everyone. If that becomes
the case, we are very happy to
chat with couples about what
they are seeking and recommend
alternative venues that may
suit their requirements better.
We would rather be seen to be
accommodating than disinterested.
Often they have siblings or friends
that will contact us after having
heard how helpful we were, even if
we hadn’t achieved a booking.
What challenges have you faced?
Many and frequent! The airfield
once hosted the Ulster Rally on
the day of a wedding, blocking our
access and that of the bride and
her guests. We have limited parking
facilities and have subsequently
partnered with a nearby hotel that
provides free transport when we
can provide them with a minimum
number of room bookings for an
event.
Bureaucracy at every corner
is frustrating, particularly when
setting up a new venture. Also, it is a
business, not a hobby. That comes
with many legal responsibilities
from fire regulations, health and
safety requirements and many
other unexpected challenges.
They are not to be underestimated
but can ultimately be dealt with
providing you are organised,
entrepreneurial and patient.
What are your plans for next
season?
We are developing an area for
ceremonies under the trees as well
as our existing garden ceremonies
overlooking the lough. We are
considering smaller numbers as
we believe we can make our venue
one of the most enchanted and
beautiful for smaller, intimate
weddings on the island of Ireland.
We charge a fixed cost for venue
hire rather than charging by number
and, with ongoing economic
uncertainty, we are developing
a venue that provides the most
amazing experience at a reasonable
cost.
Describe your average day midseason
It is rare that a day goes by without
at least an hour or so spent at
my desk in front of my computer.

FUNCTION VENUES
We try to respond individually to
enquiries, which takes time but is
ultimately worthwhile. We deal in
quality not quantity. Identifying
and arranging maintenance work
whether it be external lighting
failure, leaking pipes or a hole in
the ground that could be a tripping
hazard takes time and must always
be done urgently, prior to the
next function. Legal and tax work,
particularly quarterly VAT returns,
has to be done within a deadline.
Liaising with partners and suppliers
for function set up and quick
turnaround times.
Of course, there is also everyday
life accommodating our two little
boys who wonder why daddy is
always going to weddings when
he should be playing football with
them. Summer holidays can be
challenging, but then aren’t we
all doing this for them in the long
term? Maybe one day they may
wish to open their own restaurant
at Rossahilly... or is that wishful
thinking?
“WHEN I
SEE EACH
COUPLES’
EYES LIGHT
UP AS THEY
WALK INTO
THE BARN
SET UP WITH
THE FAIRY
LIGHTS, IT IS
REALLY QUITE
MAGICAL. IT’S
A FEELING
THAT MONEY
JUST CAN’T
BUY”
Do you enjoy the business
and why?
The set up was certainly challenging
and financial rewards do not
come quickly for such a venture.
Any property-based business will
involve high capital expenditure on
an annual basis. It is a far cry from
my previous career (negotiating
sales and acquisitions of European
shopping centre investments) and
dealing with the minutiae of a wasp
nest in a nearby tree or clearing up
the mess the morning after an event
(yes, I do this myself) can seem
trying. But I just take a moment to
look at the view, breathe and enjoy
our spectacular lifestyle, knowing
that we have achieved a beautiful
and humble little venue. When I
see each couples’ eyes light up as
they walk into the barn set up with
the fairy lights and decor, it is really
quite magical. It’s a feeling that
money just can’t buy.
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
We are currently extending our
business to incorporate corporate
away days, business functions and
particularly mid-week lunches
and dinners. Ideally, I would like to
incorporate small festivals or jazz
concerts by the lough. We have
ensured our venue is very flexible
and operates as a blank canvas
in order to attract a wide market,
particularly for off-season. We
do not have the budget of other
venues, although neither do we
have to service a large debt. It is all
self-financed and we plough any
profits back into the business.
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
industry?
As with any worthwhile venture
or career, progression can often
appear slow and perseverance is
the key. Learn your trade, work
harder than everyone else and your
talents will be noticed. Always look
to deliver more than is expected
of you and the opportunities and
rewards will come. Oh, and never,
ever give up!
ADDRESS BOOK
CATERERS
Horseshoe and Saddlers - 028 6632 6223
www.horseshoeandsaddlers.com
and many more…
MARQUEES
Maverick Marquees - +353 (1) 6111 549
www.maverickmarquees.com
Butlers Marquees - 028 9447 3996
www.butlersmarquees.com
McLaughlin Marquees - 028 9442 8638
www.mclaughlineventhire.com
Magnakata - 028 4483 9796
www.magnakata.com
Event Co Marquees - 028 2765 7711
www.eventcocm.co.uk
and many more…
FURNITURE & DECORATION
Blue Moon Event Design - 028 4461 2888
www.bluemooneventdesign.com
Event Planners NI - 078 4810 0000
www.eventplannersni.co.uk
FIREWORKS
JB Pyro Fireworks - 028 9083 7681
www.jbpyro.co.uk
DETAILS
Rossahilly House, Trory Bay,
Lough Erne, Co. Fermanagh,
BT94 2FP
028 6632 0976
www.rossahillyhouse.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 21

FUNCTION VENUES
Marquees:
Hire or Buy?
Duncan Moore investigates when it become a good investment
for a venue to purchase a marquee
FOR ANY VENUE that needs
to provide covered space for a
function, from a simple beer tent to
a wedding reception with a dance
floor, marquees are an ideal option.
Marquees, also known as poles
tents or soft tops, and referred to
within the marquee industry as
temporary demountable structures
(TDS), can be quickly erected and
then taken down when an event has
finished. With the modular nature
of many types of TDS, size can be
easily varied to suit the occasion
too.
Choosing to use a marquee
to host functions can also prove
to be cost effective compared to
a permanent structure, but at
what point does it make sense to
purchase a marquee outright rather
than to continue to use the services
of a dedicated hire business?
The decision to hire or buy is
primarily a financial one; which
option represents the best value?
If a marquee is only needed once
or twice a year then hiring is
ultimately the best option. The hire
fees for just a few events will be
significantly less than the cost of
buying outright.
Daniel Gill, the founder of Dine,
a catering and event management
company with a portfolio of
exclusive venues, including
marquee sites located across the
UK, says: “For smaller venues that
host around six events a year, I
would suggest teaming up with a
local marquee company. This can
be more cost effective and you
will also benefit from their expert
knowledge, particularly when it
comes to what can be done on your
land.”
However, he feels that if a
marquee is regularly needed at the
same venue, then the cost benefits
soon shift towards purchase. “For a
longer term business plan, buying a
marquee may be more beneficial,”
says Gill. “The most important
factor to consider is whether you
have planning permission. Don’t
buy a marquee without this.
However, if you do buy a marquee
it will allow you to charge a lower
hire fee to the client compared to
the price they would pay to hire one
independently.
“The total cost of hiring a
marquee with everything included
starts at around £8,000. Owning a
marquee will, therefore, allow you
to be more competitive on price,
thereby attracting people to your
venue. An increase in the number
of events held at your venue would
inevitably make owning a marquee
more economical.
“Whether buying or renting, my
advice is to do your research. There
is a lot to consider for marquee
events, from how the structure will
be positioned to take full advantage
of the location, to where the
services will go, including service
vehicle parking, waste and water
drainage and more besides,” he
adds.
Multiple hires
Susie Cursons of Attwoolls
Marquees, which claims to be one
of Europe’s largest and longest
established suppliers of temporary
structures, is of the opinion that,
“For clients requiring long term
hire over six months or for clients
needing multiple hires throughout
the year, for example, a venue
that generates business through
wedding marquee hire, it is more
economical to buy a marquee
rather than to continue renting.
“One of the advantages of buying
a tent is that the initial outlay can
be redeemed over a period of time
if it is hired out frequently and
also the marquee can be used for
a variety of functions as well as a
storage facility in quieter months.
“However, there are also
disadvantages, which include
the upkeep. This alone can incur
additional costs, such as repairs
and cleaning. Of course, if it is not
hired out enough times buying will
work out to be more expensive than
hiring. One point that people may
overlook is the issue of planning
permission. If that is not given
then the additional costs for taking
down/re-erecting and also storage
when not in use has to be taken into
account, too,” she continues.
PHOTO BY DINE.CO.UK
22 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
“The primary advantage of hiring
is that the responsibility for the
structure is with the contractor so
if there are any issues, for example,
leakages, lighting problems, floor
levels, etc, this is quickly resolved
and therefore less stressful. It is
definitely a cheaper option if hire
periods are minimal or storage is
short term. There is also the option
of insurance being taken out with
the contractor, which can cover a lot
of potential problems.”
Jon Parr, managing director
of Tentipi (UK and Ireland) Ltd
and President of MUTA (the trade
body for marquee businesses in
the UK), suggests that there are
two questions people need to
ask themselves before deciding
whether to hire a marquee
continuously or to buy outright.
“Venue owners need to ask
themselves, ‘Am I prepared to
be responsible for the safety and
maintenance of the structure?’
If someone owns a structure
they’ll be responsible for erecting
and dismantling it safely, and
maintaining it while it is built. That
means trained crew, tools, keeping
an eye on the weather forecast
and taking preventive action if
necessary. Venues can establish
a relationship with a local rental
company who are expert in the type
of structure they select or have their
own crew trained.
“The second question to be
considered is, ‘How many events do
they expect to hold?’ There’s a rule
of thumb in the tent rental industry
that if you earn 10% of the cost of
a tent when you hire it out for a
weekend then you should be able
to make a decent business. So, for
an outdoor venue operator, the cost
of hiring in 10 times could be similar
to the cost of buying outright.
Assuming a tent will give you five
ABOVE: A giant
Nordic tent from
Tentipi
PHOTO BY DINE.CO.UK
years’ service, if you hold more than
a couple of events per year it starts
to become worth thinking about
buying.”
Other costs
If you decide to go with a hire
company as your TDS provider,
you could gain benefits that would
not be available with an outright
purchase. For example, if you buy
a marquee you then have to think
about buying or hiring flooring,
arranging an electrical supply,
and possibly WCs too. However, a
good marquee hire business will be
able to bundle all of these facilities
into a single package, which could
benefit from a significant discount
compared to sourcing them all from
a range of contractors.
That is not to say that hiring a
tent is without potential pitfalls.
“It’s easy to focus just on the tent
itself and its interior (flooring,
stage, dance floor, lighting, tables,
benches, chairs, bar etc) when you
first decide to hire a structure, but
there are other things to consider,”
explains Parr. “How much power
do you need and where is it going
to come from? What about loos?
Do you need a catering tent? What
about a water supply? Where will
guests park? Good hirers of tents
and good manufacturers of tents
will understand all these things and
be able to advise accordingly.
“Also, take safety seriously. Ask to
see structural calculations and wind
loading figures for the particular
tent/tent configuration you are
interested in. Ask to see ‘pull out
forces’ for each stake position in the
structure, and ask how the business
will ensure these forces are
achieved. Make sure the structure
is flame retardant, that there
are sufficient exits and that the
interior is laid out to comply with
fire regulations. Again, good hirers
and manufacturers will know this
stuff inside out, know the various
standards that apply, and be able to
advise accordingly.”
If you have made the decision to
buy a marquee, the costs you have
to consider do not stop with the
initial purchase price. As mentioned
previously, there are a great many
other overheads that have to be
factored into the purchase price. Do
you have the necessary manpower
and skills to be able to safely erect
and dismantle the marquee each
time it is needed, or will you need to
buy in these services each time?
When the marquee is not being
used, where do you keep it? Do
you have adequate storage space
on-site or will you need to hire
storage? If the latter is the case then
transport to and from the storage
venue also has to be considered.
What happens to the marquee
after use? Who will take care of the
cleaning and any necessary repairs?
Insurance etc
The additional costs do not stop
there either. You will need to
contact your insurer to confirm
that your public liability insurance
covers the use of your own
marquee. Similarly, do you have
insurance coverage for your staff
if they are responsible for erecting
the marquee, carrying out any
necessary maintenance, and so on?
Talking about costs that people
may fail to consider when buying a
marquee for the first time, Gill has
this to say, “People can be unaware
of the costs involved in purchasing
a marquee. It is important to make
provisions for power; you will
need at least a 60kVA generator
with a backup of the same size.
Generators are very expensive to
maintain because they need regular
servicing, to be super silenced and
kept in a secure location. Then
there’s heating options, toilet
facilities and flooring, which are
RIVIERA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 23

FUNCTION VENUES
also all crucial factors to consider
when buying a marquee. You will
need to decide whether to hire
these elements for each event or
provide them yourself.”
Gill continues: “I would strongly
advise venues to take out a
maintenance contract with a
marquee company, or at least have
a dedicated groundsman who is
responsible for regularly checking
the structure. A marquee can look
fine from the outside but weather
conditions can easily loosen the
structure, making it weak. The
tensioning cables and pegs need
regular checks to ensure this
doesn’t happen.”
Parr is also able to offer advice
on the subject of unforeseen costs,
as it is a subject MUTA often has
to consider. “The purchase price
can vary greatly for a tent of a fixed
size because of numerous outside
factors. It is not just the size and
type of structure that affect the
purchase price, the specifics of the
site itself (eg. Does it have power
already? Are there loos nearby?)
must also be taken into account.
Additionally, you have to consider
how many people you want to seat
and what other space you need
inside the tent as the starting point
when figuring out costings and
getting quotes from suppliers.
“If purchasing, in my experience
the tent itself is typically less
than 50% of the investment that
a venue will make to get a site
up and running, so the cost of all
those other things becomes even
more important than the cost of
the tent. This is something good
manufacturers can help with –
Tentipi, for example, runs one-onone
investment planning sessions
with customers to help them think
through all the costs associated
with investing in a Nordic Tipi.
“If maintenance is happening
using on-site staff, the costs will be
pretty low. If you are using a local
rental company the costs will be a
good bit higher.”
Parr is also able to share
knowledge on the usability of
various marquee designs including
their suitability for different
occasions and how much flexibility
they offer. “There are various
types of tent on the market, most
of which are modular so can be
added to as needed. I have been
asked in the past if buyers should
consider whether the design they
are buying will look out of date
quickly? However, I don’t think this
is an issue, whatever is chosen.
When I first brought Nordic Tipis
into the UK in early 2005, I was
concerned that they would be a fad
and in a couple of years everyone
would have seen them and not
PHOTOS BY DINE.CO.UK
“... IN MY
EXPERIENCE
THE TENT
ITSELF IS
TYPICALLY
LESS THAN
50% OF THE
INVESTMENT
THAT A VENUE
WILL MAKE TO
GET A SITE UP
AND RUNNING,
SO THE COST
OF ALL THOSE
OTHER
THINGS
BECOMES
EVEN MORE
IMPORTANT
THAN THE
COST OF THE
TENT”
be interested any more. I was
completely wrong to worry about
that.
“The other key point when it
comes to buying is that you can’t
expect a tent to last forever… not if
you want to keep it looking fresh for
your customers. If you depreciate
it over five years in your business
plan, you could always choose a
different structure in five years’
time.
The final word on whether to buy
or regularly hire a TDS is from Gill:
“I would suggest renting a marquee
for smaller venues, which enables
you to keep costs down. Build a
relationship with a local supplier
and tap into their expertise. For
larger venues that are hosting
events on a weekly basis, buying
may be a better option.”
Further advice on both hiring
and buying marquees and all
related subjects can be found by
contacting MUTA, the UK’s only trade
association dedicated to marquees,
tents and structures.
USEFUL LINKS
Attwoolls Marquees – 01452 742222
www.attwoollsmarquees.co.uk
Dine – 0345 450 4545
www.dine.co.uk
MUTA – 01379 788673 / www.muta.org.uk
Tentipi – (UK & Ireland) 01256 883163 / www.tentipi.com

FUNCTION VENUES
A Furnishing
Flourish
Helen Lowe’s top tips for using furniture to
the max to create a fantastic function whatever the venue
ANYONE ELSE OPERATING in the
event and hospitality industry
guilty of spending their days
thinking about how to turn a
seemingly innocuous venue into
the fabulous space of your client’s
dreams? Do you find your creative
juices flowing every time you pass a
cow pat covered field, a dilapidated
old building or a somewhat spooky
warehouse?
Just imagine what you could do
with all that wonderful character
or that totally blank canvas. From
teepees to marquees, castles to
stately homes, country pubs to
night clubs, and planes to trains
and automobiles; nothing and
nowhere need be off limits in this
day and age. In this article, I’m
going to give you some insight into
why.
Firstly, let’s get down to the nitty
gritty. While it’s pretty common
for clients to pull the ‘I want
something different’ card, the
fundamentals of any event - be it
intimate and private, or elaborate
and extravagant - are pretty much
set in stone.
“WHO
DOESN’T
LIKE TO
BE MADE
TO FEEL A
LITTLE BIT
SPECIAL?
IT DOESN’T
REALLY
MATTER
WHAT THE
EVENT
IS – BE IT
CORPORATE
OR
CELEBRITY
FUELLED?”
Give them shelter from the
inevitably unpredictable British
weather, somewhere to sit,
somewhere to give a speech,
somewhere to rest a drink and a
plate of food, and somewhere to
have a boogie when the serious
part is done and dusted, and
you have the makings of a pretty
successful do.
But just imagine if everyone
simply delivered against the
above… How long would it take us
all to die of utter boredom? If all
we did was line up a row of chairs
beside a row of tables facing a
stage, we wouldn’t really be doing
our bit to enhance the atmosphere,
now would we?
So, when it comes to an event
in any location, it is true that
the basics are easily definable,
but the minutiae is not to be
underestimated, especially if you
are working in a less traditional
venue.
The decorations are what set the
tone, the ‘zones’ can have a major
role in managing the order of the
day, and the furniture could just
as easily break the day as it could
make it.
On that note, here are some of
my top tips for making the most of
any space – pop up or otherwise!
The art of ‘zoning’
We’ve all found ourselves stuck
between a rock and a hard place
at a marquee wedding, haven’t
we? Desperately avoiding the
terribly exposed dance floor while
attempting to give great aunt Doris
a wide berth. Short of setting up
camp in the beautifully themed
portaloos for the foreseeable,
there’s nowhere to hide.
The inevitable happens. You
succumb to getting on down to
the Macarena with the rest of the
guests, someone films it on their
phone and within hours it’s on
YouTube. #Sigh.
Now imagine how easily that
heartache could have been
avoided if the organiser had been
aware of the wonderfully diverse
and creative furnishing options
available to help break up the
space and make it just a little bit
less, well, spacious.
The VIP feel (very important
products)
Once you have your areas right, the
flow of ‘traffic’ will be much easier
to predict and influence, leaving
you free to think about what else is
needed to ensure the guests have
the time of their lives.
Who doesn’t like to be made to
feel a little bit special? It doesn’t
really matter what the event is – be
it corporate or celebrity fuelled?
What does matter, however, is
ensuring that the furnishings
and furniture you commission
to help you achieve that look is
appropriate for the surroundings.
A red carpet is all well and good,
but if you are inviting 80 guests to
a launch party in a petting zoo is
it really going to have the desired
effect? Imagine trying to ‘corner
off’ a VIP area in a lighthouse. I’ve
no doubt that by working with the
right supplier who gets your vision
and knows their stuff you’ll find
it can be done, but your typical
L shape sofa and event ropes
probably ain’t gonna cut it!
Bar none
The bar, regardless of whether
it’s dishing out oodles of booze or
simply cups of tea and bottles of
water, is normally one of the most
heavily populated areas at any
event. With that in mind is it worth
considering how to better utilise
the area?
You could add some high bar
26 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES
tables and stools to prevent people
loitering after they have been
served, while also allowing them
another space to congregate,
network and relax. The beauty of
this approach is that just a few
can have a massive visual impact,
and as they are quite small and
unobtrusive they are likely to work
in even the quirkiest and most
awkward of venues.
There are all sorts of options
for anyone wanting to create an
atmosphere, and my favourite has
to be illuminated tables. If you’re
working with a really challenging
space in terms of natural light then
thinking about how to make that
a plus point, could be the way
forward.
Perfectly practical
It’s easy to get carried away when
you have a stunning venue oozing
with character to work with, or the
vast empty space available in a field
or an old barn. It’s equally tempting
to get hung up on themes and
colours and quirky concepts, but
if you haven’t got the basics right,
you haven’t got an event.
It’s all well and good ordering
chairs, but have you got enough?
If the delegates need to register,
how and where will they do it?
Do your exhibitors need access to
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Lowe is the
events and marketing
manager at Europa
International. For
over 50 years, Europa
has been supplying
furniture and floor
coverings for hire to
the events industries.
It specialises in chair,
sofa, stool and table
hire at affordable
prices, and carries a
stock of items for those
who want ‘something
a little different.’ A
truly independent
furniture and event
hire company, it is
family run, with family
values. Other services
include floor covering,
registration desks,
panel hire, electrical,
graphics, conference
seating and shell
scheme hire. Tel: 020
8676 0062 / www.
europainternational.
com/oaa or Tweet @
Europa_Int
electricity, and can you provide it?
Don’t forget to lean on your
trusty suppliers for this side of
things. If they’re good at what they
do, they should allow you to focus
on the bigger picture, while they
make sure your guests have what
they need in the right quantities.
Choose your friends wisely
Talking about leaning on suppliers,
the importance of having a strong
relationship with people and
companies that you trust and can
rely on is never more apparent than
when you are under pressure to
deliver a stunning event in a less
than conventional venue.
There’s no point sitting head in
hands fretting about the mounting
number of tasks on your to do list
when your extended team could
(and should) be on hand to offer
valuable advice and guidance.
Whether that be the most
appropriate and practical catering
option for a remote venue, the
right entertainment for a room full
of funeral directors, or the right
furniture options for an undeniably
awkward space; they’re experts in
their field just like you and have
probably got some experience of
similar scenarios, no matter how
obscure. So remember to make the
most of them!
Take a bow
Finally, and this tip is particularly
important, remember to take a
little time to pat yourself on the
back. Pulling off an event in any
venue is tough, and even more
so when competing with nonpermanent
structures or buildings
that were designed to house little
more than the lady of the manor
and her servants.
With that in mind you might
want to pull up one of those stools
alongside the luminous bar that
you so conscientiously ordered,
get yourself a drink and remind
yourself that you did good. After
all, you don’t have long until the
next challenge comes your way and
you’ll find yourself back in the thick
of planning and delivering.

FUNCTION VENUES
Perfect
Promo Pictures
Work with professionals to help create the right ‘wow’
shots to promote your function venue, says Isabel Smith
CECELINA PHOTOGRAPHY / ALWAYSANDRI.CO.UK

FUNCTION VENUES
LEFT & BELOW: HELENE BEKKER / BO-CHIC.COM
REGULAR READERS WILL have
caught my advice in the last issue
on how to design and style your
wedding venue in line with your
business aims and target market.
This month I want to expand
further on the subject of styling,
this time focusing on how to host
your own styled shoot and how
learning this process will help you
support your couples in designing
their own wedding days.
1
CLARIFY YOUR AIMS
As with any marketing
activity, before you begin
you need to be very clear about
your aims and what you are trying
to achieve. By styling a mock
wedding at your venue you get to:
› obtain high quality imagery
of your venue looking its
aspirational best for use on
your website and across your
marketing activities
› cement relationships with the
suppliers in your area by getting
them involved
› actively promote your business
by getting your imagery featured
in a magazine or online
› flex your creative muscles and
learn how to design a wedding.
These are all fantastic plus points
to having a styled shoot take place
at your venue, but which are your
biggest priorities? If you want
complete design control, you might
have to work outside of your usual
circle of suppliers to get all you
need. If you are on a tight budget
and have to compromise on design,
will the images be good enough
to get featured on a blog? Think
carefully about your main priority
and keep that in mind when
planning.
“HAVING
A REALLY
CLEAR,
STRONG
THEME
DISPLAYED
ON YOUR
FINAL
PINTEREST
BOARD
WILL GO A
LONG WAY
TO PIQUING
MEDIA
INTEREST”
2 3
GET AN OUTLINE
DESIGN CLEAR
Just as brides are, you
might find yourself bombarded
with inspiration online and
struggling to decide on a unified
theme, falling in love with
new ideas every five minutes!
This is where the online image
bookmarking site Pinterest comes
in. You can explore multiple ideas
by starting a board around each
theme that you like the look of
before narrowing down to one
main ‘look’. You can then pin
more specific images in line with
all you’ll need to source for the
shoot itself. You should be thinking
about all the same things that a
bride needs to have in mind when
designing; food and drink, tables
and chairs, linen, cutlery, crockery,
glassware, florals, lighting, displays,
stationery, cake, hair, make-up,
dress, suit and so on.
If your main aim is to use the
images to promote the venue in
a magazine or to illustrate a blog,
having a really clear, strong theme
displayed on your final Pinterest
board will go a long way to piquing
media interest.
GET SOURCING
I wish I could say that this
part is easy, but the truth
is that unless you have the budget
to pay commercial rates for all that
you want, it can be tricky to find all
the wares to create a certain look.
Where possible of course, work
with suppliers you already have a
relationship with. They might well be
happy to offer their services free or
at cost price in return for use of the
images or for being credited in the
media if the shoot gets picked up. You
can ‘make do and mend’ up to a point
with a shoot, but keep those priorities
in mind – a blogger will want the
best of the best in terms of design
(although that doesn’t necessarily
mean the most expensive of
everything of course – it depends on
the style of blog you are aiming for). If
the shoot is just for your own website,
there is more room for compromise.
Areas that should absolutely not
be compromised on include the
photographer (and remember, the
photographers on your preferred
suppliers list might not shoot in
the style you want for aspirational
imagery!) and the models (go pro
every single time!).
CECELINA PHOTOGRAPHY / ALWAYSANDRI.CO.UK
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 29

FUNCTION VENUES
CECELINA PHOTOGRAPHY / ALWAYSANDRI.CO.UK
M BISHOP PHOTOGRAPHY / BO-CHIC.COM
4
THE SHOOT ITSELF
The day of your photo
shoot is an event in itself
and needs to be planned as such.
Think through how long each part
of the set-up will take (no point
having the florist arrive to dress a
table that isn’t in place!) as well
as how long the models will take
in hair and make-up (no point
having the photographer arrive
if there is nothing and no-one to
shoot!). Remember that many of
your suppliers are doing this at
low or no cost so make sure you
are not wasting anyone’s time. Be
prepared to get your hands dirty
to make sure everything is perfect.
Photographs show up any and all
imperfections so attention to detail
is key.
5
USING THE IMAGES FOR
PROMOTION
If your plan is just to use
your fabulous new images for your
own purposes, then by all means
splash them across your website,
printed materials and social media
as you please. When targeting the
media with your images there are
two golden rules to follow:
1. Pick your outlet well - If your
shoot was based around a
traditional English country garden
look, there isn’t a lot of point in
approaching the more avant-garde
publications and bloggers. The
media outlet you want to feature
in should be the one most read by
your target market and your shoot
style should reflect their desires.
2. Exclusivity - Any media outlet
will want exclusive use of any
images they pick. You therefore
need to separate out the images
you will use for your own website
from those you will be presenting
to the press. You will also need
to approach your outlets one by
one, letting each pick up or decline
the imagery before moving on to
the next. Most editors will let you
release images to a second outlet
a few months after they have
featured them.
With the media blasting out
amazing imagery of carefully
created events from all over the
world several times a day, how
their wedding looks is becoming
more and more important to
modern couples. They too will go
through the design process to make
the following decisions: What do I
want to achieve with my wedding?
How do I want it to look? Where do
I get all the bits and pieces I need to
create the look from? How will the
photos turn out?
Having experienced this process
first hand (possibly with an even
tighter budget than your couples
have!) you will be far better placed
to help them create a Pinterest
board that works for them within
your venue’s setting and source all
the suppliers, hirewares and props
that they will need to create the
look.
If you just aren’t the designer
type or can’t face the work involved
in styling a shoot (and believe me
there is more time involved than
you think), then as I have said
before, engage the services of a
professional to ensure that all your
aims are met. A fully established
designer or planner will charge in
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabel Smith has 10
years in the wedding
industry behind her
as one of the UK’s top
wedding planners and
business consultant
to venues and other
suppliers. Isabel’s
expertise spans
marketing, sales and
operations as she
helps new vendors
launch as well as
assisting established
businesses should
they find their
sales falling. www.
isabelsmithconsulting.
co.uk / www.
isabelsmithweddings.
co.uk
excess of £2,000 for their services
(depending on where you are in the
country), but if your budget doesn’t
stretch that far, start-up wedding
planning companies are often keen
to get a styled shoot or two under
their belts to help with their own
promotion so do shop around.
JULIA AND YOU / ALWAYSANDRI.CO.UK
CECELINA PHOTOGRAPHY / ALWAYSANDRI.CO.UK
30 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

FUNCTION VENUES | PRODUCT FOCUS
Professional Services
Ensure maximum profits from your functions with expert advice
EVENT CONSULTANCY AND
BESPOKE CATERING
Dine
0345 450 4545
www.dine.co.uk
As well as providing
bespoke catering for more
than 100 corporate events
and 200 weddings a year,
Dine also provides event
services for organisations
ranging from English
Heritage and the National
Trust to the owners of
some of the UK’s most
notable private houses. It is
also expanding its portfolio
of outdoor venues. The
Dine Consultancy and
Venue Management team
helps deliver projects for
a wide range of clients
including venue owners
and country houses.
Experienced consultants
will help you understand
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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 31

Keeping ahead of the field...x
Ashwood Shepherd Huts
Manor Farm, Hele, Taunton
Somerset TA4 1AH
Telephone 01823 461 638
info @ ashwoodshepherdhuts.co.uk
www.ashwoodshepherdhuts.co.uk

ACCOMMODATION
CASE STUDY
Dundas Castle
Run as a franchise operation, the Dundas Castle
‘canvas cottages’ offer glampers a five star retreat
A five star wedding venue, Dundas Castle has expanded its luxury offerings
through the Glampotel franchise. Its five ‘canvas cottages’ are nestled in their
own wooded glade overlooking the castle’s loch, but only 15 minutes from
Edinburgh airport. Open Air Business talks to general manager Louise Andrew
about the site, the facilities and the luxurious finishing touches.
What made you decide to
start offering glamping
accommodation?
We are a five star castle and estate
close to the city of Edinburgh.
Dundas Castle is an exclusive use
wedding and events venue, so
has to be booked out by a group.
However, we have found our
gorgeous one room Boathouse to
be a popular option for couples
wanting a self-catering hideaway.
By introducing our glamping
canvas cottages we are opening
the doors to anyone who wants
a luxury country hideaway that
is only 25 minutes from the city
centre.
“THE
GLAMPOTEL
BUSINESS
WORKED SO
WELL FOR
US AS IT HAS
CREATED
THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL
CANVAS
COTTAGES
WITH ALL
MOD CONS”
How did you research the
business before entering it?
As a small business that focuses
on luxury weddings and group
bookings, we looked into finding a
franchise partner. The Glampotel
business worked so well for us as
it has created the most beautiful
canvas cottages with all mod cons.
There was an initial capital
outlay to Glampotel, but it
provided the five tents, all the
interior fit out, the wooden bases
the tents sit on, all the decking and
facilities including en-suite hot
showers, composting toilets, patio
heaters and so on. Importantly,
it gave comprehensive training
to the Dundas staff regarding
checking guests in, how change
over day works and the process of
cleaning and turning around the
units ready for the next guests.
Booking is handled through
Glampotel and the Cool Camping
online bookings system. We have
access to a dashboard that shows
us the upcoming bookings and
also how we are doing in terms of
occupancy.
Tell us about your location
and site
The loch on the Dundas Estate
is beautiful, secluded and a
haven for wildlife. You really
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 33

ACCOMMODATION
would not know that Edinburgh’s
international airport is only 15
minutes away!
Glampotel helped us choose the
ideal locations for each unit to give
residents privacy and seclusion.
We love how the canvas cottages
are each nestled into their own
private wooded area, with an
enviable view of the loch.
How did you tackle getting
planning?
We approached the planning
department at the council and
followed its guidelines. This year
we have five pitches, but next year
we plan to extend the number of
units we have.
What glamping accommodation
do you offer and why did you
choose it?
Dundas Castle glamping
accommodation is ideal for two
adults and up to two children
sharing a canvas cottage. Each
unit includes a comfortable
bed, en-suite shower room with
toiletries and composting toilets,
hot running water, barbecue,
wood burning stove, towels, cool
box, lighting, patio heater, comfy
seating and a lockable safe box.
For couples with small children,
we can add two wee beds, to make
a really lovely family experience.
How would you describe your
‘style’ or USP?
Because the glamping units are
part of Dundas Castle, luxury
is the by-word. To make visits
extra special, we offer breakfast
hampers that include produce

ACCOMMODATION
sourced from a local farm and all
Scottish where possible, which can
be delivered at a time chosen by
the guests. Wood from our estate
is there for the wood burning stove
and we can add special extras
including Champagne, flowers or
canapés on request.
A feasibility study was
undertaken by Dundas Castle
before Glampotel was selected
as our franchise partner, and its
‘look and feel’ was taken into
account. The brand fits well with
ours and communication between
both parties is excellent, so any
challenges we face are quickly
resolved.
How did you choose your interior
decoration?
The Glampotel style is a wonderful
mix of natural colours and comfort
with opulence and style. The décor
keeps guests close to nature with
its use of earthy tones and warm
blankets. Modern furniture on the
heated deck brings both comfort
and style, and the simplicity of the
styling also matches the natural
beauty of the lochside location.
What are your plans for next
season?
We plan to double the capacity
and next year will have 10 units.
We will also be looking at building
packages for guests to enjoy while
staying with us. These include use
of the tennis court, clay pigeon
shooting, golf, and fun 4x4 nature
rides, which will enable children to
view the abundant wildlife on the
estate.
Describe your average day midseason
We only opened on 5 August, so we
“GUESTS
ARE GIVEN
DIRECTIONS
TO THEIR
GLAMPING
UNITS, BUT
THE CASTLE
IS NEVER
FAR AWAY TO
HELP WITH
REQUESTS
AND TO
MAINTAIN THE
HIGH QUALITY
ACCOMMODA-
TION”
ADDRESS BOOK
are still getting used to the rhythm
of the process. Currently we are
handling the management and
cleaning of the five units with our
existing team, but next year we
will have an additional member of
staff to help handle the extra units
we have planned.
Guests are given directions
to their glamping units, but the
castle is never far away to help
with requests and to maintain
the high quality accommodation.
Our team is really friendly and
nothing is too much trouble when
it comes to making each guest’s
stay unique. As we run a five star
castle every day, we really know
how to make people feel welcome
and to create a sense of luxury,
exclusivity, occasion and comfort
all rolled into one.
Do you enjoy the business
and why?
We love welcoming visitors
to Dundas Castle! It is a truly
beautiful, historic building at the
same time as being a family home.
The entire team feel honoured
to be part of the organisation,
and delighted to be able to make
each and every one of our guests
feel that it is their home for that
moment in time.
ACCOMMODATION
Glampotel - 0800 998 9129
www.glampotel.com
BOOKING SYSTEM
Cool Camping - www.coolcamping.co.uk
Glampotel - 0800 998 9129
www.glampotel.com
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
As a five star wedding and events
venue, we have outdoor space
for weddings including a pavilion
for up to 200 guests, a pitch for a
grand marquee for 600 people,
beautiful gardens and viewpoint
where couples can tie the knot.
The estate also has its own
golf course, off road 4x4 tracks,
paintball, tennis, clay pigeon
shooting, squash court and the
most beautiful walks. Furthermore,
we can make arrangements for
sailing on the Forth. Working
with event providers, we also
create highland games and other
teambuilding experiences for our
group bookings.
The other accommodation
close to the loch is our four
star Boathouse. Popular with
newlyweds and as a place to
propose, the Boathouse is a bijoux
one bedroom cottage with a
veranda overlooking the loch.
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
industry?
Don’t over-complicate things and
enjoy what you do; your guests
will feel that in what you create for
them.
DIRECTORY SITES
Cool Camping - www.coolcamping.co.uk
Glampotel - 0800 998 912
www.glampotel.com
DETAILS
Queensferry, Edinburgh
0131 319 2039
www.glampoteldundascastle.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 35

ACCOMMODATION
WILDGOOSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Standing
out from
the Crowd
Kate Morel has visited hundreds of glampsites in her role with
agency Quality Unearthed. Here she shares her thoughts on
how to make your site the best it can be
GLAMPING… I LOVE it. I love the
lifestyle, the quirky structures
and the amazing people I meet.
It’s nothing short of fabulous. I’ve
been fortunate to have worked
in the industry (if that’s the right
word) for a few years now, visiting
many potential sites and advising
landowners in the UK, Australia
and more recently South America.
Glamping has captured the
imagination of people worldwide
and ties in perfectly with holiday
trends and the back-to-nature
leisure movement. Like it or not, it
is definitely here to stay, at least in
some form or another.
Despite our less than
predictable climate,
glamping holidays are
enjoying huge popularity
in the UK, and demand
increases every year. As the industry
develops, several types of glamping
‘model’ are also evolving, such
as rows of pods on campsites,
corporate developments, private
developments and individual
boutique accommodation, among
others. The same criteria for
success applies to most of them;
geographical location, nature
of the site, quality and style of
accommodation, facilities, design
content and hospitality. In essence,
setting up a glamping site isn’t too
different from setting up any other
holiday accommodation, although
choosing the right structure can be
tricky, and a lack of relevant data
can make a projected return on
investment difficult to pin down.
However, there are a few things that
will almost always influence the
success of a glamping business.
LOCATION
It’s no surprise that the principal of
‘location, location, location’ doesn’t
solely apply to domestic properties.
Being in a popular tourist area close
to an existing attraction, with good
access routes and within two to
three hours of a city, all contribute.
Without these advantages we have
to work harder to entice guests to
visit, possibly offer lower rental
fees, or offer something truly
amazing. Look into who visits the
area and what they are most likely
to want - or be bold and create a
demand yourself.
SITE AND STRUCTURE
Stunning views or natural features
are natural assets and do a lot of
the work for us. Without them, keep
it simple and charge accordingly, or
offer outstanding accommodation
or an unusual activity. Some places
lend themselves to certain types of
structure; for example, woodland
settings are great for eco-pods,
while lakes can host floating
cabins. View the site objectively
and appraise its potential. Decide
whether it is likely to appeal to
couples or families, choose which
are the best spots and then find an
appropriate structure.
Always check out the
competition. Find out what
is already on offer in the
36 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

ACCOMMODATION
WILDGOOSE PHOTOGRAPHY
QUALITY UNEARTHED
area, the target demographic, what
facilities it provides and how much
it costs to stay there. How well are
they actually doing? This could
reveal potential gaps in the market
as well as pitfalls, whether your
ideas might work, and how to give
your accommodation the edge by
making it more appealing.
USP
A strong USP (unique selling point)
is increasingly important and could
be an amazing location, design, top
quality facilities, services, natural
features or activities. A strong USP
will make a difference. It is already
getting competitive out there and
at some point having an unusual
structure alone will not be enough.
If your chosen structure is
something of a blank canvas (pun
intended) such as a yurt and you’re
installing a couple of units rather
than rows of them, a good way to
differentiate your site is by giving
each an individual style. Admittedly
this can require a degree of bravery
as it means shunning safe options.
However, it’s a great opportunity
to use your imagination and you
don’t have to play by the rules!
Some of the best glamping sites
have a great personal story behind
them too, a vocation, hobby or
story from the land or site has
been woven into the character
of the accommodation. In a
commercially driven society where
homogenised products prevail,
originality or a unique story really
stand out and glamping can easily
deliver this.
LEVEL OF ACCOMMODATION
Glamping comes in many forms,
from rows of pods with shared
facilities to one-off designer
treehouses incorporating
luxury facilities and hotel grade
hospitality. If you’re thinking
of going into glamping, you
can either: set the bar
high, because when the
market starts to plateau
there will be two
ways of maintaining
occupancy rates –
offering something
outstanding or
reducing your
“THOUGHTFUL
FURNISHINGS
AND FACILITIES
AND A
PRACTICAL
LAYOUT CAN
BE USED TO
GOOD EFFECT
SO DON’T BE
SHY FROM
THEM”
prices; or install something
that is adequate for now, and
upgrade when necessary. Some
accommodations such as safari
tents are already upgrading their
facilities to include private use
kitchenettes, flushing toilets and
private showers. Customer demand
is already shifting and for some
guests at least, shared facilities
and composting loos are no longer
acceptable.
CONVENIENCE AND COMFORT
A genuine consideration for guests’
convenience and comfort makes
such a difference, yet is sometimes
totally overlooked. Thoughtful
furnishings and facilities and a
practical layout can be used to good
effect so don’t shy away from them.
A guest review that says ‘They
thought of absolutely everything’ is
the best compliment you can get.
Consider how the
accommodation will function
when fully occupied; even in small
structures there should still be room
/ storage for luggage and personal
effects. Even if you believe you have
thought of every comfort, pack a
bag (invite friends to maximum
capacity if necessary) and stay in
your accommodation for a couple
of nights. Cook a meal, use all the
facilities and make yourselves at
home. Is there anything that would
make your guests’ stay easier and
more comfortable?
Different guest groups such as
families and couples have different
requirements, so whichever you
are catering for ensure that the
facilities and accommodation meet
them. You also need to take this into
account when considering where to
site the structures, as couples prefer
privacy, whereas families don’t
mind having neighbours so much.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 37

ACCOMMODATION
QUALITY UNEARTHED
HOSPITALITY
Making guests feel welcome is an
easy and inexpensive way to add
value to your accommodation;
a beaming smile and a bit of
effort costs nothing. Add vases of
hedgerow flowers, a treat or two
and a ‘welcome to...’ note and
you’ve already created a more
cordial atmosphere for very little
outlay. Whatever standard of
glamping you offer, find a way to
set your hospitality above the rest.
Additional services, even if you
make a small charge for them, will
add to your guests’ experience and
make their stay more comfortable
and memorable. Perhaps you could
provide a laundry service, hampers
from a local farm shop, your own
produce or therapies, for example?
If you know that guests are
staying for a honeymoon,
proposal, anniversary or birthday,
a thoughtful gesture, however
simple, will blow them away. It’s
also great PR when guests share a
photo or update on social media
about their holiday because
word of mouth and personal
recommendations are some of the
most effective types of advertising
we can get. If you enjoy making
people genuinely happy, you could
spend less time and money on
marketing too.
HOUSEKEEPING
I’m sure most of us have done
this at some point. A waiter asks
‘Is everything alright?’ and we
nod enthusiastically, but as soon
as they are out of earshot we
vow never to return (much to
the embarrassment of my dining
companions I am rarely guilty of
this!). The same applies to some
holiday guests who will happily
let an agency know what wasn’t
right, but to the owner they say
‘Everything is great, we’ll be
back!’ It is therefore important
that you meet, and preferably
exceed, expectations because
we can’t always rely on guest
feedback. Some common sense
(but amazingly not common)
considerations are:
› Impeccable cleanliness. The
accommodation is your guests’
home for the duration of their
stay and quite rightly they
don’t like to be reminded of
any previous occupants. This a
common complaint issue in the
accommodation industry and I
can’t understand why because
it’s the easiest thing to get right.
Even if guests don’t complain it’s
the number one reason that they
will not return or recommend the
accommodation and you might get
a bad online review to boot, which
is hard to gloss over. Cleanliness is a
crucial contributor to good reviews,
recommendations, reputation
and repeat bookings. In short,
you can’t take any chances in this
department. If you’re outsourcing
your cleaning, good change over
staff are worth their weight in gold
– find them and keep them!
› A good night’s rest. Create
amazing sleeping spaces, because
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Morel represents
Quality Unearthed,
one of the few
dedicated glamping
holiday agencies in
the UK. Known as
the ‘Glamping Guru’
she has spent years
working closely
with landowner and
tourism organisations,
visiting locations and
providing consultancy
advice and support.
This, along with her
previous experience
in sales and
marketing, property
restoration, design
and hospitality, gives
her a unique set of
skills and perspective
on setting up a
glamping business.
01348 830922 / www.
qualityunearthed.
co.uk
a bad night’s sleep on a noisy or
uncomfortable bed is also up there
on the guest complaint list. Choose
beds carefully and use good
mattresses; cheap ones are a false
economy as they directly affect
your guests’ experience. I can ID a
cheap mattress by running a hand
over the sheet. If money is running
out cut back on something else.
› Delivering promises. Advertised
features and facilities need to be
available. If they are not guests can
get cross about it, especially if it
influenced their buying decision.
They will understandably be
frustrated and most will expect
to be compensated somehow.
If for some unavoidable reason
something is not available as
advertised, notify your guests
in advance and always offer to
compensate in some way before
being asked.
So, there you have it, in brief
anyway! I hope I have given you
some idea of the things that give
a glamping site, or indeed any
holiday accommodation, the best
chance of success. Over the years,
I’ve found that each location has
to be taken on its own merit. Often
it’s only when walking around a
place that ideas start to flow about
what type of structures will work,
where to place them and how to
furnish them, which is really the key
to getting it all right. The glamping
holiday accommodation landscape
is changing and developing every
year, but well put together holidays
with good customer service and
hospitality never go out of date!
38 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 39

ACCOMMODATION
TREE TOP GLAMPING
Open Air Business sets out to discover why the treehouse is many glampers’ dream,
and how much you can stand to make by investing in one
CANOPY AND STARS
AS THE TREND for all things retro
continues, more and more people are taking
it further and looking for ways they can
relive their youth. As with all things retro,
that youthfulness is often seen through
rose-tinted glasses, which means camping
has now become glamping. After all, who
wants to recapture their childhood by
sleeping in a damp tent in the middle of a
muddy field?
In a similar vein, many people dreamed
of having their own treehouse as a child,
and a few may even have had one, even
if it was basically just a couple of planks
with a covering of blankets. However, like
not wanting to sleep in a draughty tent,
today’s tree dwellers expect a certain level
of comfort.
When glamping first became a recognised
phenomenon, accommodation varied from
wagons to yurts. However, today’s glamping
venues house all manner of lodgings,
which can be as extreme as tabernacles
with unique features such as stained glass
windows and baths big enough for two.
Now, in the face of such stiff competition
glamping venues are turning to luxury
treehouses to differentiate themselves and
attract new business.
In order to discover more about what is
driving the interest in treehouse glamping,
and to learn what venues need to consider
if they are going to exploit the potential,
Open Air Business spoke to Tom Dixon
of Sawday’s Canopy & Stars, Tree Tents
International managing director, Max
Marsden, and Mark Pollecutt and Andrew
Delaney of Cheeky Monkey Treehouses.
WHY THE APPEAL?
Tom Dixon, who represents Sawday’s
Canopy & Stars, which has more than
500 places to stay covering everything
from treehouses to converted horse
trucks, begins by outlining the appeal of
treehouses for glampers compared to more
conventional accommodation.
“It’s all about the beauty of treehouses
and how they can fit into the landscape and
make the most of woodland areas. There’s
something very special about sleeping in
the trees and waking up in the morning to
the sounds of birdsong. One of the unique
parts of staying in a treehouse is being part
of nature without disrupting it.”
A similar theory to explain the rise in
popularity of treehouses is put forward by
Max Marsden of Tree Tents International.
“Untapped wildernesses are becoming rare
these days. The popularity of camping and
glamping has grown so much lately and
more people are looking for unique and
different places they can inhabit for a bit.
Open fields and bell tents just don’t quite
meet the need for people to really immerse
themselves in the outdoors, but simply
40 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

ACCOMMODATION
CANOPY AND STARS
CHEEKY MONKEY TREEHOUSES
TREE TENT INTERNATIONAL
getting up into the canopy and experiencing
nature from a fresh perspective, from the
shade of the sun and breeze in the tree tops,
is a real pull. Humans evolved from these
places so it’s in our DNA that we feel at
home in the trees.”
Giving his thoughts on what is driving
the increased interest in treehouses
as glamping venues, Cheeky Monkey
Treehouses’ Andrew Delaney says, “I
think it’s mainly due to people looking
for something a little bit more quirky and
being more adventurous than just another
weekend break in a hotel. It’s also quite
fashionable as people are always looking
for something different from the norm. I
think this is what is driving the growth in
the market and, like the way glamping has
taken off, if you can offer a bit of luxury in
the outdoors then people are willing to pay
a premium for it.”
WHAT, NO TREES?
So, which treetops should be used to house
the various accommodation options and
what happens if a venue simply does not
have any suitable trees?
Mark Pollecutt of Cheeky Monkey
Treehouses suggests, “Any healthy
deciduous tree can be used and examples
include oak, beech, maple, ash and cedar.
Always check for tree preservation orders
and make sure you get an expert or a tree
surgeon’s opinion on the health of the tree
before proceeding.
MAIN PICTURE
AND TOP LEFT:
Living Room
Treehouses,
Powys
TOP RIGHT: Tree
Tent at Broom
Park, Cornwall
MIDDLE:
Cheeky Monkey
Treehouse used
for glamping in
the North East
BOTTOM: Red
Kite Tree Tent in
Powys
“Trees aren’t essential, but it’s always
nice to build around or in between trees and
even better if you can support some, if not
all, of the structure from the tree. However,
with this comes a lot more maintenance
and expense.”
“Our suspended tree house structures
typically need two good, old growth trees
to span between. Old oaks, ash, or beech
are great but we can adapt to most trees
– pines are great and add some great
dynamics to the feel of the structure,” says
Tree Tents International’s Marsden. “Our
lightweight structures also lend themselves
well to man made supports and so they
are great for sites with no trees or smaller
growth and uneven, sloping ground.”
Dixon explains how Sawday’s Canopy &
Stars incorporates its structures into the
surroundings, “We have some really special
places that are high up, making the most
of the trees that are around them, but not
suspended from the branches, structures
such as Lime Treehouse, Bagthorpe
Treehouse and The Treehouse at Deer Park.”
RUSTIC LUXURIES
Given that the treehouses being discussed
here are for glamping, and therefore a
certain level of luxury is expected, it is
important to know what facilities can be
included. According to Marsden, “You
can pretty much design what can be
incorporated into a treehouse to your
heart’s content, but remember while
“OUR SUSPENDED TREE
HOUSE STRUCTURES
TYPICALLY NEED TWO GOOD,
OLD GROWTH TREES TO
SPAN BETWEEN”
you’re there to experience the trees, so the
structure should be simple, comfortable
and facilitate that. Yes, put a TV and a toilet
in if you want, but we think it’s better to
design facilities like composting loos into
the surrounding environment leaving the
structure free for you to enjoy the space
you’re in.”
An even higher level of luxury is available
within the structures built by Cheeky
Monkey Treehouses, as Delaney explains,
“With a little bit of imagination and
engineering anything is possible. We put air
conditioning in a treehouse we built in the
UAE.”
DESIGN AND BUILD
Knowing it is possible to put almost
anything into a treehouse, there may be a
temptation to get too involved in the design
and forget about other equally important
considerations. Marsden has these
words of warning for potential treehouse
glamping operators: “Insurance is the
main consideration that people need to
look at once they have decided treehouses
are the way forward for them, that and
picking a treehouse maker with a reputable
engineering background.
“Our designs are backed by some great
design and engineering experts, which in
turn means they are backed by insurance
companies. Then it is a case of making sure
the rest of the infrastructure, access, steps,
TREE TENT INTERNATIONAL
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 41

ACCOMMODATION
ladders, and so on, are well built and safe.
They’ve also got to put up with the rigours
of use that a large footfall of guests will put
upon the structure.”
When it comes to the actual build of
the treehouses, Marsden has this to say:
“For commercial projects always get a
professional in. Building structures around
living, moving structures, the trees, needs
some good engineering knowledge.
However, building structures from scratch
in a forest environment is an expensive
process. Fixed tree houses can start from as
much as £70,000 plus if you want a liveable
space. Ours get over that expense by using
pre-built components that we assemble
on site and rig between the trees so we
don’t have to adapt each to suit the trees
being used. That gets our structure and
installation costs down and offers a great
return on investment.”
While that price may seem high, there
are lower cost alternatives. “The cost is
completely dependent on the scale and
complexity of what you are looking to
achieve,” says Pollecutt. “For commercial
use with planning and building regulations
to completion, I would anticipate an
average of six months from start to finish.
Costings again are so varied but you would
be looking at £40k upwards. However, that
does take into account getting the right
planning permission and making sure the
designer and/or architect considered all
aspects of building regulations, such as
health and safety, disabled access, etc.”
It may be tempting to try and reduce
costs by attempting a DIY build, but this
is not a route recommended by Pollecutt.
“You’d have to be very brave to try and do
this kind of work yourself. For a commercial
venture of more than one treehouse, I
would advise employing a project manager
to deal with the different contractors
as not many tree house companies will
be able to offer plumbing and drainage,
electrics and all the planning and regulation
requirements and these will require
contractors to come in and work with each
other.”
TREE TENT INTERNATIONAL
“IN TERMS OF RETURN, WE
ESTIMATE THAT A £70,000
TREEHOUSE IN THE RIGHT
SETTING CAN ACHIEVE
UPWARDS OF £40,000 IN
BOOKINGS PER YEAR”
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
On the subject of build costs, Dixon says,
“For anyone specifically interested in
building a treehouse, we have Timber! a
consultancy service specifically geared
towards the design, build and realisation of
cabins and treehouses. We offer a free initial
consultation and from there consultancy
costs from £350 per day, depending on
what’s required. Following this, we work as
agents on a commission basis. The cost of a
complete treehouse build through Canopy
& Stars Timber! partners starts from around
£35,000.
“In terms of return, we estimate that a
£70,000 treehouse in the right setting can
achieve upwards of £40,000 in bookings per
year, based on nightly rates of £140-£180,
and a £40,000 cabin can expect to achieve
upwards of £20,000 of bookings per year
based on nightly rates of £95-£125.”
To back up these claims, Dixon cites
two projects with which Canopy & Stars
has been involved. “Tony and Beverly of
the Old Mill, near Bath, Somerset, had no
experience of running a B&B but had always
CLOCKWISE
FROM FAR
LEFT: Red Kite
Tree Tent,
Powys; The
Tree House at
Harptree Court,
Somerset;
Inside the
Harptree Court
treehouse
wanted a treehouse. We helped them to
plan the kind of experience they wanted
and gave practical advice on having guests
stay. As a result of that input, in its first year,
Old Mill achieved occupancy of 95% with
nightly rates from £140-£180.
“Also near Bath is the Treehouse at
Harptree Court. The owners, Charles and
Linda didn’t need persuading when we
suggested a treehouse might be a way
to grow their B&B business and to help
maintain and support the family home. The
idea of a treehouse set in their beautiful
grounds immediately appealed. They
were brave and bold in their ambition and
in 2011, Canopy & Stars launched their
first treehouse. The results have been
overwhelming, achieving occupancy of over
90% since its launch with nightly rates of
£180-£360.”
USEFUL LINKS
Cheeky Monkey Treehouses
01403 732 452
www.cheekymonkeytreehouses.com
Sawday’s Canopy and Stars
0117 204 7830
www.canopyandstars.co.uk
Timber! 0117 204 7838
www.canopyandstars.co.uk/timber
Tree Tent International
www.treetents.co.uk
CANOPY AND STARS
CANOPY AND STARS
42 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Further reductions for multiple orders
The moduLog is a
modular pod designed
to suit your needs and
your budget.
.Fully insulated
.Anti-vermin mesh
.Oak joinery & floors
.Low Maintenance
.Home-grown timber
.U.K. made
.Placed anywhere
.Off Grid
.Multiple designs for
multiple uses.
.Ideal for woodlands
Glamping in style.
www.modulog.co.uk
Tel: 01982 553022 / 07843322175 info@modulog.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 43

SPONSORED FEATURE
Eco
Structures
Australia
Manx-man pioneers glamping in Oz and takes on the
globe with superior eco structures , writes Rachel Beadle
ECO STRUCTURES AUSTRALIA, provider
of globally renowned, superior glamping
solutions, sprouted its first shoots
in humble red soil in Australia’s far
northwest – the Kimberley. Karl Plunkett,
originally from the Isle of Man, landed on
Australian shores in 1985 with a dream
to bring travellers up close and personal
with nature without sacrificing creature
comforts. His eco vision became a reality
with the birth of Eco Beach in 1996 – a
pod of elevated wooden beach huts on an
isolated, pristine stretch of the northwest
Australian coast. The remote eco resort
pioneered ecologically sustainable tourism
in Australia and won many national and
international awards, including Britain’s
Sir David Brand award in 1998, but was
sadly decimated by Severe Category 5
‘Cyclone Rosita’ in 2000.
However, from the ashes, a ‘phoenix’
opportunity arose – the chance to redesign
the resort’s eco accommodation
to meet the demands of a new, emerging,
more sophisticated eco travel market:
the ‘glamping’ market. These glamorous
campers were slowly, but steadily
infiltrating world tourism. Karl redefined
his philosophy as “building for the future”
and donned his design cap. His new
accommodation product must not only
exude comfort and style to meet the
demands of this new market well into the
future, but also be architecturally designed
and engineered to withstand the elements
and potential weather extremes. It must
be a truly sustainable product.
Enter award-winning Eco Beach 2! An
eco ‘village’ resort of quality, lightweight,
aesthetically appealing, semi-permanent
structures, nestled discreetly into the
natural coastal vegetation. Eco Beach 2
soon became the talk of the tourism world
with other accommodation providers
seeking to incorporate the versatile eco
tents and villas into their own products.
The ‘Glamping Collection’
Eco Structures Australia was soon founded
upon this demand, and launched its first
‘Glamping Collection’ of pre-fabricated
tents, modules and gazebos for the global
market in 2005. Karijini Eco Retreat in
Western Australia’s spectacular Karijini
National Park was one of the first resorts
to jump on board. The fact that the park is
remotely located in a highly ecologically
sensitive pocket of the harsh Pilbara region
didn’t faze Karl. An Eco Structures team,
experienced in logistical planning for
remote construction after the Eco Beach
build, was soon dispatched from Broome
(1,000km away) and erected 50 tents in just
45 days.
By 2013, Karl’s Eco Tents were dotted
around Australia in some 20 spectacular
natural environments from the Kimberley
to Queensland and as far south as chilly
Victoria. Then the international orders
started trickling in from the jungles of Costa
Rica, the coastal desserts of Oman and the
pristine, white sand beaches of the US Virgin
Islands. Eco Structures’ latest accolades
include signing a distributorship with
China’s Vines Resort Group and partnering
with Matt Stephenson of Event in a Tent, UK
to take on the UK distributorship.
Growing with your budget
When asked what gives Eco Structures’
tents the edge, Karl says, “After 30 years
in green tourism, we’ve perfected a
superior, cost-effective product that’s both
environmentally and economically sound.
Our clients love the fact that they can start
small and add on elements of our product
as their business grows – a bit like lego.”
‘From little things big things grow’ aptly
describes Eco Structures’ edge on the
glamping supply market. For less than a
quarter of the cost of a traditionally built
en-suited alternative, you can pitch a highend
Eco Tent to kick off your business and
achieve the same (in some cases higher)
room rate. When your budget grows, you
can gradually increase your floor space by
44 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

adding on an extra room, a breezeway or
some decking to enhance the view and up
the luxury. The Eco Structures’ modular
concept offers great flexibility – your space,
your way, in your time. And the products
are designed to be easily transportable and
assembled. They come flat-packed, (with all
structural steel, fixings and canvas clearly
labelled) in kit form with step-by-step
instructions that semi-skilled labour can
piece together.
And if you don’t have the time or
inclination to erect the tents yourself, Eco
Structures can send a small team anywhere
in the world to do it for you. Experienced
in setting up small to large glamping
resorts in a range of global climates and
environments, the team’s passports already
boast stamps from the Middle East, Costa
Rica and the Americas. This superior service
of nurturing your glamping project from
dream to reality, equates to a timely, stressfree
journey for clients.
“A great feature of our Eco Tents is that
they are semi-permanent,” says Managing
Director Tom Butterfield. “Our customers
can easily dismantle them with minimal
effort to change location or to avoid severe
weather damage. Their suitability in all
climates also ups their versatility. The
insulated canvas provides an extremely
effective barrier for artificial heating, say in
the UK or cooling in the tropics of Australia.”
It’s no wonder that Eco Structures’ Eco Tents
are taking the world ‘by storm’!
The product’s versatility doesn’t stop
there either. The Eco Tents, which come
in three different sizes (as Standard or
Deluxe), are not only ideal for the tourism
market - they have solved accommodation
and space solutions for events, school
camps, mining camps, pastoral needs, spare
rooms, holiday homes, outdoor events,
dining/kitchen space and even home office
space. Whatever drives your need for space,
Eco Structures can ‘pitch’ a suitable tent
product.
25 year guarantee
Engineering the tents to withstand severe
weather, such as cyclones, means they are
naturally superior in quality. Architecturally
designed to exceed the Building Code of
Australia standards, they are constructed
with quality, hot-dipped galvanised
structural steel and fixing components with
a 25-year guarantee; and 100% Australianmanufactured
durable canvas that is treated
with an anti-fungal-mildew-rot resistant
formula and is UV stabilised for maximum
sustainability. The optional decking is
made from a sustainable, renewable wood
composite product that is termite proof and
very low maintenance.
In keeping with the true nature of
glamping, the tents also boast green
design features such as a small, low-impact
building footprint so they can be elevated to
maintain the flow of air and Mother Nature
underneath. The innovative ‘Eco-Anchor’
footing system has minimal impact on
sensitive ecological areas and withstands
the vigour of high wind locations. The
neutral colour canvas makes for very
discreet dwellings that blend in with a
diverse range of environments: bushland,
rainforest, desert, rolling alpine hills or
coastal dunes. When nestled into the natural
vegetation, the tents are barely visible
(even to local wildlife and birdlife!), offering
glampers a very exclusive, intimate (yet
canvas-protected) experience with nature.
Like a versatile outfit that can be dressed
up or down, so can the interior of an Eco
Tent. You have the freedom to unleash your
creativity and really customise the interior
space to lift it to whatever level of luxury you
desire. Think cowhide floor coverings and
chandeliers or simple backpacker-style bunk
beds. Eco Tents can become whatever you
desire.
Worldwide family
The Eco Structures family of clients now
exceeds 50 and includes 650 tents across
seven countries and four continents. Recent
Australian projects include Banu Banu
Resort, Venture North Outback Tours and
Mary River Resort in the Northern Territory;
Village Roadshow Theme Parks (Paradise
Country) in Queensland; Rhino Lodge in New
South Wales; Big 4 Holiday Park Inverloch in
Victoria and Olio Bello and Coalmine Beach
Holiday Park in Western Australia. From
small retreats such as Olio Bello olive grove
in Margaret River, Western Australia to large
international resorts such as Cinnamon
Bay Resort on St John Island in the US
Virgin Islands, Eco Structures Australia is
leading the way in providing cost-effective,
stylish, quality-driven, sustainable tented
accommodation solutions.
With the advent of Airbnb opening up the
accommodation business to anyone seeking
to earn a rental income, Eco Tents, with
their structurally sound, sustainable nature
are proving to be a popular investment
choice. Payback periods are significantly
lower, return on investment higher and
the environmental construction impact is
minimal.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about our
clients, their clients and the environment,”
says Karl Plunkett. “We’ve created a product
that is financially accessible and meets the
comfort expectations of glampers without
compromising the environment.”
Whether you’re starting from scratch
or looking to diversify an existing product
range to tap into the glamorous campers
of the world, pitching an Eco Tent in your
‘backyard’ is for life - literally. Each tent’s one
tonne of hot-dipped structural steel comes
with a 25-year guarantee and the canvas
panels are fully interchangeable. On top of
this you become part of a whole new global
family!
ECO STRUCTURES AUSTRALIA
Tom Butterfields, Managing Director
+ 61 439 688 818
md@ecostructures.com.au
www.ecostructures.com.au
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 45

ACCOMMODATION
Glamping Units
Making accommodation choices for next season? Check these two products out
NO MAINTENANCE,
INSULATED POD
moduLog
01982 553022
www.modulog.co.uk
The moduLog is a unique
glamping pod made
using home grown timber
and British sheep wool
insulation. The unique
design enables you to create
your own pods for glamping
accommodation, garden
offices, summer houses
or fishing huts. Each pod
comes ready for use with a
240v hook up or with a 12v
off grid solar system. They
are designed to be used 12
months of the year with no
maintenance and feature
oak flooring and handmade
double glazed oak windows
and doors. Design your pod
to any length or join two or
more pods together to make
larger units.
SAFARI TENT FOR TWO
Boldscan
01823 665849
www.albioncanvas.co.uk
For festivals and pop
up hotels, Boldscan,
has launched The Kora,
part of its Albion Canvas
range. This easy build,
mini version of the classic
safari tent sleeps two and
comes in a choice of muted
colours, ranging from light
sand to olive. The tent is
manufactured in Boldscan’s
Somerset factory from
heavy duty 415gsm
polycotton canvas, which
is fire retardant and water
and mildew resistant. The
price includes a 650gsm
PVC walled ground sheet
and sectioned timber poles.
The inner tent is 4x3m with
a wall height of 90cm and
a central ridge height of
2.4m.
ADVERTORIAL
CampPlus En-Suite Washrooms
CampPlus’s plug and play toilet / shower unit delivers great returns
THE CAMPPLUS UNIT is a
compact plug and play building
complete with a toilet and
shower that turns any camp or
glampsite into a 5 star facility.
It is the missing link between a
fully serviced pitch and a lodge,
and increases occupancy and
profitability where installed.
“To keep the product
affordable we keep it simple,”
says designer Erik Verwaaijen.
“There are only
two options for
most elements
- Good and
Excellent. On our
website there is
a calculator that
allows customers
to choose all the
different options.
Visit CampPlus at
the Glamping Show –
stand 180
Tick the boxes and it gives an
instant quote.”
Return on Investment
Where CampPlus units are in
installed instead of a toilet and
shower block, the payback time
is usually two to three years.
“It’s hardly ever more than four
years whatever the situation,”
says Verwaaijen. A base unit
costs around £4.950 and there
is a downloadable calculator on
the CampPlus website that can
quickly help customers work
out their likely return. Each
unit is constructed with quality
materials and designed with a
lifetime of 10 years plus.
CampPlus (represented in the
UK by Caravan Park Electrical
Services)
01790 753153 /
info@campplus.co.uk
www.campplus.co.uk
46 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

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EVENTS
CASE STUDY
Llandudno Victorian
Extravaganza
Founded to bring tourism back to Llandudno, this May Bank
Holiday event now attracts over 500,000 people to the town
Designed to celebrate the ‘lavish Victorian splendour’ of Llandudno, the Victorian Extravaganza
is a huge undertaking, managed entirely by local volunteers. Open Air Business talks to the event’s
committee chairman, Kevin Chin.

EVENTS
Describe your event and how many
people it attracts?
The Llandudno Victorian
Extravaganza (LVE) is a free street
event attracting around 500,000
people over the May Bank Holiday.
It provides entertainment, music
and variety among about 20 vintage
steam attractions and steam organs.
A community music stage involves
local talent and local charities, and
organisations join us in the 1pm daily
parade alongside multiple marching
bands. This provides the core of our
event supplemented with a mixture
of traditional and modern funfair.
What is the event’s history and
how was it conceived?
The 30th LVE this year was a great
event and testament to years of hard
work by all involved. Conceived by
town councillors and local business
people, Margaret Lyons, John Boyle
and Ian Turner in particular, the
event was devised as a solution to
secure the long term future of the
town’s ailing tourist industry.
To maximise the benefit to local
commerce, the event was to be
staged on the town centre streets,
a format conceived at Fleetwood.
To take full advantage of the
opportunity, the May Day Bank
Holiday was chosen as the date
and a lavish display of traditional
entertainment, to complement
Llandudno’s outstanding Victorian
splendour, was to be the method.
It included street theatre, maypole
dancing, carriage rides, teddy bears
picnic in Happy Valley, a sandcastle
competition, a visit from ‘Queen
Victoria,’ a parade of Victorians, a
window dressing competition and
the Grand Victorian Ball.
Receiving substantial council
grants for the time, and working
closely with the voluntary sector, the
Extravaganza was so successful that
councillors decided that the event
should not be run by the officers.
Responsibility for the staging of
the event passed to the Volunteer
Committee that formed Llandudno
Victorian Extravaganza Ltd, which
has continued to organise the show.
As council backing diminished,
the committee sought other ways of
raising the finances to stage the free
admission show. This took the form
of a sister event on Bodafon Fields
for which a gate fee could be charged
to support the free show in the
town. The scale of this overall event
proved too much to organise by
volunteers alone, and the field event
was developed by local transport
enthusiasts as the Llandudno
Transport Festival.
This sister event now has 1,000
exhibits featuring buses, cars,
commercial vehicles, motorcycles,
tractors, tradestands, autojumble
stalls and vehicle parades. A
shuttle bus runs throughout the
weekend, linking the two events in
a circular route between the festival
showground on Bodafon Fields to the
Extravaganza in the town centre.
How did you apply for permission
to run the event?
The event already had town council
approval but had to follow the
formalities of speaking to Highways,
taking its advice and applying
officially. This developed to require
a traffic management plan and extra
health and safety measures to ensure

EVENTS
access for emergency services,
which involved added costs.
How have you planned the layout
of the event and what structures
do you use?
As with any townscape, every year
something has changed and short
term obstacles exist as work and
repairs take place, so each year
the space and fit must be planned
and adjusted sometimes up to the
wire! We find that all the computer
models you can use still need a man
on the street with his tape measure!
How did you research and source
your marquees, stage, bars etc?
We use a traditional stage powered
by a vintage steam exhibit and no
marquees. Any new items need to
look the part and add value.
What entertainment do you offer?
We offer free entertainment
provided by marching bands (and
concerts), street entertainers,
jugglers and variety acts. Added to
this is a whole stage of community
acts and musicians from modern
compositions to local choirs and
dance groups. We tease out the
best from our locals alongside
ADDRESS BOOK
LIGHTING
Mad Sound and Lighting - 01407 831001
www.mad-sl.co.uk
POWER
Maxplant Hire & Sales (Llandudno)
01492 585178
SOUND AND STAGE
Mad Sound and Lighting 01407 831001
www.mad-sl.co.uk
Dragon Events Sound & Lighting
(Llandudno) - 07775 371399
some longer standing acts such
as the George Formby Society,
which entertains on its own stage
throughout the weekend.
What provisions do you make for
power, lights and sound?
Our three main stages are self
contained and amplification is
suited to the acts with a more
modern and powerful set up on
our community stage. Sound
monitoring is part of our daily
routine to keep both entertainers
and the funfair in safe hearing limits
for everyone.
How do you manage admissions
and visitor safety?
We manage the town centre with
marshals and barriers but with a
free to enter policy - we don’t have
entry issues. A local security team
assists with access for emergency
vehicles and St. Johns provides a
great team of first aider, ambulance
and paramedic cover.
We attract over 500,000 people in
the course of the 3-4 day weekend.
Many come and stay at the large
number of hotels and guest houses
in the area and use their parking
facilities. Others are day trippers
and use the street parking, or
attend the Llandudno Transport
BARRIERS
Conwy County Council Street Works
www.conwy.gov.uk/streetworks
VISITOR MANAGEMENT
Kevin Chin Services - 07401 010122
ENTERTAINMENT
HTC Entertainment & Events
0845 838 1395
www.htcevents.co.uk
“WE ATTRACT
OVER 500,000
PEOPLE
IN THE
COURSE OF
THE 3-4 DAY
WEEKEND”
Festival, which runs concurrently
and offers its own dedicated
parking, before joining us for the
main Mostyn Street event too.
How do you publicise the event?
We have a high number of regular
attendees and hope to gain
publicity in line with coach firms
providing trips to our event from all
over the country. We are pleased to
have even featured on a weather
forecast live TV slot.
What challenges have you faced?
Financial stress is the main one.
Being run by volunteers and self
funding we have struggled without
a full time fund raiser to gain grants,
and our small Town and County
council support doesn’t even cover
providing barriers or emptying
the bins. The next stress is finding
enough volunteers to keep the
event running. Role up any new
helpers please!
What are your plans for next
year?
We are set to roll the sleeves up and
get 2017 organised after the August
summer break and are looking
to add zing to the entertainment
schedule and involve our local
community as much as possible.
What advice could you give to
someone coming into the outdoor
event industry?
Strategies and planning don’t
add up to real life experience or
demonstrate what can go wrong;
my best advice is to become a
volunteer first and get inside the
action and get a taste of different
sorts of events. Location and the
plot the event takes place on have
the biggest influence, and the real
unknown is the weather!
INSURANCE
Footman James
0333 207 6120
www.footmanjames.co.uk
and others
DETAILS
29 April – 1 May 2017
Llandudno, Conwy, LL30 1AB
07401 010122
events@victorian-extravaganza.com
www.victorian-extravaganza.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 51

EVENTS
Working
with Councils
Event organiser Julie Whalley knows a thing or two
about how the local council can help or hinder your event
WASTE
AND PARKING
From car parking to cleaning
the site after your event, these teams
are sometimes the unsung heroes. Your
local council needs to be your first point of
contact for quotes for waste bins, litter control,
hiring of car parks for exhibitors and visitors, WC
management, grass protection, electric and water
supply. It can usually point you in the direction
of people who know how to run a good event
car park and can offer advice on handling
security and cash. This team also gets
involved in looking after public
amenities such as toilets.
YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL, believe it or
not, is actually run by human beings
known as council staff. Most of them
have their own families who live in
the council’s area of responsibility.
Councillors on the other hand are
an entirely different species, a
small minority of whom need to be
handled with kid gloves.
There are few council officers,
from my own personal experience,
who have up to date, private sector
heads on their shoulders, so bear
this in mind, especially when it
comes to keeping your budget in
check! Likewise (and this is just
a reflection of society in general)
those of us aged between 35 and
60 tend to be at the pinnacle of
our careers, with a family and
a mortgage to pay, and simply
cannot afford the time to sit on a
committee. We therefore leave the
planning of our boroughs to those
with little private sector knowledge
and/or of retirement age. So is it any
wonder that we occasionally find it
difficult to work together?
I spent time working for the
council, and hand on heart, I can
say that council staff in the main are
totally on our side. They deal with
event planners day in day out in one
way or another, year after year. After
all, they want more visitors because
more visitors means more spend in
the local community.
When we don’t get what we want,
it’s not the council staff at fault, but
merely the way we ask for things
and the expectations of the local
council. To help them decipher our
needs they give us event planning
forms and various guides to ensure
we speak the same language, and
above all that we plan events with
safety in mind.
GETTY IMAGES
Councils are not complicated
organisations really. Society’s
need for structure and order was
established using military principles
for finance, logistics, geographic
(maps, planning), strategy,
manpower, environment, medical,
remedial and so on. Every council is
set up like this.
STRATEGY
AND PLANNING
Do you want to make friends
with your council quickly? Check
the local plans for the area to see if your
event ticks the boxes in terms of targets
in the area for increased visitor numbers,
adding value back into the local economy,
promoting local producer businesses,
engaging with community groups and local
charities, providing platforms for budding
musicians, the using of public
space and promoting public
transport.
TOURISM AND EVENTS
Your event will rely on good marketing and not
conflicting with other events being held on your
chosen date. The tourism team have the contacts not
just in your borough but others too. They also have
direct access to local accommodation providers,
public transport, and community services such as
museums, galleries and sports venues that may also
offer their assistance be it in the form of leaflet drops,
activities at your event, interest stands, chefs to do
demonstrations and so forth. This team may also
host a safety advisory group that is there to lend
you advice and experience, particularly on your
event plan. The team will also liaise with the
local emergency services, so it does pay to get
them on board sooner rather than later.
52 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Health and safety, food safety, animal welfare
and pest control all require strict government
guidelines to be followed for every event in
the country. They are pretty straightforward
and have common sense written all over them.
If you don’t understand the rules, ask for an
explanation; it could be that someone was killed
doing something that has now been included in
the guidelines to protect others in the future.
Environmental health officers tend not to like
their weekends taken up with checking exhibitor
stands, so the tighter you are at enforcing the
basics the more respect you’ll get from this
team. Check out your exhibitors before you say
yes to hosting them, and make sure that trader
risk assessments and public liability insurance
certificates are up to date and suitable for their
stands. Be stringent for every event you host;
the less the health officers and health and safety
teams have to worry about, the easier it will be
to gain their support. Animal welfare and pest
control become very interested when animals
are involved in your event. For example, horses,
trailers, dogs in cars and hens in cages all need
specialist care.
I use the warning hint, ‘Our local
environmental health team very much look
forward to meeting you all at our event,’ which
seems to reduce the amount of work my local
team needs to do. This team also keeps an eye
on noise levels and handles resident complaints,
so seek their advice in earnest. They will have a
copy of the Purple Guide (an industry guide to
delivering events safely), so ratios of stewards to
visitors, the number of WCs required, and so on,
can be obtained by asking the health and safety
team if you don’t have this guide yourself.
HIGHWAYS AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT is mostly dealt
with at county council level, although the local council
will liaise with county and/or offer advice on these areas
as well as signage control. Posters, signs and banners
require planning permission.
HANDLING THE POLITICS
However well planned your event is, some
councillors can still make things very difficult
for you if you intend to host your event in their
ward and they are not consulted. Remember,
these people sit on the committees that decide
whether to issue licenses. Check their history with
regard to NIMBYs (‘not in my back yard’; those who
oppose anything planned in their immediate area
on principle), their personal local allegiances with
businesses and community groups, and which
committees they sit on. Speaking to other event
organisers may reveal some useful information.
Most councils are now online. Events are
submitted to councils who publish this information
in their committee reports and minutes. It might
be worth having a look through to see if someone’s
event plan is already listed so you can glean essential
knowledge from it for your own.
Although not part of the council, local trader groups
often know how to be heard by those who make
the final decisions. Check out aims, objections and
previous history of supporting the events in their area
and try to engage with them.
In short, use your local council’s experience and
advice. They do want events to be held on their
patch, and their staff will have seen it all before.
COMMUNITIES TEAM
The communities team can
bring in extra activities such
as arts and crafts, local school
engagement, sports and
recreational promotion. This
team has all the schools and
local clubs and society contacts.
PRINT
ROOM
Nearly all councils have
an in-house print room team
who handle the smaller print
runs for things such as letters,
basic event posters and tickets.
It can be good value for money
and they may welcome the
extra funds, so just ask.
CONTROL
CENTRES
Not all councils have
a switchboard, but it
might be useful if you are a
small team to try and engage the
council’s support as a partner.
This way it may allow you to
route your enquiry calls
through it’s
call centre.
FINANCE
Not all councils
will offer the same level
of support, but they will
be used to handling cash for
certain clubs, charities and ad
hoc events, or at least be able
to offer guidance on how to
handle cash on the day
of your event.
LICENSING AND LEGAL
Your event will no doubt need some form of
license, whether this is a Temporary Event Notice
(TEN) or a full site license. Speak to one of the
team and they will ensure you tick the right boxes
on the right form for the right day so you get the
right license for your event. For those traders
selling alcohol, check the limits on the council’s
issuing of TENs and make sure your alcohol
trading sponsors are included in this ratio. Some
councils may also offer to run over your terms
and conditions and offer advice or suggestions
on what needs to be covered by your event
insurance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Whalley trained as a caterer,
had a career in the army then
turned her logistics and planning
skills to event organisation. She
set up and orchestrated Clitheroe
Food Festival from 2011–2015 and
still consults on the event which
attracts over 20,000 people.
Last year Julie launched Event Owl, an online
platform connecting event organisers and exhibitors
to process trade stand applications. Julie is also a
food and drink writer, and food judge.
www.eventowl.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 53

EVENTS
Card
Payments
GETTY IMAGES
Tally Wade takes a look at the options available for
processing card payments at outdoor events
IT IS A sign of the times that the use of
cheques is pretty much dead and we are
carrying less and less cash, preferring the
ease and convenience of card transactions.
This proves no problem in the environment
of most retail exchanges, but take the
purchase of a coffee / pint of beer / ice cream
/ hot tub to the middle of a field and you
could be in trouble.
Many outdoor event organisers take cash
only onsite, but this can impact significantly
on trade. I know from experience how
quickly cash disappears at a show, but not
only does a shortage of cash at an event
prevent any further spending, a study by
Dun & Bradstreet found that people are
prepared to spend 12-18% more on the
same item when using plastic over cash. This
ability to spend and over spend can only be
a good thing for an event, as exhibitors will
be happy and more likely to come back. It
also means that organisers can more readily
accept people turning up to buy tickets on
the day, sell associated event items such as
show guides and show merchandise, and
reap rewards on any concessions they may
take a cut on such as the bar.
So, what are the options for those wanting
to ‘cash in’ on plastic? In order for a credit or
debit card payment to work, the technology
reading the card needs to be able to connect
and talk to Visa, MasterCard or American
Express so it can handle taking the payment
from the customer’s bank or credit account.
This can be done in a number of ways in
remote locations – some merchants use a
mobile phone app - but the most reliable
is the use of a portable PDQ (process data
quickly) machine. PDQ machines can be
hired from a number of suppliers, but the
most important consideration is how the
device is going to connect to the merchant
to process the transaction.
Getting connected
“There a number of ways to get connectivity
to a site,” says Dominic Hampton of
Attend2IT Event IT Solutions. “With internet,
you can use physical lines, such as
ADSL (copper phone lines), FTTC
(optical fibre and copper broadband),
fibre (super fast optical fibre
broadband) or PTP links (a direct link
back to an area with
internet access).
“However, best of all
for reliability and speed
is satellite, to which
a site can connect for
the duration of an
event. The choice of
how a site connects
to the internet will
depend on how many
PDQ machines are
being used and the site
location.”
PDQ machines
will use internet
connectivity to
communicate with the
merchant (Visa, MasterCard or American
Express) and authorise a transaction.
GPRS (mobile network)
GPRS is a mobile data service that allows
mobile phones to connect to the internet
and can also be used by PDQ machines to
process transactions. “GPRS is fine in an
area where there is signal,” says Hampton,
“but it can run into problems where tens of
thousands of people turn up for an event in
the middle of a field, which is usually only
home to a few cows.”
Matthew Griffiths is sales manager at
Wireless Terminal Solutions. He supplies
terminals that connect with GPRS and is
careful to complete a full site search before
taking on a contract. “It is important to
check what connectivity there is at an
event site. If there is limited connectivity
we recommend an organiser use another
option,” he says.
“It also really makes a difference which
terminals you use, how they are configured
and the quality of the SIM cards supplied.
ATTEND2IT
Often when a trader has a
problem connecting with a PDQ
machine on a remote site it isn’t
that the network can’t stand
up to the traffic in the area,
but that they either haven’t
configured their terminal
correctly or the SIM card it
contains is not up to scratch.”
So why would some traders have
problems and not others, and how can
an event organiser be confident that their
exhibitors will be able to take transactions
successfully during an event using mobile
networks?
“Many exhibitors will have their own PDQ
machine, usually supplied by their bank.
Banks are by far the largest supplier of PDQ
machines, but they are cost driven and
will supply SIMs that cost around £1.50,”
explains Griffiths.
“Our SIMs cost us double that and this
shows in the success of the connectivity
of the device. We also understand how to
configure devices for the networks available.
If there are any problems, every member
of our team is technically trained and can
help a customer configure a device over
the phone while they are at an event if
something goes wrong.”
The cost of a PDQ machine set up for
use in a remote location is also a key
consideration. “We supply PDQ machines at
£60 plus £21 postage. We usually work with
54 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

EVENTS
A central mast with satellite link can
be provided even for small events
“IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED THAT BY FAR THE FASTEST AND
MOST RELIABLE WAY FOR PDQ MACHINES TO CONNECT
TO MERCHANTS TO PROCESS TRANSACTIONS IS VIA THE
INTERNET”
ATTEND2IT
an event organiser as a ‘preferred supplier.’
We take an exhibitor’s list and contact
exhibitors on behalf of the event offering our
machines,” says Griffiths.
“Many exhibitors who attend only a few
events a year like our service as we are able
to create a temporary merchant account for
the duration of the event, rather than them
having to be tied into a long contract where
they are paying £10-15 per month for a
facility that they won’t use.”
Some events with connectivity nearby
get complaints from exhibitors that the
connection is slow or doesn’t work at all. “It
doesn’t actually have much to do with the
local masts and how much data they are
able to handle. This may not be the case
for events attracting tens of thousands of
people all using their phones for calls and
data, but for events of up to 10,000 people,
a mast even in a rural area should be able
to cope,” says Griffiths. “In our experience
it is more to do with how the terminals
are configured and the quality of the SIMs
used. We supplied terminals to Gardening
Scotland, which in previous years had
trouble with PDQ machines connecting.
Nothing has changed but the terminals and
now the transactions are going through just
fine.”
So, what can you do if you have an
event in a field where tens of thousands
of people do turn up? How do you ensure
connectivity when the local mast just
won’t handle the number of phones and
data transmitting devices on site? “Some
companies offer VPNs (virtual private
networks), where they purchase a virtual
network from a mobile phone provider to
try and overcome this problem. They may
also have a repeater in the middle of a field
to help control overloading the system,”
continues Griffiths. “Despite the extra cost, I
would be wary of investing in a VPN as I have
heard some less than great reports about
how successful they actually are. I would
always recommend getting Wi-Fi to the site
through a satellite link up or a hard wire. We
have worked on some events where ‘cells’
have been dotted around to help boost the
signal, which have worked. The Territorial
Army also uses this technology for its
communications.”
Telephone
Some organisers / landowners may find that
the ADSL / telephone line route is a cheaper
option long term if they are planning on
holding regular events from their site. “To
connect to ADSL does have an initial cost
as BT need to pull a cable through from the
nearest exchange,” says Hampton. “Anyone
who lives in a remote area will know that the
further from the exchange you are the less
reliable the line, and it is likely that you will
also have to pay for ducting for the cable.
If this is the case, you may as well go for
optical fibre broadband, which will speed
everything up. This may cost a few thousand
pounds but could be a longer term solution.”
Be aware that each PDQ machine onsite
will need to be connected to this line
somehow, and a specialist event IT company
will be needed to help sort it out. In addition,
connecting through a standard phone line
can be slow, as Hampton explains: “If a
PDQ machine is connected to a standard
telephone line it will literally ‘telephone’ the
transaction back to the clearing centre and
can be slow; reliable but slow.”
Internet
It is widely accepted that by far the fastest
and most reliable way for PDQ machines
to connect to merchants to process
transactions is via the internet. “Provided
there is enough redundancy in the
infrastructure onsite,” adds Hampton.
Many providers of Wi-Fi to outdoor event
sites will have a satellite or two. “With a
satellite, all you need is power and sky,” says
Hampton. We can get around 30-50 PDQ
machines running comfortably from one
satellite but we usually use two so there is
redundancy in the system.”
If you think ‘satellites’ sound like an
unaffordable, James Bond mega villain-type
option, they needn’t be. “We try and get the
message across that connectivity can be
provided even for the smallest of events,”
says Hampton. “We operate by charging
the event organiser a small fee to set up a
basic wireless infrastructure from which
they can connect to the internet to do any
social media marketing, etc they want to do
onsite, and maybe a PDQ machine to take
ticket transactions at the gate. This might
cost around £1,000 depending on the site
layout. To add any further PDQ machines for
trade stands is a small extra cost. This then
gives the organiser the option to monetise
the option for traders to take advantage of a
PDQ machine for the duration of the event.
“Our connectivity infrastructure will
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 55

EVENTS
always include redundancy so traders can
be added into the mix. It may be a central
mast on site with a satellite link – we usually
use two in case one goes down. We can also
utilise any physical internet connection
to the site if there is one, even if it is a bit
rubbish. We pull everything into the mix.” So,
an organiser could make his outlay back and
then some by charging exhibitors for PDQ
machines and connectivity.
“When traders book their pitches, they
can tick a box saying they want the extra
service, then we provide the extra machines
and the connectivity to make them
work. In my experience most organisers
underestimate how much exhibitors are
willing to pay for connectivity. They more
than anyone know how accepting plastic
will increase their sales. The other great
advantage of connectivity via internet is
that you can sell access to the internet to
exhibitors as another revenue stream; they
can then use it to access social media or
resell to the public, creating ‘hubs’ perhaps
around catering and hospitality stands.”
RFID token systems
Another type of cashless payment system
already becoming popular on the festival
scene is a modern version of token systems,
using RFID (radio-frequency identification)
technology to replace cash transactions.
Customers upload money onto their RFID
chip (usually in the shape of a wristband,
card or even dog tag) then they can pay for
food, drink or other products on site simply
by tapping the chip onto an RFID portal.
“There are many advantages of such a
system,” says Paul Reed, general manger of
the National Caterer’s Association (NCASS).
“When there’s no cash on site there is less
opportunity for theft. What’s more, RFID
providers believe that customers spend up
to 30% more when they can’t see the cash
they’re parting with.
“Queue times at trade stalls can also be
dramatically reduced - by up to three times
- and for organisers there is the opportunity
for better site management and safety
precautions as you can use the cashless
system to track where everyone is and
adjust bar stock levels in the appropriate
areas. These systems can even work out
which acts result in the highest beer sales!
You could also use your findings to charge
more for the better pitches and less for the
quieter ones.
“Of course, organisers will still have the
same connectivity issues to consider, but
another potential issue is where cashless
money is held throughout the duration of
the event and the? remains ‘whose money
is it?’ at any point during the event. At
what point does money go from being the
punters’, to belonging to the traders they’ve
CASH ON THE MOVE
Cash still represents 50% of total payment transactions in the UK
bought from? And at what point is it the
organiser’s?”
Reed suggests that if it isn’t kept in
some form of escrow account and properly
accounted for, there is an opportunity for the
money to be spent by the organiser. Even
though that could be considered fraudulent,
it is not currently preventable. So what is
the future for a technology that could offer
so much?
“For the past two years we have been
gathering support for a cashless code of
conduct across the industry,” says Reed.
“RFID providers are keen for this to be put
in place to protect their sector and event
organisers have been made aware that there
is notable reticence among traders to work
using cashless systems until potential issues
have been eliminated.
“With the support of Steve Heap from
the Association of Festival Organisers, we
have been working towards a solution that
will protect traders, enable RFID systems to
grow and protect the good reputation of the
industry. We are submitting our proposals
for the code of practice and a debate will be
held at the AFO conference in November in
Stratford with a commitment to have the
RFID code of practice in place for the 2017
events season.”
Cash machines
A straightforward alternative to providing
traders with connectivity and PDQ machines
is to provide event attendees with the means
to withdraw cash. Josh Bentley, director of
Cash on the Move, says that providing cash
machines on site can increase spending
without costing organisers anything. “Cash
still represents 50% of total payment
transactions in the UK,” says Bentley,
“and people are used to paying for cash
at convenient locations. We generate our
revenue from the end user by charging a
withdrawal fee, which means the organiser
of the event doesn’t usually incur any cost.”
The amount generated from a cash
machine will depend on its location onsite,
whether there are off site cash machines
offering free withdrawals nearby, the
number of people at the event, and what
there is onsite for people to spend their
money on. “Large events easily cover the
cost of the machine, but at smaller events
we do have a minimum amount that an
organiser needs to make up if there is a
shortfall of revenue generated from the
machine,” says Bentley.
In terms of logistics, the cash machine(s)
are positioned on site, staffed, insured,
stocked and topped up with cash
throughout the event as part of the service.
“16 amp mains power is required for all
our vehicle and cube based solutions,
although our fleet does include a limited
number of fully independent vehicles that
do not require an externally supplied power
source,” says Bentley.
So, does providing cash machines do
away with the need for card payments
altogether? “Not necessarily,” says Bentley.
“We recommend giving attendees at
events as many payment options as
possible to make purchases. Some people
prefer to use cash, some prefer the ease
of card payments. The introduction of
card payments at events hasn’t affected
us greatly and organisers have reported
that having both card payments and cash
machines combined has increased spending
all round.”
ADDRESS BOOK
Attend2IT – 01763 877 477
www.attend2it.co.uk
Cash on the Move – 020 7794 3664
www.cashonthemove.com
Nationwide Caterers Association
0121 603 2524 / www.ncass.org.uk
Wireless Terminal Solutions
0845 459 9984
www.wirelessterminalsolutions.co.uk
56 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

THE EVENT IT SOLUTION
SPECIALIST KEEPING
YOU CONNECTED
• EVENT WI-FI
• PAYMENT SOLUTIONS
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COUNTING
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• ELECTRONIC POINT OF SALE
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constantly delivering a reliable, friendly and
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alongside AV companies, agencies, venues
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service to both small and large shows alike.
01763 877 477 • www.attend2it.co.uk
Event Hire Equipment
Pre & Post Event Support
Nationwide Coverage
CALL: 0845 601 5427
www.winnerevents.com
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 57

EVENTS
Time for
Change
A road map to greener power at events,
courtesy of Powerful Thinking
POWER IS GENERALLY one of
the energy market is forecast as
the five largest single production increasingly volatile
costs for an event, and the most › The outdoor event sector
significant source of environmental has a unique opportunity to
impact, particularly in the case
contribute to carbon reduction,
of diesel generators. Whatever
showcase new technologies
power source an organiser
and engage with audiences
chooses, the best thing they › Efficient energy management
can do, environmentally and
can lead to costs savings.
financially, is to try and reduce
power use and increase energy Reducing energy use and
efficiency. The next priority is to impacts will:
look at alternatives to fossil fuel › Save money – improved
dependence, and consider options knowledge when choosing
for low or zero carbon energy
power types, understanding
K FESTIVAL INDUSTRY
sources.
power demands and
Using facts and figures, we hope structuring energy contracts to
to demonstrate the importance of promote fuel efficiency allows
reducing power usage at outdoor organisers to reduce fuel waste
MPACTS BY NUMBERS
events, offering ways in which this and overhead costs
series.
can be achieved and providing › Improve your brand/reputation
case studies from different areas of – energy efficiency can improve
the outdoor event industry.
an event’s green credentials,
2014 WAS
DECLARED THE
HOTTEST YEAR ON
RECORD
(globally)
THE UK’S
SUMMER OF
2012 TURNED
OUT TO BE THE
WETTEST ON
RECORD IN A
CENTURY
Why consider energy usage?
› The UK Festival Industry uses
in excess of 12 million litres of
diesel annually
› 99% of UK outdoor event power
is derived from diesel generators
(The Power Behind Festivals
3.17
report, 2012)
› Power can represent up to 70%
of an event’s carbon emissions
(excluding audience travel).
› Research suggests that
MILLION
inefficient generator use is
common at events in the UK
(The UK Power MUSIC Behind Festivals
report, 2012)
› The FESTIVAL
main cause of fuel wastage
is lack GOERS
of information about
requirements and lack of
communication ANNUALLY between
contractors and events, events
and suppliers (The Power
Behind Festivals report, 2012)
› Fuel costs are rapidly rising, and
STIVAL CARBON FOOTPRINT
AVERAGE CARBON 58 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
AVERAGE CARBON FOOTPRINT
OOTPRINT (ONSITE) WITH AUDIENCE TRAVEL (CO2e)
(CO2e)
demonstrate innovation and
provide an opportunity to
engage with attendees about
energy awareness
› WASTE Reduce carbon emissions –if
23,500
the UK’s summer festivals cut
their diesel consumption by
10%, more than one million
litres of diesel and more than
TONNES
3,000 tonnes of C02 would be
saved in one year alone.
OF WASTE ANNUALLY
FUEL
The total litres of fuel used by the UK
festival industry annually.
Average litres of diesel
used at UK music festivals
0.6 LITRES PER
PERSON PER DAY
DIESEL
BIODIESEL
15%
32%
Recycled
5 MILLION LITRES
68%
Landfill
0.6
LITRES
2014 WAS
DECLARED THE
HOTTEST YEAR ON
RECORD
(globally)
THE UK’S
SUMMER OF
2012 TURNED
OUT TO BE THE
WETTEST ON
RECORD IN A
CENTURY
BIODIESEL USE
Of the 13 medium to large events, with a combined audience
3.17
MILLION
UK MUSIC
FESTIVAL
GOERS
ANNUALLY
FIVE POINT PLAN
FESTIVAL CARBON FOOTPRINT
The Association of Festival Organisers (AFO) and
Powerful AVERAGE Thinking CARBON have developed AVERAGE the CARBON following FOOTPRINT tips
FOOTPRINT (ONSITE) WITH AUDIENCE TRAVEL (CO
to provide inspiration for event organisers who wish 2e)
to
(CO 2e)
reduce the environmental impact associated with their
Waste
power usage.
7%
Energy
13%
1KNOW YOUR POWER
Power is often an area Waste
that event organisers have
35%
not taken the time to investigate (we are busy
people), but it may be worth doing so in order to help
Energy Audience
achieve reductions in 65% costs and Travel emissions, 80% whatever
type
Energy
or scale of
Waste
event you are
Water
managing.
Audience Travel
Top Tip: You can find comprehensive and free
information about managing energy at outdoor
CARBON EMISSIONS
events at www.powerfulthinking.org.uk, Total UK festival which
includes a 30-page guide to energy industry management emissions for
(excluding travel)
events, case studies and the full Energy fact sheet
19,778 TONNES
C02 per year
2REDUCE POWER DEMAND
Look at how power is currently
being managed and consumed.
WASTE
23
TON
OF WA
FUEL
5 MI
The to
festiva
Avera
used
0.
PE
DIESEL
85%
TRAVE
Coach
*Please see
Some
www.powerful-thinking.org.uk/vision2025/references
events will have good information
for an explanat
references from the report.
about previous years from their power
provider(s), and others will have nothing.
Either way, begin the conversation with
your power provider about opportunities
to reduce demand – who is using power
and can they reduce usage? Often traders
and lighting companies can reduce
their requirements, and in many cases
end-users of power ask for more than
they actually need, which can result
in significantly oversized generators,
unnecessary costs and avoidable fuel
consumption.
Top Tip: Ask your power provider
to contact all end users to find out
their real requirement as part of your
contract with them. It may cost extra
for this service, but the savings will
likely outweigh this as a result of the
confidence in specifications leading to
smaller generators and less fuel usage.
U
Tra

Waste
35%
13%
Energy
65%
CARBON EMISSIONS
Total UK festival
industry emissions
(excluding travel)
19,778 TONNES
C02 per year
Audience
Travel 80%
TRAVEL*
TRAVEL TYPICALLY
Energy Audience
Energy Waste Water Audience Car TravelCONSTITUTES AROUND
65% Travel 80%
Energy Waste Water Audience Travel
HOW THE 80%
UK FESTIVAL
OF A FESTIVAL’S
CARBON EMISSIONS
AUDIENCE
TOTAL KNOWN
CO 2 e EMISSIONS
Total UK TRAVEL festival
industry emissions
(excluding travel)
Coach
Train Campervan
19,778 TONNES
C0 2 per year
3
CONSIDER RENEWABLE Top Tip: Check the GreenArts marketplace
SOURCES
for green power suppliers across the UK
its fuel dependency
*Please
Solar, WVO
see
(reprocessed
www.powerful-thinking.org.uk/vision2025/references
(www.greenartsmarketplace.com). For
for an explanation by transitioning of the travel types breakdown and a full list of
waste references
UK
vegetable oil), from
FESTIVAL
biofuel the report. detailed information about power
INDUSTRY
types see
to renewables
and wind power are all
the Powerful Thinking fact sheets. When
and improving on
renewable energy sources and comparing prices, remember that there is no
efficiency. In 2013, Shambala was powered
are carbon zero-rated.
fuel cost to add on for solar or wind solutions.
by 93% WVO bio-diesel, 1% solar and 6% red
Solar and or hybrid (or even
diesel – 100% of which was consumed by tower
pedal
IMPACTS
power) systems can
BY NUMBERS
lights. The ambition to be 100% renewable was
often
UK
be good solutions
FESTIVAL
for:
INDUSTRY
achieved in 2014 by using biofuel and solar
FESTIVAL
› Small to medium sized
INDUSTRY
hybrid systems across the site. Onsite biodiesel
4
music stages – a very
MAKE A PLAN
consumption was reduced by 20% from 2013 to
visible demonstration of
Develop an aim or target – this might be to
2014 by using hybrid systems, and there was a
IMPACTS BY NUMBERS
commitment to renewable
reduce fuel consumption by 10% a year for
380% kWh increase in renewable energy, which
PACTS BY NUMBERS
power
three years, or to use a designated percentage of
included stages run completely on solar and
› Campsite lighting eg LED renewable power. Work with your power provider to pedal power.
festoon – these run silently decide how best to achieve this, and accept that it
To assist in reducing the over-specification
so will make for happy may take more than one year to make fundamental
of generators, Shambala works with its power
WASTE
campers 2014 WAS
changes to your approach. In some cases you may
supplier to gather the power requirements of all
23,500
DECLARED THE
› Box offices HOTTEST YEAR – ON the first
have to take the initiative if a secondary supplier is
end-users. It is also built into the contract that
RECORD
point of
32%
(globally) contact for most needed or the current WASTE supplier is reluctant to change fuel savings are expected year-on-year, with a
Recycled
2014 WAS
attendees, DECLARED THE often have low
68%
3.17
WASTE the way they work.
fixed fee on biofuel costs to create an incentive
23,500
HOTTEST YEAR ON
power RECORDneeds, and may be
32%
23,500
Remember that the overwhelming evidence is that for the contractor to reduce usage wherever
Landfill
TONNES
(globally)
N
Recycled
in outlying areas where most events can reduce 32% fuel consumption, and many possible. In addition, Shambala stipulates
3.17
Recycled
OF WASTE ANNUALLY
68%
power isn’t otherwise have already achieved significant reductions.
detailed energy monitoring throughout the
Landfill
TONNES 68%
3.17
provided
event, a generator-by-generator post event
Landfill
TONNES
Top Tip: Use the contract between you and your
› Production compound OF WASTE ANNUALLY
MILLION
–
report, and recommendations for future
power provider to make clear the targets you
the first area set up and OF WASTE ANNUALLY
efficiency gains.
expect to meet, and to introduce FUEL new elements
the last to leave, so a great
In 2015, the set-up included 22 bio-diesel
such as LED festoon FUELlighting.
opportunity MILLION
for fuel saving
generators, the full range of Cygnus Hybrid
FUEL
MILLION UK MUSIC 5 MILLION LITRES
over THE a longer UK’S time
UK
period
MUSIC 5 MILLION LITRES
Power (Firefly Clean Energy), 35 portable solar
The total litres of fuel used by the UK
THE SUMMER UK’S
› Pumps OF
The total litres of fuel used by the UK
SUMMER festival industry annually.
UK MUSIC 2012 OF
for on-site water
fold-arrays and 10 power packs. All of the site
TURNED FESTIVAL
festival industry annually.
2012 TURNED FESTIVAL 5 MILLION LITRES
management
OUT TO OUT BE THE TO BE THE and
The total litres of fuel used by the UK
WETTEST WETTEST ON ON
festival industry annually.
FESTIVAL
RECORD RECORD IN A IN A GOERS GOERS5
MONITORING, REPORTING AND
lighting was LED - 12km of festoon lighting and
distribution
COMMUNICATION
105 LED Floods; the tower lights were powered
CENTURY
GOERS › Overnight CENTURY on stages when
ANNUALLY
Good information Average litres is of vital diesel for making
by HPG (hybrid power generators).
ANNUALLY
Average litres of diesel
lower power supply is
0.6
Average litres of diesel
used at UK music festivals
ANNUALLY
rational decisions about improving efficiency
Shambala Festival has reduced its energyrelated
greenhouse gas emissions per audience
used at UK music festivals
required.
used at UK music and festivals reducing fuel 0.6 consumption LITRES PER year-on year.
PERSON PER DAY 0.6 LITRES PER 0.6
0.6 LITRES Stipulate PER that you 0.6 require a post-event
per day by 39.5% between 2013 and 2014, and
PERSON PER LITRES
PERSON report PER DAY as part of the contract with at least the DAY has reduced its overall onsite carbon footprint
LITRES
LITRES
FESTIVAL CARBON FOOTPRINT
following information:
by 81% over five years. In 2015, energy (including
BIODIESEL
• monitoring information for 15% each generator
bottled gas for traders) accounted for 19.6% of
CARBON FOOTPRINT FESTIVAL AVERAGE CARBON CARBON AVERAGE CARBON FOOTPRINT
BIODIESEL
15%
BIODIESEL
FOOTPRINT (ONSITE) WITH AUDIENCE TRAVEL (CO2e)
showing power load versus
DIESEL
BIODIESEL capacity
the onsite carbon footprint and only 8.53% of the
USE 15%
RBON
AVERAGE (CO2e) CARBON FOOTPRINT
Of the 13 medium to large events, with a combined audience
NSITE) WITH AUDIENCE AVERAGE TRAVEL CARBON (CO2e)
DIESEL AVERAGE CARBON • BIODIESEL final FOOTPRINT map USE of generator locations with sizes
overall footprint when including travel.
85%
of 1.3m, that used the Julie’s Bicycle Creative IG Tool, over
Waste
FOOTPRINT (ONSITE) WITH AUDIENCE
Of for the
TRAVEL
13 reference medium
(CO
to large 2e) in events, planning
with a combined
50% DIESEL were
audience
using some waste BIODIESEL vegetable oil (WVO) USE An analysis of the costs of energy at the
7%
biodiesel
of 1.3m, that used the Julie’s Bicycle Creative
(CO 2e)
85%
with
IG
an
Tool,
average
over
Waste
total consumption Of the of 13 15% medium WVO biodiesel to large events, with a combined audience
7%
Energy
• 50% recommendations were using some waste vegetable for oil efficiency
and
(WVO) 85%
biodiesel saving in
festival over seven years shows that budget
diesel.
of 1.3m, that used the Julie’s Bicycle Creative IG Tool, over
13% Waste
with an average total consumption of 15% WVO biodiesel
Energy
next year.
per person per day has not increased in real
7%
and 85% diesel.
50% were using some waste vegetable oil (WVO) biodiesel
13%
Waste
A recent study by Bucks New University
terms, representing a saving if inflation and
with an average total consumption of 15% WVO biodiesel
35%
Energy
Waste
TRAVEL*
and 85% diesel.
35%
13% and A Greener Festival (2012) discovered
fuel cost rises are accounted for. While the
TRAVEL TYPICALLY
Energy Audience
TRAVEL*
that 90% of the audience surveyed Car think
cost of hiring certain items of equipment has
CONSTITUTES AROUND
65% Travel Waste 80%
TRAVEL TYPICALLY
Energy Audience
35% that environmental Car CONSTITUTES performance AROUND is the
been higher compared to traditional diesel
65% Energy Travel 80% Waste Water Audience Travel
TRAVEL*
responsibility of the
HOW
organisers.
THE
So, if you
generators in some years, the reduction in
80%
Waste Water Audience Travel
TRAVEL TYPICALLY
Energy Audience are making an effort UK FESTIVAL
OF A FESTIVAL’S
HOW THE 80% to be more sustainable,
total equipment requirements and generator
Car CONSTITUTES AROUND
CARBON EMISSIONS65%
Travel 80%
AUDIENCE
TOTAL KNOWN
80%
Total UK UK festival FESTIVAL remember to shout OF
TRAVEL
A about FESTIVAL’S it!
sizes - due to efficiency savings - and in fuel use
CO 2 e EMISSIONS
EMISSIONS Energy Waste industry Water emissions AUDIENCE
TOTAL KNOWN
(not counting artist/crew/
has outweighed these resulting in cost savings
Audience Travel
Total UK festival
service travel and transport)
(excluding TRAVEL
CO 2 e EMISSIONS
travel) Top Tip: Stipulate a detailed post-event
industry emissions
(not counting artist/crew/
HOW THE
overall.
service travel and transport) Lift
(excluding travel) 19,778 TONNES report on power management.
Share UK FESTIVAL
OF A FESTIVAL’S
C02 per year
TOTAL KNOWN
CARBON 19,778 TONNES EMISSIONS
CO 2 e EMISSIONS
Coach
LiftCoach
AUDIENCE
Share
Coach
Total UK festival Train Campervan TRAVEL
C02 per year
Train industry Campervan emissions
(excluding travel)
*Please see www.powerful-thinking.org.uk/vision2025/references for an explanation of the travel types breakdown and a full list Liftof
Lift
Share
(not counting artist/crew/
service travel and transport)
*Please see www.powerful-thinking.org.uk/vision2025/references for an explanation of the travel types breakdown and a full list of
references from the report.
HOW THE
UK FESTIVAL
AUDIENCE
CASE TRAVEL STUDY
SHAMBALA FESTIVAL
› 7,000 capacity
› Success in
renewable energy
Train Campervan
Over the past five
years, Shambala has
consistently reduced
(not counting artist/crew/
service travel and transport)
Car
Lift
Share
TRAVEL TYPICALLY
CONSTITUTES
EVENTS
AROUND
80%
OF A FESTIVAL’S
TOTAL KNOWN
CO 2 e EMISSIONS
(not counting artist/crew/
service travel and transport)
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 59

EVENTS
CASE STUDY
THE SHOWMAN’S SHOW
› 4,500 visitors, 350 exhibitors
› Audit leads to 50% reduction in
diesel use
The Showman’s Show is the only outdoor
event services exhibition in the UK. It
has a wide variety of exhibitors and
offers them power supplies for their
stands (ranging from 13 amp to 125
amp 3 phase). The organisers have to be
prepared for all kinds of power demands
at any point during the event and at any
location on the showground, and until
2011 this meant hiring large sets of diesel
generators to ensure these demands
could be met.
In 2012, in support of the Powerful
Thinking campaign, the organisers of
the Showman’s Show decided to review
energy supply and consumption at
the event and look at the possibility
of alternative power supplies to diesel
generators.
The first step was to monitor power
usage. At the 2012 event, the electrical
contractor monitored the use of all the
generator sets throughout the build up
to the show and during the event itself. It
found that the event was overestimating
the size of the generators needed and
could afford to reduce the size of the
sets while still meeting demand from the
service areas and the exhibitors.
A key observation was the energy
consumption of the crew catering facility;
the catering area is active for two and a
half weeks during the build, throughout
the show and during the break down. In
the past, the catering tent was supplied
with its own designated generator to
power the cooking facilities, lighting and
run heaters (bearing in mind that the
event is held in October). Using a more
dynamic approach to supplying energy,
the catering tent was moved onto the
small mains supply - available from the
main show ground - during the event
build and break down when demand
was low. Over the two days of the event
itself, when there was more demand on
the mains supply from the camping area
and welfare units, the catering tent was
moved onto a combined set that was
already powering the main exhibition
hall. When the event was over and the
caravans and welfare units had gone, the
catering tent was moved back onto the
mains supply.
This simple review of generator sizes
and a proactive approach to the power
supply for the crew catering tent resulted
in hiring one less generator and helped to
significantly reduce diesel consumption -
by over 50%.
In 2015, the Showman’s Show began
working with the electrical contractor that
also supports the venue on the site where
the show is held. It was able to improve
the existing electrical infrastructure,
reducing energy demand onsite, meaning
that the crew catering facility, campsite
and site office could run from a mains
power supply all through the build, the
event itself and the break down, rather
than switching to generators during the
event as in 2014. They also installed
another permanent floodlight, which
meant one less lighting tower needed to
be shipped in and run.
The other action taken was to simply
switch off generators if they weren’t being
used; previously generators have been
left on during the show build to allow
exhibitors to work late at night or early
in the morning. The contractors simply
noted when work had stopped and then
turned generators off so they were not
running through the night unnecessarily.
This probably made the biggest impact,
helping to save over 200 litres of fuel
compared to the year before.
These small measures producing such
positive results have encouraged the
organisers to regularly review the supply
of power and to look for ways to further
reduce energy consumption.
ABOUT POWERFUL THINKING
Powerful Thinking was established in 2010 as a not-for-profit industry group focused
on tackling energy-related issues at outdoor events. It has provided a forum to
support research, explore issues and develop solutions, and has developed free-touse
resources that support events in reducing their environmental impact.
In November 2015, it released the Show Must Go On report, which recognises
a broader aspiration in the group to tackle other sustainability-related issues
the industry shares. The group has representation from over 250 events through
membership organisations.
Visit www.powerful-thinking.org.uk for free tools and resources including a fuel
use calculator, fact sheets on different power
sources, a list of suppliers and to join Festival
Vision: 2025, a shared vision for a sustainable
festival industry, where committed festival
organisers are pledging to work together to
make the festival industry an exemplar of
environmental responsibility.
60 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

ADVERTISING FEATURE | PRODUCT FOCUS
Heat and Power
Two fuel saving power options for outdoor events
PORTABLE SOLAR & DIESEL
SAVES 80%
Gaia Group UK
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www.gaiagroupuk.com
The Solatainer and Solawedge
have been developed to
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power supply. They integrate
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Created sustainably from a
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container, Solatainer supports
a PV array. When equipped
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mounting system (for rapid
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scalable up to 50kW. In its
standard setup, it comprises
a 4kW PV array, 6kW/h battery
pack and 6kW stand-by
generator. The results are
spectacular, reducing fuel costs
by 80% when compared to a
conventional diesel generator.
AFFORDABLE, CLEAN POWER
AND LIGHTING
Firefly Clean Energy
01273 409595
www.fireflycleanenergy.co.uk
Firefly is an experienced and
trusted supplier of reliable
and affordable Hybrid Power
Systems. Our hybrids have been
used to power live events since
2007.
For power providers seeking to
provide clients with sustainable
power solutions, Firefly offer
purchase or cross-hire options.
Our experienced team can
provide advice and technical
support, whilst our team of
Field Service Engineers are
available for full site support
24-7.
Firefly also advises organisers
on how an event can be
powered more sustainably with
significant fuel savings. Firefly
can put organisers in touch with
dealers from our Festival Power
Specialist network to provide a
full site service solution.
COOLING & HEATING SOLUTIONS
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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 61

ADVERTISING FEATURE
Spot light
A roundup of products for the outdoor hospitality industry
QUALITY CANVAS MARQUEES,
YURTS AND TIPIS
Under the Stars Leisure
01964 527432
www.underthestarsleisure.co.uk
Our range of marquees, yurts,
tents and tipi’s offers a huge
selection of luxury camping,
festival, event and glampsite
options. Our traditional canvas
marquees are ideal for all
occasions. Larger models are a
favourite for weddings, parties,
festivals and outdoor events, and
the smaller models are perfect for
displays and exhibitions. All our
products are created with quality,
durability and style in mind.
Whether it’s family camping
trips, hazy fun filled festivals, big
celebrations or simply relaxing in
the countryside, we believe you
can enjoy the freedom and joy of
nature without compromising on
warmth, comfort and style.
BESPOKE LUXURY SHEPHERD
HUTS
Ashwood Shepherd Huts
01823 461638
www.ashwoodshepherdhuts.co.uk
We have been manufacturing
timber buildings from the
year 2000, and since 2005
have specialised in shepherd
huts. Your hut is yours to
design and create. Work
closely with our creative and
flexible team on size, colours,
fixtures, fittings and layout.
We are a family run business
that prides itself on quality,
value for money and great
customer service, and we
only use FSC timber.
If you are thinking of letting
your hut for short breaks or
holidays we can help you find
the right agencies to contact
wherever you are. Come and
visit our workshop and meet
the team.
LET’S GET COOKING!
The Garden Oven Company
01256 581014
www.garden-oven.co.uk
The Garden Oven Company
creates the ultimate in wood
fired ovens with its Model 1
and larger Model 2 ovens.
Both designs promise a
superb al fresco cooking
experience. Bang on trend,
these environmentallyfriendly
British-made ovens
create the ‘smoked’ and
‘wood fire’ taste that is all
the rage for outdoor cooking
in all seasons.
The Garden Oven is the
perfect cooking accessory
for the outdoor living
experience and has a whole
host of uses. The oven is
multi functional allowing
chefs to cook, bake, grill,
roast and smoke a wide
range of dishes from pizza to
fish, bread to Sunday roast!
WOOD-FIRED ECO TUBS
Dalby Firewood
01653 507194
www.dalbyfirewood.com
Dalby Firewood is an authorised
dealer of Naked Flame
Eco-Tubs. Handcrafted from
premium wood with stainless
steel, these tubs are available in
spruce, larch or Thermowood,
in a number of sizes to
accommodate up to seven
adults. Thermowood boasts
prime insulating qualities and
will last for 20+ years without
further wood treatment.
Also available is the Luv-Tub
– perfect for two people and
smaller spaces. All our Eco-Tubs
are supplied with matching
steps, seats, lid, drinks holder,
paddle, internal stainless steel
heater, flue protector, heater
cover and heater cleaning tool
kit. We also include a FREE bag
of kiln dried hardwood.
10%
DISCOUNT
off all products
Use code: Open Air • Offer ends 9th Oct
62 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

POWER FOR OFF-GRID
GLAMPSITES AND EVENTS
Energy Solutions
01634 290772
www.energy-solutions.co.uk
If your site isn’t connected to the
main grid but you want to run
electrical power, what do you do?
EasyGrid utilises solar energy,
stores it in a battery bank and
can have a generator as a back
up if needed. EasyGrid is an offgrid
power range delivering an
affordable option to glampsites,
and outdoor events - anywhere
without a mains grid connection.
Rather than having to source
separate components and have
a bespoke system designed, our
EasyGrid series offers a preconfigured,
self-contained unit
built from durable, high quality
components; fully tested and
ready to install by a competent
electrician.
ZIPBAR COFFEE /
TEMPORARY KITCHEN
SERVICE PLATFORM
Zipbar
01752 787422
www.zipbar.co.uk
(find us on Facebook!)
Launching this year at the
Showman’s Show 19-20
October, Newbury, is the all
new Zipbar coffee/ temporary
kitchen service platform.
The system, shown in the
digital picture right, is fully
compatible with the existing
Zipbar equipment. The design
has been bought about by the
feedback received from many
of the hotels using Zipbar.
They have all shown increases
in product sales and want to
be able to set their bars up to
sell soft and hot drinks along
with alcoholic drinks.
Come and see the bar for
yourself and meet us at the
Showman’s Show.
MAKE PROFIT WITH
SAFARI TENTS
Clear Sky Safari Tents
0845 299 6484
www.safaritents.net
If you want to get into
glamping, come and talk to
us. Clear Sky is the UK’s
leading supplier of high
quality, exclusively designed
Safari tents, at prices
that make setting up or
extending your glamping
business a profitable
decision.
With a choice of styles, sizes,
colours and frames starting
from only £2,990+VAT, and
expertise gleaned from
running our own glamping
site, we can help turn your
glamping dream into a
reality.
Call us today for more
information or to book a free
consultation.
SHEPHERD HUTS AND PODS
Pendock Pods
07807 135030
www.pendockpods.com
Beautifully British and
handmade to order, our
huts and pods are insulated
structures with windows and
electricity. They are simple
but comfortable, well made
and built to last. Our shepherd
huts are for sale whereas the
pods are available to rent or
buy, and both provide perfect
accommodation solutions
for your events, festivals or
to boost bookings on your
glampsite.
Based in Gloucestershire, we
also have a glampsite (www.
watersedgeholidays.uk) where
customers can come and stay
for a few day to try before they
buy / rent! Shepherd huts start
from £6,500. A stay is £110 for
two nights.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 63

CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY
LINKING ENVIRONMENT AND FARMING
Classified Directory
BRAND NEW POP UP
Stuck for furniture hire?
www.europainternational.com/oa
hire happy
Call 08454 303015
Erection and dismantling included
in the price. Excellent for garden
parties, birthdays, markets,
weddings and other events
Tel: 01789 267000
Email: info@sketts.co.uk
www.popuphire.co.uk
traditional tepees with a
modern twist...
Retailer of single pole canvas tepees with fly
screens & windows in 3,4,5 and 6m diameter
tent hire in the north east
www.northernstartepees.co.uk
Providing luxury bell tents available
for both hire & purchase
info@boutiquecamping.com
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COOLING & HEATING SOLUTIONS
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64 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY
A4 - Full Page Ad.indd 1 04/04/2016 17:17
A4 - Full Page Ad.indd 1 04/04/2016 17:17
Festival
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all prestigious corporate and private outdoor events
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0845 459 9875
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outdoor events
Speak to a forecaster
09065 77 76 75
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weatherquest.co.uk
@weatherquest_uk | /Weatherquest
Ensure your guests have the best!!
• Luxurious eco-friendly modular vacuum toilet facilities
• Bespoke and stylish
• Ideal for all prestigious corporate and private outdoor events
• Covering the UK
Tel: 0345 459 0589
www.classicalloocompany.com
enquiries@classicalloocompany.com
Simply the Best Events own and operate over 350
different attractions in house for Corporate Fun Days
and It’s A Knockout events throughout the UK.
Speak to one of our Event Managers
on 0800 019 3908
www.simplythebestevents.co.uk
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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 65

PERIWINKLE
CHUFFER TIES THE KNOT
Periwinkle steps in to advise Chuffer on his wedding set up, but one thing
leads to another and a new business idea is born
HAVING SEALED THE deal with Ms Meadow
Flowers to stage Woodstock Plus in my
paddock later in the year, I decided to help
Chuffer with his nuptials. Given the vast
historical expanse of his bachelorhood, I
suppose it was statistically inevitable that one
day some filly would come along and sweep
Chuffer off his feet, and so it turned out - the
angel in question taking the earthly form of
Daphne Camberwell-Fluff. Fatty was to be the
best man.
I had to help him really. Chuffer had the
financial skills of a Primary 6 under-performer.
He had no idea, for instance, how much the
marquee for his wedding reception might
cost, and when I told him, he looked as if he’d
swallowed a bar of Imperial Leather. In the
end, despite my advice to the contrary, he
opted for a canvas behemoth he got for 50
quid off the ‘bankrupt circus stock’, forward
slash ‘Asia’, section of alibaba.com.
Continuing the theme of ignoring my
input, he paid equally scant attention to my
suggestions for the hiring of a generator. He
knew what he wanted; the one he had seen
on Alibaba when he bought the tent. Next to
a photo of the tent, a photo of the generator
appeared with the caption, ‘Customers who
bought this item also bought this.’ It looked
suspiciously cheap.
Once erected, the tattered canvas
tabernacle revealed faded markings
proclaiming ‘Shanghai State Circus, 1937!’ but
the wedding went ahead at the allotted time.
Ms Fluff took the whole ceremony in her stride,
but Chuffer seemed pre-occupied. It was only
after the wedding that I found out why. “A
brilliant idea came to me during the vows,”
Chuffer said. “Why not keep the the tent as a
permanent wedding venue and combine it
with the facilities on my rustic glampsite? Best
of both worlds, you see.”
Chuffer held forth on a vision as rustic as
a cider-brewer’s smock, with the Shanghai
Acrobatic Team’s former workplace at its
epicentre and an order book overflowing
with wedding bookings stretching up hill and
down dale all the way to Christmas 2030. The
composite site would be a living monument
to Chuffer’s entrepreneurial flair. “The idea
has the simplicity of a conker and the charm
of a Morris Dancer,” he said, as if this were a
desirable outcome.
Chuffer’s existing rustic glamping site - so
rustic Bear Grylls holidays there - already
made money, but with the incorporation
of the circus tent, he reckoned he’d have to
employ a small team of clerks just to tally the
receipts. The speciality of the house would be
paella, cooked peasant style. He’d get all the
ingredients from ASDA, delivered a couple of
hours before the wedding meal.
At this point the dam holding back Chuffer’s
creative juices burst. He hit me with a triplewhammy
of innovative ideas and his thoughts
flooded the conversation. He would save
money he enthused, by eschewing traditional
marquee heating methods in favour of an SAS
technique he’d read about in the Scout Manual
he got for his 12th birthday. This involved just
three tea-lights, a sheet of baking foil, a Zippo
lighter and the signing of the Official Secrets
Act.
Chuffer’s next outpouring of creative
thinking addressed a means to re-invigorate
wedding guests’ cravings for fun and rekindling
their desire to spend even more of
their disposable income after the evening
reception plonk began to wear off. Wild-boar
hunting! Granted, no one had seen a wild
boar in the county since the days of Henry
VIII. Besides, guests might have to top up
their accident insurance, but he could always
import boars from France couldn’t he, and
insurance can be altered in seconds over the
Interweb nowadays?
He swore that his third idea, by far the
craziest, came to him as the vicar proclaimed
“You may now kiss the bride!” when he found
himself shouting, “Shoot your own breakfast!”,
However, the wedding wasn’t entirely without
incident. The cheap generator, like the tent,
dated back to pre-war China, a time when
safety was for losers. There was no discernible
means of baffling the infernal din it made so
that the dance band was forced to crank the
amplifier up to eardrum-thrumming levels to
compete, though later the band leader gave
up trying and altered sets to play in time to the
unwanted noise.
The day ended well for everyone but Fatty.
Through gargantuan effort, Fatty starved
himself all day - to make the best of the buffet
- but by evening he was possessed of a near
supernatural craving for food. He had already
eaten his buttonhole carnation, and those
of several passers-by in addition to an entire
table-top flower arrangement, including the
slab of oasis.
The second the buffet opened Fatty
propelled himself forward but his leathersoled
brogues quickly lost traction on the
50 metre stretch of damp grass over which
the marquee had been erected. Pirouetting
wildly out of control and looking like Rudolph
Nureyev with a 12 pint a day beer belly, he
slammed into a soup tureen with the force of a
charging rhino.
Guests looked on in horror at the wreckage
of the buffet where a semi-conscious Fatty -
tuxedo full of beef consommé - lay draped over
a loudspeaker like a luxuriously over-stuffed
rag doll. When the ambulance arrived, his
limp arms still swung in time to Pennsylvania
6-5000.
66 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Weather services for
outdoor events
Speak to a forecaster
09065 77 76 75
Calls cost £1.50/min plus network access charges
weatherquest.co.uk
@weatherquest_uk | /Weatherquest