Open Air Business April 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
Our team is innovative and creative,
and can work from the traditional
to the off-the-wall and quirky - we
cater for all. We constantly strive
to improve and diversify to keep
on trend with what our customers
require, investing in new equipment
often while trying to come up with
greener alternatives to petrol-fed,
motorised team building activities.
Last year, we bought a Ziesel to
add to our ‘Electric Dreams’ team
building package. It’s the first and
only one so far in the UK. A single
seat ride controlled by a single
joystick but connected over the
internet, the Ziesel has tank treads
and goes at a whopping 23mph!
This coupled with laser clay pigeon
shooting, archery and ninebots
personal transporter riding makes
for a cleaner and greener team
building experience.
What challenges have you faced?
Being sited on green belt land has
caused no end of challenges, with
multitudes of planning issues. When
Stephen bought the property, he
built the lake and a beach around it.
This was to attract school children
and we offered educational visits
to schools through the woods, with
beach visits and paddling as part of
the experience. The beach was an
instant success attracting visitors
from all over who were otherwise
unable to get to a beach or water
including many less abled children.
A rock shop was embedded in to
the sandstone banks and Heart
of England became a stunning
attraction.
A government inspector ruled
that the beach was in contravention
of green belt land and, following a
high court battle, Heart of England
was forced to close the beach. It was
deemed as a ‘honey pot’ attracting
too many visitors to the site. The
lake is still here, but constant battles
remain a challenge with local
authorities. Trying to attract tourism
and employ people appears to be
at odds with our local authorities’
rulings on the use of green belt land.
Recruitment is also a challenge,
whilst being close to all the major
road networks, the site is along a
country lane and non-drivers tend to
struggle in getting here
What are your plans for next
season?
We have planning permission to
build a new 30-bedroom hotel,
although it may not happen next
season. We are also working towards
building a ‘chapel of love’ on the
lake to offer outdoor ceremonies.
We have some very large events
booked in over the coming months
and some proposals going out for
festivals along with the ‘Reaper
Runs’ (obstacle run) so lots coming
up.
Describe your average day midseason
It’s manic! Every day is different and
covers all seasons which is what
the team loves most about Heart
of England. One day we could be
filling our conference suite with
tractors for a product launch, the
ADDRESS BOOK
MARQUEES
Hoecker - 01536 316970
www.hoeckeruk.com
FURNITURE
Besp-Oak - 02476 632148
www.besp-oak.com
WC FACILITIES
Andy Loos - 0845 671 1111
www.andyloos.co.uk
PROMOTION
Venue Directory
www.venuedirectory.com
GREEN CREDENTIALS
› Recycling all cooking oil
› Reed bed sewer system
› New green travel plan
next running a team building course
and constructing rafts down in the
park. We offer such a diverse range
of services with no two events the
same, the variety is endless.
What other outdoor hospitality
sectors do you operate in?
We operate in all areas of the
sector, offering parties, events,
festivals, obstacle races, overnight
accommodation and glamping.
We throw two large parties for
Halloween with trips down through
the woods (for the very brave). We
operate in the corporate sector too
of course, offering conferences, team
building, product launches and
corporate fun days.
What advice could you give
to someone coming into the
industry?
Don’t be afraid to diversify - change
is good and keeps everyone on their
toes.
Venue Finder
www.venuefinder.com
HG One Stop
www.hgonestop.co.uk
CVENTS - www.cvent.com/uk
INSURANCE
Newstead - 0121 410 2400
www.newstead.co.uk
DETAILS
Meriden Road, Fillongley,
Coventry, CV7 8DX
01676 543303
www.heartofengland.co.uk
› Encouraging teams towards
electric and non-motorised
team building activities, with
investment into new and
innovative kit
12 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM