Open Air Business April 2017
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glampsites, festivals and outdoor events
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glampsites, festivals and outdoor events
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the guest from the inside and the<br />
outside. “Letting the outdoors is” is<br />
a massive trend that goes beyond<br />
the greenery trend but is so vital.<br />
Work with your temporary structure<br />
suppliers to come up with options<br />
that allow for sides of marquees to<br />
come out, doors to be open or look<br />
at stretch tents and so on that really<br />
bring out the best of your views<br />
and allow guests to appreciate the<br />
natural greenery of your location.<br />
Don’t forget to look at clear roofs<br />
as an option to connect to the<br />
outdoors while keeping the warmth<br />
in; this is particularly relevant in the<br />
cooler months.<br />
› Wedding florals and styling –<br />
look at the photos your website<br />
features and the colour palettes<br />
of the wedding specific florals and<br />
details these show – do you have<br />
any close ups of foliage you can<br />
update your website with or any<br />
weddings with lots of foliage or<br />
touches of green in the past that<br />
you can bring to the fore? I know I<br />
planned some stand out zesty lime<br />
green weddings some years ago<br />
which I see being commented upon<br />
favourably in <strong>2017</strong> again. Couples<br />
love to see images which inspire<br />
them – while they will invariably<br />
put their own spin on it, think what<br />
you can already show that ticks this<br />
trend box. Don’t over-do it though –<br />
there is no need to go green entirely.<br />
› Are you planning any upcoming<br />
promotional events? If so, can<br />
you style some of your areas<br />
to showcase this trend? Can<br />
you design your invitations to<br />
incorporate this colour? This is<br />
especially relevant if you are an<br />
outdoorsy venue anyway, with<br />
beautiful grounds, outdoor spaces<br />
and features. Orangery-style,<br />
light-filled locations, garden rooms,<br />
gazebos and marquees are likely<br />
to see more demand for dates than<br />
they already have (and they are<br />
some of the most popular spaces on<br />
the market anyway).<br />
› Showrounds – can you<br />
incorporate some greenery into your<br />
showround process? When you greet<br />
your couple, can you welcome them<br />
with lovely green leaves with their<br />
names written on as you offer them<br />
a glass of champagne? Can you<br />
have a stylish tree in a key location<br />
of your venue, holding testimonials<br />
written from past clients on little<br />
green/foliage inspired cards? Can<br />
you plan some greenery inspired<br />
edibles to give away? It’s the little<br />
touches that really stand out. Drinks<br />
featuring ‘botanicals’ are very on<br />
trend this year, and in particular<br />
up-market soft drinks. Can you offer<br />
your couples a quirky bottled soft<br />
drink with a soft green coloured<br />
straw popped inside to enjoy as<br />
they tour your spaces? Not a big cost<br />
investment but a nice welcoming<br />
touch that shows you’re up there in<br />
the style stakes.<br />
› Add-ons – are there new little<br />
add-ons for the wedding day that<br />
you can offer/charge out to your<br />
couples who might be in love<br />
with this new trend? If you have a<br />
permanent marquee, how about<br />
over-sized foliage-filled chandeliers?<br />
How about large trees that can<br />
be used as wishing trees or guest<br />
books? How about stacked up<br />
logs or tree stumps and trailing<br />
greenery to create a wow cake table<br />
alternative? There are potentially<br />
really good opportunities to supply<br />
products at additional cost to<br />
couples such as trees and large<br />
potted plants, and the good thing<br />
with this trend is that these items<br />
have a shelf life unlike fresh cut<br />
flowers so you can reuse and recycle<br />
throughout the season.<br />
› Furnishings – I’d suggest a really<br />
close look at your furnishings such<br />
as chairs, tables and more. Greenery<br />
is likely to lead to more popularity<br />
in the wood-finish, rustic look<br />
furniture (cross-back chairs are<br />
huge this year) as well as anything<br />
vintage, recycled, paired-down<br />
and outdoorsy – do you have<br />
suppliers on your books who can<br />
supply and meet this demand? If<br />
you have an existing set of chairs<br />
which you don’t wish to change,<br />
you may be able to work with one<br />
of your suppliers to dress them<br />
with green slips of fabric or foliage<br />
trails. If you’re able to showcase a<br />
small permanent area with some<br />
of these items in your spaces so<br />
much the better as you’re bringing<br />
the possibilities to life. If that isn’t<br />
practical, can you photograph<br />
them and use them on your social<br />
media or at your open days and<br />
showcases? It’s vital to refresh and<br />
update your excellent supplier<br />
partners, and each new trend is a<br />
chance to ensure you are working<br />
with the very best teams who can<br />
KATE NIELEN<br />
ABOVE Floral design<br />
by JF Flowers<br />
ABOUT THE AUTHOR<br />
Kelly Chandler is a<br />
long-term preferred<br />
service provider for<br />
exclusive venues<br />
such as Syon Park,<br />
Highclere Castle,<br />
Spencer House and<br />
Stoke Park Club. Kelly’s<br />
consulting services to<br />
wedding venues draw<br />
on prior experience<br />
in international<br />
conference and event<br />
planning, over 13<br />
years of business<br />
management, and<br />
working directly with<br />
discerning couples<br />
planning their<br />
weddings in diverse<br />
locations and forging<br />
successful relationships<br />
with all components of<br />
the wedding industry.<br />
A former director of<br />
trade body, the Alliance<br />
of Wedding Planners,<br />
Kelly is a well-regarded<br />
innovator, mentor,<br />
trainer and industry<br />
spokesperson on and in<br />
the wedding business.<br />
www. kellychandler<br />
consulting.co.uk<br />
adapt and modernise the products<br />
they are offering. Make sure your<br />
suppliers work with you to show off<br />
the latest trends in a way fitting of<br />
your spaces.<br />
› Trend–aware – talk about the<br />
fact that you are trend-aware –<br />
even if you can’t physically make<br />
or incorporate all of these ideas<br />
into your offering, don’t be afraid<br />
to comment upon the greenery<br />
trend via industry blog posts, social<br />
media posts and more, and share<br />
your ideas and likes. Commenting<br />
that you’d really like to welcome<br />
such and such an idea into your<br />
venue might well just mean you<br />
attract that client to you who does<br />
just that! And if you’re lucky you’ll<br />
get some beautiful images you can<br />
use to attract more of what you like.<br />
Don’t be afraid to ask for images<br />
post wedding – most couples are<br />
happy to share and be flattered that<br />
you asked. As long as all suppliers,<br />
and especially the photographer,<br />
are credited fairly, everyone is<br />
usually happy.<br />
KELLY'S<br />
WEDDING VENUE<br />
BUSINESS COURSE<br />
5 May, Home House,<br />
Portman Square,<br />
London<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17