Issue 61
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
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ISSUE <strong>61</strong> | 2023 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
BUSINESS<br />
WINTER<br />
BOOKINGS<br />
VENUES<br />
› Keywords<br />
› Exteriors<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Hot Tubs & Saunas<br />
› Glamping Show Review<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Illuminations<br />
› Bars & Catering<br />
CASE STUDIES: OAK TREE BARN • LOOSE REINS • ARCTANGENT
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22.5m<br />
397m2<br />
25m<br />
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FROM 7 TO 25M FOR A VARIETY OF USES AND EVENTS.<br />
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ISSUE <strong>61</strong> | 2023 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
WELCOME<br />
WELLNESS, SAUNAS and sustainability – you just need to look at<br />
Open Air Business to understand the drivers behind mainstream<br />
hospitality’s adoption of the likes of lakeside lodges, woodland<br />
‘rooms’ and cabins in castle grounds – all featured on the news<br />
pages. The big boys are capitalising on the demand for nature<br />
stays; what are glamping operators doing to stay relevant and<br />
keep hold of their market? Will 2024 be the shakedown year we<br />
knew was coming or will there be demand enough in the market<br />
for all? Surely, at more often than not £300-£1,000+ bed night<br />
rates for such accommodation delivered by hoteliers, there will<br />
still be plenty of customers for the more affordable offering; and<br />
as Booking.com’s 2024 trends report shows, authenticity is a key consideration for many<br />
travellers – not something easily delivered by identikit prefab cains; no matter how much<br />
shou sugi ban you cover them in.<br />
Certainly owning their unique selling point, our glamping case study in this issue, Loose<br />
Reins, pays homage to the occupation of its equestrian owners and offers an authentic wild<br />
west experience to guests. It succeeds with details including its Buckeroo Club for children,<br />
cabin porches for nighttime cocoa and American quilts for cosy times.<br />
Standing out in a crowded market is also challenging for wedding venues – perhaps even<br />
more so than for glampsites. Business consultant Sam Lloyd lays out simple tactics for an<br />
effective keyword strategy – with the tips and free tools she suggests there is no excuse for<br />
not creating online content to target your absolute perfect customer.<br />
Short days means great opportunities for seasonal lights. We usually turn our attention<br />
to winter illuminations in this issue and this time we’ve gone to one of the best for some<br />
insights. Rob Paul is design director at LCI Productions, the man behind Windsor Great Park<br />
Illuminated and Halloween at Hampton Court Palace, and offers his advice on creating the<br />
perfect show.<br />
I sign off here for 2023 before the team and I turn our attention to the 2024 Little Black<br />
Book. Big news… following its success over the last three years, we’ve decided to open its<br />
directory-style pages up to the whole of our industry – why should glamping have all the<br />
fun?! So, if you are a supplier, make sure to give Marney a call to secure one of the limited<br />
editorial opportunities, and if you are a subscriber, you can look forward to unwrapping a<br />
new year pressie from us in January. Until then, happy Christmas!<br />
PUBLISHERS<br />
Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com<br />
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
EDITOR<br />
Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com<br />
ADVERTISING SALES<br />
Marney Whyte - 01892 677743<br />
marney@openairbusiness.com<br />
David Hobden - 01892 677741<br />
david@openairbusiness.com<br />
ADMINISTRATOR<br />
Kirsty Farrow – 01892 677740<br />
kirsty@openairbusiness.com<br />
DESIGN<br />
James English -<br />
www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk<br />
PUBLISHED BY<br />
Coffee Shop Media Ltd<br />
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Contents ISSUE <strong>61</strong> – 2023<br />
Find more expert advice online:<br />
www.openairbusiness.com<br />
UPFRONT<br />
4 News<br />
6 Product News<br />
12 Glamping Show<br />
Review<br />
14 Entrepreneur’s Chat<br />
– Vicki Jones, Tractors<br />
and Cream<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
18 Oak Tree Barn – a<br />
festival-style venue in<br />
Kent<br />
23 Keyword Tactics<br />
– understand and<br />
use the power of<br />
keywords<br />
27 Landscape &<br />
Exteriors – products<br />
in action<br />
31 Professional Services<br />
– products in action<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
33 Loose Reins – glamp<br />
like a cowboy in<br />
Dorset<br />
39 Winter Bookings –<br />
boost your bookings<br />
with a direct email<br />
strategy<br />
43 Hot Tubs – products<br />
in action<br />
44 Saunas – products in<br />
action<br />
EVENTS<br />
47 ArcTanGent – 5,000<br />
metalheads in the<br />
Mendips<br />
52 Light Magic – trade<br />
secrets from LCI<br />
Productions<br />
57 Heat & Power –<br />
products in action<br />
59 Bars & Catering –<br />
products in action<br />
60 Spotlight<br />
62 Classifieds<br />
65 Behind the Scenes –<br />
Rentadinosaur<br />
SUBSCRIBE<br />
ONLINE<br />
WINTER<br />
BOOKINGS<br />
VENUES<br />
› Keywords<br />
› Exteriors<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Hot Tubs & Saunas<br />
› Glamping Show Review<br />
CASE STUDIES: OAK TREE BARN • LOOSE REINS • ARCTANGENT<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Illuminations<br />
› Bars & Catering<br />
COVER PHOTO<br />
CoalBunker Glamping Pods offers a seamless, one-stop<br />
solution for year round glamping accommodation. Made<br />
from structural insulated panels for a quick build and great<br />
performance.<br />
01269 850 224, info@coalbunkerpods.co.uk.<br />
www.coalbunker.co.uk<br />
BUSINESS<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3
Event Medical<br />
Association Launches<br />
The Event Medical Association (or Event<br />
Medical) is a new body representing medical<br />
providers working within the events industry.<br />
Launched at The Showman’s Show in October,<br />
the organisation is part of a shared vision to<br />
build stronger foundations within the industry<br />
and will answer the call to provide events<br />
with closer, more standardised, and coherent<br />
working practices. It also addresses incoming<br />
governance that will regulate the medical<br />
treatment of attendees at events.<br />
In its initial stages, Event Medical will sit on<br />
the NOEA Council and be part of its website,<br />
benefiting from the support resources<br />
available through the association. It has<br />
also been massively supported by seed<br />
funding from The Showman’s Show, ahead<br />
of its launch. NOEA will encourage dual<br />
membership of both associations amongst<br />
its many members concerned with medical<br />
support at events.<br />
Talking on the launch, one of the Event<br />
Medical Association’s co-founders, Chris<br />
Howes, said: “The government is looking<br />
at regulation that will examine the way<br />
medicine is provided at major events and,<br />
for us, it’s important that the industry has a<br />
voice in these discussions. The Event Medical<br />
Association allows us to do this.”<br />
Michelin Restaurant adds<br />
Garden Room Accommodation<br />
MOOR HALL, the two Michelin-starred<br />
restaurant with rooms in Lancashire, is<br />
launching seven cabins in spring 2024. The<br />
‘garden rooms’ have been created by KOTO<br />
and will be situated in woodland around the<br />
restaurant’s gardens. Each unit has its own<br />
hot tub and has been designed to high eco<br />
standards.<br />
Chef patron Mark Birchall has worked<br />
with KOTO to select seven botanicals<br />
that will become the names and inspire<br />
the different designs for each of the new<br />
Sustainable Travel Trends<br />
BOOKING.COM’S 2024 trends report has shown that over<br />
half (53%) of travellers are seeking accommodation that<br />
blends comfort with innovative sustainability features.<br />
They crave the serenity of nature indoors, with 65%<br />
desiring green spaces and plants in their stays. Travellers<br />
are keen on eco-friendly choices and, even more so,<br />
on app rewards for making sustainable decisions (60%).<br />
Authenticity is key, with 47% eager to connect with locals in<br />
less-travelled areas and 44% venturing into less touristy spots.<br />
rooms. “Moor Hall is constantly evolving”,<br />
he says. “Innovation, sustainability, and<br />
an outstanding guest experience are at<br />
the heart of everything we do, and I am so<br />
excited for this next stage in our journey.<br />
Moor Hall is located in a beautiful setting,<br />
and it has been a pleasure working with<br />
KOTO to design new rooms that celebrate<br />
the surroundings and connect guests to the<br />
natural world around them.” Prices will start<br />
from £1,100 for dinner, bed and breakfast<br />
for two.<br />
KOTO DESIGN<br />
KOTO DESIGN<br />
Leeds Castle adds Lakeside Lodges<br />
LEEDS CASTLE near Maidstone, Kent, has launched four new<br />
lakeside lodges with private direct entry to the castle, views over the<br />
Great Water from a private deck, and a stargazing rooflights above<br />
the beds.<br />
Helen Bonser-Wilton, chief executive of the Leeds Castle<br />
Foundation, said: “Our new Lakeside Lodges will add another<br />
exciting opportunity for guests to enjoy a luxury stay within the<br />
grounds of Leeds Castle.<br />
“The lodges have been meticulously designed to offer a perfect<br />
blend of modern comfort and luxury, with breathtaking views of the<br />
picturesque Great Water and the historic Leeds Castle estate. We<br />
are confident that guests will be captivated by the unrivalled views,<br />
impeccable service, and the peaceful serenity of their surroundings,<br />
ensuring an unforgettable stay.”<br />
4 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
Waterside<br />
Lodges<br />
THE SOUTH Lodge hotel<br />
in Horsham will launch six<br />
lakeside lodges and two spa<br />
lodges in the estate’s 93 acre<br />
grounds in summer 2024. The<br />
spa lodges will feature a steam<br />
shower, outdoor whirlpool<br />
bath and infrared halotherapy<br />
sauna.<br />
Last year, owner Exclusive<br />
Collection became the first<br />
hotel group in the UK to<br />
achieve B Corp certification.<br />
As part of this ongoing<br />
commitment, a number of<br />
planting initiatives are being<br />
started across the group as<br />
part of its Land App / Protect<br />
Earth partnership.<br />
In March, 1,500 trees over<br />
four acres were planted at<br />
South Lodge to extend the<br />
ancient woodland over time.<br />
UK Greener Festival Award Finalists<br />
A GREENER FUTURE (AGF) will once again<br />
join forces with the UK Festival Awards to<br />
present The UK Greener Festival Award 2023.<br />
The top five nominees for the award are<br />
selected from those who have applied for<br />
the AGF certification and demonstrated<br />
outstanding success in reducing their<br />
environmental impacts and changing the<br />
industry for the better.<br />
The 2023 UK Greener Festival Award<br />
shortlist is: American Express Presents<br />
BST Hyde Park, Cambridge Folk Festival,<br />
Greenbelt, Green Gathering and Love Saves<br />
The Day.<br />
The festival that scored the highest in the<br />
AGF’s UK assessments during summer 2023<br />
will be crowned the winner at The UK Festival<br />
Awards, held on 5 December at Manchester’s<br />
Escape to Freight Island.<br />
All AGF certified events from the UK<br />
and worldwide will be announced at the<br />
International AGF Awards during the Green<br />
Events & Innovations Conference, GEI 16,<br />
London, on 27 February 2024.<br />
LOVE SAVES THE DAY<br />
Guy Ritchie<br />
WildKitchen<br />
Partnership<br />
SURREY HOTEL Beaverbrook has<br />
announced a partnership with Guy<br />
Ritchie’s WildKitchen business<br />
allowing for year-round alfresco dining<br />
experiences.<br />
Seating 12-26 guests, the outdoor<br />
kitchen structure will be located in<br />
a meadow overlooking the site’s<br />
woodlands. The structure is the brain<br />
child of British film-maker Guy Ritchie<br />
and includes under table heating, a<br />
copper tabletop to keep plates heated<br />
and a fully retractable canvas roof and<br />
sides.<br />
Ritchie and his business partners<br />
spent seven years refining numerous<br />
prototypes for the WildKitchen, which<br />
also made a cameo in the film ‘The<br />
Gentlemen’.<br />
He commented: “You want the<br />
benefit of the indoors and the<br />
outdoors, so we made WildKitchen<br />
completely retractable. If you want to<br />
furl everything up you are completely<br />
outdoors within minutes, if the wind or<br />
rain starts to hit, you just drop the roof<br />
and you are completely protected from<br />
the elements. And when the evenings<br />
get cooler the table keeps you warm”.<br />
WILD KITCHEN<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 5
PRODUCT<br />
Woodpecker Modular<br />
Accommodation<br />
FOR THOSE of you who visited the Glamping<br />
Show recently at Stoneleigh Park, you will<br />
have seen Woodpecker Tubs’ showstopper<br />
that was created for the event. The product<br />
was a spacious modular house building<br />
developed for those looking to add<br />
accommodation units to their glamping,<br />
camping or lodge sites.<br />
The in-house design team have thought<br />
about everything needed for that moment of<br />
luxury, with a spacious sleeping area, large<br />
kitchen and dining area and a full bathroom<br />
to make holiday escapes special.<br />
As with all Woodpecker products, the<br />
unit can be made bespoke depending on a<br />
customer’s needs. Add more living space,<br />
an additional bedroom, or take it off-grid.<br />
Woodpecker prides itself on going the extra<br />
mile.<br />
07435 866929, info@woodpeckertubs.co.uk,<br />
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk<br />
Step into a Realm of A-Frame Lodges<br />
WHEN IT comes to opulent holiday<br />
accommodations, wanderers are<br />
progressively in search of distinctive<br />
and extraordinary architectural styles<br />
that surpass the norm. The allure of<br />
these unconventional constructions<br />
lies in their ability to provide an<br />
unmatched encounter that is both<br />
visually mesmerising and unforgettable.<br />
Outerspace has recently introduced a<br />
range of SIP (structural insulated panel)<br />
A-frame lodge kits targeted at luxury<br />
destinations looking for something out<br />
of the ordinary that also fulfils several<br />
sustainable objectives, primarily due to<br />
their remarkably insulated properties.<br />
A-Frame holiday lodges not only boast<br />
stunning aesthetics but also offer a lavish<br />
and cosy retreat for guests. From their<br />
efficient insulation to their contemporary<br />
amenities, these lodges are meticulously<br />
crafted to provide a superior level of<br />
comfort and elegance.<br />
In today’s environmentally aware<br />
world, sustainable and eco-friendly<br />
accommodations are gaining<br />
momentum among luxury vacationers.<br />
SIP holiday lodges lead the charge in<br />
sustainable design, featuring a range<br />
of eco-conscious elements that attract<br />
environmentally mindful travellers.<br />
01978 532930, phil.jackson@<br />
outerspacegroup.com,<br />
www.outerspacelife.co.uk<br />
Is Recycled Aluminium the Future for Pods?<br />
WHAT COMES to mind when you think about aluminium? For most of us, we tend<br />
to think about the aluminium foil we use in our kitchens. Aluminium, however, is<br />
an extremely versatile metal not to be overlooked.<br />
Aluminium is only 150 years old and was classified as a precious metal during<br />
the mid-1800s, making it one of the youngest commercial metals. Strong but<br />
lightweight, it’s just one-third the weight of steel and only takes 5% of the energy<br />
needed to extract from ore. Also, about 75% of all aluminium ever produced is<br />
still in use today, thanks to recycling.<br />
Super flexible, aluminium is resilient to the shock of impact from things like<br />
wind, which is why the metal is used in manufacturing cars and, more recently,<br />
outdoor structures.<br />
The future has arrived with the revolutionary new LOCX system, using recycled<br />
British aluminium to build strong structural frames of any shape and size. If you<br />
think your future project could benefit from aluminium, get in touch!<br />
07767 666999, info@luxurypods.com, www.luxurypods.com<br />
6 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
MARSHALL MEADOWS MANOR<br />
Riding the<br />
Waves at Lost<br />
Shore Surf<br />
Resort<br />
LOST SHORE Surf Resort is<br />
coming to Scotland in 2024, and<br />
Armadilla will be providing 22 luxury<br />
accommodation pods when it proudly<br />
becomes Europe’s largest inland<br />
surfing resort.<br />
Based in Edinburgh, this worldclass<br />
facility will change the<br />
landscape of Scottish tourism,<br />
bringing an iconic sport to a new<br />
inland home, and further establishing<br />
Scotland as the go-to destination for<br />
adventure.<br />
With visitors being attracted from<br />
all over Scotland, the UK and the rest<br />
of the world, Lost Shore has invested<br />
in eleven of Armadilla’s iconic Pods:<br />
five Waves that sleep up to six people<br />
and six of its new DDA-compliant Kurv<br />
products providing differing ecofriendly<br />
waterside accommodation<br />
pods that cater for all types of visitor<br />
needs.<br />
All Armadilla products provide<br />
unparalleled levels of comfort with<br />
smart technology as standard, but<br />
it is the unique design of each unit<br />
that will create the biggest impact at<br />
Lost Shore and the perfect place for<br />
unwinding after a day on the waves.<br />
Capable of generating up to 1,000<br />
waves per hour, Lost Shore will be set<br />
within a 60-acre country park, offering<br />
a food market, shopping, and a<br />
wellness spa alongside the Armadilla<br />
accommodation units.<br />
Mark Stewart of Lost Shore Surf<br />
Resort, said: “Our Armadilla pods<br />
will help Lost Shore become one<br />
of the premier tourism and leisure<br />
destinations in the country.”<br />
01314 404000, sales@armadilla.<br />
co.uk, www.armadilla.co.uk<br />
New Designs from<br />
Coal Bunker<br />
COAL BUNKER Pods has released a new portfolio<br />
of designs for 2023/24. All buildings across its<br />
garden and leisure range are made with highquality<br />
structurally insulated panels (SIPs), giving<br />
builds a robust edge with more longevity than<br />
conventional timber frame structures. They are<br />
also fast to build.<br />
Coal Bunker offers on-site or offsite modular<br />
builds across the UK and Ireland alongside holiday<br />
home structures on chassis.<br />
The third-generation, family-run business<br />
situated in Carmarthenshire originated in 1971,<br />
beginning as a coal merchant. The team has<br />
gained a unique insight into the leisure industry<br />
over many years and is sensitive to the key<br />
challenges faced by site owners. The launch<br />
of Coal Bunker Glamping Pods caters to these,<br />
offering something different in the market.<br />
01269 842620, sales@coalbunkerpods.co.uk,<br />
www.coalbunker.co.uk<br />
Recycled Planters in any Size<br />
Exeter-based DCW Polymers has announced the launch of its new sustainable planters,<br />
expanding the firm’s popular outdoor products range. The stylish planter can be made in a<br />
variety of sizes, giving purchasers the option to tailor the planter to fit their own space.<br />
The planters, made out of 100% recycled plastic collected from UK businesses, are<br />
available to order now. Well-suited to open-air businesses, the planters are maintenancefree<br />
and long-lasting. Completely weatherproof, they will not rot, splinter, corrode or ever<br />
require painting or treating. The planters are also robust and hard-wearing, meaning that<br />
they are not easily vandalised.<br />
Simon Almond, managing director, said: “We understand that different planters are<br />
needed for different spaces, so our team can work with customers to create a planter that<br />
fits. You even have the option to add small wheels to the bottom of your planter, giving you<br />
the ability to move it easily.”<br />
01392 535353, polymers@dcw.co.uk, www.dcwpolymers.co.uk<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 7
PRODUCT<br />
Stage Bus Scales up Manufacture<br />
A BLACK Country engineer with a passion for sustainability is<br />
disrupting the events industry with a new stage innovation.<br />
Andrew Teverson, who started The Stage Bus in 2006 with<br />
inheritance money from his grandparents, has used years of<br />
experience to develop the Stage Box, a stage platform that can<br />
operate from the back of a truck or as a detachable unit that selfdismounts<br />
using hydraulic legs.<br />
Built into a converted 20ft container, the entire stage is solar<br />
powered, can run for up to eight hours on a full charge, takes less<br />
than one hour to set up and comes with all the audio-visual and<br />
PA systems a band or organiser could wish for.<br />
It can be used for events or festivals attracting up to 5,000<br />
people and has already been chosen by Battersea Power Station<br />
to celebrate the King’s Coronation as well as by the London<br />
Marathon.<br />
With interest in The Stage Box going through the roof, the<br />
Halesowen-based entrepreneur is now looking to scale up<br />
manufacturing to provide the concept for longer-team leases or<br />
for sale in the UK and overseas.<br />
It is an ambition that could generate an additional £600,000 in<br />
revenue and create five new jobs at the firm’s Black Country base.<br />
0121 585 9264, info@thestagebus.com,<br />
www.thestagebus.com<br />
The new AIRSCREEN nano 2m<br />
AIRSCREEN is thrilled to introduce the latest addition to its<br />
family – the new AIRSCREEN nano, with a 2m (6.6ft) wide screen.<br />
It is designed to bring an intimate and captivating cinematic<br />
experience to guests, both for outdoor and indoor projections.<br />
Imagine enjoying a movie under the stars by the campfire, on a<br />
lake shore, by the pool or on the beach.<br />
Together with laser projectors and stunning sound systems,<br />
AIRSCREEN offers a complete outdoor movie system for the<br />
hospitality sector. Cinema in a box. Just take it out, inflate the<br />
AIRSCREEN and start the projector. Within minutes you can<br />
create your own cinema under the stars.<br />
0114 2210295, uk@airscreen.com, www.airscreen.co.uk<br />
Sale Division Launches<br />
TO COMPLEMENT the success of its thriving and UK wide shepherds<br />
hut washroom hire service, the directors of Nomadic Washrooms are<br />
now pleased to announce the opening of their new sales division,<br />
which will specialise in the design and construction of bespoke<br />
shepherds hut toilet and shower facilities for fixed and semi-fixed<br />
site venues.<br />
The team brings together years of experience in the provision<br />
of washroom facilities and bespoke design to recreate its trusted<br />
washroom concept for more permanent installations. Whether that<br />
be a shepherds hut toilet block for a fancy gastro pub garden, a<br />
bespoke shower facility for an expanding campsite or a couple of<br />
complete shepherds hut bathrooms for that more intimate setting,<br />
the team has got you covered.<br />
All Nomadic Washrooms retail shepherds huts are built on<br />
custom-made steel chassis with authentic-looking ‘cast iron’ style<br />
wheels. The units are, therefore, movable with a tractor or 4x4<br />
around a site for ease of installation and winter storage. Each unit<br />
is built in the same style as their own rental fleet, with a corrugated<br />
iron external appearance and wooden internal cladding to give that<br />
rustic look and feel.<br />
01938 580057, info@nomadicwashrooms.co.uk,<br />
www.nomadicwashrooms.co.uk<br />
Demand for 6,000 use Zero Discharge Toilet<br />
NATSOL IS increasing sales of its stand-alone Zero<br />
Discharge (ZD) toilet. This is a pump-out toilet,<br />
not a composting toilet, and is very useful<br />
on busier public sites. Each toilet can take<br />
around 6,000 uses.<br />
This model of toilet was originally<br />
designed for large facilities such as architectdesigned<br />
buildings with numerous cubicles.<br />
But NatSol decided that it could be an<br />
excellent product for less busy sites where just<br />
one or two toilets are required.<br />
This led to the development of the ZD2. This is a<br />
wheelchair-accessible, non-composting toilet for remote sites where<br />
no mains sewage is available. Many of these sites do not have water<br />
either and hand cleansing is by alcohol gel dispensers.<br />
NatSol often supplies one of its own buildings for these sites.<br />
Shown in the picture are two such toilets supplied for a village<br />
green in West Sussex. Ventilation on this type of site is by passive<br />
ventilation duct. In larger facilities with numerous cubicles, the<br />
company is more likely to supply a fan-driven vent, but passive<br />
ventilation works well for individual cubicles.<br />
Emptying is infrequent and takes place by removal of the toilet<br />
pedestal.<br />
01686 412653, andy@natsol.co.uk, www.natsol.co.uk<br />
8 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
SPONSORED FEATURE<br />
and landscape architects to develop<br />
schemes that respond to local and national<br />
targets, mitigate impacts of development<br />
and protect and enhance local wildlife<br />
habitats.<br />
We’re a good business too. Canopy &<br />
Stars is an independent company, mostly<br />
employee owned with 24% owned by a<br />
charitable trust. We’re proud to be amongst<br />
the highest-scoring travel B Corps in the<br />
world.<br />
Canopy & Stars<br />
Glamping is evolving. Gone are the days where a tent in a<br />
field is enough. Guests demand and expect more<br />
CANOPY & STARS has been at the forefront of<br />
the glamping industry since day one, leading<br />
the evolution from “glamourous camping” into<br />
meaningful experiences in nature.<br />
The market is growing but with this growth<br />
comes increased competition. New sites have<br />
to differentiate themselves in an increasingly<br />
crowded market.<br />
This is where Canopy & Stars can help.<br />
With years of experience and data insights,<br />
our consultancy service is ideally placed to<br />
help you turn your glamping dreams into a<br />
profitable business.<br />
We can offer the following services to make<br />
sure your business stands out and attracts the<br />
right guests.<br />
› Land research reports<br />
› Viability assessments<br />
› Full appraisal and business modelling<br />
› Planning services<br />
› Architectural design<br />
SUSTAINABILITY AT EVERY STEP<br />
At Canopy & Stars, sustainability is about<br />
more than solar panels or local sourcing, it<br />
permeates all aspects of our consultancy,<br />
design and planning services. Our ultimate<br />
aim is to work with people on projects<br />
which aren’t merely “low-impact” but<br />
actually benefit the land they’re built on.<br />
We encourage our clients to make<br />
the green choice at every step, in their<br />
infrastructure and promotion of green<br />
travel, to the use of renewable and lowcarbon<br />
energy, all the way through to<br />
design and interior finishes. We know that<br />
in the long term this approach results in<br />
environmental, cultural and economic<br />
benefits.<br />
Every project we work on integrates a<br />
comprehensive and detailed biodiversity<br />
enhancement plan, delivering biodiversity<br />
net gain. We work closely with ecologists<br />
KEEPING YOUR COMPETITIVE EDGE<br />
Profitability Enhancement – for existing<br />
businesses<br />
If your business is already up and<br />
running, but not performing as you’d<br />
hoped or how it used to, we can visit<br />
and provide you with a plan to improve<br />
occupancy and profitability. We’ll<br />
troubleshoot problems and provide<br />
actionable suggestions to enhance your<br />
offering and jump start your business.<br />
"We are so pleased with the<br />
consultancy services that Canopy & Stars<br />
have provided; we cannot recommend<br />
them highly enough. The lodges were<br />
already on site and we had to work with<br />
the existing structures. From the outset,<br />
both the business development and<br />
design team listened to our ideas and<br />
understood exactly what we were trying<br />
to achieve…enabling us to put our own<br />
unique stamp on our project.”<br />
SUZANNE, SPINDLEWOOD LODGES<br />
Contact us to find out more<br />
ideas@canopyandstars.co.uk<br />
Case Study<br />
Bracken Treehouse, Joy and Nick Rees<br />
We worked with Joy and Nick from when they had only trees to the launch<br />
of their beautiful treehouse. We began with a viability assessment and<br />
planning support, then kept in touch with informal advice while owner Nick’s<br />
vision took shape in the build. When the space was ready, we gave pricing<br />
advice then put our marketing platform to work for a very successful launch.<br />
› Joined Canopy & Stars August 2022 and achieved 75% total occupancy<br />
over their first 12 months<br />
› £194 average nightly rate<br />
Nick said: “When we were designing Bracken Treehouse, we had a very clear<br />
vision of how the space should look and feel. However, we felt it would be<br />
good to get a second opinion from someone who knew the industry inside and<br />
out – just to make sure we were on the right track! It was really helpful for us<br />
to understand what might work and what changes would make our treehouse<br />
more attractive to guests.”<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 9
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PLANNING<br />
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AVAILABLE<br />
10 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
INDUSTRY UPDATE<br />
Farm Business Innovation Show<br />
Don’t miss these exhibitors at the Farm Business Innovation Show on 15-16 November at<br />
the NEC Birmingham<br />
OAB’s Top Picks<br />
Cinderella Eco Stand FM852<br />
www.leesan.com<br />
Cinderella incineration toilets<br />
are designed for cottages,<br />
leisure homes, and tiny homes<br />
eliminating the need for water<br />
supply and sewage connections.<br />
Made in Norway, these toilets<br />
consume minimal energy and<br />
create minimal waste. They<br />
are engineered for maximum<br />
efficiency, ensuring<br />
guests can enjoy a<br />
comfortable living<br />
space off-grid.<br />
Luxury Pods Stand FM220<br />
www.hexagonluxurylodges.com<br />
The secret to the strength, speed of construction and custom<br />
shape of these pods is their steel frames and the patent<br />
pending LOCX system. This allows any size steel box section or<br />
steel I-beam to be quickly and securely attached to create any<br />
size or shape frame. The rest of the construction uses recycled<br />
British aluminium and eco insulation.<br />
Natural Habitat Bank Stand FM1043<br />
www.naturalhabitatbank.co.uk<br />
Natural Habitat Bank partners with landowners to create biodiverse habitats, aiding<br />
developers in fulfilling BNG obligations, championing large-scale habitat restoration,<br />
and ensuring a quantifiable increase in biodiversity. It covers all costs for establishing<br />
and managing the habitat bank, including legal fees and farming infrastructure.<br />
SEAN ELLIOTT PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Armadilla Accommodation<br />
Stand FM230<br />
www.armadilla.co.uk<br />
Armadilla designs, builds and delivers<br />
luxury experiential accommodation that<br />
will transform a site’s offering and wow<br />
guests. The Pod is the original and iconic<br />
Armadilla product with a uniquely curved<br />
form. The Wave is a new addition to the<br />
Armadilla family – its incomparable shape<br />
and finish creating a stand out feature in<br />
any hospitality landscape.<br />
CoalBunker Glamping Pods<br />
Stand FM971<br />
www.coalbunker.co.uk<br />
These stylish huts can be custom<br />
made to order. Whether setting<br />
up a small exclusive glamping<br />
experience or a large-scale holiday<br />
facility, CoalBunker can fabricate a<br />
range of sizes and designs to suit.<br />
Its craftsmen and subcontractors<br />
provide comprehensive glamping<br />
pod installation services, including<br />
electric, heating and plumbing.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 11
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW<br />
The Glamping Show<br />
The industry’s favourite show<br />
THE GLAMPING Show returned to the NAEC<br />
Stoneleigh in September with another<br />
successful event and remains the favourite<br />
expo for those in the alternative and<br />
outdoor hospitality industry.<br />
The number of exhibitors increased<br />
by over 10% compared to 2022 – 118<br />
companies joined in September, offering a<br />
huge range of accommodation, services and<br />
accessories. Exhibitors reported great sales,<br />
with one company selling hundreds of hot<br />
tub units across the three days and another<br />
team selling everything on their stand on<br />
day one.<br />
The seminar programme addressed the<br />
key topics and issues facing the glamping<br />
sector and beyond. Leaders in the industry<br />
held 17 sessions held over the three days of<br />
the show, with topics ranging from “Has the<br />
Glamping Bubble Burst?” by marketing and<br />
OTA company Canopy & Stars, to the future<br />
of hospitality, led by Sarah Riley of Inspired<br />
Courses. With standing room only, the<br />
feedback from visitors was fantastic.<br />
Over 3,000 valuable buyers and decisionmakers<br />
attended the show, with 25% of<br />
overall attendance being experienced<br />
glamping operators hailing from 42<br />
countries. Stands are already being booked<br />
for The Glamping Show 2024, with several<br />
asking for increased space. The location<br />
at the NAEC in Stoneleigh Park remains<br />
popular, with strong transport access from<br />
both air, rail and car. Despite some wet<br />
weather at the start, exhibitors and visitors<br />
didn’t let it dampen their spirits – a major<br />
success for The Glamping Show 2023.<br />
For information on next year’s event, visit<br />
www.theglampingshow.com or contact Dan<br />
Wiseman at dan.w@swanevents.co.uk to<br />
enquire about booking a stand.<br />
12 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW<br />
OAB’s Top Picks<br />
Likewise Matting<br />
www.marqueefloors.co.uk<br />
The Marquee Floors by William Armes glamping collection has<br />
some fantastic new products and accessories at affordable<br />
prices. The luxury faux sheepskin rugs are available in three<br />
colours and two sizes including large at 180x60cm. Four new<br />
faux hide designs have also been added along with the new Silk<br />
Road Rug and Persian Rug Collections.<br />
Regency Shepherd Huts<br />
www.regencyshepherdhuts.co.uk<br />
Regency builds high-end shepherd huts, offering a bespoke<br />
option to completely custom make any design envisioned –<br />
particularly important when thinking about the layout of the<br />
interior. Inside, huts feature handmade kitchens with quartz<br />
worktops, a bathroom with shower, chunky oak steps and a<br />
skylight over the bed area.<br />
Californian Grills<br />
www.californiangrills.com<br />
Californian Grills is a Kent<br />
based fabrication company<br />
manufacturing steel barbecues<br />
based upon The Santa Maria<br />
style grill from central California.<br />
The grilling rack can be raised<br />
or lowered by a hand crank<br />
mechanism to control the<br />
temperature whilst cooking.<br />
Bespoke grills can be made for any<br />
size project.<br />
Farm Stay UK<br />
www.farmstay.co.uk<br />
Farm Stay UK is a membership<br />
based organisation made up of<br />
around 400 farm or rural based<br />
members. Farm Stay UK finances<br />
its entire operation through<br />
membership fees boosted,<br />
wherever possible, by income<br />
from sponsorship or advertising.<br />
Through its website and printed<br />
directory as well as through<br />
various marketing activities, it<br />
promotes farm and rural tourism<br />
in the UK.<br />
Tree Tents UK<br />
www.treetents.co.uk<br />
Tree Tents manufactures sensational wilderness<br />
cabins, tree houses and glamping structures. They are<br />
captivating and charismatic, offering guests luxurious<br />
accommodation that inspires them to reconnect with<br />
nature. All Tree Tents structures are created in rural<br />
Sussex by artisans, using largely recycled materials<br />
with off-cuts upcycled into rucksacks and camping<br />
equipment.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 13
PEOPLE<br />
ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT<br />
Vicki Jones<br />
Cream tea BnB in a fabulous geodome? Vicki and Bryan Jones’<br />
impressive family glampsite has grown from humble beginnings<br />
14 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
PEOPLE<br />
ractors and Cream is a glamping and events site in<br />
Somerset comprising six glamping domes, a holiday<br />
cottage and an event dome. It also offers private<br />
afternoon teas and parties for up to 40 guests, networking<br />
events, pilates and yoga retreats.<br />
From the age of five Vicki Jones knew she wanted to<br />
be a dance teacher and had a burning desire to work<br />
for herself. Her dad had his own business in the meat<br />
production industry and entrepreneurism was in her<br />
blood. “Once I finished my dance degree I started as a self-employed<br />
dance teacher very much assuming that my business would be a<br />
dance school,” she says. “During my teacher training, I worked in a<br />
Gatwick airport hotel and got a love for the hospitality industry. It is<br />
also where I went on to meet my husband and now business partner<br />
Bryan.”<br />
The couple was married in 2008 and in 2011 Bryan was relocated to<br />
Bristol, which took them from a tiny flat in Surrey to a small holding<br />
in Somerset. “I had a successful dance teaching career in Surrey<br />
but when we moved I had no connections, knew nothing about the<br />
dance schools here and found it really difficult to get a full-time dance<br />
teaching role,” says Vicki. “I had always made celebration cakes for<br />
friends and so I thought maybe I could part-time teach and also start<br />
a business making cakes. I started Bedwell Cottage Cupcakes and also<br />
got a job at a local dance school.”<br />
Then along came two children, Annabelle in 2013 and William in<br />
2015. “William was about two weeks old when we decided to plan<br />
the business we had been thinking about since we moved here. We<br />
went through lots of ideas from rearing goats for meat to ice cream<br />
production but then decided that with our mutual love of hotels we<br />
would create our own outdoor hotel, aka a glamping site!”<br />
AFTERNOON TEA EXPERIMENT<br />
Vicki and Bryan started their application for planning permission and<br />
while waiting bought a yurt from eBay. “It was a bit of an experiment,”<br />
says Vicki. “My mum paid for it and it was about £2,000. We put it up<br />
and offered private afternoon tea experiences in it. We could seat up<br />
to 16 people so we got lots of hen parties and baby showers which<br />
were great fun. We needed a name for our business which would<br />
encompass dance teaching, celebration cakes, afternoon teas in a yurt<br />
and potentially glamping in the future so came up with Tractors and<br />
Cream – it was totally random!”<br />
In 2016 the planning permission came through and two further<br />
yurts were purchased from Mongolian Yurts Direct. “Again, my lovely<br />
mum paid for these and we took out a £15,000 loan to get the rest of<br />
the infrastructure sorted. We opened the glamping site to our first<br />
guests in May 2017.”<br />
In total, the couple have invested £150,000 over seven years<br />
building the site. “We started on a shoestring with help from my<br />
mum and then each year we have re-invested profits. We keep saying<br />
we need to stop adding things but we have planning for up to 10<br />
structures so would like to build at least one more dome! Turnover is<br />
great, profit is not so great as we keep spending it all on improving the<br />
site.<br />
“We have done things really gradually as we didn’t have £150k to do<br />
it all in one go and I honestly wasn’t sure how many structures I could<br />
cope with! In our first year we had two yurts up but I had a two and<br />
four year old to contend with so only ever had one yurt in operation at<br />
a time.<br />
“2018 saw me get a bit braver and have both yurts in operation. In<br />
2019 I got even braver and we tried out a bell tent as a third structure.<br />
It was an absolute disaster as literally one week after it was up and<br />
furnished, it came straight back down in a storm! We got it repaired<br />
but then I didn’t trust it so barely rented it out. That is when we started<br />
looking for the most wind-resistant canvas structure, which turned<br />
out to be a geodesic dome. We bought one ready for the super duper<br />
“WE STARTED ON A<br />
SHOESTRING WITH<br />
HELP FROM MY MUM<br />
AND THEN EACH<br />
YEAR WE HAVE RE-<br />
INVESTED PROFITS.<br />
WE KEEP SAYING<br />
WE NEED TO STOP<br />
ADDING THINGS<br />
BUT WE HAVE<br />
PLANNING FOR UP<br />
TO 10 STRUCTURES<br />
SO WOULD LIKE TO<br />
BUILD AT LEAST ONE<br />
MORE DOME!”<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 15
PEOPLE<br />
2020 season, which turned out to be not so super duper! Luckily in<br />
2018 we had invested in more shower facilities so managed to get<br />
the bulk of the summer holiday season in Covid times so it didn’t hit<br />
us too hard. We also replaced the original afternoon tea yurt with an<br />
octagonal hut.”<br />
KEEPING UP WITH THE COMPETITON<br />
In 2021, with the glamping industry booming and more and more<br />
sites opening up, Vicki decided to keep up with the competition<br />
and installed her first en-suite dome, which quickly became the<br />
most popular structure. “In 2022, we added another even better<br />
en-suite dome and a 10m event dome as I was also getting asked for<br />
events for more than 16 people which was the most we could fit in<br />
the hut. We built a third compact 4.4m dome that year too as extra<br />
accommodation for groups.<br />
“We were under pressure from guests for hot tubs but we had no<br />
mains power, and felt it was a tremendous waste of water which<br />
went against our eco philosophy, so we decided on outdoor baths,<br />
one even with jacuzzi bubbles that run off solar power.<br />
“In 2023 we decided that the yurts had reached the end of their<br />
lives here and that we were fed up of taking them down every winter,<br />
so we replaced them with more domes.”<br />
Vicki says the overarching vision for the site came from Bryan. “He<br />
could visualise exactly what the site would look like from the air,<br />
where he wanted trees and woodland, how much space he wanted<br />
between each structure and what type of guests we wanted to<br />
attract. The vision for the future is to add our last dome and create<br />
another events space with our stretch tent.<br />
“Next year we have our first wedding! I don’t really want to get into<br />
the world of weddings as we are on the edge of a village and I worry<br />
about complaints about noise but we had a family come and stay<br />
last year who loved the place so much they asked if they could have<br />
their wedding here. I couldn’t say no so plans are in full swing for<br />
a festival-themed event and I will be doing an afternoon tea as the<br />
wedding breakfast.”<br />
YOUTUBE STARS<br />
When Vicki and Bryan started in 2016, there wasn’t much information<br />
around about glamping. “ We went and stayed in a yurt in Devon as<br />
a bit of market research,” says Vicki. “We didn’t really like it much<br />
so formulated a plan to create a site we would actually be happy to<br />
stay in, bearing in mind we are not really campers and would always<br />
choose to stay in hotels! We realised that we needed to be across<br />
what was happening in the industry so we always go to the Glamping<br />
Show every year and also read Open Air Business cover to cover!”<br />
The couple’s YouTube channel has been a huge part of their<br />
continuing professional development. “We started the channel in<br />
2020 to document the crazy happenings of running a glamping site,<br />
but quickly found that we were getting messages from people all<br />
over the world about how we started our site, asking for tips and<br />
ideas. Over the last three years we have helped or mentored at<br />
least 40 people on their glamping business journey, spending hours<br />
showing them around the site, chatting on Zoom or WhatsApp to<br />
people in America, Australia, Canada and even Tanzania. We often<br />
end up visiting people’s sites to follow their story and show off their<br />
accommodation for the channel.<br />
“Now here is where I suck as an entrepreneur; we do all this for<br />
free. Why would you give hours of time for free to people who are<br />
going to end up in competition with you?! Well, because what we<br />
both love most is talking to people about glamping, helping them<br />
not to make the same mistakes we did and hopefully getting the<br />
Tractors and Cream name out there.<br />
“We get paid from YouTube with ad revenue but it no where near<br />
covers the cost of the camera equipment, time travelling to different<br />
sites or the time I take to edit each video, but we just absolutely love<br />
16 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
PEOPLE<br />
it and it’s become a hobby that has allowed us to travel all over the<br />
UK and also to the States for the Glamping Show Americas where<br />
we helped TruDomes out on their stand. By visiting lots of different<br />
sites and immersing ourselves in the glamping world we have<br />
learnt so much about what makes a great site and what guests are<br />
expecting from a glamping experience in 2023.”<br />
OPEN TO OPPORTUNITY<br />
Vicki’s mantra is to take any experience or opportunity that comes<br />
to you. “Don’t be afraid of putting yourself out there because you<br />
never know what opportunities might come your way.”<br />
She says she is most proud of building a site that has so many<br />
repeat customers. “We have the same guests coming back year<br />
after year and we’ve watched their children grow with our children<br />
and our site will be a core memory for them for the rest of their<br />
lives.”<br />
As with many hospitality entrepreneurs, relaxation doesn’t<br />
come easy to the family, especially in the summer. “We try to get<br />
away from the site whenever there is a day with no changeovers<br />
or events, which is normally a walk outside, National Trust visit or<br />
similar. Although we are all outside all the time, all four of us enjoy<br />
a walk somewhere else too!<br />
“We’ve got so many things we want to do going forwards –<br />
there is a top secret filming project in the pipeline as part of the<br />
YouTube channel, which is going to be really good fun, but we are<br />
also going to add an 8m dome and another 4.4m dome, which<br />
should complete our build projects. The master long term plan is<br />
to sell this site in the next 10 years and start a completely new one<br />
somewhere else, but who knows!”<br />
Vicki has an idea of what that new site would offer but says the<br />
details will become clearer nearer the time. “It would be aimed at<br />
the demographic we would be in at the time. Currently we have<br />
a site specifically for young families as that’s what we know, but<br />
in 10 years’ time our kids will be grown and we will be able to<br />
put ourselves in the shoes of our target customer, if that makes<br />
sense?” You can’t argue with that logic!<br />
“WE’VE GOT SO MANY THINGS WE WANT<br />
TO DO GOING FORWARDS – THERE IS A TOP<br />
SECRET FILMING PROJECT IN THE PIPELINE<br />
AS PART OF THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL,<br />
WHICH IS GOING TO BE REALLY GOOD FUN,<br />
BUT WE ARE ALSO GOING TO ADD AN 8M<br />
DOME AND ANOTHER 4.4M DOME, WHICH<br />
SHOULD COMPLETE OUR BUILD PROJECTS”<br />
DETAILS<br />
Tractors and Cream<br />
Bedwell Cottage, Othery, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 0QJ<br />
www.tractorsandcream.co.uk<br />
www.youtube.com/nvdanceandfitness<br />
Outdoor Toilets<br />
and Showers<br />
• Portable<br />
• Customisable<br />
• Quick delivery<br />
• Instant solution<br />
www.sheepshed.co.uk • 01865 600400<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
Oak Tree Barn<br />
A seasonal rustic chic venue in west Kent<br />
We talk to Renee Simpson<br />
about creating a striking<br />
festival-style venue with no<br />
previous experience of the<br />
hospitality industry<br />
When did you start your<br />
venue business and what is its<br />
history?<br />
The venue was previously a family<br />
home with a derelict barn that<br />
was used for storing farming<br />
equipment. We fell in love with<br />
the location and saw its potential.<br />
We were hoping to open in August<br />
2020 but due to Covid our first<br />
wedding was June 2021.<br />
Tell us about your location<br />
and site<br />
We are located in south<br />
Tonbridge, Kent, just off the A21<br />
with great access to London and<br />
the coast.<br />
We try to be sustainable so<br />
where possible we have reused<br />
materials so most of buildings<br />
“OUR THREE<br />
OUTDOOR<br />
BARS ARE<br />
CONVERTED<br />
HORSEBOXES<br />
AND OUR<br />
MAIN TOILETS<br />
MAKE<br />
USE OF A<br />
CONVERTED<br />
PRISON VAN”<br />
are built using reclaimed scaffold<br />
boards, tin roofing, windows and<br />
doors. Our three outdoor bars<br />
are converted horseboxes and<br />
our main toilets make use of a<br />
converted prison van. We also<br />
have an onsite beauty salon and<br />
hairdressers, where you can book<br />
beauty treatments, make up and<br />
bridal hair.<br />
What facilities for outdoor<br />
functions do you offer?<br />
We have an outdoor ceremony<br />
area “The Love Shack”, a<br />
multipurpose top hat tipi and<br />
offer up to seven glamping pods<br />
for our couples to use for up to<br />
14 people to stay in, along with<br />
a three bedroom cottage, The<br />
Bothy.<br />
18 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
LAUREN BETH PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
BECKY TRANTER<br />
What services do you offer?<br />
Within our wedding package we<br />
offer three areas to hold your<br />
wedding ceremony, two outdoors<br />
- The Loveshack and top hat tipi –<br />
or indoors within the main barn.<br />
We include use of four bar areas<br />
and our staff plus an on the day<br />
wedding coordinator, who is on<br />
hand throughout the wedding<br />
planning process.<br />
Describe how you researched<br />
and sourced your structures<br />
One of the owners, Jamie,<br />
has extensive knowledge of<br />
constructing farm buildings and<br />
years of experience converting<br />
property. Whilst looking for the<br />
perfect venue, we contacted the<br />
relevant authorities to ensure<br />
that we could obtain permission<br />
for how we envisaged the venue.<br />
Within the venue the barn and the<br />
cottage are permanent buildings<br />
but everything else is temporary<br />
and can be taken down or moved.<br />
How do you work with your<br />
customers to make their events<br />
unique?<br />
From the first viewing we<br />
discuss their ideas and can offer<br />
suggestions when needed. From<br />
the moment they book we are on<br />
hand to help with any questions<br />
they may have or for them to bring<br />
their suppliers for site visits. Our<br />
in house wedding coordinator<br />
ensures everything goes to plan<br />
and is aware of every detail.<br />
We can provide couples with a<br />
recommended supplier list of<br />
businesses who have been to Oak<br />
GAVIN PHOTO<br />
Tree Barn but are happy if they<br />
choose their own suppliers.<br />
How do you publicise yourself?<br />
We have a website, Instagram<br />
and Facebook and are using<br />
Bridebook, Hitched and Rock My<br />
Wedding for advertising.<br />
How would you describe your<br />
style or unique selling point?<br />
We are a festival-style venue and<br />
offer a blank canvas for couples<br />
to create their special day with.<br />
We are lucky to have couples with<br />
wonderful imaginations, so every<br />
wedding really is unique.<br />
What challenges have you faced<br />
historically?<br />
Covid delayed our opening by 10<br />
months.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 19
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
SAMSONOVS PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
LAUREN BETH PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
LAUREN BETH PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
How large is your team – any<br />
special people you’d like to<br />
mention?<br />
We have six main members of staff<br />
and then others who help on the<br />
wedding day. We feel lucky that all<br />
of our staff are friends who really<br />
want the best for us, the venue<br />
and most importantly our couples<br />
and they go above and beyond in<br />
everything they do.<br />
Have you worked with any<br />
industry bodies or consultants?<br />
We have used the Wedding Owl.<br />
She has proven invaluable with her<br />
knowledge when we were starting<br />
up and is always on hand with<br />
advice if we need it.<br />
What are your plans for next<br />
season?<br />
We are constantly evolving and<br />
making plans for next season<br />
during our closed season of<br />
January-March. We have just<br />
erected a stretch canopy over<br />
our patio area to create a magical<br />
enclosed area, so we may extend<br />
our season into the winter months<br />
and also offer twilight weddings.<br />
Describe your average day midseason<br />
Our season currently runs from<br />
April to November and event<br />
days start from 6.30am, when<br />
hairdressers and suppliers arrive,<br />
and go on to past midnight and the<br />
last guests leave the barn. As every<br />
BECKY TRANTER<br />
GAVIN PHOTO
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
ANDREW MARSHALL<br />
BECKY TRANTER<br />
LAUREN BETH PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
wedding is different, we don’t have<br />
a typical day.<br />
What do you enjoy about the<br />
business?<br />
We feel so privileged to host<br />
someone’s wedding day and help<br />
create the memories that will last a<br />
lifetime for them and their guests.<br />
Someone described us as an<br />
experience not a venue.<br />
What are you most proud of?<br />
We are so proud that we have<br />
“WE HAVE<br />
ENQUIRIES,<br />
BOOKINGS<br />
AND GUESTS<br />
FROM<br />
AROUND THE<br />
WORLD AND<br />
IT AMAZES US<br />
THAT PEOPLE<br />
HAVE HEARD<br />
ABOUT THE<br />
VENUE”<br />
built the buildings and business<br />
from scratch with no previous<br />
experience of the events or<br />
hospitality business. We have<br />
enquiries, bookings and guests<br />
from around the world and it<br />
amazes us that people have heard<br />
about the venue.<br />
What advice could you give<br />
to someone coming into the<br />
industry?<br />
To do their research with all<br />
aspects of the wedding and<br />
hospitality business. To be<br />
successful, it’s a total commitment<br />
and you may need to initially<br />
sacrifice other aspects of your life.<br />
The rewards definitely outweigh<br />
the sacrifices though.<br />
ADDRESS BOOK<br />
TIPI<br />
The Tipi Company<br />
www.thetipicompany.com<br />
CONSULTANT<br />
The Wedding Owl<br />
www.theweddingowl.com<br />
INSURANCE<br />
NFU Mutal www.nfumutual.co.uk<br />
DETAILS<br />
Oak Tree Barn<br />
Oak Tree Cottage<br />
Pembury Rd<br />
Tonbridge<br />
Kent, TN11 0NB<br />
www.oaktreebarnweddings.com<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 21
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FUNCTION VENUES<br />
Keyword Tactics<br />
Sam Lloyd explains why keywords are so important to promoting your wedding business<br />
WITH THE engagement season speedily<br />
approaching, and the wedding season<br />
behind you, getting your website to work<br />
harder for you is a must-do. Why? Because<br />
from the weekend before Christmas to<br />
the end of March is the time of the year<br />
when most couples get engaged, so it’s<br />
your opportunity to fill your books. If you<br />
haven’t heard of the engagement season,<br />
please read my blog!<br />
One of the ways you can make your<br />
website work even harder for you is to look<br />
at the words you have used to describe<br />
your venue and ask yourself:<br />
› are the words working hard enough for<br />
me?<br />
› are the words up to date? For instance,<br />
whilst the term bridesmaids is still really<br />
important, if you want a younger crowd,<br />
now it’s all about the bride tribe<br />
› are the words getting you the right<br />
clients? For instance, do you want<br />
to start working with a different<br />
demographic to your typical couple?<br />
› are your clients motivated by price<br />
and not the quality of your product or<br />
service?<br />
“IN THE WEDDING INDUSTRY,<br />
WE ARE OFTEN INTERACTING<br />
WITH CLIENTS WHO HAVE<br />
NEVER GOT MARRIED<br />
BEFORE, SO EVERYTHING<br />
YOU CAN DO TO BUILD<br />
CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IS<br />
SO IMPORTANT”<br />
› is your website on brand? Do your words<br />
feel personal and reflect your brand or a<br />
new direction?<br />
If when you take a reread of your<br />
website, you say “no” to any of the above<br />
questions, then it’s time to do some<br />
serious rewriting.<br />
WHAT ARE KEYWORDS?<br />
Keywords are the words or phrases that<br />
your potential clients are typing into<br />
search engines, such as Google, right now!<br />
This is because they are looking to find<br />
a particular wedding product or service.<br />
Such as:<br />
› Wedding venue<br />
› Wedding venue south east<br />
› Wedding venue near me<br />
› Festival wedding venue<br />
› Marquee wedding venue<br />
› Sustainable wedding venue<br />
› Farm wedding venue<br />
› Wedding venue with accommodation<br />
As a wedding venue, identifying the right<br />
keywords that your potential couples are<br />
searching for should be very important to<br />
you and tweaking your webpage content,<br />
and ideally incorporating them into blog<br />
posts. You, therefore, need to think and start<br />
to ask questions just like your client would.<br />
But to stand any chance of being found and,<br />
harder still, to stand out in the wedding<br />
industry – a highly crowded marketplace<br />
– you also need to ensure your website is<br />
secure and fast to load.<br />
In the wedding industry, we are often<br />
interacting with clients who have never got<br />
married before, so everything you can do to<br />
build confidence and trust is so important. A<br />
slow loading, unsecure website would make<br />
me question the quality and validity of the<br />
company – would it you?<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 23
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
TOP TIP<br />
It’s really not an expensive<br />
investment to make your website<br />
secure with an SSL certificate, so<br />
ask your website host to resolve<br />
this as a matter of priority. Follow<br />
this up by reducing the size of<br />
your images for faster loading<br />
and then you can concentrate on<br />
writing better content.<br />
WHAT KEYWORDS SHOULD I<br />
RANK ON SEARCH ENGINES<br />
WITH?<br />
Some keywords for your venue<br />
will be obvious but it won’t be a<br />
surprise to learn that the more<br />
obvious the keywords the harder<br />
it is to rank for them (to appear<br />
higher up on a search engine’s<br />
results).<br />
For your website to stand out,<br />
you next need to identify your<br />
‘long-tail keywords’ which are<br />
often defined as any search query<br />
with four or more words. For<br />
instance:<br />
› Broad keywords: Venue<br />
› Short keywords: Wedding<br />
venue<br />
› Medium keywords: Festival<br />
wedding venue<br />
› Long-tail keywords: Festival<br />
wedding venue Kent<br />
› Longer tail yet: Festival<br />
wedding venue Kent glamping<br />
By honing your keywords, you are<br />
more likely to be found, for example<br />
by someone specifically looking for<br />
a festival-style wedding venue with<br />
glamping accommodation in Kent.<br />
Once you have identified your<br />
longtail list of keywords, it is time to<br />
start planning your blogs for the next<br />
12 months around them. Remember<br />
to focus on creating high quality, good<br />
content built around your keywords;<br />
by this I mean your blogs must contain<br />
useful information to help you get<br />
found. So using the example above, you<br />
could blog about the top 10 reasons<br />
why festival-style weddings are such a<br />
great idea. You could write about the<br />
props and styling you can offer and how<br />
your on-site bell tents make the perfect<br />
accommodation option for guests and<br />
for couples who want to extend their<br />
celebrations over a weekend.<br />
EVENT IN A TENT<br />
Free Keyword Tools<br />
Here are some free tools I recommend to help you find your keywords – short and long<br />
tail:<br />
› WordStream has a free keyword tool to show number of searches<br />
› Google auto-suggest. If you type a question into a Google you will notice it autosuggests<br />
other questions that searchers are inputting<br />
› Google related searches show you at the bottom of the screen other search criteria<br />
that previous customers have inputted<br />
› To create your webpage content, or when writing blogs, if you need some ideas for<br />
keywords I like https://analytics.moz.com/pro/keyword-explorer<br />
“REMEMBER TO FOCUS ON CREATING HIGH QUALITY, GOOD<br />
CONTENT BUILT AROUND YOUR KEYWORDS; BY THIS I MEAN<br />
YOUR BLOGS MUST CONTAIN USEFUL INFORMATION TO HELP<br />
YOU GET FOUND”<br />
WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT’S<br />
ON-TREND<br />
It’s important to stay on trend for changes in<br />
your sector. If a trend emerges for geodesic<br />
domes instead of conventional marquees,<br />
make sure you are not only talking to couples<br />
about this at your showrounds or at wedding<br />
fairs but that your website also reflects this<br />
trend change. So, if for example, you go to<br />
an industry wedding fair, why not write some<br />
great copy on the latest marquee structure<br />
trends – such as ‘Styling ideas for geodesic<br />
dome structures’ – this shows that you are:<br />
› taking an active interest in what is<br />
happening within your own wedding sector<br />
› giving valuable information, free of<br />
charge, to couples who might never have<br />
considered what marquee structure they<br />
might want<br />
› helping improve your SEO<br />
› showing couples that they can trust you as<br />
you know what you are talking about.<br />
24 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
Increase your pricing by<br />
changing your keywords!<br />
If you are getting too many bookings and<br />
would like to get more quality wedding<br />
bookings, or you want to increase your<br />
prices, here is a fantastic infographic from<br />
brideappeal.com showing how avoiding<br />
certain keywords can help!<br />
ABOUT THE AUTHOR<br />
Sam Lloyd is a specialist<br />
wedding business<br />
consultant and stylist,<br />
and the founder of The<br />
Wedding Owl. She offers<br />
a free two-hour business<br />
consultation session where you<br />
can discuss your areas of concern<br />
which might include marketing,<br />
lack of a business plan, improving<br />
conversion of showrounds to bookings<br />
and training. Get in touch at info@<br />
theweddingowl.com or call 07957<br />
218340 for chat.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 25
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26 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
PRODUCT IN FOCUS<br />
Landscape & Exteriors<br />
Wasdale Lakehead, Cumbria<br />
Product: NatSol Zero Discharge Toilets<br />
Supplier: NatSol, 01686 412653, info@<br />
natsol.co.uk, www.natsol.co.uk<br />
Details: In 2018 the National Trust asked<br />
NatSol to design and supply waterless<br />
Zero Discharge toilets for a site at the<br />
head of Wast Water, Cumbria. This is a<br />
very busy site for walkers who head up<br />
the fells. There is also a campsite there,<br />
but concerns had been raised about the<br />
existing flush toilet provision and the risk<br />
of polluting England’s cleanest lake. The<br />
technology installed to clean the discharge<br />
had not been reliable.<br />
NatSol worked with the trust and with<br />
Crosby Granger Architects who designed<br />
the building. The project opened to the<br />
public in July 2020 and the toilets are<br />
functioning as designed.<br />
NatSol originally developed the Zero<br />
Discharge model for The Royal Parks. New<br />
toilets were needed for a site in the Isabella<br />
Plantation, Richmond Park, London. These<br />
Zero Discharge toilets are pumped out by<br />
vacuum sludge tanker after around 6,000<br />
uses per toilet. There are now such toilets<br />
in Wasdale along with several urinals. The<br />
interconnected tanks collectively contain<br />
waste from over 50,000 uses.<br />
NatSol designed the ventilation system<br />
that makes the cubicles completely odourfree<br />
under normal operation. The toilet<br />
pedestals are stainless steel with Corian<br />
tops and are coated internally with PTFE<br />
(Teflon). Maintenance is minimal.<br />
The key to the success of these toilets is<br />
the ventilation system. There is a single fan<br />
driving the ventilation. This is connected<br />
to a manifold from which individual pipes<br />
connect to each tank. Air is drawn down the<br />
pedestals and also down the urinal pipes.<br />
An anemometer can be used to check the<br />
airflow down each pedestal to ensure that<br />
this is sufficient to prevent odours escaping<br />
from the tanks into the cubicles. In order<br />
to speed up the passage of air through the<br />
pedestal aperture, and for reasons of child<br />
safety, NatSol has designed the pedestal<br />
tops to have narrow apertures. This also<br />
reduces light transfer into the tank below.<br />
At the request of the National Trust<br />
(NT), Natsol also installed an odour filter<br />
tank in the final stages of the ducting.<br />
This can take a filter medium if odours<br />
coming from the final vent termination<br />
ever become noticeable at ground level.<br />
So far, no medium has been required. The<br />
vent pipe termination is at the ridge level of<br />
the building, and this is well above ground<br />
level.<br />
The fan power is around 200W and uses<br />
around five units daily. This is a reasonable<br />
cost for a facility of this size. The NT<br />
reported that it is pumping out around<br />
four times a year, which equates to around<br />
100,000 uses, given the size of tanker<br />
employed.<br />
Feedback: The National Trust was<br />
sufficiently pleased with the function<br />
of the toilets at Wasdale that word got<br />
around within the organisation, and soon<br />
after NatSol was asked to supply toilets<br />
for a similarly sized facility at Bannau<br />
Brychieniog (formerly the Brecon Beacons).<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 27
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
Septic Tank vs. Sewerage<br />
Treatment Plant<br />
The Septic Tank Store<br />
01295 23<strong>61</strong>01<br />
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One thing we<br />
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to clients is<br />
the difference<br />
between a septic<br />
tank and a sewage<br />
treatment plant.<br />
Septic tanks<br />
are usually<br />
underground<br />
tanks where<br />
wastewater flows<br />
for basic bacterial<br />
processing. They<br />
separate the solids<br />
and liquids, and,<br />
per the government binding rules, the polluting liquid<br />
discharges to a drainage field. They don’t need electricity<br />
and need emptying every six to 12 months.<br />
Sewage treatment plants are an eco-friendly solution as<br />
they use naturally occurring bacteria to digest the organic<br />
matter. The liquid is non-polluting and can normally<br />
discharge to a stream or a drainage field. Most require<br />
electricity and need emptying every 12 months; some only<br />
every three to five years.<br />
At The Septic Tank Store, we offer a bespoke installation<br />
service. We are experts in all things ‘poo’ related, and our<br />
projects can vary from a single glamping unit to a large<br />
campsite, farm shop or wedding venue.<br />
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28 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
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SALES@MUDCONTROL.CO.UK / TEL: 01536 669630<br />
FOR REVIEWS &<br />
TESTIMONIALS<br />
FIND US ON<br />
FACEBOOK & YOUTUBE<br />
30 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
PRODUCT IN ACTION<br />
Professional Services<br />
Hope Farm, Dorset<br />
Service: Venue consultancy<br />
Supplier: Charlotte Winship Consulting,<br />
01884 277306,<br />
charlotte@charlottewinship.com,<br />
www.charlottewinship.com<br />
Details: Hope Farm is an exciting and unique<br />
venue that offers bright spaces with a rural<br />
outlook and more modern, edgier interiors.<br />
Perfect for couples looking for something<br />
different from the more traditional stone barn<br />
venues.<br />
The venue has incredible 360 degree<br />
views over the surrounding hills and offers<br />
attractive indoor and outdoor spaces and<br />
overnight accommodation.<br />
They are licensed for wedding ceremonies<br />
of up to 130 guests and limit the number<br />
of weddings each year to ensure that<br />
they can give all their couples their<br />
full attention.<br />
After viewing the venue and<br />
speaking with owner Sue Stones,<br />
Charlotte Winship helped<br />
identify specific areas they<br />
could develop the business to<br />
achieve higher hire revenue and<br />
help improve their appeal to<br />
couples including the opportunity<br />
to develop a second adjacent<br />
barn which would enable couples to<br />
enjoy an indoor wedding ceremony in<br />
wet weather without the disruption of later<br />
moving furniture for a wedding breakfast.<br />
Charlotte also undertook market research which<br />
helped Sue to benchmark Hope Farm against other<br />
local wedding venues. This determined that there<br />
was an opportunity to raise their hire fee whilst still<br />
retaining good value for their clients.<br />
The website was also in need of a re-vamp so<br />
Charlotte worked with their web designers to<br />
produce a new website which would better attract<br />
new clients. This included writing a detailed brief,<br />
web content and curating an image gallery.<br />
Customer feedback: Owner Sue Stones said:<br />
“Working with Charlotte has provided the contact<br />
I needed with the outside world of weddings. The<br />
professional advice given has been invaluable.<br />
Her attention to detail enabled me to achieve a<br />
professional website to be proud of and the ability to<br />
move forward with confidence knowing she is there<br />
when needed to advise and guide. She is altogether a<br />
lovely person.”<br />
Event Teams<br />
for any Event<br />
Just Event Services<br />
01276 590325<br />
john@justeventservices.co.uk<br />
www.justeventservices.co.uk<br />
We provide a comprehensive traffic and parking plan along with<br />
management for all types of events, small or big. We also supply security,<br />
man guarding and stewards, employing locals and utilising a core team<br />
to guide and teach. With over 20 years in the event industry, and seven<br />
years as an independent supplier, we strive with providing a high quality,<br />
affordable and personal approach offering solutions for any event.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 31
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GLAMPSITES<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
Loose Reins<br />
Experience the Wild West in the heart of Dorset<br />
Following their equestrian<br />
interests, dressage rider Yasmin<br />
Wilkes and farrier husband Sam<br />
moved their respective businesses<br />
to Ridgeway Farm. Taking over<br />
the reins of the existing glamping<br />
site, the couple now have charge<br />
of three pioneer themed huts<br />
and three frontier inspired safari<br />
lodges. We talk to Yasmin.<br />
What’s your back story- life before<br />
glamping?<br />
Sam (my husband) and I met in Winchester<br />
back in 2016. Sam was deep into the<br />
world of farriery, apprenticing as a skilled<br />
horseshoer, while I was pursuing a career<br />
as a professional dressage horse rider. I<br />
also managed my breeding stud dedicated<br />
to top-notch dressage horses. When Sam<br />
completed his apprenticeship, we settled<br />
in his home county, Dorset. Sam aimed to<br />
establish his independent farrier practice<br />
across the county while I continued as a<br />
dedicated dressage rider and breeder. After<br />
several years of this routine and building<br />
our respective ventures, the idea of finding a<br />
more permanent base began to take shape.<br />
This is where Loose Reins entered the scene,<br />
offering an unexpected turn in our journey<br />
and steering us into the world of glamping –<br />
a venture we could never have predicted.<br />
What made you decide to start offering<br />
glamping accommodation?<br />
We were looking for a base where we could<br />
manage our competition horses and run<br />
our businesses. We were also interested<br />
in exploring the camping industry and<br />
utilising some available land. It was quite a<br />
specific combination we were after. When<br />
we stumbled upon Loose Reins, it ticked<br />
all the boxes and instantly stole our hearts.<br />
Sam was already familiar with the place<br />
and often said it was his dream spot. As for<br />
the opening, Loose Reins had started back<br />
in 2016, but our adventure began in August<br />
2020 when we took over the reins, so to<br />
speak.<br />
How did you research the business before<br />
entering it?<br />
Familiarity, family influences, and personal<br />
experiences shaped our decision. Sam's<br />
connection with Loose Reins wasn’t just<br />
coincidental. He used to frequent the place,<br />
bringing his younger sister for various<br />
occasions like birthday treats when it was<br />
still a western riding school. This exposure<br />
gave him a first-hand experience of the<br />
site. The allure of Loose Reins as a splendid<br />
holiday destination was something that had<br />
already caught his attention!<br />
Sam’s stepfather and older brother<br />
had already ventured into the world of<br />
hospitality as local hoteliers. This exposure,<br />
combined with his mother’s involvement in<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 33
GLAMPSITES<br />
a reputable local riding school, had<br />
acquainted him with the nuances<br />
of the hospitality industry and the<br />
associated lifestyle.<br />
Interestingly, having a camping<br />
or glamping site alongside<br />
their farming enterprises was a<br />
longstanding goal. Our personal<br />
experiences also played a role –<br />
before the pandemic, we frequently<br />
enjoyed glamping staycations for<br />
quick getaways. The appeal of a<br />
serene environment, a home-like<br />
setting, and a relaxed atmosphere<br />
has always drawn us to this type of<br />
experience.<br />
Tell us about your location<br />
and site<br />
Our location is a true gem, nestled<br />
within a wooded coombe that<br />
evokes the rugged charm of<br />
Montana's mountains, adapted to<br />
the British landscape. Situated at<br />
the heart of the Blackmoor Vale,<br />
our expansive 13.5 acre site graces<br />
a sweeping valley resting on chalk<br />
soil – a critical factor in maintaining<br />
impeccable ground drainage,<br />
particularly during the winter<br />
months. The site strikes a perfect<br />
balance, conveniently proximate to<br />
significant attractions like Studland<br />
Bay, Lulworth, and the iconic Durdle<br />
Door. Yet, its rural seclusion offers a<br />
respite from the bustle of everyday<br />
life.<br />
Access is a notable advantage.<br />
Our location is strategically placed<br />
near vital routes such as the A303<br />
and A31, ensuring easy accessibility<br />
to London and a vast portion of the<br />
South of England.<br />
Remarkably, we have yet to<br />
experience location-related<br />
challenges. We are seamlessly<br />
integrated into village life,<br />
fostering strong relationships with<br />
local suppliers and agricultural<br />
producers. The convenience of<br />
being within walking distance of<br />
country pubs and shops further<br />
enhances the guest experience.<br />
One challenge that merits<br />
mention is public transport<br />
accessibility. While our site enjoys<br />
proximity to local train stations<br />
like Gillingham and Poole, they are<br />
still approximately half an hour<br />
away from us. As a result, most<br />
of our guests opt to travel by car.<br />
Fortunately, this hasn’t dimmed the<br />
appeal of our unique location and<br />
offerings.<br />
How did you finance the project?<br />
We were lucky that we had a good<br />
mortgage advisor on board to get<br />
us in the door. Also, the timing was<br />
such that we could benefit from the<br />
government’s pandemic grants.<br />
What glamping accommodation<br />
do you offer?<br />
Loose Reins has three shepherd<br />
huts and three safari lodges. The<br />
shepherd huts run year-round,<br />
have been dressed up to fit our<br />
frontier theme, and are styled as<br />
ranch cabins. The safari lodges run<br />
seasonally, April-October, and have<br />
been similarly styled as pioneer<br />
lodges.<br />
What occupancy levels and price<br />
per night do you achieve?<br />
Excluding the winter closure of<br />
our lodges, our overall occupancy<br />
is around 64%, with cabins being<br />
between 50-60% and lodges being<br />
“THE SAFARI<br />
LODGES RUN<br />
SEASONALLY,<br />
APRIL-<br />
OCTOBER,<br />
AND HAVE<br />
BEEN<br />
SIMILARLY<br />
STYLED AS<br />
PIONEER<br />
LODGES”<br />
70%. Our cabins range from £125 to<br />
£250 per night, and our lodges range<br />
from £175 to £340 per night.<br />
How did you work out your<br />
brand and how do you publicise<br />
yourself?<br />
Our brand identity is deeply rooted<br />
in a captivating frontier theme<br />
inspired by the spirit of the Wild<br />
West. This distinctive approach<br />
occupies a unique niche in the<br />
market. The site’s origins trace<br />
back to its days as a western riding<br />
school, aligning perfectly with<br />
our equestrian background. This<br />
natural connection and history have<br />
unequivocally led us to embrace<br />
and continue this theme.<br />
In terms of publicity, we’ve<br />
found that harnessing the power<br />
of social media has been our most<br />
effective avenue. It gives us an<br />
extensive reach to our potential<br />
guests, allowing us to engage and<br />
interact meaningfully. Additionally,<br />
we’ve established a presence on<br />
various other advertising platforms,<br />
ensuring comprehensive coverage<br />
and visibility across multiple<br />
34 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
GLAMPSITES<br />
channels. This approach maximises<br />
our chances of attracting a diverse<br />
audience and generating interest<br />
that translates into actual visits.<br />
By strategically combining these<br />
promotional efforts, we’ve created<br />
a robust brand presence and<br />
effectively communicated our<br />
unique offerings to the world.<br />
How would you describe your<br />
ethos and unique selling point?<br />
At our core, our ethos revolves<br />
around delivering a serene and<br />
rejuvenating experience, allowing<br />
guests to immerse themselves in the<br />
embrace of nature and rediscover<br />
a sense of tranquillity. Our primary<br />
goal is to provide an environment<br />
where individuals can unwind,<br />
recharge, and establish a profound<br />
connection with the natural world.<br />
What truly sets us apart is<br />
the marriage of our remarkable<br />
“WHAT<br />
TRULY SETS<br />
US APART<br />
IS THE<br />
MARRIAGE<br />
OF OUR<br />
REMARKABLE<br />
LANDSCAPE<br />
WITH OUR<br />
DISTINCTIVE<br />
FRONTIER-<br />
THEMED<br />
AESTHETIC<br />
AND ATMOS-<br />
PHERE”<br />
landscape with our distinctive<br />
frontier-themed aesthetic and<br />
atmosphere. This harmonious<br />
blend creates an immersive<br />
experience that resonates with our<br />
guests. We also proudly stand out<br />
as an exceptional destination for<br />
those travelling with their canine<br />
companions. With an abundance<br />
of local trails, securely fenced<br />
fields, and our genuine affection<br />
for all things four-legged, Loose<br />
Reins is an inviting haven for both<br />
human and canine guests alike. This<br />
unique combination of elements<br />
encapsulates our distinctive<br />
identity in the glamping market<br />
and exemplifies the warmth and<br />
authenticity that define us.<br />
How did you choose your interior<br />
decoration?<br />
Given the whole site is frontier and<br />
Wild West-themed, this continues<br />
throughout the accommodation.<br />
Each shepherd hut is set in a<br />
different era and decorated<br />
accordingly. Named Ranchers, Gold<br />
Panners and Trappers, the interior<br />
decorations reflect their namesake<br />
heavily.<br />
What challenges have you faced?<br />
Undoubtedly, one of the most<br />
significant challenges we’ve<br />
confronted was navigating the<br />
impact of the pandemic. Mere<br />
months after assuming ownership,<br />
we faced a lockdown, just as our<br />
bookings were flourishing due to<br />
the Covid-driven surge in interest<br />
in glamping. The uncertainty<br />
surrounding when we could reopen<br />
and resume bookings demanded<br />
strategic management and<br />
meticulous organisation.<br />
Amidst all this, we also embraced<br />
the joyous arrival of our baby,<br />
coinciding with the reopening in<br />
2021. Balancing the responsibilities<br />
of nurturing a young family<br />
alongside our commitments to our<br />
other two ventures — one centred<br />
around horses and the other in<br />
farriery — added complexity to our<br />
already dynamic lives.<br />
It’s safe to say that we thrive on<br />
staying engaged and active, even in<br />
the face of tough challenges, a trait<br />
that keeps us resilient as we chart<br />
our path in the glamping industry.<br />
What are your plans for next<br />
season?<br />
We have big plans for next season!<br />
We will be doing some vast<br />
revamping on one of the lodges, but<br />
for now, this is top secret, I’m afraid!<br />
We also plan to offer further extras<br />
next season and gain our alcohol<br />
license to sell local wines.<br />
Describe your average day midseason<br />
Amid the bustling mid-season,<br />
our day kicks off by tending to<br />
our horses, ensuring their wellbeing<br />
comes first. Simultaneously,<br />
we quickly check our emails for<br />
incoming messages from arriving<br />
guests. As the morning unfolds,<br />
we set the stage for the day by<br />
updating the whiteboard in our<br />
main hub. This board outlines the<br />
number of guests checking into<br />
each accommodation unit and<br />
any additional services they’ve<br />
requested. Our meticulous<br />
preparation includes arranging<br />
extras and assembling welcome<br />
hampers, ready for the later run.<br />
Preparations continue with<br />
organising laundry packs tailored<br />
to the upcoming arrivals. Our ATV<br />
is stocked with cleaning essentials,<br />
laundry supplies, and vacuums<br />
– a mobile toolkit to facilitate<br />
the meticulous cleaning process.<br />
Collaboratively, we strategise<br />
allocating cleaning tasks among our<br />
team members, ensuring efficient<br />
distribution of responsibilities.<br />
Our dedicated cleaners begin their<br />
assignments, commencing with<br />
check-out cleaning at 10am.<br />
Throughout the day,<br />
communication flows seamlessly.<br />
Our cleaners keep us updated<br />
via messaging apps, relaying any<br />
crucial information about units or<br />
replacement requirements. While<br />
our cleaners are on site, I retreat<br />
to the office, addressing emails,<br />
crafting our weekly social media<br />
strategy, managing bookkeeping<br />
tasks, and overseeing ongoing<br />
projects.<br />
As the afternoon progresses,<br />
around 3:30pm, the cleaners<br />
return with the completed cleaning<br />
packs, marking the beginning<br />
of the final run. A synchronised<br />
effort ensues: part of our team<br />
replenishes supplies for the<br />
upcoming changeovers, while the<br />
others distribute logs around the<br />
site and deliver welcome hampers<br />
and extras. By 4:30pm, we’re poised<br />
for the arrival of guests, having<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 35
GLAMPSITES<br />
attended to all preparations.<br />
Our day has yet to conclude.<br />
While Sam and I address any<br />
remaining animal care tasks, we<br />
ensure we’re readily available for<br />
any guest needs. Self-check-in<br />
procedures are facilitated with the<br />
information provided beforehand,<br />
while our contact number remains<br />
accessible to guests for any initial<br />
queries. Our commitment to<br />
guest satisfaction extends into the<br />
evening as we stand by to address<br />
any immediate requirements they<br />
might have.<br />
Do you enjoy the business?<br />
Our fondness for the business is<br />
undeniable, stemming from its<br />
myriad opportunities for future<br />
ventures and growth. Embracing<br />
the glamping world has opened<br />
doors and brought us in contact<br />
with a diverse range of guests,<br />
each with unique stories and<br />
backgrounds from around the<br />
world. This aspect of human<br />
connection resonates deeply with<br />
them.<br />
The joy of sharing our own little<br />
paradise with guests is immensely<br />
rewarding. Witnessing the delight<br />
that Loose Reins imparts to people<br />
during their holidays brings a<br />
profound sense of fulfilment.<br />
Facilitating a memorable escape<br />
and providing a slice of heaven in<br />
the midst of nature’s beauty is a<br />
gratifying experience that fuels our<br />
passion.<br />
Additionally, the business serves<br />
as a platform to showcase our other<br />
pursuits – the world of farriery and<br />
dressage, as well as our on-site<br />
horse breeding program. Guests<br />
can engage with these aspects,<br />
fostering an environment of shared<br />
interests and genuine interactions.<br />
“OUR<br />
FONDNESS<br />
FOR THE<br />
BUSINESS IS<br />
UNDENIABLE,<br />
STEMMING<br />
FROM ITS<br />
MYRIAD<br />
OPPORTU-<br />
NITIES FOR<br />
FUTURE<br />
VENTURES<br />
AND<br />
GROWTH”<br />
What are you most proud of?<br />
What truly fills us with pride is<br />
our site’s ongoing enhancement<br />
and evolution. Witnessing the<br />
continuous progress and the<br />
tangible improvements we’ve made<br />
is a constant source of excitement.<br />
Reflecting on our accomplishments<br />
and anticipating our future<br />
endeavours ignites a genuine sense<br />
of pride.<br />
We also take immense pride<br />
in the evolution of our social<br />
media presence. The journey<br />
from its inception to its current<br />
form, including our active<br />
engagement on platforms like<br />
TikTok and collaborations with<br />
travel influencers and bloggers, is<br />
a testament to our commitment<br />
to innovation and adaptation. This<br />
dynamic approach to our online<br />
presence has yielded tangible<br />
results, generating booking leads<br />
and amplifying our reach in<br />
impactful ways.<br />
In essence, our pride is woven into<br />
both the tangible transformation of<br />
our site and the intangible growth of<br />
our digital presence, encapsulating<br />
the collective efforts that have<br />
propelled Loose Reins to new<br />
heights.<br />
What advice could you give<br />
to someone coming into the<br />
industry?<br />
Stepping into the glamping industry<br />
is undoubtedly a lifestyle choice<br />
that demands a genuine passion for<br />
hosting and creating memorable<br />
experiences. The essence of<br />
what you provide – an immersive<br />
experience – must remain consistent<br />
for every guest, regardless of<br />
personal circumstances. This<br />
dedication to delivering a consistent<br />
experience is paramount.<br />
Living on-site has proven to be<br />
a cornerstone of our approach.<br />
Engaging with guests while<br />
managing our day-to-day farm<br />
responsibilities enhances their<br />
experience. Our site's functioning<br />
as a farm isn't just a backdrop; it's a<br />
key part of what makes us unique.<br />
Educating guests about our way of<br />
life adds an extra layer of personal<br />
connection that resonates deeply.<br />
Sharing the intricacies of farm<br />
life, which might be unfamiliar to<br />
many guests, fosters a sense of<br />
appreciation and uniqueness.<br />
This combination of personal<br />
interaction and showcasing a<br />
genuine family-driven business<br />
model adds an unparalleled human<br />
touch. It distinguishes you from<br />
impersonal, corporate entities and<br />
resonates with guests who seek<br />
authenticity in their glamping<br />
experience. Remember, people opt<br />
for glamping to escape the ordinary<br />
and appreciate the extraordinary<br />
- it's not about being just another<br />
number but about feeling truly<br />
welcomed and valued.<br />
ADDRESS BOOK<br />
CABINS<br />
Plankbridge www.plankbridge.com<br />
LODGES<br />
Clear Sky<br />
www.safaritentsandlodges.com<br />
HOT TUBS<br />
Baltic Hot Tubs<br />
www.baltichottubs.co.uk<br />
Cotswold Eco-Tubs<br />
www.cotswoldecotubs.co.uk<br />
DETAILS<br />
Loose Reins, Ridgeway Farm<br />
Lanchards Lane, Shillingstone<br />
Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 0TF<br />
01258 863533<br />
www.loosereins.co.uk<br />
36 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
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Our journey starts and<br />
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Contact Us<br />
info@woodpeckertubs.co.uk<br />
07435866929<br />
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 37
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GLAMPSITES<br />
Driving Winter Bookings<br />
GETTY IMAGES<br />
How direct email marketing can boost your winter bookings, with advice from Sarah Orchard<br />
WINTER CAN be a tough time for<br />
glampsite owners, especially in colder or<br />
wetter climates. But don't worry, if you are<br />
staying open, there are plenty of things<br />
you can do to boost your bookings and<br />
make the most of the low season.<br />
One of the best ways to do this is to<br />
build and nurture your email list. This list<br />
is a direct line to your ideal guests and is<br />
one of the most powerful marketing tools<br />
for driving direct bookings.<br />
Let’s face it, the digital landscape is like<br />
a scary rollercoaster, and the algorithms<br />
of social media platforms can be as<br />
unpredictable as the British weather. One<br />
moment you’re riding high and the next,<br />
poof! Your account can disappear in a<br />
blink of an eye – seriously, it's not unheard<br />
of (I’ve spoken to two hosts this week who<br />
have lost their hard nurtured Instagram<br />
accounts) and can destroy businesses<br />
overnight. Or even more commonly, you<br />
feel like you are posting away and simply<br />
no one is seeing your messages.<br />
That’s why having a solid email list is the<br />
key to safeguarding your business from the<br />
“IT’S A DIRECT LINE TO<br />
A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE,<br />
YOUR IDEAL GUESTS WHO<br />
ARE EAGERLY WAITING A<br />
REASON TO GET AWAY<br />
FROM THEIR DAILY GRIND<br />
FOR A FEW DAYS”<br />
fickle whims of social media algorithms.<br />
It’s a direct line to a captive audience, your<br />
ideal guests who are eagerly waiting a<br />
reason to get away from their daily grind<br />
for a few days.<br />
WHY IS AN EMAIL LIST SO CRUCIAL?<br />
An email list is important for many reasons<br />
including:<br />
› Unfiltered connection: Emails land<br />
directly in your guests’ inboxes,<br />
bypassing the noisy social media<br />
landscape. This means that your<br />
messages are more likely to be seen and<br />
read. Who keeps on top of every social<br />
media notification these days? It’s so<br />
easy for people to miss your best bits.<br />
› Own your audience: Your email list is<br />
yours, and you’re not beholden to the<br />
whims of social media algorithms. This<br />
means you can reach your audience<br />
whenever you want without worrying<br />
about your reach being limited.<br />
› Boost your direct bookings: When you<br />
have a direct line to your audience, you<br />
can influence their booking decisions.<br />
You can send them exclusive offers,<br />
early access to new dates, and other<br />
incentives to book directly with you.<br />
TOP TIPS FOR BUILDING A POWERFUL<br />
EMAIL LIST<br />
There are a few things you can do to build<br />
your email list:<br />
› Offer irresistible incentives: People<br />
love freebies, so offer something of<br />
value to your potential subscribers. This<br />
could be a discount on their next stay,<br />
a free guide to the local area, or early<br />
access to popular dates.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 39
GLAMPSITES<br />
GETTY IMAGES<br />
› Create engaging content:<br />
Don’t just send your subscriber’s sales<br />
pitches. Instead, focus on creating<br />
valuable and interesting content. This<br />
could include blog posts, videos, or<br />
email updates that share behind-thescenes<br />
glimpses, local tips, and stories.<br />
› Promote your email list on your<br />
website and social media:<br />
Make it easy for people to sign up for<br />
your email list by adding opt-in forms to<br />
your website and social media accounts.<br />
You can also promote your email list<br />
in your marketing materials, such as<br />
brochures and flyers, digital guest guide,<br />
or on a QR code in your accommodation.<br />
TIPS FOR USING YOUR EMAIL LIST TO<br />
BOOST WINTER BOOKINGS<br />
Once you’ve built a healthy email list,<br />
you can start using it to boost your winter<br />
“MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE<br />
TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR<br />
EMAIL LIST BY ADDING<br />
OPT-IN FORMS TO YOUR<br />
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA<br />
ACCOUNTS”<br />
bookings. Here are a few tips:<br />
› Segment your list: Segment your email<br />
list based on different factors, such as<br />
location, interests, and past booking<br />
behaviour. This will allow you to send<br />
your subscribers more targeted and<br />
relevant messages.<br />
› Send seasonal content: Highlight the<br />
unique winter experiences that your<br />
glamping site has to offer. This could<br />
include snuggling up in front of the wood<br />
burner, enjoying a winter campfire, or<br />
taking a hot tub dip in the rain or snow!<br />
› Offer special winter promotions:<br />
Offer your email subscribers exclusive<br />
discounts, packages, and other<br />
incentives to book a winter stay.<br />
› Create a sense of urgency: Use<br />
scarcity and urgency to encourage your<br />
subscribers to book now. For example,<br />
you could offer a limited-time discount<br />
or early access to popular dates.<br />
› Make it easy to book: Include a clear<br />
call to action in all your emails, and<br />
make it easy for your subscribers to book<br />
directly with you. You can use a booking<br />
link or button in your email signature<br />
or add a booking widget to your email<br />
newsletter.<br />
40 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
GLAMPSITES<br />
Other Tips for Boosting Winter Bookings<br />
SEASONAL SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT<br />
Social media is excellent for sharing<br />
seasonal content and promoting your<br />
winter glamping experiences. Here are a<br />
few tips:<br />
› Use high-quality photos and videos:<br />
Social media is all about visuals, so<br />
make sure to use high-quality photos<br />
and videos of your glamping site and<br />
the winter focused experience and<br />
activities that you offer.<br />
› Tell stories: People love stories, so<br />
use your social media posts to tell<br />
stories about your glamping site and<br />
your guests’ winter experiences.<br />
› Use relevant hashtags: When you<br />
use relevant hashtags, your posts will<br />
be seen by more people interested in<br />
glamping and winter activities.<br />
› Run social media contests and<br />
giveaways: Contests and giveaways<br />
are a great way to engage your<br />
audience and generate excitement<br />
about your glamping site.<br />
› Use paid ads: Paid ads (Meta or<br />
TikTok) can be a great way to reach<br />
a wider audience and promote your<br />
winter glamping experiences. When<br />
setting up your ads, be sure to target<br />
people who are interested in glamping<br />
and getting outdoors.<br />
REAL LIFE SEASONAL CONTENT<br />
› Partner with local<br />
businesses: Partner with local<br />
businesses to offer your guests<br />
exclusive discounts and offers. For<br />
example, you could partner with your<br />
local pub to offer your guests a bonus<br />
when they book in for a meal.<br />
› Host winter events: Host winterthemed<br />
events at your glamping site to<br />
attract new guests and create a sense<br />
of community. For example bonfire<br />
night, winter feasting, winter wellbeing<br />
activities (sauna, ice bath etc) or<br />
Christmas wreath making.<br />
GETTY IMAGES<br />
Winter can certainly be a challenging<br />
time for glampsites if you remain open,<br />
but it doesn't have to be impossible. By<br />
utilising these tips and ensuring you're<br />
marketing your business consistently,<br />
you can make your winter bookings as<br />
buoyant as any other time of year.<br />
ABOUT THE AUTHOR<br />
Sarah Orchard is an<br />
award-winning marketer,<br />
Amazon bestselling author<br />
and host of one of the most<br />
sought-after treehouses (The<br />
Hudnalls Hideout) in the UK,<br />
who works with other ambitious hosts<br />
to help them master their marketing<br />
to increase their direct bookings to get<br />
more profit in their pocket. The Hideout<br />
is 100% book direct and Sarah has<br />
saved £65,000 in commission in just<br />
three years!<br />
Sarah’s free guide “My 5 Proven Ways to<br />
Get More Direct Bookings” includes key<br />
marketing tactics to help you get more<br />
direct bookings and more profit into<br />
your pocket. Visit go.get-fully-booked.<br />
com/visibility-boost-guide<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 41
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GLAMPSITES<br />
PRODUCT IN FOCUS<br />
Hot Tubs & Saunas<br />
Forest Holidays Keldy, North Yorkshire<br />
Product: Hydro Heater portable rapid water heater<br />
Supplier: Hydro Heater, 020 3457 0343, info@hydro-heater.co.uk,<br />
www.hydro-heater.co.uk<br />
Details: Forest Holidays’ site at Keldy sits on the edge of the North<br />
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choice of cabins and lodges nestled within the forest, all of which<br />
feature their own private hot tub for guests to enjoy.<br />
Hydro Heater has delivered a fleet of its revolutionary portable<br />
rapid water heaters to Forest Holidays, the UK’s largest operator<br />
of hot tubs.<br />
The Hydro Heater’s typical one-hour heat-up time means that<br />
Forest Holidays can now guarantee guests that their hot tub will<br />
be ready for them on the day of their arrival. Something that has<br />
not previously been possible if other guests have checked out on<br />
the same day.<br />
The Hydro Heater’s 60kW output will heat a hot tub 20 times faster<br />
than a typical electric heater, with operating costs from 5.5p per kWh.<br />
Feedback: Ryan Birchnall, product quality manager at Forest Holidays,<br />
said: “The introduction of the Hydro Heaters will mean substantial savings<br />
in time and energy costs to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds per year on<br />
each of the parks.”<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 43
GLAMPSITES<br />
Norseman Round Cube<br />
Logspan<br />
01389 500950<br />
austin@logspan.com<br />
www.logspan.com<br />
The Norseman Round Cube is an exclusive premium outdoor<br />
sauna designed and developed by one of the greatest<br />
sauna manufacturers in Europe with more than 15 years of<br />
experience.<br />
It comes with a 9kW electric or 13kW wood-burning heater (for<br />
off-grid locations) and can be configured as a single space for<br />
eight people or as two rooms – one with a sauna and one for<br />
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The key words for the Norseman Round Cube are quality with<br />
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The Terrace Sauna<br />
Woodpecker Tubs<br />
07435 866929<br />
info@woodpeckertubs.co.uk<br />
www.woodpeckertubs.co.uk<br />
One of our latest products to enter the marketplace is the<br />
Terrace sauna. With its sleek and spacious design features,<br />
and a terrace that allows you to put a range of other products<br />
alongside it, this unit allows you and your guests a different<br />
experience when it comes to using a sauna.<br />
The design of the Terrace sauna came from an idea one of<br />
our customers had when they were looking to improve their<br />
site’s guest experience. Having an opportunity to deliver such<br />
a product, that looks amazing and can be customised to your<br />
needs, means the world to us!<br />
To find out more about our bespoke, handcrafted saunas, hot<br />
tubs and accommodation units, please check out our website.<br />
The Nordic Misty Small<br />
Kirami UK<br />
01748 889303<br />
www.kiramiuk.com<br />
Custom Cabins – Saunas,<br />
Kitchens and More<br />
Bespoke Hideouts<br />
07703 387322<br />
hello@bespokehideouts.com<br />
www.bespokehideouts.com<br />
Check out this kitchen cabin. Bespoke Hideouts custom<br />
cabins can be used to create all sorts of spaces to help<br />
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uses of their custom cabins can include sauna, washrooms,<br />
receptions and studios.<br />
Kirami UK brings authentic Nordic bathing experiences to the UK with<br />
its luxury wood-fired hot tubs and a new range of outdoor FinVision<br />
saunas. The Nordic Misty Small sauna is a superb addition to an outdoor<br />
area at a holiday home, staycation site or luxury glamping destination.<br />
This sauna showcases true craftsmanship with its treated hardwood<br />
exterior and modern interior. It has a large window and glass door so<br />
those using the sauna can enjoy picturesque views while enjoying the<br />
warmth of the sauna. Measuring 230cm in length, 150cm in width,<br />
and 255cm in height, and powered by a 6.8kW electric heater, the<br />
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Customers can try before they buy with the brand's #TryKirami<br />
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44 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 45
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46 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
EVENTS<br />
JEZ PENNINGTON<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
ArcTanGent<br />
A leftfield music festival attracting 12,000 metalheads to an<br />
eco-farm in the Mendip Hills<br />
We talk to organiser<br />
James Scarlett about<br />
his curation of an event<br />
celebrating niche rock,<br />
managing five stages,<br />
overcoming a hiccup with<br />
the police and growing<br />
to achieve an 18% profit<br />
margin.<br />
Describe your event and how many<br />
people it attracts?<br />
ArcTanGent Festival (also known as ATG)<br />
is a 12,000 capacity leftfield music festival<br />
located in the Mendip Hills. The main<br />
musical genres covered are post-rock, prog,<br />
math-rock, post-metal and noise rock.<br />
Explain a bit about your venue and your<br />
history with it<br />
The venue is Fernhill Eco-Farm in Compton<br />
Martin, Somerset. For 99% of the year it is<br />
home to pigs, cows and sheep. It is quite an<br />
interesting venue (www.fernhill-farm.co.uk).<br />
What is the event’s history?<br />
ATG started in 2013 at 5,000 capacity and has<br />
run every year since (apart from two years<br />
off for Covid).<br />
Two of the organising team (myself and<br />
Simon Maltas) also run 2000trees. ATG was<br />
started as a leftfield offshoot that aimed<br />
to explore some other genres (namely<br />
post-rock and math-rock). At the time it was<br />
a unique festival in the UK marketplace,<br />
although a few copycats have sprung up<br />
since.<br />
How does the relationship work with the<br />
venue you hold the event at?<br />
We pay Andy and Jen (the farmers at<br />
Fernhill) to rent the land for approximately<br />
three weeks a year. In theory we return<br />
the farm to them exactly as we found it,<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 47
EVENTS<br />
although that can be tricky in<br />
a wet year! Andy also regularly<br />
helps us out onsite with use of<br />
his telehandler and other farm<br />
machinery. We couldn’t do it<br />
without their support.<br />
How is your relationship<br />
with the local authority and<br />
community?<br />
In the first year of ATG, our<br />
relationship with the local<br />
authority was a little tricky.<br />
They also look after Glastonbury<br />
Festival, which is obviously a<br />
vastly different beast to ATG.<br />
They expected all the same<br />
paperwork and detail that they<br />
would get from Glastonbury. This<br />
was extremely time consuming<br />
and caused one big fall out with<br />
the police. We’re all good now<br />
though and the relationship is<br />
excellent – they know that we are<br />
professionals and stay within the<br />
confines of our license (particularly<br />
with regards to noise).<br />
I think the community are quite<br />
fascinated by 12,000 “metalheads”<br />
turning up in their village.<br />
The closest houses all get free<br />
tickets and quite a few of them<br />
come along and take a look/listen<br />
while drinking an ice cold beer.<br />
How have you planned the<br />
layout of the event?<br />
The main structures used are stage<br />
marquees (through Carlinden) –<br />
due to the often bad weather, even<br />
our Main Stage is in a marquee. We<br />
also used South West Marquees for<br />
DEREK BREMNER<br />
JONATHAN DODDS<br />
SNAP ROCK AND POP<br />
JEZ PENNINGTON<br />
48 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
EVENTS<br />
SNAP ROCK AND POP<br />
JEZ PENNINGTON<br />
clearspan tents for bars, dressing<br />
rooms etc. All are hired. The only<br />
thing we have purchased is three<br />
or four Gala Tents, which are far<br />
from ideal if it gets windy.<br />
The layout of the event site is<br />
based on one principal, namely<br />
enabling the punters to see as<br />
many bands as possible. Therefore<br />
it is a very compact site in terms<br />
of the arena. There are five stages<br />
that alternate back and forwards<br />
(three on, two off then three off,<br />
two on).<br />
How do you work with creatives<br />
to make these spaces work?<br />
We have an excellent inhouse<br />
site decoration team lead by Dan<br />
Roblin. He works all year round to<br />
make the site look and feel great.<br />
“THE ENTER-<br />
TAINMENT IS<br />
ALMOST EN-<br />
TIRELY MUSIC<br />
FOCUSSED.<br />
WE HAVE<br />
AROUND<br />
120 BANDS<br />
PLAYING<br />
ACROSS THE<br />
FIVE STAGES<br />
SPREAD OVER<br />
THREE AND<br />
A HALF DAYS<br />
(WEDNESDAY<br />
TO SATUR-<br />
DAY)”<br />
with help from my booking<br />
assistant Mitchell Bell. Most of the<br />
artists on our line-up have booking<br />
agents and it is through them that<br />
bookings are made. The line-up<br />
is selected to have a spread of the<br />
key genres we focus on.<br />
In addition to bands we have<br />
a silent disco every night and on<br />
stage podcast/panel discussions in<br />
the mornings.<br />
What provisions do you make for<br />
power, lights and sound?<br />
Power, lights and sound are<br />
all provided by Peak Hire from<br />
Cheltenham. There are no<br />
particular challenges, although<br />
obviously 100% of this needs to be<br />
brought in on trucks (there’s a lot<br />
of generators and distribution!).<br />
There are a few challenges on<br />
sound. The type of bands the<br />
play ATG have very technical and<br />
specific requirements.<br />
How do you manage admissions<br />
and visitor safety?<br />
Like most events, admissions are<br />
via an electronic ticket which is<br />
exchanged for a wristband at the<br />
entrance.<br />
Visitor safety is looked after<br />
by our excellent health & safety<br />
team headed up by Rob Haworth<br />
(otherwise know as Rob Safety).<br />
www.eventsafetyplan.com<br />
How did you cope during 2020<br />
and 2021?<br />
COVID was tough. We had 2020<br />
and 2021 off and only survived<br />
How did you research and source<br />
your infrastructure?<br />
As noted above we use Carlinden<br />
and South West Marquees. The<br />
stage marquees are particularly<br />
difficult to source as there are<br />
very few quality suppliers in the<br />
industry. Carlinden are really<br />
excellent and I would highly<br />
recommend them. We do not<br />
source flooring for anything other<br />
than our first aid tent.<br />
What entertainment do you offer<br />
and how did you choose and<br />
source it?<br />
The entertainment is almost<br />
entirely music focussed. We have<br />
around 120 bands playing across<br />
the five stages spread over three<br />
and a half days (Wednesday to<br />
Saturday). I book all the bands<br />
SNAP ROCK AND POP<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 49
EVENTS<br />
JONATHAN DODDS<br />
JONATHAN DODDS<br />
JONATHAN DODDS<br />
because we raised over £100k in<br />
a crowdfunder and also received<br />
a grant through the Cultural<br />
Recovery Fund. A lot of lessons<br />
were learnt during this time, not<br />
least how to communicate that<br />
cancellation of a festival to 12,000<br />
people. Hopefully a skill we’ll<br />
never need to use again!<br />
What ground protection do you<br />
use for cars and footfall?<br />
We hire trackway Box Panels<br />
from EPS. These are used for car<br />
parks and other areas of heavy<br />
traffic. EPS also supplies us with<br />
track matting which is used in<br />
backstage areas and to help with<br />
the trader get in.<br />
We do not have ground<br />
protection for footfall. If it rains, it<br />
gets muddy!<br />
How do you publicise the event?<br />
We have an inhouse marketing<br />
team (consisting of the<br />
aforementioned Simon, Mitch<br />
plus Danielle Battersby). They<br />
are supported by the brilliant<br />
Greenhouse Group (social media)<br />
and Good As Gold (press).<br />
We also do a lot of online<br />
advertising, plus some physical<br />
advertising via Out of Hand.<br />
DEREK BREMNER<br />
“I THINK<br />
THE MAIN<br />
CHALLENG-<br />
ES ANY<br />
MUSICAL<br />
FESTIVAL<br />
FACES ARE<br />
RISING<br />
COSTS AND<br />
INCREASED<br />
COMPE-<br />
TITION. IT<br />
CAN MAKE<br />
BALANCING<br />
THE BUDGET<br />
VERY<br />
TRICKY”<br />
What additional challenges have<br />
you faced?<br />
I think the main challenges any<br />
musical festival faces are rising<br />
costs and increased competition.<br />
It can make balancing the budget<br />
very tricky.<br />
How have you financed the<br />
event and how profitable is it?<br />
Each event is financed almost<br />
entirely through the ticket sales<br />
(we receive 90% upfront) and runs<br />
at a profit margin between 7% and<br />
18% depending on the year.<br />
What are your plans for next<br />
year?<br />
More of the same. After a tough<br />
start we’ve had three really good<br />
years (2019, 2022, 2023) and<br />
are happy with where we’re at.<br />
Ultimately a festival like ATG can<br />
only grow so big due to the niche<br />
nature of the musical genres.<br />
What advice could you give<br />
to someone coming into the<br />
industry?<br />
Don’t start a festival unless you<br />
have a unique idea that you are<br />
confident people will buy tickets<br />
for. The market is saturated by<br />
identikit indie-rock festivals!<br />
ADDRESS BOOK<br />
MARQUEES<br />
Carlinden www.carlinden.co.uk<br />
South West Marquees<br />
www.southwestmarquees.com<br />
STAGES<br />
DM Stages www.dmstages.com<br />
POWER<br />
Peak Hire www.peakhire.co.uk<br />
BARS<br />
Really Good Bars<br />
www.reallygoodbars.com<br />
GROUND PROTECTION<br />
EPS www.eps.net<br />
TICKETING<br />
DICE www.dice.fm<br />
SECURITY<br />
Vespasian<br />
www.vespasiansecurity.co.uk<br />
DETAILS<br />
15-18 August 2024<br />
ArcTanGent<br />
Fernhill Farm<br />
Cheddar Road<br />
Compton Martin<br />
Somerset<br />
Bristol, BS40 6LD<br />
www.arctangent.co.uk<br />
50 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 51
EVENTS<br />
ERIC AYDIN BARBERINI<br />
Light Magic<br />
Rob Paul, design director at LCI Productions, on lighting up the season with festive displays<br />
AS THE days grow shorter and the<br />
temperature drops, there’s a magical<br />
transformation that takes place across<br />
the UK. The streets come alive with a<br />
kaleidoscope of colours, and the darkness<br />
of winter is illuminated by the warm and<br />
inviting glow of festive lights.<br />
From grand displays gracing stately<br />
homes to enchanting illuminations along<br />
forest trails, seasonal light displays have<br />
evolved into an annual tradition that bring<br />
joy and wonder to whoever visits them.<br />
These immersive displays serve to<br />
extend the seasonal charm of outdoor<br />
destinations, helping to generate additional<br />
and second gate revenue streams and<br />
further elevating the allure of their location.<br />
In this article, we’ll explore the art of<br />
winter illumination and delve into the best<br />
practices for creating captivating displays<br />
that not only light up the season, but<br />
also help to generate additional value to<br />
destinations.<br />
If you’ve ever experienced a light trail,<br />
you know that you’re in for a visual delight.<br />
“IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT<br />
FOR YOU TO HAVE A CLEAR<br />
IDEA OF WHAT YOU’D LIKE<br />
TO ACCOMPLISH, SO THAT<br />
EVENT DESIGNERS LIKE<br />
US CAN HELP BRING YOUR<br />
VISION TO LIFE”<br />
These enchanting displays captivate the<br />
senses and transport guests to a world of<br />
wonder.<br />
As experiential designers, we have seen<br />
first-hand the power that these installations<br />
can have to create memorable experiences<br />
that leave a lasting impression and keep<br />
guests coming back for more. However,<br />
there are some key things to keep in mind<br />
before you start planning your installation.<br />
Preparation is key after all, and you<br />
wouldn’t want your experience to flop once<br />
the gates are open.<br />
HAVE A CLEAR CONCEPT IN MIND<br />
First, before you begin the design process,<br />
it’s important to have a clear concept in<br />
mind. This concept should be based on a<br />
central theme or idea that ties everything<br />
together. This will help ensure that all<br />
of the elements of the installation work<br />
cohesively to create a seamless guest<br />
experience. It’s also important for you<br />
to have a clear idea of what you’d like to<br />
accomplish, so that event designers like us<br />
can help bring your vision to life.<br />
CONSIDER LOCATION<br />
The space in which the installation will<br />
be displayed is a critical element of the<br />
design process. It’s important to consider<br />
the size and layout of the space whether<br />
it will be held outdoor or indoor, as well<br />
as any unique features or limitations. This<br />
will help ensure that the installation is<br />
tailored to the specific space and that it<br />
takes advantage of any unique features or<br />
opportunities.<br />
52 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
EVENTS<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
Windsor Great Park<br />
Illuminated<br />
One of our notable light trail experiences<br />
was created for Windsor Great Park. This<br />
second edition of the Windsor Great Park<br />
Illuminated seasonal light trail showcased<br />
an innovative and imaginative design. This<br />
took place across 2.2km of the forest.<br />
Our brief from IMG events was to take<br />
the concept from last year and improve<br />
the flow across the geography of the site,<br />
make a bigger impact and add the ‘wow<br />
factor’. This was a unique site to work with<br />
because you get amazing views across the<br />
whole vista that you don’t get with other<br />
trails. We wanted to work with that and<br />
ensure that both visually and through the<br />
narrative, guests were always drawn to the<br />
next experience and looking across the trail<br />
in anticipation.<br />
We wanted to keep fan favourites,<br />
such as the sea of light, a 69m by 16m<br />
display created using 96-pixel chains each<br />
consisting of 300 LED lights, and transform<br />
other areas to give them more intrigue.<br />
As a result, the trail had 11 distinct<br />
zones. These included elements that<br />
you would expect from a traditional light<br />
trail, including LED beacons, architectural<br />
lighting and pixel chains, with creative and<br />
interactive show experiences including<br />
hydro screens, aquatic and 3D projection<br />
mapping, immersive holograms of forest<br />
creatures, holographic floating fairies and<br />
interactive motion tracked fireflies.<br />
the visitor flow, it helped to add a layer of<br />
depth to the overall experience. Visitors<br />
are not simply moving from one attraction<br />
to another; they are actively participating<br />
in a narrative journey. Each scene and<br />
storyline unfolds in a way that guides guests<br />
organically from one point to the next. This<br />
keeps them engaged and eager to discover<br />
what awaits them around the corner.<br />
TECHNICAL DESIGN AND DELIVERY<br />
We delivered the full audio, visual and<br />
lighting production, including technical<br />
design, concept creation, original media<br />
and audio scores, installation, show<br />
programming and onsite maintenance<br />
throughout the live dates.<br />
Notable features throughout the trail<br />
included ‘Lake View,’ which featured<br />
illuminated water fountains. There was also<br />
a water screen that showcased a festive<br />
display of Santa and Christmas elves.<br />
Other highlights of the trail consisted of<br />
a fairy disco, an LED tunnel of light, and a<br />
projection-mapped ‘Dreaming Tree’. LCI<br />
incorporated interactivity in the Firefly<br />
Forest, with an infrared camera detecting<br />
the motion of approaching guests.<br />
We are currently on site setting up this<br />
year’s Windsor Great Park illuminated with<br />
many new features and a new IP! We’ve<br />
gone bigger and bolder and we’re using our<br />
experience from last year to make the event<br />
even better than before.<br />
The site opens to the public on the 16<br />
November until the 2 January 2024.<br />
Windsor Great Park<br />
Illuminated<br />
ENGAGE IN ALL THE SENSES<br />
To craft an unforgettable experience,<br />
immersive installations must captivate<br />
every sense. Achieving this requires a<br />
harmonious blend of lighting, sound<br />
and interactive components. When all<br />
the senses are engaged in unison, the<br />
installation can have a profound impact<br />
on its audience.<br />
USE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY<br />
The use of projection mapping,<br />
generative content, VR/AR or<br />
interactivity can help bring your<br />
experience to the next level. However,<br />
it’s important to use technology in<br />
a way that enhances the experience<br />
rather than detracting from it, or<br />
making it overcomplicated. The<br />
technology should be seamlessly<br />
integrated into the installation and<br />
should not feel forced or out of place. It<br />
should cohesively fit with your overall<br />
theme and give visitors the opportunity<br />
to be a part of its narrative.<br />
STORYTELLING IS KEY<br />
Storytelling was a crucial addition for<br />
the 2022 trail. There wasn’t a specific IP<br />
or existing narrative, but we wanted to<br />
introduce elements of storytelling with<br />
characters that appear throughout<br />
the trail, to create a connected and<br />
memorable experience that would<br />
capture the guest’s imagination.<br />
By integrating storytelling into<br />
ERIC AYDIN BARBERINI<br />
ERIC AYDIN BARBERINI<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 53
EVENTS<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
Halloween at Hampton Court<br />
Palace<br />
This year, we’ve joined forces with Pastporte to<br />
create a truly mesmerising projection-mapped<br />
experience for Halloween at Hampton Court. This<br />
will be our third time working with the palace to<br />
create such an event.<br />
This multimedia AV solution is split into eight<br />
different sections across various rooms throughout<br />
the palace. We used different AV technologies to<br />
cast eerie projections of former palace residence<br />
and buried workmen within the palace walls. The<br />
experience also showcases frightening moving<br />
portraits and retellings of the darkest of ghost<br />
stories, a dedicated ‘Séance’ projection area, that<br />
recalls the fated night of Anne Boleyn's beheading,<br />
projections of the three witches of Macbeth and a<br />
crazed alchemist who meddles with dark magic.<br />
This collaboration has resulted in a one-of-akind<br />
experience, immersing visitors in a world of<br />
Halloween, but also gives them a different insight<br />
into the history behind the palace.<br />
A UK First<br />
Our expertise extends beyond light trails. With over 20 years of<br />
experience in the entertainment industry, we’ve helped design and<br />
install various attractions worldwide. Our portfolio includes several<br />
immersive experiences. For example, the UK’s first permanently<br />
installed 3D projection mapping on a high street in Boscombe.<br />
We created this innovative attraction in collaboration with<br />
Bournemouth Towns Fund. It showcases regularly updated shows<br />
and has transformed the space into a multifunctional destination.<br />
The show launched with a ‘Love Boscombe’ theme for Valentine’s<br />
Day. It featured 3D content that floated above the surface including<br />
hearts moving across the screen, pulsating, spinning and circling<br />
around the building. Images that represent the Boscombe seafront<br />
and artwork from local residents also came to life.<br />
The experience has been future-proofed and designed so that the<br />
content and show can be regularly updated. Different shows will<br />
take place throughout the year. Live sports can also be streamed,<br />
creating the ultimate immersive viewing experience on the side of<br />
the building.<br />
We’ve recently updated it so that it showcases Halloween<br />
content in time for the spooky season. This includes ‘coastal<br />
critters’, a concept we designed that involves different monster<br />
characters that are projected onto the screen and showcases their<br />
story. This is part of a larger project which is happening around<br />
Boscombe. Whereby these characters are brought to life in lifesize<br />
form and displayed across the town centre. The ‘Bezerker’ is hiding<br />
somewhere at the Sovereigns Centre, a ‘Chomper’ on Boscombe<br />
Specsavers, ‘Goofs’ landing on the Art Depot, a ‘Howler’ at Lyfe and<br />
a ‘Tentacle takeover’ in Southbourne.<br />
ABOUT THE AUTHOR<br />
Rob Paul uses a blend of multidisciplinary talents to<br />
create stand-out shows, with a particular focus on<br />
projection mapping, pixel mapping, Laser FX, audiovisual<br />
installations, water screens, fountain displays, interactive<br />
displays and AR and VR technologies. His unique concepts<br />
have been delivered in diverse environments from visitor<br />
attractions, events, museums, live music shows, immersive experiences,<br />
guerrilla marketing campaigns and flagship retail and brand activations.<br />
Rob has an eclectic client mix collaborating with leading industry names<br />
including Boeing, Vogue, Norman Foster, Warner Brothers, Merlin<br />
Entertainment, Longleat, Historic Royal Palaces and Bentley. www.<br />
lciproductions.com<br />
54 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
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WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 55
ISSUE 51 | 2022 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
ISSUE 52 | 2022 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
BUSINESS<br />
ISSUE 46 | October/November 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
BUSINESS<br />
BESPOKE GLAMPING<br />
ISSUE 49 | March/April 2022 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
EVENT STRUCTURES<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
› Bars & Catering<br />
› Outdoor Ceremonies<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Compost Toilets<br />
› Booking Systems<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Seeing Red<br />
› Total Immersion<br />
BUSINESS<br />
INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
› Sharing Snaps<br />
› Kitchen Efficiencies<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Architects<br />
› Natural Pools<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Green Hydrogen<br />
› Tent Waste<br />
GLAMPING<br />
SHOW<br />
PREVIEW<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
› Accommodation<br />
› Eco Marketing<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Research<br />
› Sewage Strategy<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Stage Build<br />
› Ticketing<br />
BUSINESS<br />
FUNCTION<br />
VENUES<br />
› Pricing<br />
› Websites<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
› Business Rates<br />
› Building Regulations<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Reusable Cups<br />
› Festival Costs<br />
ISSUE 53 | 2022 | www.openairbusiness.com<br />
STRUCTURES<br />
ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT<br />
Tim Bowles -Campwell<br />
BUSINESS<br />
FUNCTION VENUES<br />
/ /<br />
GLAMPSITES<br />
EVENTS<br />
› Shoot Styling<br />
› Logo Protection<br />
› Insurance<br />
› Saying Thanks<br />
› Treehouse Builds<br />
› Going Hybrid<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
ROKA BELLA ROSE WEDDINGS • THE MEADOWS AT POLEHANGER • BURRS LIVE<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
GREEN & AWAY • BIRDHOLME GLAMPING • SHREWSBURY FOOD FESTIVAL<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
SYCHPWLL CENTRE • BROOK FARM SHEPHERD HUTS • IRLAM LIVE<br />
ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT<br />
Derry Green - The Secret Garden Glamping<br />
› Derry Green - The Secret Garden Glamping<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
HYDE ESTATE WILD GARDENS • BROCKLOCH ECO RETREAT • TRAMLINES FESTIVAL<br />
CASE STUDIES:<br />
OLD OAK FARM • DRAGONFLY CAMPING • TORCHLIGHT FESTIVAL OF CAMPING<br />
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www.openairbusiness.com/subscribe
EVENTS<br />
PRODUCT IN FOCUS<br />
Heat & Power<br />
One Stop Shop for Audio, Power<br />
and Lighting<br />
Essential Supplies<br />
01752 817140<br />
sales@essentialsupplies.co.uk<br />
www.essentialsupplies.co.uk<br />
Pretty much everything technical you need to run events<br />
from a marquee. If you are a venue with your own<br />
structure then Essential Supplies is your one-stop-shop<br />
for power distribution, audio and lighting, as well as<br />
marquee rigging and accessories. You can order online<br />
or over the phone, and next day delivery is free for orders<br />
over £150.<br />
For power, this company has a large range of temporary<br />
power supplies using components from Mennekes and<br />
Eaton. As well as a range of stock power distribution<br />
boards, it can create boards to any specification, from 16A<br />
to 800A. They are lightweight, weatherproof and feature a<br />
unique stacking system with sunken components.<br />
Showman’s<br />
Show, Berkshire<br />
Product: Lifos Fort PV<br />
battery energy storage<br />
system including solar<br />
panels<br />
Supplier: Lifos Advanced<br />
Battery Technology,<br />
01952 200198,<br />
hello@lifos.co.uk,<br />
www.lifos.co.uk<br />
Details: The Showman’s Show B2B expo showcase every product<br />
an event organiser may need; from electrics, to power to glamping<br />
structures, to bouncy castles – everything!<br />
Lifos was asked by Essential Supplies to provide grid-free power to<br />
the front of its expo stand where their existing power supply could not<br />
provide the required power for the company’s products. The Lifos Fort<br />
was able to provide power for external space heaters, LED screens and<br />
multiple other devices throughout the expo.<br />
Thermobile UK<br />
02476 357960<br />
andy@thermobile.co.uk<br />
www.thermobile.co.uk<br />
Thermobile heaters are manufactured in Holland<br />
and built to a very high quality. They have a<br />
minimum efficiency of 90 per cent, which means<br />
that 90 per cent of the fuel burned goes as useful<br />
heat into the heated space and only 10 per<br />
cent via the flue. This is a very high efficiency in<br />
comparison to other heaters on the market.<br />
The Thermobile ITA range is ideal for heating<br />
marquees and other temporary structures. It<br />
comprises small, mobile units with a 5-10m range<br />
for ducting and 15hr integral fuel tanks. The larger<br />
IMA units require a separate fuel tank and can be<br />
ducted up to 40m.<br />
Feedback: Adrian Williams, MD of Lifos, worked with the client to ensure<br />
the company understood the power demand correctly and supplied<br />
the right specification of Fort PV. Although the weather conditions were<br />
constant rain, the solar panels provided useful recharging capability for<br />
the Fort batteries to ensure the load was constantly powered through<br />
every day of the expo. This power was provided without noise, emissions<br />
or running costs.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 57
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58 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
EVENTS<br />
PRODUCT IN FOCUS<br />
Bars & Catering<br />
Sleek Curves for any Event<br />
Alternative Stretch Tents<br />
01920 830256<br />
info@alternative-stretch.co.uk<br />
www.alternative-stretch-tents.co.uk<br />
Alternative Stretch Tents provides sleek curves to any event and venue across<br />
the UK. Whether it’s a 6x10m patio tent or a 15x64m festival tent, Alternative<br />
Stretch Tents can usually find a solution within their 7000+ sqm of premium<br />
hire stock. Contact them today for a chat about your next project.<br />
Helping Eliminate Single<br />
Use Plastic from Events<br />
Green Goblet<br />
01278 238390<br />
info@green-goblet.com<br />
www.green-goblet.com<br />
We’re on a mission to save the planet one<br />
reusable cup at a time. We are the UK’s<br />
leading producer and supplier of reusable<br />
cups, coffee cups and food-ware. All of<br />
our reusable cups can be customised to<br />
suit your brand or event. Transitioning to<br />
reusable cups couldn’t be easier no matter<br />
how big or small your event is. Whether<br />
you’re looking to eliminate single-use plastic<br />
from a stadium or offer your wedding day<br />
guests the perfect reusable souvenir, we’ve<br />
got you covered.<br />
Bespoke Structures<br />
with the LOCX System<br />
Luxury Pods<br />
07767 666999<br />
info@luxurypods.com<br />
www.luxurypods.com<br />
If you’ve ever wondered how to go<br />
about creating your own bespoke bar<br />
or any other structure for events – the<br />
LOCX system makes this possible for<br />
the first time. It’s simple, you tell us<br />
the shape and size, we design and<br />
create it in a matter of days.<br />
Our patented system uses bespoke<br />
aluminium extrusions and LOCX<br />
connectors to create a super-strong<br />
structural frame which can be clad<br />
with aluminium composite panels,<br />
timber, ply, canvas, etc.<br />
The LOCX system uses 100% British<br />
recycled aluminium, designed and<br />
made in the UK. Easy to assemble<br />
and disassemble, maintenance free,<br />
flatpack and lightweight for ease of<br />
transportation and storage.<br />
Visit us at the Farm Business<br />
Innovation Show (15-16 November)<br />
and see for yourself the amazing LOCX<br />
system in action. Contact us with your<br />
project ideas – we design and create<br />
the strong framework!<br />
Cellar-in-a-Box<br />
CORE Bar and Event Hire<br />
0845 299 6499<br />
sales@core-barandeventhire.com<br />
www.core-barandeventhire.com<br />
The CORE ‘Wheel-Inn Cellar-in-a-box’ kit<br />
is a mobile fully featured cellar set up that<br />
allows you to dispense kegged beers and<br />
ciders whenever and wherever needed –<br />
in minutes!<br />
Easily integrated into CORE’s modular<br />
bar solution (pictured), it means you<br />
can have a professional bar set up for<br />
any event irrespective of location. The<br />
CORE ‘Wheel-Inn Cellar-in-a-box’ kit can<br />
dispense up to three different drinks and<br />
ensures that professionally dispensed, ice<br />
cold beverages can be served so you are<br />
not limited to only bottled drinks.<br />
The kit is ideal for any situation where<br />
you need to serve kegged beers and<br />
ciders in a temporary location without<br />
the need for expert installation crews.<br />
Kits are available to purchase or rent by<br />
contacting the friendly CORE team.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 59
Spot light<br />
A roundup of products for the outdoor hospitality industry<br />
MAXIMISE VIEWS WITH THE<br />
MUNRO<br />
Podz R Us<br />
07767 733044<br />
sales@podzrus.com<br />
www.podzrus.com<br />
The stand-out feature of our Munro<br />
pod has to be the full height and<br />
width glass front. If you have a<br />
location with a stunning outlook,<br />
this is the best way to view it,<br />
no matter the outside weather<br />
conditions.<br />
The pod comes complete with a<br />
full-sized double bed, kitchen area<br />
and en-suite. The layout offers a<br />
spacious interior living area and a<br />
partitioned-off sleeping zone for<br />
some extra privacy. There's a fullsized<br />
shower in the bathroom too.<br />
Like all our pods, the Munro is fully<br />
insulated and double-glazed. With<br />
the addition of underfloor heating,<br />
it is suitable for use all year round.<br />
TRUSTED BRITISH MANUFACTURER<br />
Bond Fabrications<br />
01453 767171<br />
enquiries@bondfabrications.co.uk<br />
www.bondfabrications.co.uk<br />
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manufacture for over 35 years...<br />
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Regency Shepherd Huts<br />
07807 072080<br />
info@regencyshepherdhuts.co.uk<br />
www.regencyshepherdhuts.co.uk<br />
Regency Shepherd Huts offer a fully<br />
premium bespoke service. Each hut<br />
can be different in terms of size,<br />
style, content and colours. When<br />
it comes to the designing part, we<br />
like to receive as much input as we<br />
can from our customers. This builds<br />
a picture of what the final product<br />
will look like.<br />
The two main cladding types<br />
we cater for are green oak and<br />
wriggly tin – which comes in a<br />
variety of colours. In the interior<br />
of a Regency hut, you will find<br />
sumptuous features such as<br />
a handmade kitchen, quartz<br />
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doors, chunky oak steps, bedroom<br />
skylights and pop-up TVs. Please<br />
get in touch with your ideas.<br />
ICONIC DESIGN<br />
Armadilla<br />
0131 440 4000<br />
sales@armadilla.co.uk<br />
www.armadilla.co.uk<br />
Armadilla designs and manufactures<br />
unique, luxury accommodation<br />
units for the hospitality sector<br />
across the UK and Europe from its<br />
facility in Edinburgh. Renowned<br />
for its pod series with a distinctive<br />
curved shape, Armadilla’s designs<br />
seamlessly blend into both<br />
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Known for their eco-friendly<br />
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Wave series, launched two years<br />
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as a design classic, maintaining<br />
all the luxury elements of its<br />
predecessors but offering more<br />
space, accommodating up to four in<br />
luxurious comfort.<br />
60 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
SOUNDPROOF KARAOKE BOOTHS<br />
SingPods<br />
020 3886 1344<br />
hello@singpods.com<br />
www.singpods.com<br />
For venues, festivals and holiday<br />
parks, SingPod is your ultimate<br />
entertainment solution. Our<br />
soundproof karaoke booths deliver<br />
unmatched fun and revenue potential.<br />
Consider the SingPod a permanent<br />
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SingPod offers non-stop karaoke<br />
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engaged and entertained throughout<br />
the day and night in a soundproof<br />
pod.<br />
Install SingPod as a permanent<br />
attraction to generate extra income<br />
with pay-to-play.<br />
Attract festival-goers with a unique<br />
karaoke experience, enhancing<br />
the overall festival atmosphere or<br />
enhance your holiday park experience<br />
by offering SingPod as a memorable,<br />
family-friendly activity.<br />
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ECO<br />
BUILDINGS<br />
Outerspace Group<br />
01978 532930<br />
hello@outerspacegroup.com<br />
www.outerspacelife.co.uk<br />
Outerspace has recently launched<br />
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Outerspace Life’s mission is to<br />
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ideas, talk about nature, health<br />
and wellbeing, and connect people<br />
with reputable installers.<br />
We can introduce you to a<br />
reputable installer who can build<br />
both on-site or off-site depending<br />
on your needs.<br />
PERFO GROUND REINFORCEMENT<br />
SYSTEM<br />
S2T Group<br />
01992 522797<br />
www.perfo.co.uk<br />
S2T Group’s PERFO range of ground<br />
protection products comprises<br />
a system of interlocking, selfanchoring<br />
permeable plastic<br />
tiles which are embedded into an<br />
existing surface, eg. a mature grass<br />
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a layer of crushed stone chippings,<br />
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A number of light to heavy duty<br />
solutions are available to suit<br />
varied ground conditions, traffic<br />
profiles and loading requirements.<br />
Unlike other geogrid systems,<br />
PERFO tiles are usually installed<br />
without the need for excavation,<br />
being compacted directly into the<br />
existing surface using rollers or<br />
compactor plates. Installation is<br />
therefore rapid and planning issues<br />
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NEW CONCEPT FLAT PACK<br />
SHEPHERDS HUTS<br />
Into The Wild UK<br />
sales@intothewild.com<br />
www.intothewild.com<br />
Following multiple requests from<br />
customers, Into the Wild UK has<br />
developed an ingenious shepherds hut<br />
that arrives in flat pack format. This<br />
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These clever huts can be carried piece<br />
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pre-made with insulation, a painted<br />
interior, plug sockets, lighting points<br />
and double glazed hardwood windows<br />
and door.<br />
The standard size is 12x7 feet and the<br />
initial offering price is £18,500 + VAT.<br />
Delivery and assembly can be arranged<br />
for an additional fee.<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM <strong>61</strong>
Classified Directory<br />
C RE®<br />
BAR& EVENTHIRE<br />
STYLISH CUSTOMISABLE BAR RENTAL<br />
01453 767171<br />
www.bondfabrications.co.uk<br />
enquiries@bondfabrications.co.uk<br />
DRY HIRE OR FULL SERVICE<br />
T: 0845 299 6499 - E: sales@core-barandeventhire.com<br />
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• Sewage Treatment •<br />
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BUSINESS<br />
Little<br />
Black<br />
Book<br />
2024<br />
The must have supplier guide<br />
Sent to Open Air Business Subscribers<br />
£20/year = 8 issues<br />
www.openairbusiness.com/subscribe
PEOPLE<br />
Behind the Scenes<br />
Anna Littler<br />
Wonder what it’s like to work with some of the<br />
world’s largest dinosaur puppets? We hear from<br />
Anna Littler, the creative director at Rentadinosaur<br />
I’M THE creative director of Rentadinosaur<br />
– and also a chief Dinosaur Wrangler. We do<br />
dinosaur events all over the UK and beyond,<br />
and when we’re touring with the dinos I’m<br />
the director and producer of the A team (the<br />
Anna team), which may have three to 30<br />
puppeteers (and three to 35 Dinosaurs). I’m<br />
also a Dino Baby puppeteer – often with the<br />
adorable Peepo, the baby Parasaurolophus!<br />
Back in the office I oversee the fun stuff.<br />
Anything and everything to do with making<br />
our Dinosaur events a success – developing<br />
new ideas, writing shows and songs, sales<br />
and marketing, strategic planning, liaising<br />
and brainstorming with clients and lovely<br />
logistics.<br />
Over eight years ago my partner, Chris<br />
Coulson, announced out of the blue that<br />
he was thinking of buying a dinosaur. A<br />
4.5 metre long T.rex puppet! An Australian<br />
dino show had been at the O2 and Chris<br />
was hugely impressed by their realistic<br />
movements. He had an IT and film business<br />
and was interested in mechanics, and he<br />
loved the idea of making other people go<br />
‘wow’ too.<br />
I was working on a theatrical song<br />
project for children at the time and had<br />
previously worked in marketing and as a<br />
charity manager. My first question was ‘how<br />
much competition is there?’ We did lots of<br />
research and combined our skillsets and<br />
Rentadinosaur was hatched – one of the first<br />
in the country.<br />
My charity work had involved helping<br />
street children and children with disabilities<br />
overseas and I was always passionate about<br />
finding ways to help make children happy<br />
and boost their confidence. I never imagined<br />
I would be working with dinosaurs but they<br />
definitely bring happiness and our shows are<br />
uplifting and exciting, as well as educational.<br />
I always start the day with a huge mug of<br />
tea, as an office day is usually non-stop. After<br />
running through priorities and any exciting<br />
updates with my team, I might jump from<br />
writing a big proposal for a potential client<br />
at a castle, racecourse or council, to zooming<br />
with established farm park or festival clients<br />
to ensure everything’s on track for the<br />
following week’s events. I may need to sign<br />
off a film promo for social media, finalise the<br />
crazy logistics for four vehicles for five to 10<br />
events, and see if we can squeeze in a lastminute<br />
booking! There’s always one…<br />
I’ll often make coffees at intervals and take<br />
the opportunity to do a few lunges or star<br />
jumps (and hope no one sees me). I usually<br />
sing in the kitchen too, often experimenting<br />
with the lyrics or melody for my latest<br />
dinosaur song. Sometimes the cats sing<br />
along too! I sometimes visit some venues<br />
to do a recce and discuss the all-important<br />
logistics but a recent highlight was being<br />
allowed to hold a baby meerkat that was<br />
being hand reared. A furry perk of the job.<br />
A DAY IN THE LIFE<br />
A dino day involves lots of cups of tea,<br />
four theatrical dino shows or interactive<br />
walkabouts<br />
At the moment we have teams of<br />
puppeteers doing our scary and sweet<br />
Spookysaurus Shows – bringing seasonal<br />
excitement to farm parks, town centre<br />
BIDs and shopping centres, and we’re also<br />
arranging bookings with clients for our<br />
super Santasaurus Show, festive walkabouts<br />
events and Christmas Parades starring the<br />
Santasaurus and little baby Elfosauruses.<br />
A personal highlight this year was the huge<br />
production of my brand new stage musical,<br />
Jurassica Spectacular! It premiered at<br />
Bromley’s Churchill Theatre to three sold out<br />
performances to more than 2,000 people. It<br />
was magical! Starring lots of huge dinosaurs<br />
and adorable Dino Babies, the catchy fun<br />
songs and musical show have been a great<br />
hit. So we’re thrilled to be in discussions<br />
with some partners to bring Jurassica<br />
Spectacular! to both indoor theatres and
PEOPLE<br />
outdoor events in 2024. More venues<br />
welcome!<br />
Our company is now preparing for its nine<br />
year in the dinosaur entertainment business<br />
and we’ve grown massively year on year, so<br />
we’ve an expanding team but all squeezed<br />
into a small home office. Managing growth is<br />
an exciting challenge. This year we’ve added<br />
one and a half staff members and we’ve<br />
rented double the storage space nearby to<br />
store props and dinosaurs. We may need a<br />
third container soon, as we always want to<br />
re-invest in brand new dinosaurs. Although<br />
the storage is invaluable, it’s a 20-30 minute<br />
drive, so is not perfect, as I don’t like to waste<br />
time when we’re so busy!<br />
RIDING DINOS<br />
We recently worked for Radio X with Chris<br />
Moyles, who had arranged a surprise<br />
challenge for his colleague Dom Byrne to ride<br />
one of our ‘riding dinosaurs’, Neo, around<br />
Leicester Square. It was live on Radio X and<br />
being filmed for those watching online, so I<br />
was careful not to get in front of the cameras.<br />
Neo the naughty Neovenator (or its rider)<br />
suddenly decided to go into McDonalds to<br />
try to get some breakfast. Most places love<br />
this madness and will snap photos for their<br />
Instagram but the rogue dinosaur didn’t<br />
give me chance to do a recce! The staff and<br />
customers were loving it! But the very young<br />
manager’s eyes popped out of her head, and<br />
she seemed quite bewildered by the huge<br />
dinosaur invading their premises. So it was<br />
sent away with his tail between his legs. For<br />
me it was both hilarious and nerve-wracking<br />
watching the comical rogue DJ causing a<br />
little havoc on his runaway dino as I had to<br />
be the sensible adult!<br />
Rentadinosaur is often the key innovator in<br />
the field – with team members often creating<br />
or guiding new designs of dinosaurs and<br />
especially creating fun theatrical shows for<br />
outdoor theatre – always with a big song and<br />
dance number to finish.<br />
We have a great working atmosphere<br />
and even at very busy times, when we’re<br />
“OUR TEAMS OF EXCELLENT PUPPETEERS ARE FREELANCERS,<br />
PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED IN COMEDY, CREATURE ACTING,<br />
MUSICAL THEATRE AND PUPPETRY”<br />
sometimes loading four vans of dinos and<br />
props for several events, someone will often<br />
put on a silly hat, or surprise someone with<br />
a squeaky rubber chicken just to make<br />
everyone laugh, which can transform a<br />
potentially stressful situation!<br />
Our teams of excellent puppeteers<br />
are freelancers, professionally trained in<br />
comedy, creature acting, musical theatre and<br />
puppetry. An essential part of Rentadinosaur,<br />
they are a talented team, passionate about<br />
creating top quality theatre especially for<br />
our young audiences – and for the adults<br />
too. When they’re having madcap fun on<br />
stage with silly sneaky cheeky dinosaurs, the<br />
excitement is simply contagious.<br />
We sometimes have to bring small<br />
dinosaurs in the office if we’re testing new<br />
ideas or doing repairs. We’ve even had a 4.5<br />
metre long T.rex in the office which definitely<br />
tested our parkour skills! Sometimes you’ll<br />
also find our two office cats snuggling next to<br />
a baby dinosaur.<br />
My colleagues compete for kitty cuddles<br />
and the cats certainly add to the office<br />
mischief and laughter. The tomcat will<br />
steal your sandwiches, but he’s also a great<br />
‘therapy cat’ on a madly busy day. Our job<br />
adverts always include: Must love dinosaurs<br />
and cats.<br />
In terms of my most proud moments, it<br />
has to be when setting up a project to create<br />
special memories by bringing dinosaurs to<br />
children in children’s hospices, SEN projects<br />
and hospitals, including Great Ormond<br />
Street.<br />
Also I love seeing 100s or 1,000s of children<br />
beaming from ear to ear, as they join us in<br />
our dino arena to perform my song and<br />
dance ‘Can you Floss with a Velociraptor?<br />
They leave buzzing as they’re so proud that<br />
they’ve taken part in the show.<br />
BEST JOB IN THE WORLD<br />
At events when people see me having a blast<br />
with some cheeky dinosaurs, people often<br />
tell me I’ve got the best job in the world – and<br />
they’re right! Dino events days are absolutely<br />
thrilling and rewarding. There’s so much<br />
preparation and hard work in advance but<br />
there’s such a buzz when you see your clients<br />
brimming with delight and the huge crowds<br />
loving the interactive sell-out shows. A recent<br />
testimonial from IKEA: “Super Impressed!<br />
Management were absolutely gob-smacked!<br />
Thanks for creating such a buzz!” We’ve had<br />
five bookings with them now with more<br />
ahead.<br />
I love the variety too. In the school<br />
holidays we recently worked with both IKEA<br />
and Deliveroo, as well as a farm park, a<br />
shopping centre, a heritage railway, a BID, a<br />
council, Ascot Racecourse, a hot air balloon<br />
festival, a theme park and a huge three-day<br />
festival, where our dinosaurs met Will Young<br />
and Fleur East!<br />
I’m a mad ideas person who loves making<br />
those ideas become a reality – to bring<br />
funny, exciting, educational and musical<br />
entertainment to people all over the UK, and<br />
especially to children. Bringing smiles and<br />
laughter is what it’s all about for me – thanks<br />
to a little bit of dino magic and mischief!<br />
There’s not much better than parading down<br />
Chester High Street on a Saturday afternoon<br />
along with thousands of happy people and<br />
the biggest Stegosaurus in the world!<br />
DETAILS<br />
Rentadinosaur<br />
01689 862825 / 07757 162114<br />
info@rentadinosaur.co.uk<br />
www.rentadinosaur.co.uk<br />
66 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
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