How to use the great outdoors to create a wow factor at your event
Other than getting that all-important vitamin D, spending time outdoors in nature can have restorative effects on concentration, productivity, creativity, and learning. Whether it be team building, walking meetings or dining al fresco, planning meetings and events with nature in mind helps to create a meaningful and long-lasting experience and most importantly, improve delegate experience.
De Vere, a collection of historic mansion house estates, distinctive contemporary hotels, and event destinations across the UK, has a number of inspirational outdoor settings suitable for any event. To help event planners to create an unforgettable occasion, Laurie Nicol, De Vere’s Chief Operating Officer, has shared her top tips on how to use the great outdoors to add a ‘wow’ factor to your meeting, event, or training session.
Go Green
Plants have been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and our properties, surrounded by beautiful gardens and estates, offer plenty of foliage to admire. De Vere Tortworth Court is home to a 30-acre estate where you’ll find a Victorian arboretum with more than 300 plant and tree specimens, created in 1853 by the 3rd Earl of Ducie – a keen horticulturalist – which remains one of the greatest arboretums in the British Isles. The hotel offers audio tours of the gardens and arboretum, perfect for delegates to enjoy during their breakout session or for a walking meeting.
If you are arranging an event inside, our large event spaces give planners the opportunity to decorate with their own unique style and branding so, why not bring the great outdoors, indoors? Decorate your meeting or event space with plants or a portable living wall. Living walls have several benefits from improving air quality to creating a higher standard of health and wellbeing.
Dine alfresco
Why not make a change from the usual indoor banquet and dine al fresco? The manicured gardens and lawns of many of De Vere’s properties create the perfect backdrop for outdoor catering and are a great alternative for event organisers looking to offer delegates something different. Guests can enjoy fresh pizzas from the hotel’s very own outdoor pizza oven, hog roasts and BBQs on the lawn, and there’s also De Vere’s horsebox bars serving classic cocktails and refreshments.
Team bonding
Teambuilding is an effective way to enhance delegate interaction, confidence, and communication. With many forms of teambuilding on offer, organisers have a wide breadth of choices to opt for when hosting an event outdoors with De Vere. From geese herding and scavenger hunts at De Vere Beaumont Estate, to wakeboarding and dragon boat racing at De Vere Cotswold Water Park, there are endless opportunities for team building on both the water and dry land.
Our properties also feature new outdoor games, including chess, connect4, draughts and football, and picnic options to allow your delegates and teams to enjoy. For those hosting their event at the iconic Horsley Towers at De Vere Horsley Estate, as seen in Netflix’s award-winning series The Crown, they can enjoy a game of frisbee golf between meetings on the grounds.
For event organisers looking to energise and motivate delegates with innovative team building opportunities, De Vere Wokefield Estate offers the services of Graham Robb Associates. The company can arrange an adrenaline-packed array of activities including woodland laser combat, archery, zorbing, and high ropes to name a few.
Mindful meetings
The benefits of getting outdoors are becoming increasingly recognised in the meetings and events industry. Mindful meetings and events may involve exercise breaks or walking meetings to help ensure delegates remain present and engaged. Our hotels also offer complimentary daily wellbeing sessions including yoga and Pilates classes to help break up the day.
The outdoor trails surrounding De Vere’s properties lend themselves perfectly to walking meetings, and at De Vere Wokefield Estate you can even bring your canine companion along as the property offers a dog sitting service. De Vere has also launched a Strava club to offer fun running and jogging routes and exclusive ‘Wellbeing at Heart’ challenges that are suitable for all abilities for guests to discover around the hotels.
De Vere Cotswold Water Park, set amongst 152 lakes that make up the Cotswold Water Park area is surrounded by walking trails that offer peaceful routes around nature reserves. Whereas De Vere Latimer Estate set in the heart of Buckinghamshire, yet just a short ride from central London on the Metropolitan line, is surrounded by 30 acres of grounds with a restored Victorian Pond and specially commissioned sculptures by artist Emma Stothard, and offers sweeping views of the Chess Valley.
At all De Vere’s properties, delegates can borrow a pair of Hunter wellington boots before heading outdoors to explore. With free super-fast Wi-Fi available up to 100m from each De Vere hotel, guests can stay connected even when exploring the great outdoors.
Come rain or shine
Hosting entirely outdoor events can of course be risky business. For those who love the idea of an outdoor event but would prefer protection from the British weather, De Vere Cotswold Water Park’s light-filled Whimbrel Marquee allows you to host your event whatever the weather. The permanent fixture, with stunning views over the lakes, has capacity for up to 600 guests, ensuring no one misses out on spending time in the great outdoors whatever the occasion.
De Vere Tortworth Court is home to the Orangery, a Grade II listed conservatory built in 1874 boasting Victorian grandeur and period detailing. Standalone from the main house, the Orangery offers an ornamental glass ceiling with beautiful views of the Victorian arboretum, creating a memorable backdrop for your event.
To learn more about De Vere’s event spaces, visit our event pages.
