Outside-the-box thinking spells increased profit for popular gallery

Putting up a marquee can add extra flair to a wedding, private party or corporate event, that’s a given.

But what businesses might not realise, is that it can also help create an extra revenue stream.

At Village Farm Marquees, we don’t simply supply standard ‘tents’ to order, we offer bespoke solutions that can help achieve bigger personal and corporate objectives.

Which is why, last November, we were delighted to support Hepworth Gallery’s annual Christmas market for the first time. Together, we achieved an amazing result which provided a welcome boost to the popular publicly-funded attraction’s coffers, and paved the way for an important new income stream to support its future development.

Exceeding their wildest dreams

The Hepworth is an award-winning art gallery set within Wakefield’s historic waterfront overlooking the River Calder, which presents major exhibitions of the best international modern and contemporary art.

A registered charity, it hosts regular fairs and markets, supporting artists and makers throughout the year. Its festive fair, launched in 2014, has become a firm favourite with visitors from across Yorkshire and beyond.

The 2017 extravaganza took place across three days (Friday to Sunday) rather than two days, as had been the case in previous years. It was expanded in size and scope to accommodate both the growing number of stallholders wishing to take part – there were more than 400 applications for stands at the event – and the increasing numbers of visitors expected to descend on the popular gallery.

“In total nearly 13,000 people attended the fair, which was even more than we predicted,” said Charlotte Morgan, the gallery’s public programme events executive. “It’s been an absolutely standout success, for the gallery, for the stallholders, who were mainly independent artists, designers and craftspeople, and for the visitors whose feedback about their experience has been so positive.”

The festive fair offered visitors a feast of contemporary and unique gifts made by talented UK artists and designers as well as a food market, street food stalls, Santa’s grotto, and free family activities. Musical entertainment from a local brass band and school singers created a jolly, festive feel. Entry cost £1 and was free for under-16s.

The marquee’s the key

So where do Village Farm Marquees fit in? Well, the Hepworth redesigned the fair’s layout and hit upon an inspired idea to use an outdoor courtyard space to create a temporary ‘indoor’ area for additional stalls and a pop-up café and, of course, a marquee is an ideal way to achieve this.

Charlotte said: “Village Farm were great to work with, they provided a large, fully floored, heated marquee that created an attractive environment for 22 stalls as well as the pop-up café and seating area.

“The marquee enabled us to accommodate more stalls and it also provided a comfortable dwell area for visitors, especially as it included somewhere warm and dry to sit. This meant they were encouraged to spend more time – and money – at the fair, which ultimately all adds up to increased profits for the gallery as well as the stallholders.”

The vital statistics

As a result, visitor numbers were up 42 per cent year on year and the total fair profit showed a remarkable 414 per cent increase compared with 2016. A total of 80 pitches was an increase of 67 per cent over the previous year and was possible thanks to the redesigned floorplan as well as the introduction of an outdoor marquee. The extra capacity provided by the pop-up café alleviated pressure on the gallery’s permanent coffee shop and both were highly successful, with catering income by the close of play showing an increase of 42 per cent from 2016.

“There’s a growing interest in artisan products and people want to buy original and ethical goods, food and drinks. We do our best to support artists and designers and events like this are crucial for them as well as for raising funds for the Gallery itself,” Charlotte added. “There’s no doubt that using a marquee at the market helped to generate income. We’ll certainly use the same tactic at future events and look forward to working with Village Farm again.”

VFM Co-director Tony Newman added: “We’re thrilled by the success of the Hepworth Gallery’s Christmas fair and are looking forward to supporting this and other organisations in achieving even bigger and better things during 2018.

“We love nothing more than when a company or an individual comes to us with the germ of an idea, and seeks our help with evolving that into something special.

“The Hepworth Gallery initiative is an example of how we can play an integral role in any project, from planning and logistics through to execution. Charlotte and the team shared their vision and objectives with us and, from that, we generated the ideas for the right kind of high quality marquee, of the right size, and positioned in the most beneficial place.

“It wasn’t necessary on this occasion, but we can even design one-off interiors to suit a particular theme.”

If you are planning an event and would like to speak to us about how we can help, please get in touch via info@villagefarmmarquees.co.uk or (01262) 468160.