HOW THE TREE MARQUEE STORY UNFOLDED


I


n the middle of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the magnificent Tree Marquee


that housed main activities for the the Future


of Work Festival and Awards ceremony began to take shape. When we heard there was a


new alternative to the usual frame marquee


for outdoor events, we


knew this was perfect for the festival feel we wanted to create. We already have a fabulous location on a hill with wonderful views all around, statuesque trees, plenty of greenery, fields and a large pond. It all fell into place with the help


of Fred Holmsted, the owner of Holmsted Events, and his team. Their new Tree Marquee is the first to be used in the South East; the Future of Work Festival their first corporate event where it would be on show. The


crew and their compact


vehicles rolled into our grounds at Spray Hill Farm on 4 June. Rob, the designer and founder of the Tree Marquee company, was with the team as this was only the second time they had put it up. He explained it was also only the second one they had built.


8 It is made from Douglas Fir


sourced locally to the company’s base near Shaftsbury. Rob and his team, including Steve from a local forge, who did the steel work, were excited to be with us. Rob, who has had a career ranging from farm management to working offshore and renovating old buildings, explained this Tree Marquee had been on the design bench for about six months. “We designed all of it on SketchUp


and then took all the components and had them laser cut. Basically, everything was made from templates, which is quite exciting. I like doing lots of different things, but the timber framing is my real passion.” After two days, the team finally left


on a rather wet Sunday evening. The Tree Marquee was up, sitting amidst the Kent countryside and ancient trees, including a giant oak and yew tree which have watched centuries of history unfold. They were now all part of a fleeting new chapter as international delegates were about to assemble to ponder a whole raft of modern-day revolutions and their impact on business and economies around the world.


Fiona Murchie reveals what happened behind the scenes.


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