By Emma Deeley
In June this year Tythe was chosen to host the inaugural Luxury Communications Council member’s retreat. Not only was it the first time the LCC has hosted an event of this kind – an overnight, multi-itinerary series of workshops and networking opportunities for thirty delegates – but also the first time it’s taken its events schedule outside of London.
The guest list comprised of senior decision makers from some of the most luxury brands in the world including Chanel, Burberry and Manolo Blahnik. My brief was to plan and execute a highly functional, tightly timed retreat that felt luxurious, beautifully styled and where guests could approach creative brainstorming and socialising equally successfully.
There was a huge amount to consider, not least because I knew from the very beginning that we would mastermind this retreat way beyond initial expectations. We have the space, the experience, the expertise and the contacts to do just that.
LCC’s founder, Rosie Shephard is a quick decision maker. She confirmed on her very first visit to Tythe that this was the best venue. Other contenders had not offered the privacy and exclusivity that her guest list was expecting. From that moment, I was given free rein to take this event to an exceptionally elevated level. Of course, I could have simply delivered what Rosie was expecting and I’m sure she would have been happy. But that was never my intention. I was able to inject my own expertise into this event because Rosie and I established trust early in the process, something that I believe is vital for all successful event planning.
As Rosie said herself; ‘Without a doubt, Tythe is a venue I would recommend for all luxury corporate clients who want to feel exceptionally well looked after and understood.’
If you are considering hosting a corporate event with Tythe, or anywhere else, here are my six steps to take and the questions to ask yourself and the host venue to ensure all your aims and objectives are exceeded.
No 1
Keep the focus on what you need your event to achieve.
One of the first elements you need to be clear about in your own mind before you instigate any conversations with your potential host venue is the message you want to convey to your guests and clients. Once you know this, we as your host venue can help bridge the gap between your objectives and how you can best use Tythe to achieve them.
I understood that Rosie’s focus was to escape the confines of the city but find somewhere that still offered the same elevated luxury experience and this needed to be accessible without too much fuss. I was very keen to illustrate how Tythe could not only equal any of London’s top venues but surpass them. We’re a family run venue, I live and breathe Tythe and see daily how it functions for a wide variety of events. We are used to going the extra mile. Putting on events is our passion. We want to get things right – not just for show but because it brings us enormous pleasure to do so, and that sort of honesty and authenticity cannot be faked. I believe clients feel this the second they meet us.
The concept of a retreat works perfectly with our own positioning. Tythe is set on the family farm, surrounded by open countryside, it’s peaceful, we have familial ties to the people who have cared for the land and buildings for over five centuries. Not many venues can genuinely offer this.
No 2
Get the basics right.
You can have the most enlightening and informative corporate event but if the hospitality is lacking, that’s what your clients will remember.
I was excited to challenge myself. I wanted to explore how and what we could do to make this event something truly remarkable. But it was crucial to establish a solid logistics plan first. No venue should be jumping straight to table styling before these fundamentals are in place. For example, the experience for our guests began at their own doorstep with cars, taxis and train tickets organised on their behalf to allow the journey at both ends to be as easy and as simple as possible. From there, all we needed to know was if they would like a beautiful bedroom for the night in the family farmhouse.
We then embarked on a process of elevation at every touch point to demonstrate that being in the countryside does not mean we can’t offer the luxury, service levels, professionalism and quality of suppliers that any of our guest list would rightly expect.
We were hosting a retreat with an emphasis on wellbeing. Guests did not simply arrive to tea and coffee. Instead, we offered shot glasses of fresh fruit and veggie smoothies displayed on a countryside cart in our beautiful rural setting. When hot drinks were required, they were served from the back of our Landover with fields of sheep as the backdrop.
I commissioned a trusted local florist to create mini floral meadows using locally grown foliage and grasses around the entrance to our main barn, easing guests’ transition from the outside in.
A standard workshop set up where guests are seated conference style in front of a projector would not have suited the expectations of our client and would have jarred with the laidback, luxury vibe Tythe is so skilled at executing. We created relaxed seating with a mix of velvet Rococo, Victorian and Edwardian sofas and armchairs in mixed jewel colours including gold, blue, blush pink and a green Victorian chaise plus Mango wood side tables and gold and glass coffee tables. We added a ‘help yourself’ water station on a rustic cart with floral décor and discreet literature for those interested in the history of the estate.
Our guest’s journey through the day was always considered. We encouraged them to explore the gardens from The Thatched Barn towards lunch at The Farmhouse by tempting them with little bites along the way. It connected them back to nature and helped build a sense of anticipation for a kitchen table that was decorated with a mix of florals and fresh produce. The combination of delicate petals with purple artichokes and green cabbages presented a colourful nod to the countryside.
In keeping with the spirit of the day, the menu was wholesome. A sprawling array of charcuterie from Cobble Lane Cured was displayed on The Farmhouse copper worktop along with whole Chalk Stream Trout and fresh, vibrant salads – a visual event in itself. Post lunch drinks were served in The Farmhouse lounge and library with its open fire lit for cosy countryside ambience.
When guests needed reviving later in the afternoon, again we made an experience of it, hanging fresh strawberries from our pergola that they could help themselves to with plenty of fresh English cream. It offered a moment of relaxed interaction when it was needed. Being able to predict what guests will need and when, is so important.
As a finale to a busy afternoon and in keeping with the ‘wellness’ theme, we offered a yoga class in our converted Cowshed where glazing all down one side allows guests to stay connected to nature. This space had not been used for any of the other work sessions and helped to showcase a different side of the estate.
No 3
Your event doesn’t end when business is done.
This is one area where Tythe truly exceeds expectations. For as long as you are with us, the experience of life on a country estate continues.
We moved the velvet furniture from the barn to the Farmhouse lawns, adding rugs and all the little flower meadows to create a new setting and the perfect backdrop for our singer and pianist.
Instead of merely serving drinks we built a cool and quirky outdoor bar from straw bales under the Willow tree. From here, a Tythe bespoke cocktail using our kitchen garden ingredients, was served. With staff in smart Tythe aprons, we were able to remind guests that they were still being looked after.
For dinner in the evening, we transformed the main Thatched Barn so it looked nothing like the space where the workshops had been taking place earlier. The usual brown leather chairs were removed and replaced with Duchess and Butler’s linen-covered chairs to keep the look very light and delicate which was fitting for the subtle menu of yellow fin tuna tartare and Nori poached cod. The tablescape was based on the blues and corals of the LCC brand, a palette that was brought through in the florals too.
The starter and main courses were served at the table, but dessert was found hanging outside in little glass bowls from our London Plain trees. We knew this would encourage movement, connection and interactivity, all key objectives of the retreat. Our wood-burners and sheepskins kept guests chatting long into the night, aided of course but a much-deserved Espresso martini.
No 4
Will the vision match the reality?
This is a crucial point of difference, since it is far easier to create a concept than it is to deliver it in the polished and detailed way it may have existed on paper.
As Rosie said, ‘’I have hosted and been a guest at many luxury corporate events over the years so I can say with total confidence that Tythe is incredibly slick when it comes to not just understanding what luxury clients need (a deep knowledge of the brand, a solid focus on marketing objectives and deliverables and obsessive attention to detail) but also delivering it.“
The point is this, I know the venue so well, what works across every corner of it, and which trusted suppliers have the best products to complement and enhance what we offer. I was also confident about my own vision. When you have run an events business for over 25 years, you are used to problem solving, adapting and exceeding across every element of each event you host.
No 5
Attention to detail is everything.
There isn’t a single day at Tythe when we don’t stop, and question if something is working as well as it should. I think every one of us feels the weight of responsibility that comes from being the caretaker of a century’s old family business. We are consistently looking to improve, to stay ahead of trends and to set new ones. We are a highly ambitious team and merely delivering what our clients expect would not challenge – or ultimately satisfy – any of us. As Rosie said, “Emma’s knowledge of local and national suppliers is exceptional and impossible to replicate unless you have been working at her level for as long as she has.”
It’s our passion for detail that shines through in all elements of any event we host. When some of our LCC guests departed following the dinner, we didn’t want to just say goodbye. With the gift of a calming tea bag to induce sleep and a freshly baked bedtime cookie, we hoped they took a little bit of Tythe home.
For the LCC members that extended their visit to Tythe with an overnight stay at The Farmhouse, guests were offered a ‘Night Cap’ Bar set up with miniature bottles of local gin and a cosy seat by the roaring flames of an open fire before retiring to one of the 17th century luxury, ensuite bedrooms.
The following morning, a guided walk with myself and my husband Will across the surrounding fields, offered snippets of local history and an insight into our family’s life on the farm. We met the sheep and Tythe’s two resident donkeys, Delboy and Barnaby, before our LCC members set off with a gift from our caterers – a Huskee thermos coffee cup and a slice of fresh banana loaf.
No 6
Always welcome feedback.
Positive or not, any good business will take it on board and try to do better. We work in an industry where referrals and word of mouth recommendations are incredibly powerful as a new business tool, so we take the outcome of every event very seriously. We will leave the last word here to Rosie on how well she feels we did at hosting the first ever Luxury Communications Council Members Retreat . . .
“The Tythe team far exceeded our expectations, delivering ideas that elevated this event to one of our most successful yet. I would trust them to work with any of our luxury members. Knowing that they were across absolutely everything meant that I could concentrate my efforts on the content of our retreat which made my planning process easier and quicker.”
Want to see more? Here’s a few extra snaps from the day by talented photographers Laura and Monika.
Supplier credits:
Photography: Laura Mac Photography and Oxford Atelier.
Catering: Absolute Taste.
Charcuterie: Cobble Lane Cured.
Floristry for workshops: The Flower Story.
Table styling: Duchess & Butler.
Table floristry: Jenni Bloom Flowers.
Velvet furniture: Hire Love.
Entertainment: Bethan Wyn Music.
