How do you Increase Capacity & Revenue This Season?

Covered Outdoor Space for Pubs, Cafés, Venues & Farm Attractions

As the main trading season gets underway, many rural businesses find themselves in a familiar position.

Demand is there - particularly on warm days, weekends and during school holidays – but capacity often isn’t. Outdoor seating fills quickly and a sudden change in weather can reduce trading just as quickly.

For farm cafés, pubs, wedding venues, wellness providers and activity centres, this can mean lost revenue at exactly the time of year when opportunities should be maximised.

The Challenge: Visitor Demand Without Capacity

Across many hospitality-led rural businesses, the constraints are similar:

·       Limited indoor space

·       Heavy reliance on weather for outdoor areas

·       Difficulty accommodating larger groups or events

·       A lack of flexible space for seasonal activities

Over a full season, these constraints can significantly limit overall revenue.

Missed Opportunities

On busy days, this can result in turning customers away, limiting dwell time, or not being able to take private bookings. Over the course of a season, those missed opportunities can add up to a significant loss of revenue.

The challenge is that demand can often arrive before a business has time to plan a permanent solution.

Why Aren’t Permanent Extensions Always the Best Solution?

Extending or constructing permanent buildings may seem like the obvious answer, but in practice it often isn’t.

Traditional builds typically involve:

·       Significant capital investment

·       Planning requirements and associated planning delays

·       Long lead times

·       Limited flexibility once completed 

For businesses wanting to respond within a single season, or test demand before committing to a larger investment, this approach is rarely practical.

How Can You Add Covered Outdoor Space Quickly?

Well-designed event tents and covered structures offer a different approach.

Installed within a matter of days of delivery, they provide usable space straight away without the cost and permanence of traditional construction. This makes them particularly well suited to businesses that want to increase capacity quickly but are already trading and want to minimise disruption to existing operations.

Where Can Covered Outdoor Space Be Used?

The versatility of these structures means they can be used in a range of ways:

Farm Cafés and Shops

Additional covered seating allows farm businesses to serve more customers consistently, rather than being limited by indoor space or weather. It can also support tasting events, seasonal launches, pop-up food offers or weekend trading.

Pubs and Beer Gardens

Covered outdoor areas extend the usability of external space, helping maintain revenue during less predictable conditions. This can be particularly valuable where the outdoor area is already popular but underused in poor weather.

Wedding and Event Venues

Flexible structures can be used for ceremonies, receptions, drinks areas, breakout space or supplier cover during peak periods. They allow venues to increase capacity without committing to permanent building work.

Wellness and Activity Centres

Covered areas can support yoga classes, pilates sessions, workshops, outdoor learning, group briefings or wet-weather alternatives. For activity providers, this can improve the visitor experience and reduce cancellations.

How Does Covered Outdoor Space Increase Revenue?

The benefit is not just additional space but improved use of that space. In practical terms, this can mean:

·       Increasing the number of covers during peak trading periods

·       Extending trading into days affected by poor weather

·       Hosting private events or functions that require sheltered space

·       Improving the overall visitor experience, leading to longer stays and repeat visits

Making Better Use of Peak Season

Even a modest increase in capacity during busy periods can have a meaningful impact on seasonal revenue. At this time of year, when accommodation-based glamping decisions may already be too late for a full season, covered hospitality space can still be installed quickly and start contributing almost immediately.

Why Timing Matters

One of the key advantages of this approach is speed.

With installation typically completed within two to three days, businesses can respond quickly to current demand rather than planning for the following year. That can be particularly valuable during peak summer trading, when the cost of doing nothing is not just inconvenience, but lost revenue.

Year-Round Covered Space - Not Just a Summer Solution

Although often considered for summer use, covered structures, such as event tents, can provide value throughout the year. With the right layout and specification, such as fully-rollable sides and wood burners, they can support:

·       Autumn events and seasonal activities

·       Winter gatherings, seasonal markets

·       Private hire and events

·       Year-round hospitality use beyond peak months 

This makes them not just a short-term fix, but a longer-term asset that can adapt alongside the business.

A Practical First Step

For many businesses, the appeal lies in being able to act without overcommitting.

Rather than investing heavily upfront, a well-positioned event tent allows you to test demand, increase capacity and generate additional income within the same season. From there, decisions about longer-term development can be made with greater confidence.

If you’re also exploring wider diversification options, you may find it useful to look at how small-scale accommodation projects are being approached across farms. https://www.safaritentsandlodges.com/articles/increasing-your-yield

Is Covered Outdoor Space Worth It?

At a time when many rural businesses are balancing demand, cost and uncertainty, flexible solutions have a clear role to play.

Adding covered outdoor space is one of the simplest ways to increase capacity and revenue, particularly during the busiest months, without the cost and permanence of traditional development.

For those looking to make the most of the current season, it’s an option well worth considering.

For more information about the Clear Sky Event tent, click here or contact us.

Marc Crouch

marc.crouch@safaritents.net; 07593 720463