Author: mis2020

Does your venue need a facelift?

Plant displays or a floral design feature are some of the best and most cost-effective ways to create a stunning new look in your venue. Or maybe your outside area could be turned into a bustling outdoor dining space giving you the opportunity to increase the number of covers you can serve without upscaling your kitchen facilities.

The Benholm Team have worked with many hospitality venues such as hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs as well as some of the biggest names in the drinks industry. From gin giants like Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Eden Mill and Gordons Pink, to whiskey and bourbon kings including Johnnie Walker, Macallans and Jack Daniels.

We’ve created pop up bars, bespoke hand-crafted signage, installed branded outdoor dining areas and rooftop terraces.  Often installed along with our hotel and restaurant planting to create a superb effect in any venue.

Most major drink brands are willing sponsors

Natural Brand Activation is the art of bringing a brand to life by combining innovative customer experiences with long-term positive brand associations and ultimate driving consumer behaviour and action.

It is one of the best processes to make the brand known to the market and the target audience, resulting in an increased awareness and customer engagement.

More can be achieved by working together

We thrive on the creativity behind each venue and we have a serious soft spot for instagrammable selfie walls. From giant floral frames, vintage baths overflowing with blooms and floral flamingos to birdcages and vast floral selfie walls complete with bespoke neon lighting. When you incorporate nature you can stand back and watch as likes, check ins and social media coverage soars.

We are uniquely positioned with a team of highly skilled craftspeople and florists with a background in large scale event décor which allows us to really think big.  We like to keep things local and have a trusted network of suppliers for specialised components.

If you’ve got big things planned for your venue, and want some ideas to take to your licensed trade contacts for sponsorship, we’d love to work with you.

Plant displays or a floral design feature are some of the best and most cost-effective ways to create a stunning new look in your venue. Or maybe your outside area could be turned into a bustling outdoor dining space giving you the opportunity to increase the number of covers you can serve without upscaling your kitchen facilities.

The Benholm Team have worked with many hospitality venues such as hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs as well as some of the biggest names in the drinks industry. From gin giants like Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Eden Mill and Gordons Pink, to whiskey and bourbon kings including Johnnie Walker, Macallans and Jack Daniels.

We’ve created pop up bars, bespoke hand-crafted signage, installed branded outdoor dining areas and rooftop terraces.  Often installed along with our hotel and restaurant planting to create a superb effect in any venue.

Natural Brand Activation is the art of bringing a brand to life by combining innovative customer experiences with long-term positive brand associations and ultimate driving consumer behaviour and action.

It is one of the best processes to make the brand known to the market and the target audience, resulting in an increased awareness and customer engagement.

More can be achieved by working together!

We thrive on the creativity behind each venue, and we have a serious soft spot for instagrammable selfie walls. From giant floral frames, vintage baths overflowing with blooms and floral flamingos to birdcages and vast floral selfie walls complete with bespoke neon lighting. When you incorporate nature, you can stand back and watch as likes, check ins and social media coverage soars.

We are uniquely positioned with a team of highly skilled craftspeople and florists with a background in large scale event décor which allows us to really think big.  We like to keep things local and have a trusted network of suppliers for specialised components.

If you’ve got big things planned for your venue, and want some ideas to take to your licensed trade contacts for sponsorship, we’d love to work with you.

Water. Fresh, clean, pure H2O. Lots and lots of it. That’s the main secret to the success of our hanging baskets.

Of course, there is quite a bit more to it than that. The way the hanging baskets are planted up, the quality of the plant species – varieties that have been proved and improved year by year to produce the best and most vibrant displays – the best type of growing medium and the skilled application of fertilisers and flower stimulators, all contribute toward the stunning hanging baskets you see beautifying the streets of Central Scotland every year.

However, the most important secret to beautiful commercial hanging baskets is to provide plenty of water, regularly. Without enough water the plants will quickly die.

This is why we offer our watering services for your hanging baskets. When you are running a busy pub, restaurant, cafe, or hotel, it is so easy to forget to water the displays. You only need to forget it once and your hanging baskets will probably not recover in the current season. We can relieve you of this responsibility and leave you free to concentrate on your main role of serving customers and making profits.

At Benholm, we have staff dedicated solely to the watering of our hundreds of commercial hanging baskets and window boxes in Central Scotland during the summer months.

Benholm Group van fleet including specially equipped vehicles for watering hanging baskets. Our plant care technicians start each day in the early hours of the morning, completing the displays in public area first so that the water run-off does not inconvenience anyone and so that any dripping has stopped by the time people are passing under them.

Specially-equiped vehicles with large water tanks and whisper-quiet pumping equipment ensure there is virtually no disruption when we carry out our watering. Super-long lances reduce the need for ladders and access equipment. This means that most locations can be watered without our technicians needing to gain access.

We also hold stock of seasonal hanging baskets and the plants for them so that replacements can be actioned quickly should any require it.

Our organised and highly trained team hold the secret to our beautiful commercial hanging baskets in Central Scotland. If you want to benefit from this service, please contact us today.

It appears that the association of commercial hanging baskets outside pubs, etc. goes back a long way.

In Roman times, ‘tabernae’, from which we derive the word ‘tavern’, would declare their presence with a bunch of leaves on a pole – officially, vine leaves, but one assumes they used anything similar they could get hold of in Roman Britain.

Because the pole and leaves loosely resembled a bush, that became one of the earliest pub names in the country – The Bush.

Extract from an article in The Scarborough Evening News on 28 Apr 2016

This early symbolic practice is probably at the heart of the dazzling displays of colour we often see outside some of the nicest pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels today.

One of the most frequent answers we have come across to the question “Why do Pubs Restaurants and Hotels have commercial hanging baskets?” can be summarised as follows:

Beautiful Hanging Baskets provide colour and attract customers.

“It is a known fact that how a Pub, Restaurant or Hotel looks is a key decision factor in determining whether a potential customer WALKS IN or WALKS BY.”

– Is Your Pub Ready For Summer? by Greene King

Beautiful baskets, window boxes and exterior plant displays can instantly transform the front and back of your pub, making all the difference between a customer walking in or walking by.

Using a commercial supplier to install and maintain your hanging baskets for you leaves you free to concentrate on serving your customers. There’s no need to worry about remembering to water them or having to replant them each season and you can be sure that your outside spaces are beautiful not only through the summer but right through the whole year.

Here some of the benefits

• A great looking exterior can draw people into your premises
• No floor-space used so maximum number of customers can be achieved
• High-level plants and flowers have more visual impact
• Hide areas that really need redecorating/refurbishing
• Create a natural area to relax where customers stay longer
• Full maintenance means they look great all year round with no input from you

In an Interview with a retired Pub Owner who was asked why he put on such an extravagant display of flowers and plants, he said:

“It’s great for business. The regulars loved it. It caught the eye, got punters through the door. People noticed the flowers when they went by on the bus. Then they came back to check out the place. I can’t understand why all pubs don’t do it.”

People love a good, positive, company culture and being associated with an innovative brand. But actually, your brand and your company culture are really created by your people – they make the atmosphere of your organisation what it is, and ultimately the image that your customers see.

“To be the best place to buy you must be the best place to work. Treat your employees the way you want your customers to be treated, maybe even better.” Shep Hyken, customer service expert and author

As the quote highlights, you must “treat your employees the way you want your customers to be treated.” Therefore, any Office Manager or HR Manager must aim to create a culture and workplace that not only retains employees, but attracts employees. But how do you attract and retain the top talent?

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald on this subject, the secrets to retaining top talent is as follows:

1. Celebrate success
2. Create an open and honest work environment
3. Connect their work to a higher purpose
4. Provide opportunities to grow and learn
5. Create a stimulating work environment

1. Personal and professional development.

One way is to allow for personal development is offer flexible working hours to all your staff. This can be dependent upon your industry, but letting employees know you care about them is a sure way to attract and retain key players. When given the opportunity to build upon their professional development, staff will appreciate being able to connect with others in their field and increase their own area of expertise.

2. Make the environment enjoyable.

Typically, your workers will spend at least 8 hours in your office, and a lot of that will be daylight hours. Outdoor areas can be useful, but why not try bringing it inside? Indoor plants and displays create life and can help employees to remain productive and calm, especially if they have high-intensity roles. Plants will brighten the atmosphere, helping employees to suitably relax – and relaxed employees are loyal employees.

3. Help maintain concentration.

Plants not only produce oxygen, they absorb toxins which can build up in
 enclosed environments, helping to increase the likelihood of employees staying healthier. Keeping the office air fresh will help your workers to concentrate. Being able to concentrate means it takes less time to complete a task, and that means spending less time in the office. Surely that will attract the best employees!

So there we have it – that’s 3 ways to help attract and retain top talent. It’s all about caring for the people in your business.

If you would like to find out more about how office plants can help attract and retain top talent in your organisation please contact us or call us on Freephone 01324 861300

“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” Richard Branson

What is your brand?

Your organisation’s brand is so much more than just your logo. Your logo is what every customer, supplier and employee may visually recognise your business by and what differentiates you from your competitor’s logos.

However, what your brand really is, is what makes you, you. It includes the company culture, the “look and feel” of your organisation, and the image of credibility, quality and satisfaction that is associated with you in your customer’s mind.

Your brand is being promoted everywhere your customers – or potential customers – come into contact with your business. Visual branding is very important, especially in the physical experience of customers or visitors, whether it be in your shop, your own offices or elsewhere. This is very closely linked to your corporate image.

Enhancing your corporate brand image

Take a look at your reception area as an example. How is your brand image being presented to your visitors?  A lot of effort (quite rightly) is put into making reception areas impressive, comfortable, attractive, and memorable because, as we all know…

“You only get one chance to make a first impression”

That is where Nordik Moss wall art comes in.

Nordik Moss is a beautiful product that can be used for all kinds of moss wall art.  It is both attractive and striking and can be used to create unique wall features incorporating corporate logos, company branding or even artwork.  It is available in a variety of colours and is very low maintenance.

Case Study – Company brand enhanced with Nordik Moss wall art feature in new showroom

The client, Space Solutions carried out a full renovation of their new office in the centre of Glasgow prior to their official opening event in August 2015. Specializing in office fit-out and cutting-edge workspace design they wanted their new office to showcase their creative abilities and convey their vision as a forward-thinking design consultancy. It had to have a “wow factor”!

Nordik Moss wall art delivered exactly this. The client’s corporate branding style was incorporated into the wall using coloured moss and stainless-steel cut-out letters for the company name.  The overall effect in the space conveys a holistic brand experience.

Create an immediate impact on your visitors by using moss wall art to display your company logo, name, or branding. Give your office or reception area a natural feel by bringing the outdoors inside. A Nordik Moss wall feature will also emphasise your commitment to your environmental responsibilities and demonstrate the way you care for your customers and staff.  This will result in your visitors recognising your brand and all the messages associated with it. Nordik Moss can easily add a whole new dimension to your brand image and will help to positively promote your business.

Interested to know more about Nordik Moss? Contact us.

Why specify moss walls?

Moss walls offer a unique way to bring the outside in. Their unique properties provide Interior Designers with the opportunity to create a ‘wow’ factor, delivered effectively through a combination of flexibility and attractiveness.

Living walls are commonly used to introduce a vertical landscape into an interior design. However, living walls have more complex requirements, so many designers now specify moss walls. The three main advantages they provide are as follows:

Highly versatile

If you are looking to create a strong first impression, what better way than to use a moss wall? Designers regularly specify Nordik Moss due to the flexibility of its application. Colours are varied and wide-ranging so patterns and logos can easily be created, it can be used on ceilings, curved walls, around corners – the only limitation is your own creativity!

The beauty of Nordik Moss is that it can provide almost limitless opportunities. Every project is different from the last, and knowing that one solution can be used repeatedly whilst creating a different effect every time is surely an inspiration for all aspiring Interior Designers.

Virtually maintenance-free

Living walls often appear to be an ideal solution but are sometimes rejected from the final design due to the associated technical requirements and ongoing intensive maintenance. Nordik Moss, however, requires very little maintenance which saves time and also money.

The moss is treated to preserve it using a natural mineral process, meaning that it does not grow or need watering. The low-maintenance benefit means it can be specified for any environment – from offices to restaurants to residential applications – and as a specifier you have peace of mind knowing that your client has a hassle-free and long-lasting solution.

Significant acoustic properties

Finally, designers may specify moss walls to improve the atmosphere in a space. It is particularly effective in dealing with noise pollution issues. The moss acts as natural sound absorber which is ideal for any busy space, especially in open plan areas.

Moss walls do not only provide excellent visual impact. Designers can also make use of the benefits in significant noise reduction. This can make all the difference in an application such as a busy office.

For more information about Nordik Moss, contact us.

Attracting new customers to your restaurant, cafe, pub or hotel is one of the ongoing, never-ending pursuit of managers of every hospitality venue.  

Once a customer has visited and had a positive experience of the service you provide, that customer is very likely to return. Hopefully, customers like this will also tell all their friends to come too!  

According to a recent study from SinglePlatform and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey,

84% of consumers are likely to look at more than one restaurant before choosing where to dine

Attracting new customers for the first time has a lot to do with how visually attractive your restaurant is from the outside. Your marketing could be the best in the world (and it needs to be!) but if the visual appearance of your restaurant is not good you could find that all those potential customers walk past your restaurant to one that looks more attractive down the road!

So how many customers can you realistically expect to get? This interesting question is debated here.

Use plants to attract more customers

We would like to share some ideas with you or how plants can help attract more customers to your restaurant. Below are some images of a few ways plants can be used to good effect and this might give you some ideas of how this could help you attract more customers to your restaurant. You might also like to browse our gallery for more ideas.

Contact us today to discuss your requirements and how plants can help attract more customers to your restaurant .  

Our experienced Design Consultants will be pleased to take a fresh look at your premises and provide you with some innovative new ideas and a no-obligation quotation. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how little it can cost to create a fresh new look for your restaurant. 

Get in touch with the team for more information.

Consider how much it could cost you if a percentage of your potential customers went to a nicer-looking restaurant…!

There are a plethora of ideas and suggestions on how to improve the wellbeing of your staff.  Nearly all of them will work to a greater or lesser degree because, so long as you are doing something to improve wellbeing at work (rather than not actually doing anything!), you’ll find there will be some results.

Nearly all of them will work to a greater or lesser degree because, so long as you are doing something to improve wellbeing at work (rather than not actually doing anything!), you’ll find there will be some results.

We’ve trawled through and selected a handful of really simple tips that almost any organisation can use and we know from experience that they’ll be really effective…

Frequent breaks

Sitting at your desk for long periods of time is not good for your health. Encourage your staff to take a 5 minute break every so often, away from their computer, or do a few simple desk exercises and this can give the needed boost, lifting morale and improving productivity.  Here’s some excercises you can do at or near your desk

Drink water

It is well known that water is needed for good general health. Encourage staff to keep hydration levels up whilst at work by providing convenient water machines or making sure they have a bottle of water to keep by them during the day. Refillable bottles are more environmentally friendly and cheaper in the long term.  Here are top 10 facts about drinking water

Go for a walk

Walking is an excellent way to keep fit and improve staff wellbeing at work. Try arranging a walking group on lunch breaks to walk around the block or do some other physical activity as this is also great for team building. The general rule is little and often and this is much more manageable in the working day.  Here are some useful walking tips from BUPA

Free fruit

A gesture as small as providing free fruit once a week can give your staff a clear message that you care about their health and wellbeing. It encourages a healthy diet, reduces the need to resort to other less healthy snacks and actually provides your staff with a natural, healthy boost of vitamins and minerals.  Find out how to get fruitboxes delivered to your office

Office plants

You’ll be surprised at how even a small investment in plants and greenery can have an amazing effect on the look at feel of the office environment. Living plants have been proved to help improve the air quality through removing harmful toxins from the air and replacing them with oxygen and increased humidity. And they look great too!  Find out why plants are good for staff wellbeing

Workstation assessment

Ensure every employee’s desk is fit for purpose and that they have a workstation that suits their needs. Using the right ergonomic products is a proactive way of reducing the risk of an employee developing workstation related pain and injuries. A simple checklist can help to make sure you have assessed their needs correctly.  Here is a brief guide from the HSE

These tips are not much more than common sense but it is surprising how many organisations don’t pay enough attention to the wellbeing of their staff at work. If you treat these tips as a starting point you can be sure to see a positive result. There are many more initiatives than can be implemented as you fulfill your role of caring for the wellbeing of your staff. 

A recent post was published about the benefits of embracing Biophilic Design in the workplace and this is another aspect that would be well worth considering as part of any staff wellbeing initiatives. If you’d like to discuss your requirements and ideas please don’t hesitate to contact us.