Its raining here at Bedferret HQ, but we’re loving the idea of rolling up to a festival to find our tent already set up for us. Read more about Z-I-P pre-pitched tents in this weeks interview.
Z-I-P is new this season tell us about how you both came up with the idea
Wine, cheese and a bench and so the story begins….
At Z-I-P The Pre-Pitched Pad Co, we’ve always had a passion for camping and exploring the best of what the UK countryside has to offer, we couldn’t think of a better way to make a living than to offer a range of exciting camping experiences for all groups and all occasions.
So after years attending festivals and events across the UK we know first hand the challenges that festival goers face from carrying kit to erecting tents. Plus we have witnessed the huge amount of perfectly good tents left over for waste. To us, this all seemed like a lot of unnecessary hassle.
So after some more wine & cheese while still sat on our bench, (aka the boardroom). We thought wouldn’t it be a lot easier if someone could pitch the tent and deal with the hassle for us? and so Z-I-P The Pre-Pitched Pad Co began.
From your experience what makes an excellent camping experience
We have been lucky enough to experience the good and the bad of camping but for us the best experiences come when everything has been pitched, seats are set, the atmosphere of an event is building and you can hear the speakers in the background starting to crackle into life. The experience of camping is built by those around you, look after your neighbours and you’re in for a good time.
What would you say sets Z-I-P Tents apart from other providers
We love what we do and believe that this is shown in the service we provide. We don’t just pre-pitch tents and take them down once an event is over. We like to welcome our customers into the Z-I-P tent town to ensure everyone is happy with what they have ordered but also to get to know one another and assure them that we’re there to offer a helping hand if anything is needed or a friendly nudge in the right direction at the end of the day. Z-I-P staff are all personable and welcoming and we owe it to them for the service that sets us apart from the others.
What has been your proudest moment so far
Our proudest moment, that I shall remember forever, is the first order we ever received. After all the hard work negotiating and discussing plans with suppliers, organisers, website teams, staff, was all forgotten when that first order came in, needless to say it was a good party that night. Thank you Angela Davis.
What has been your most challenging moment so far
All aspects of running your own business is a challenge, especially for us who have never experienced it before. But the best thing is Me and Rich bounce ideas and problems off each other and more often than not are able to resolve the majority of issues, other than the biggest problem in life ‘where are we going for breakfast?’.
How do you see Z-I-P Tents developing over the next 5 years
We have major plans over the next 5 years. Other than growing our name into the world of events and festivals we are looking to broaden our festival area from the UK and search into Europe also. We are also looking into more sporting events which we are currently discussing with organisers. As much as any business wants to grow we also want to ensure that the company doesn’t lose its personal touch and make sure the customers’ event experience is our priority.
Sustainability is becoming a big factor in festival and events, how is Z-I-P helping with this.
We are currently working alongside a team of sustainable designers to create products for events and festivals that are 100% recyclable and 100% plastic free.
We have been able to design and begin manufacturing the world’s first fully recyclable, plastic free, water resistant cardboard tent. The idea sounds completely ridiculous but it truly works, our prototype has now been outside the office for 13 months and is still watertight and standing strong, even after a fight with the council mower.
The beauty of all our products is that they can also be printed with festival logos, sponsors, or any branding required to enhance the products look.
We also provide other products such as She-wees, ice buckets, signage, seating, beer holders, all of which are plastic free and fully recyclable.
The goal is that Z-I-P will be able to provide a fully recyclable Tent Town at events and help festivals become more sustainable in their ideas and approach to future events.
The next product we are currently working on is a flat pack dog kennel for camping or even at home…..watch this space.
To stay with Z-I-P at Silverston for the F1 or Great Dorset Steam fair just click here >>> Silverstone GDSF
To check out the Z-I-P Website follow this link. >>> Z-I-P
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