A group of business event organisers experienced ‘the great outdoors’ indoors on Monday night (19 November), as Claudelands Conference and Exhibition Centre served up a glamping-themed dinner in its arena.

Dubbed ‘Camp Claudelands’, the dinner was set among clusters of nomadic bell tents, trees, festoon lighting and an indoor fire pit. It was part of a three-day famil coordinated by Business Events Waikato, which has seen the group explore a vast range of attractions, accommodation and venues throughout the region.

H3 Director of Business Development and Marketing Denise McRae says the glamping theme suited the occasion well as it was as chance for the famil group to relax and unwind after a busy first day of exploration.

“We wanted to create a feeling of cosiness and comfort like you’d get when you return to camp after a big day of adventure, so the Camp Claudelands concept grew from there,” says McRae.

“The beauty of our venue is we have a lot of different spaces for work with, so you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to your event. The arena was the perfect space for a glamping-style dinner as we had lots of room to work with and could therefore be creative and bold with our set-up and theming.”

Claudelands’ award-winning catering partner Montana Food and Events served up a delicious three-course wine-matched meal which included an entrée of seared scallops, main course of BBQ den miso short rib and a ‘s’more station’ for dessert, while local musician Steve Crossland entertained guests throughout the evening.