The online sharing group I have developed via Facebook aimed to provide a space for customers of hospitality spaces to post applications of nature that they like or dislike accompanied by short comments as to why they hold this opinion. The change was to be created by this intervention utilising the data to develop applications of nature that are attractive to customers.
However, recent results from the group have been limited in regards to user posts as it has predominately involved posts just from myself that people have then liked or reacted to. This may be due to people being fearful to post in a new group or it may be a factor of people moving away from utilising Facebook as a key channel of social media. The group has gained a few members suggesting that there is an audience for this type of space/ community or conversation but perhaps Facebook isn’t the best way to access this audience. Therefore I review forming this Facebook community as a FAILURE.
Subsequently, I have adapted the Nature In Instagram page to move away from the initial idea of using the page to post a curated version of the posts from the sharing group. Instead, I have moved the Instagram to focus more upon the aspect of promoting hospitality spaces that are showcasing nature and improving connections to nature through directing people to spaces that incorporate nature already. This page is gathering a steady following which is currently at nearly 70 followers. However, no one has truly engaged conversation in the comments section so far meaning this type of content may be gauged towards one sided sharing of spaces rather than a community engagement in people sharing if they visit the spaces I display.
Posts
Below is a link to the Instagram page, as well as links to different posts on there showcasing different venues utilising nature:
In this below post I actually received a like and comment from the hospitality venue I was promoting. Suggesting that in the future, venues may wish to be featured on the page and it could add to the business’s aims to meeting sustainability targets if there were featured on a page promoting unison with nature.
I have also been utilising the page to post natural images and videos (see below) asking questions in the caption, like how do you get your inspiration? and informing people that connecting with nature aids creativity.
As the next step and iteration of this intervention, I will continue to spread the word and raise awareness for hospitality venues showcasing nature in innovative ways, to hopefully attract customers to chose to visit these spaces and improve their connection to nature. I will also post short facts on this page of the benefits of connecting to nature to add to the persuasion that it is vital to health to have connections to the natural world.
Furthermore, I will also look to other forms of social media and websites to get people engaged in the conversation around biophilic designs in hospitality and change the messaging that it is simply just about adding plants into spaces. This will also aim to make biophilic design more engaging, fun and novel for the customers, consequently aiding businesses through added customers. This intends to create a buzz around the use of Biophilic design in hospitality spaces which will, in turn, provide greater reception for the natural events and experiences I plan as iterations of the herb intervention I conducted at Chelsea.
Unlike many academic papers I have read and analysed to form the foundation for my work, recently I have looked to other sources of secondary information to help formulate new ideas and takes on how nature can be effectively introduced to hospitality settings.
Barnes, S. (2018) Rewild Yourself, Simon and Schuster, London.
Consequently, I have been reading ‘Rewild Yourself’ by Simon Barnes. This book isn’t to do with bringing nature into spaces at all, rather it is centred around people taking themselves to the outdoors to interact with nature. Resultantly, I found reading the text a very interesting experience to get my creative juices to flow in following the suggested ideas to ‘rewild’. I have found myself critically analysing and adapting these suggested methods of rewilding to discover how they can be utilised within the context of my work. This has led me to revert many of the ideas and working backwards with them to try and invent new ideas or ways in which similar forms of interacting with nature could be introduced into hospitality settings.
For instance, a suggestion to invest and utilise a good pair of waterproof trousers may seem meaningless in regards to my work. However, the book goes on the explore the new world and environment a pair of waterproof trousers helps you to unlock. Whether this be seeing new species that you would have otherwise missed as you wouldn’t have wanted to immersive yourself in the wet environment, or simply exploring the scenery and woodlands in adverse climates. The point being that the trousers offer a gateway to experience different environments. A similar concept can be applied into an event or experience in hospitality, with a. little thinking and reworking. An expel of this is that an event or experience could be centred around different weathers or climates and in each experience of the climate the customer is able to experience different aspects of nature. Some apparatus could be used as a gateway for each environment, whether this be through ordering a different dish (each pertaining to a new environment) or even in a bar setting thing could be done through different drinks; or even simply in the setting of the restaurants different areas could be presented to explore different nature weathers or environments. Even technology could be utilised to formulate this idea into a technobiophilic experience. These ideas are currently just that, ideas, but read this book has allowed for fresh perspectives to be taken on seemingly obvious parts of natural experiences.
Below I have included notes of aspects of nature I wish to explore further after reading this book. I will go on to develop these ideas further and look at the feasibility of them as I look to planning my next interventions, specifically my next intervention at the Chelsea College of Arts.
Weather
Experiencing different weathers/ climates as a part of a natural experience
Rain – sound and smell?
Heat – step off the plane heat smell? Sounds of crickets/ birds?
Just like the weatherproof trousers, I’m aiming to break down the barriers between inside and outside
Breaking down the self-imposed barriers to nature
Consider wildlife/ animals not just plants
Create immersive habitats? – focus them on different species? – creating an elongated meaningful connection to nature through the transfer of knowledge that customers can take into their daily lives, for instance, the names of basic species such as butterflies which they can then identify when seeing them around in their daily lives, consequently allowing them to feel closer to nature even after leaving the event/ experiences.
‘Open yourself up to the wild’
Viewing the ocean as a new and mythical world
Lose yourself in a new natural world – replicate unusual/ unique aspects of the ocean that aren’t commonly known
Strengthen connection potentially from the transfer of knowledge about the ocean – people may wish to pursue this information further and explore and learn more about the ocean.
Utilise idea of coral reefs – unpack and showcase their environment in an event
Aquascope/ bathyscaphe allows you to view the ocean like a snorkel but without getting wet.
Rivers?
People sat in different spaces like different tributaries (could also be like branches of a tree) – different tributaries would equate to a different natural experience, customers could more through the different tributaries throughout the experience.
Could be replicated for a wine tasting? – different drink for each tributary? Or a different food dish?
Nocturnal animals – could be referenced in evening experiences or events?
Bats – sonar sounds for communication in any way to play on this?
Utilise sonar tech in an event? – play on bats abilities to feel at home during the dark?
There are devices you can get to convert bat’s ultrasounds into humanly audible sounds – could utilise something similar?
Bat detectors, set to around 45khz
Stillness to take in wild ecosystem forms around you
Could be introduced in some form for a supper club type event, as everyone sits down for dinner and are silent, the projectors/ sounds/ smells of nature and wildlife begin to appear, as if you are sitting still in the natural habitat. This could set the tone for the rest of the natural experience.
Rainforest – most diverse ecosystem
Reveal what’s in the canopy/ around you that may be hard to see.
Explore the masses of wildlife in the canopy of the rainforest, unpack it and utilise different species in experiences
Hares/ Rabbits
Future idea that could be aimed at spring?
Dragonflies/ ladybirds/ butterflies – the invertebrate world of the small, bringing them into the human eye and world of the big rather than being overlooked.
Hummingbirds/ woodpeckers – represent bringing rare and interesting species inspiration into events that will attract people as it is uncommon for humans to encounter them. So, an event aimed to replicate interactions with racer species could bring the rare into the normal?
Bees
Replicate or take inspiration from the process of pollinating?
Create a change in the taste of food before and after ‘pollination’
Reflection
I have really enjoyed reading this book and it has allowed me to re-evaluate my ideas and perceptions of what nature truly is. I feel it has helped me to consider new forms of nature and ways to introduce these parts of nature into the hospitality settings, allowing for connections with the customer to be formed.
Following the line of thinking reading this book has started, another idea I have been recently thinking about red Hibiscus, which is a flower that is commonly associated with summer. But, with Christmas and winter coming up I have thought of potentially utilising this flower as a theme for a natural event or experience framed towards winter. This would create a juxtaposition between winter and summer and allow for a mixture of seasons to be brought into one space, for an innovative natural experience.
I have recently confirmed the panellists and final details for my panel discussion happening on the 26th August at 1pm via stream yard. I am very excited to be hosting my second-panel discussion as I feel it will help to push my current work and future iterations of my interventions and project beyond the realms of the predictable and just my thinking by collaborating and discussing ideas with some of the top experts in the industry. I am also feeling a bit more confident the second time around and have worked on ironing out some of the slight issues that occurred in the last panel discussion. For instance, I am promoting the panel and asking panellists to do the same to try and secure a live audience for the event. I have also been more thorough in confirming how the platform stream yard will work and the time scale of the event. Finally, I have also tried to make the prompts I have sent out slightly more specific and clear to keep feedback accurate to the topics I wish the panel to cover. Images will again be utilised with the prompts wherever suitable to add clarity to the points discussed. For example, images of the Herb Event I ran at Chelsea or the online sharing group.
Details for the Panel:
The panel will run at 1pm UK time on the 26th August via Stream Yard, where an audience can view the discussion live via the link to Nature.In’s YouTube channel and comment any questions they have. Panelists have been asked to invite anyone they know that might be interested in viewing the panel online via the link to the Nature.In YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNK8rZOlsj1UFpzT3pfuCQ
Pannel Aim: Discussing the most effective and impactful adaptations of the events and experiences that have already been conducted as a part of the Nature.In venture to re-connect people to nature in hospitality venues. Additionally, discussing new ideas and approaches of how to innovatively and dynamically introduce nature into hospitality venues, to target the senses and develop a personal connection to nature for each customer.
Prompts for the Panel: The panel will consist of working its way through the three main topics, these being the events and actions conducted so far as a part of Nature.In; followed by a final section of added thoughts of new ways in which to effectively bring nature into hospitality venues. The questions below are simply a guide for the discussion and we will spend as long or as short on each topic depending on the amount of feedback from the panellists.
Chelsea Collage of Arts Herb Event • The outcome of 2.5% improvement to people’s connection and 85% of participants stated that they would actively visit a hospitality venue if it was offering a natural event or experience are very promising. o How can we build on this? How can we make future iterations of similar events more dynamic and engaging? o How could it be ensured that interactions to nature were elongated, to improve the increase in connection to nature, as the shortness of the interaction was the most prominent feedback for a poor improvement in connection to nature?  For instance, having herbs on tables as table decorations? Or through the transference of knowledge through providing plants names or species typed? • Utilising of inclusion of nature in self scale (Schultz, 2002: Kleespies et al., 2021) to measure changes in connection was useful in it being a simple and short way of measuring connection, allowing for a multitude of respondents. o But, what other ways be utilised to better measure changes in connection to nature in a similar context? o Could there be a way to measure connection that doesn’t rely on self report activity? • How could other aspects of nature, not solely plants, be introduced into similar events to develop a connection to the natural world?
Online Sharing Group • This is currently being run via a Facebook group page to target the existing users of the site as a customer base. o Is there a more effective platform to utilise? o Are there more effective ways to grow the page and reach out rather than just posting it in various places? • The page is accompanied by an instagram page which is steadily growing its following. o Is this possibly a better space to collate peoples views on different applications of nature? • Are there any other ways to get discussions going online that can reach a large number of people to develop rich data into people’s views around applications of nature in hospitality spaces, that I have possibly overlooked?
Utilising technology to connect people to nature • Do you feel that technology can be utilised to aid the connection to nature rather than hindering it, as many feel we need to step away from modern technology to feel the benefits of nature? • I am looking at utilising projectors to display natural images around the canteen space of Chelsea Collage of Arts, as well as utilising diffusers to add the accompanying natural scent and speakers to add sound. For instance, creating a woodland experience involving moving woodland images, with diffusers projecting smells of pine and sounds of moving trees and birds. Or, if the food offering is Italian for instance, projecting images of tuscan hills, with the accompanying sounds and smells. o Do you feel there are any ways to improve this idea? • Do you have any other ideas of how to utilise technology to connect people to nature in hospitality spaces? o For instance, utilising existing technology that most hospitality spaces have? • I have considered how to utilise personal technology devices such as sports watches to measure heart rate changes in connection to nature, but this would involve a controlled group of participants taking part in a hospitality space. o Do you now of any other ways to do similar that overcomes this issue?
Thoughts for future ways to connect people to nature in hospitality venues • Any innovative, dynamic and engaging ideas or thoughts you may have to connect people to nature in meaningful ways within hospitality spaces.
Stream yard link: Below is the link to access the stream at 1pm UK time on Thursday the 26th August. https://streamyard.com/s3cxm6vq3v
Reflection:
I am intrigued to see how this discussion will flow and how in-depth and critical feedback from the experts will be, as this panel has a slightly different aim from my first panel. The first panel was more about outlining what the possibilities for change in the target area could be. However, this second panel aims to create change in connecting people to nature in hospitality spaces by directly collaborating with leading experts in the field to develop the most innovative adaptions of work I have already started, to create the most impact upon people’s connections to nature.
At present I am further planning for my technobiophilic immersive natural event to run in September at the Chelsea Collage of Arts Canteen space. In this planning I am aiming to targeting customers senses to develop a truly immersive natural experience that accompanies the food offering of the venue.
During my recent tutorial, Jasminka suggested that to make the scents I utilise truly target customers sense of smell, I should contact scent experts. The experts can then pass on their knowledge around the effective use of scents and they may even be interested in collaborating to develop unique natural scents to utilise in the events.
Jasminka recommended a former CSM student, Maya Njie, as a scent expert and so I have since emailed her in the hope of getting to speak with her in a meeting to learn from her scent knowledge and potentially collaborate (see below).
I have also emailed scent experts around London that I have found through researching, as I didn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket as it were and hope Maya would be able to assist me.
Scent Exerts Contacted:
Lizzie Ostrom – Founder of Odette Toilette
https://www.odettetoilette.com
Emmanuelle Moeglin – Founder of Experimental Perfume Club
Fran Brown – Fragrance Consultant at Urban Apothecary
https://urbanapothecarylondon.com
Betty and Michael Hawksley – Founders of Les Senteurs
https://www.lessenteurs.com/pages/history
Reflection:
I feel gaining expertise in the area of scent can really help to add depth to my intervention and hopefully engage and attract greater customers. I believe that scent is one of the lesser targeted senses when it comes to natural design, but when interacting with physical plants it is one of the most intriguing and delightful aspects. Therefore, I hope the unique nature of this offering to re-connect with the natural world may prove successful.
I am currently in the process of arranging my next panel discussion to review the progress of my interventions and discuss the most effective and innovative adaptations of these interventions possible. I will utilise this opportunity to create a form of expert sounding board of ideas in the hope that this method can validate my research as well as helping it to push past the predictable.
I have reached out to everyone previously involved in my plane discussion. These individuals being biophilic and biomimetic design experts including: Kristina Libby (biophilic expert), Leonardo Binetti (biomimetic expert), Williem van Bolderen (biophilic expert) and Rajalakshmi Iyer (biophilic expert). I also asked these experts if they knew of anyone else who would be suitable for the discussion and if so to ask them to get in touch! (see below email).
I am also reaching out to experts that hadn’t taken part in the previous panel to try to create new angles of discussion and varying dynamics. This outreach has been largely conducted through messaging people on LinkedIn who have suitable roles in their profession fo ruth discussion (see list below).
The discussion will take place on the same platform as the previous panel, this being StreamYard, as this worked well. The recording of the discussion will also be uploaded to the Nature.In YouTube channel just as done previously. The discussion will run via a series of prompts yet again, however this time they will be images and questions centred around the results of my interventions, both those conducted at the Chelseas Collage of Arts, such as the Herb Event, as well as my online sharing group. This method of prompts for progression throughout the discussion also helped for seamless transitions between topics in the last panel whilst still allowing everyone to input as much a they desired on each topic; thus it is being employed once again.
For this panel there will again be the opportunity for a live audience to ask questions throughout the discussion, as it will be being live streamed on YouTube and so people will be able to comment on the YouTube video any questions they have, which the experts and myself will be able to discuss. I will spend greater attention to attract a live audience for this panel and get confirmation that some people will be in attendance, as for the last panel a live audience was invited, but sadly no one showed up at the given time. I will also try to gather questions from customers via the online sharing group, which can be but to the experts in the discussion, if people are unable at attend the live event. This will hopefully create more stimulating conversations around the future of my interventions.
Feedback:
So far I have heard back from Rajalakshmi who is sadly unable to attend the panel discussion this time due to being busy with her own work commitments. I have also heard from Leonardo and Kristina who are keen to take part in the discussion once again. Additionally, both Rajalakshmi and Leonardo both commented that they were impressed with the progress I have made on my project so far, which was very encouraging.
Experts in Attendance of the Panel
Confirmed:
Leonardo Binetti – Biomimetics expert (took part in previous panel)
Kristina Libby- Biophilic Expert (took part in pervious panel)
Possible Attendants Awaiting to Confirm Their Availability:
Catie Ryan – Biophilic Expert from Terrapin Bright Green (Large Biophilic Design firm in New York)
Heidi Lenarts – Biophilic Expert focusing on nature based workplaces
Bill Browning – Head of Terrapin Bright Green (he recommended Catie as he is on jury service)
Bettina Bolten – Biophilic design consultant, she is interested but on holiday at the time of the panel
Rajalakshmi Iyer- Biophilic expert (took part in previous discussion), busy with work commitments
Contacted ButNo Responses Thus Far:
Amanda Sturgeon – Biophilic expert in regenerative design
Vincent Callebaut – Biomimetics expert
Tejal Patel – Hospitality professional
Louise Fawcett – Hospitality professional
Williem van Bolderen – biophilic expert (took part in previous discussion)
Reflection
I will continue to contact more experts over the coming days so that I can ensure I have a solid base of experts confirmed. I aim for at leats 4 experts to be in attendance again, just as there were last time. I will also start to promote the panel via the online sharing group, Nature. In instagram page, as well as on other relevant Facebook and LinkedIn pages I am a member of.
I am excited to run this second panel discussion, as I feel it will be a key opportunity to gain knowledge from experts in avenues I may not have considered to most effectively innovate and adapt my interventions.
Very excitingly the Herb Event I ran at the Chelsea Collage of Arts got a mention on the UAL Catering instagram page, as well a their story! The post currently has 70 likes showcasing that the event has resonated with a variety of people; again demonstrating the market for such events.
The publicity of this event helped to attract people to the Nature.In instagram page that I have set up and thus increase the engagement with my posts on there. This occurred as the UAL catering post tagged the nature.In instagram page in their post, as well as my personal account. Therefore, allowing people to directly engage with the accounts and see who is behind the venture.
It was amazing to see the work of my event being showcased by UAL. To me this demonstrated that not only was it effective in its aim but the catering department were proud that it happened in their venue and proud to support it, which was very special. I greatly look forward to running future events in their space sand seeing how far I can expand off the ideas of this event.
I stumbled across the Selfridges Good Nature campaign by chance the other day and immediately felt their goals have a strong symbiosis with the aims of my project in connecting people to nature (less of the hospitality focus however).
The campaign is a part of Selfridges’ wider ‘project earth’ campaign which is Selfridges’ 5 year sustainability plan. Good Nature represents Selfridges move away from seasonal campaigns to demonstrates their focus upon reducing waste and encouraging their customers to embrace nature, throughout 2021. Good Nature instigates a return to nature through promoting different ways to enjoy the outdoors, one of these ways includes the garden centre exhibits I came across in the Selfridges store which hosts its range of ‘horti-coture’ fashion items and outdoor wear. The garden centre exhibits technical outdoor accessories and clothing, as well as collaborations with big brands such as North Face and Hunter.
After further research I discovered Good Nature began through a series of nature inspired images from artistic collaborators. This mood-board of images can be found on Selfridges website. The subsequent rest of the campaign includes online blog posts, guides to sustainable shopping, a podcast; as well as the physical ‘garden centre’ spaces I saw in the shop.
The podcast, named the Pleasure Series, aims to showcase ways of gaining the pleasures of nature. For instance, there is an episode on ‘the pleasure of gardening’ , ‘the pleasure of growth’ , ‘the pleasure of rituals’, ‘ the pleasure of sound’ and the list goes on. The podcast is intended to be listened to outdoors to provide a guiding force for experiencing nature by focusing upon encapsulating the healing powers and escapism that can be achieved from nature.
Good Nature ultimately showcases Selfridges’ suitability pledge, alongside the demand for an awareness and appreciation of nature by Selfridges client base; that has been heightened after the pandemic; which highlighted the importance of the outdoors in all of our lives.
My Action From The Discovery of Good Nature:
Due to resonating strongly with this campaign, I have since being trying to contact the people behind it to see if they would be interested in collaborating in any way. But, it has proven rather difficult to track down these individuals. I asked the people working in Selfridges at the time of my visit, but they weren’t sure who I should contact as they were only staff on the clothing counters. I have also rang Selfridges, but this was just a general number and they too were unsure who I should contact. So, I began a deep dive on the internet and discovered who styled the window display for the Good Nature campaign, Emily Outhwaite. I have emailed her and connected with her on LinkedIn in the hope that she will be able to point me in the direction towards the creators of Good Nature, or potentially even be able to directly help to see if any form of collaboration may be possible.
Reflection:
The seed packet given out by Selfridges as part of their Good Nature display inspired an idea. This being that possibly a similar intervention could be conducted by myself to provide seeds or a space where people could even grow their own piece of nature and progressively watch it grow. For instance, if there was the opportunity to plant your own seeds at a hospitality venue and it is as though you have left a part of you in that space and you can go back and watch it grow, develop and flourish. This could also inspire repeat customers to the spaces. This may work well in an informal cafe setting, but it would require upkeep form the venue owners to nurture the plants into growing. This is just a very preliminary idea at present, but I thought it to be an interesting train of thought.
Also in relation to the seed packets, they symbolise taking nature from the event further into the lives of the customers. This is something I have tried to include in my interventions so far with offering customers the opportunity to take herb cuttings home from my herb event, for instance. Re-connecting people to nature not only in the events themselves but further into their daily lives is something I will continue to try and achieve in later iterations of my interventions. The online sharing group I have recently developed also helps to benefit this strengthening of personal connection to nature beyond the scope of events. This is due to the group promoting not only good and bad applications of nature but also what spaces are displaying these aspects of nature, so that people can learn of more ways and places in which they can interact with nature.
Over the past week I have developed an online sharing group. This group aims to target customers of hospitality spaces and provide a space where they can post applications of nature that they like or dislike accompanied by short comments as to why they hold this opinion. This data can then be utilised to develop upon what people are liking, to create the most effective applications of nature to attract customers and get them engaged in nature.
Further advancements of the group, include developing a community whereby the group can be utilised to direct people to events which bring nature to people that I am developing as well as being a space to share other events and venues that are promoting natural design; so that people are able to get the knowledge of where to visit to build their connection to nature.
Facebook
The group has been created on Facebook, as this platform allows for members of the group to share their own images and add captions to it. This group also allows people to comment on the posts, which should help to spark conversation between members and begin the formation of a community.
I am the admin of the group and so I can approve people wanting to join. This process helps to ensure that everyone in the group is there for the right reasons.
I will attract people to the Facebook group by posting about in on the multitude of Facebook groups around natural design and also hospitality that I am a part of already (see below). I will also share about the group in the LinkedIn groups around these subject areas, that I am a member of to promote it further and get people engaged in it. Finally, I will share the group amongst my stakeholders that I have been in contact with the get them involved in the group. Once, people have joined the group they can share the link to their friends to join, I will just need to approve them and then they can get posting!
An example of a post can be seen in my first post below for inspiration for members.
Instagram
I am going to utilise the @nature.i.n instagram page to upload curated images from the Facebook group to showcase the best examples of natural design and events. I will also upload images of spaces and events that I come across so that it provides a specific and intriguing feed into the best places and events to go to experience nature (alongside those that I will be hosting myself).
I will also share this instagram page via the Facebook group and I will gain extra followers of similar such content by following accounts looking at nature, natural design or connecting with nature; as well as those accounts looking at hospitality and interacting with these accounts. I aim to grow a steady following on this account, so that in the future I can utilise this platform to promote the natural events and experiences I am running over the coming months. I will also post about these events in the Facebook groups and the community I nurture in this space will hopefully aid the success of my other ventures in the natural experiences and events, as the other part of my project.
Reflection
I am excited to see how this group can grow and evolve as it gathers members to create real change in how nature can be brought into spaces through utilising the direct feedback from customers of hospitality spaces. I am also intrigued to see how the group can form a space that directs people to applications of nature in spaces and encourages them to visit these spaces and absorb nature in anyway they can. This can also help to gain traction for attending natural events and experiences in hospitality spaces that can aid the entirety of my goal to re-connect people to nature in hospitality spaces. Even if people aren’t attending specifically just the natural events, experiences and designs that I am trialling, the group can help people to visit others promoting nature, which still aids their connection to nature.
Over the coming weeks I will continue to attract members to this group. I will also start to post some images in it myself to set an example of the types of things members might post. Additionally, I will begin too curate and add to the @nature.i.n instagram feed and direct people in the Facebook group to there.
I will unpack the following results gained from the 1st google forms which has collated data across both the Tuesday and the Wednesday of the event.
The data for rating connections to nature after interacting with herbs was only collated on the Wednesday and this is why there are only 22 respondents to those questions rather than 40. This was due to on the Tuesday I deemed the interactions with the herbs from people only passing through the cafe for a quick coffee etc to be too short to impact their connection to nature. So, I was relying on people completing the questions on the second google form once they were home to achieve an ‘after herbs’ result. This is because passersby of this sort were the main people I interacted with through the event, as they were the predominate customers of the cafe. However, after getting home on the Tuesday evening and reviewing the answers submitted in the 2nd google forms from the 19 people I had spoken to that day, only 1 had completed the form. Therefore, I realised on the Wednesday it was necessary to ask everyone the before and after questions then and there, in the hope of achieving some form of comparable data between before and after the herb interactions. Even up to this day only 3 people have given any answers on the 2nd google form, but only 1 has completed the majority of questions, the other two have only answered the first three questions!
The 1st Google Forms
The vast majority of participants in my event were females, although tis was predominately over the first day, with the Wednesday being more balanced between males and females. Across the 2 day event I managed to reached the majority of age ranges in some proportion, which I was happy with in gaining a sample of the public in relation to customers of hospitality spaces, as under 18s are less likely to visit hospitality spaces of their own accord.
Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale
Here we observe the top 3 most connected options (E, F, G) to hold 47.5% of the responses when asked at the start of the event. This almost being half of the participants, in this sample, means that the customers were already feeling fairly strongly connected to nature on the whole. The least connected option of A and B held the least amount of responses with only 7.5% of the vote.
When the question was asked again after taking part and engaging in the herb event, 50% of responses were the top 3 most connected options. This slight change (2.5%) in reported connectedness to nature suggests that there is strength in the event to impact connection to nature, which is very promising as it also had high engagement with 40 participants. To increase the rate of the change in connectedness, options such as lengthening the interaction with nature, creating more immersive interactions and transferring knowledge through the interaction may be beneficial. Consequently, these ideas will be interwoven into future iterations of the event.
However, I must be aware that the change in connection observed here between the two sections may partly reflect bias in answers from participants that think I want their answers to go up between asking the question before and after. Therefore, they may have reported a higher score after the event, even though I did assure participants I wanted truly honest answering throughout and there was no judgment in any answers given.
Rating Connection to Nature 1-10
Overall, the responses to the rankings of connectedness mimic that of the answers given to the inclusion of nature in self scale. The majority of answers are 7-10 on the scale and there is a slight increase in the scores given after the event. Subsequently, I feel that asking participants to rank their connection 1-10 may not be necessary next time, when also using the inclusion of nature in self scale. I only included this answer to gain greater detail into peoples connection by giving it a numerical value, but I realise the answers are rather similar to that of the scale and I feel that the scale is more accurate in targeting the relationship to nature I am trying to assess.
Rating Concern for Nature 1-10
The results for this question are skewed very much towards the higher end of the scale, with no responses for 1-4 on either the before or after questioning. This suggests concern for nature to be something rooted very highly amongst customers of this space. Therefore, concern for nature itself could be something worked into further interventions. For instance, creating sustainable events, or providing people with information of easy ways that they can assist nature; even helping them to assist nature through taking part in an intervention, however that may be achieved. This is something I will look into developing into future interventions.
With all of these answers scoring so highly, I am aware that there could be social biases taking rule here whereby there is so much coverage in modern news around the worries for the planet and nature and how much we should all care for it, that this may have been reflected in the answers of participants. People may feel that they should be concerned for nature even if they aren’t, which may have created some dishonest answering.
Rating Motivations to Help Nature 1-10
There is slightly more variation in answering here than with the concern question, suggesting that although people are worried for nature, they may not feel they can or want to act in its best interests. This could be interesting to try and create interventions that do actively aid nature, but that are also very easy for customers to get involved in, for instance having herbs as table decorations or edible flowers, which people can pick, eat and learn about . This could then make people want to grow, use and interact with these parts of nature once again; thus aiding nature. However, the answers were again predominately high scoring, suggesting that the majority of customers do feel strongly to act for nature and so this can be a clear way to attract people to events and experiences, that are in the interest of nature.
Just as with the concern answers, motivation also scored highly across everyone, suggesting again people may have answered this way because they feel they should. Of Course, there is the other side of the argument that suggests maybe everyone is very concerned for nature with the effects of climate change becoming evermore present on the planet and so it could be their honest answering.
The majority of interactions over the entirety of the event were rather short, as hardly anyone actually sat and ate at the cafe, most just passed through for a quick coffee. Therefore, it was hard to make a big impact on people’s connection to nature. So, in the next iterations of the event I aim to make the interaction with nature more impactful through being slightly longer where possible.
The 2nd Google Forms
Sadly, there is very little knowledge to be gained from the 2nd google forms, which asked additional questions for feedback about the event, as well as repeating the 4 questions above but asking them about after having taken cuttings of the herbs home, if there had been any impact to connection to nature. Only 3 out of the 40 participants who were all given the QR code to the forms have completed any answering, but no one has fully completed it and so there is little to evaluate from this forms. The only clear take away is this people are very unlikely to complete forms in their own time through this methodology, and so gaining responses then and there is vastly a better option.
If anymore responses are posted on the 2nd google forms over the coming days I will be sure to do an analysis of the findings.
Take Aways:
Having studied the results from the google forms and the feedback I recorded during the event, I have established the following parameters need to be incorporated into future iterations. There was a strong uptake in the event and a small change in connection (2.5%) despite interaction with the event begging short for most participants, which shows promise in the event and means that it can definitely be built upon to create even greater change in strength of connection to nature, see below ways for how to consider doing this:
The interaction with the natural elements needs to be longer to evoke a change in people’s connection to nature. Making events more immersive, or transferring knowledge may also be tested out to achieve this goal.
85% of 40 people asked said that they would be attracted to a venue specifically if it was offering an experience with nature. The others would said that they wouldn’t be strictly attracted to visit the space, but many said they would still enjoy the natural elements once there but it wouldn’t draw them to the venue on their own. Suggesting there is a big market for natural events, experiences and designs.
Needs to collate guaranteed before and after answers to the questions surrounding connection, as people rarely fill in forms after the event.
Utilise inclusion of Nature in Self Scale as predominate measure, ask to rate concern and motivations to act for nature 1-10 if possible, but not as essential.
The questions asked around connection need to be kept short to ensure engagement remains high.
The event needs to bring nature to the people, as they feel far removed from it in the city.
Create events to aid people’s concern for nature, which will also attract these people to the events. For instance, sustainable events, or providing people with information of easy ways that they can assist nature, or assisting nature through taking part in the event itself
To get people motivated to act in the interest of nature create interventions that do actively aid nature, but that are also very easy for customers to get involved in. These events can then also attract those already motivated to help nature, as they will be aiding it even further.
The biggest breakthrough here is demonstrating that events like this can improve people’s connection to nature, even in a small way.
Before my meeting with the executive chef at the Marylebone Hotel (Simon Conboy) I drafted up some answers to the 6 key pitch points set out by Sasha in his past talk. I didn’t learn these answers but utilised having the prepared answers to weave the points into the conversation to ensure my aims for the meeting and my project were clearly laid out.
The Pitch
What Is It?Â
Venture aiming to connect people to nature in hospitality spaces through natural events, experiences, and design schemes.
Looks to target the senses to evoke meaningful experiences with nature; this could be through physical applications of nature or technological applications.Â
Biophilic design – aims to target human’s innate connection to nature, typically seen as interior design aiming to bring in natural planting, colour schemes, lighting to recreate the experience of interacting with nature
What’s Special About It? – The Hook?
Biophilic design is rarely implemented in hospitality spaces, and if it is it generally involves comprehensive refurbishments of the space that require venues to shut whilst they are being constructed and then require modernising after 5-8 years.
Such natural experiences can help to attract greater and new customers, consequently boosting profits especially relevant after venue closures throughout the pandemic.
Nature.In is on trend with the sustainability movement and the newfound appreciation for nature and the outdoors following the lockdowns.
I am aiming to recreate the experience of nature through more 1-1, personal interactions, which isn’t currently being done in hospitality venues; rather than larger, more interior design focused schemes.
What Proof Do I Have That It Will Work?
People spend 90% of their time indoors in Britain and so this work tires to bring the outdoors inside and bridge the gap between the two.Â
The health benefits of biophilic design are backed up by numerous academic studies.
There is vast interest in these types of 1-1 event having engaged with 40 people over the past 2 days through a herb event which I ran at the Chelsea Collage of Arts.
Many people enjoyed the herb event but felt it was too short, as they were just passing through and so only briefly interacted with the herbs. Many wanted longer events and so utilising herbs or similar plants throughout a meal for example may be very beneficial to building this connection with nature.
85% of 40 people asked said that they would be attracted to a venue specifically if it was offering an experience with nature. The others would said that they wouldn’t be strictly attracted to visit the space, but many said they would still enjoy the natural elements once there but it wouldn’t draw them to the venue on their own.
What Have I Got So Far?
Panel discussion with biophilic design experts from across the world
Herb Event at Chelsea Collage of Arts, ran over 2 days
Developing online sharing group – to build a community of customers of hospitality spaces to share images of applications of nature that they like and dislike stating why they hold this opinion and forms a space directing people to spaces that are trying to encompass nature.
Future immersive technobiophilic event at Chelsea Collage of Arts Canteen
What Do I Want?
To secure spaces to test in and hold larger scale interventions.
Ideas to explore in Simon’s spaces:
Pairing Herb Plants With Meals
For instance, if someone ordered a tomato burrata salad, it could be advertised as a special dish, whereby the basil plant is brought to the table along with the dish, so people can pick and add their own herbs to their meal.Â
A short question could be asked when ordering the dish to assess their connection to nature and then it could be asked again when they pay the bill to assess any change in that connection.
Immersive Natural ExperiencesÂ
Projectors, speakers, and diffusers offering an engaging and dynamic experience of natural scenery
May be partnered with physical applications of nature such as herbs of plants specific to the chosen scenery.
This may work well in a supper club type event.
Dishes Names After Parts of Nature (Accompanied by complimentary plants, scents, and sounds)
For instance, different types of certain species such as butterflies or even trees?
People may learn the names of certain parts of nature which they can identify when they next come across it, thus strengthening their connection to nature not only in the event but also afterwards through the transference of knowledge
What Does The Marylebone Hotel/ Simon Get?
A cutting edge, innovative link into the sustainability movement that brings nature closer to people that may not be able to access it so readily in big cities such as London but have a newfound appreciation for the outdoors after lockdown. Subsequently, these customers will be attracted to the space which boosts profits of the venue and improves satisfaction of their customers due to them feeling the benefits of interacting with nature.
The Meeting
During the meeting I addressed the areas of the pitch with Simon by linking them into conversation as and where I could. We discussed the hotel space itself and their usual offering so that I could gain more awareness for the space and its aims.
Simon also discussed the sustainability goals of the hotel and their push to keep things local, which I found a very interesting side of the hotel to explore and link into the aims of my project. Subsequently, since the meeting I have been trying to brainstorm ways to seamlessly connect my work with their green initiatives. For instance, the hotel has a big push on healthy foods offering dishes such as ‘superfoods salads’, as well as catering for greener modes of travel by making space for electric bike and cars. In regard to keeping things local, the hotel has beehives on the roof, they also get any extra honey from the London Honey Company. Additionally, their cheeses come from Roth and Co which is diagonally opposite the hotel and has been there since the 1800s serving all locally sourced produce. The hotel has also run seasonal events such as highlighting the strawberry for ‘keeping things British’.
The hotel resides in Marylebone village, which has a strong community aspect, despite being in Central London. This made me think of ways I could try and address this idea of inclusiveness and bringing the local community together to experience nature with my event.
Sadly, Simon informed me that it wouldn’t really be possible to host technological immersive natural events in their spaces, as they only rooms really suitable are sectioned out as events spaces and so I would have to privately hire the space and run the event there, which would be incredibly costly.
One idea Simon and I brainstormed whilst in the meeting was to do a pop up event on their terrace, which has a lot of footfall being on Marylebone Lane. The pop up could involve handing out take away salad taster boxes which people could add herbs to from the selection I have on my stand and then they could answer some quick questions about their connection to nature and take these away with them. Simon said they would be able to absorb the cost of that type of smaller event as well. I then later thought that this could also entice the customers to visit other nature events which could be run later on in the hotel space, almost as a part of a ‘Nature. In collaboration/ event series’.
After the meeting Simon asked if I could email over my ideas to host in their space after our discussion (as they had altered) so that he can pitch them to the rest of the team and they can look at getting PR going around the event to promote the event’s link to their sustainability motives through connecting people to nature. I have since compiled this email and sent it over to get things in motion (see below).
