Corporate Summer Social, delivered by Planet Pursuits at the Cotswolds Waterparks

Summer socials your team will still be talking about in October

Celebrating 25 Years of Events

Outdoor festivals, marquee parties on country lawns, racecourse hospitality, themed days, river boats, country pub takeovers - we've been planning summer socials for 25 years and they're still one of our favourite parts of the year.

Talk to us about your summer social | 01793 772999

Talk to us about your next Summer Social. I 01793 772999 events@planetpursuits.com

Summer socials across the M4 corridor, Cheltenham, Oxford and London

Award winning end-to-end event management since 2001

SafeContractor accredited

Recent socials at Cotswold Waterparks, Lake 86, Heron's Farm, Newbury Race Course, Arsenal Football Club.

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Who we work with on summer socials

Most of the summer socials we deliver are commissioned by someone in HR, Communications, Facilities or an Executive Assistant who's been handed the brief on top of their actual day job. We get it. Planning a summer event for several hundred people while keeping the day job ticking over is genuinely tough.

That's where we come in. We become your outsourced summer event team for as little or as much as you need - sometimes that's the full thing from brief to strike, sometimes it's just the bits you don't have time for. Either way, you stay in control of the day's direction and we take the supplier coordination, logistics, kit and on-the-day delivery off your plate.

A few things we've learned about summer socials

After 25 years and a fair few thousand summer events, here are a few things we've noticed that might be useful when you're thinking about yours.

The food often matters more than the food budget. A generous barbecue, a proper paella, a brilliant food truck - the simple, well-served options tend to land harder than fancy catering nobody asked for. We've watched £15-a-head feasts get more affection than £80-a-head plated dinners more often than we'd like to admit.

Shade is underrated. UK summer events without proper shade options become endurance tests by 2pm. With shade, water and a few quiet corners, they stay fun until the bar closes. Sounds small. Isn't.

Including kids changes the energy in a way that's hard to explain until you see it. Family-inclusive summer socials are often warmer and better remembered than employee-only events - but only if the brief is designed for it from the start.

The good ones have a habit of coming back up in conversation months later - in pulse surveys, in exit interviews, in chats with new joiners. We don't promise that as an outcome, but we do plan with it in mind. Summer socials reward thinking about what your team will still mention in October, not just what they'll post on Slack the next morning.

What we can put on

Outdoor festivals - branded stages, food trucks, bars, kids' zones for 200 to 5,000 guests
Marquee summer parties - stretch tents and traditional marquees at country venues, with full bar and catering build (most of the kit comes from our own 10,000 sq ft warehouse near Swindon)
Themed party days - everything from Vegas garden parties to '90s festivals, with set, props, costume and entertainment
Racecourse hospitality - Newbury, Ascot, Cheltenham, Guards Polo and Bath racecourses, race-day or non-race-day hire
Country pub takeovers - exclusive use of country pubs and their grounds, usually 100 to 300 guests
River and Thames-side events - boat hire, riverside hotel takeovers, harbour-side venues
Sports and activity days - It's a Knockout, family fun days, competitive team formats

Something we haven't listed - if you've got an idea in mind that's not here, just ask. Most of the best summer socials we've delivered didn't fit a neat template.

When to book

Summer goes faster than you'd think. The season's only 16 weeks - mid-May to mid-September - and the best venues, marquee suppliers, named entertainers and caterers get booked up in waves.

Working backwards from a July or August target date:

November or December the year before is when most of the multinationals lock their dates. Premium venues, headline entertainment and the in-demand caterers go in this window.
January or February still gives you a good run at second-tier venues, most marquee suppliers and most food truck operators.
March or April is when venue choice narrows sharply and supplier markups start to creep in. Still possible, but the compromises become real.
May onwards for a summer event is usually a salvage job. We can normally pull something good together, but format flexibility tightens and costs rise.

For events under 100 guests, this timeline compresses by about two months. For events over 1,000, add a month at the front.

Venues we know well

M4 Corridor

Newbury Racecourse - 30,000-capacity grandstand for major brand events; smaller hospitality boxes for 50-200 guests. Non-race-day hire is usually more flexible than race-day.
Bisham Abbey - Thames-side estate, 200 capacity for marquee builds, easy reach for both London and Reading audiences.
Sherborne House (Cheltenham area) - country house with extensive grounds, suits marquee or branded festival format.

London and Home Counties

Battersea Park - public park hire for branded summer festivals up to 2,500. Licensing process takes time, so factor it in
Hampton Court Palace - garden hire on selected dates, premium positioning
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) - Central London ground with marquee potential

Oxford and the Cotswolds

Blenheim Palace - estate hire for major branded events, premium pricing
The Bay Tree Hotel, Burford - country hotel with grounds, suits 100-200 guests
Devere, Cotswold Waterpark Hotel - a stunning four-star hotel with great conferencing facilities and a lakeside setting.
Lake 86, Cotswold Waterpark - privately owned lake ideal for summer parties, festivals and corporate fun days
Oxford Belfry - a popular destination used by Planet Pursuits, with conferencing facilities and great access for the M40

A recent summer social

A recent summer social at the De Vere Cotswold Waterpark Hotel for Alpha Fest click here. >>

summer socials at the Cotswold Water Park, Devere Hotel.

How we work together

Here are five stages that helped us plan a Successful Summer Social.

A first chat (1-2 weeks) - we talk through what you're hoping for, who's coming, what feel you want for the day
Concept and venue (3-6 weeks) - format options, venue shortlist, all costed in detail
The build phase (the longest stretch) - suppliers, kit, entertainment, catering, branding, comms, all managed under one project plan
The day itself - we're at the coalface from build through to strike, with our crew on site
After the event - feedback gathered, photos delivered, and a proper catch-up with you to talk about how the day landed

Our founder, Simon, set up Planet Pursuits in 2001 and personally leads the first chat on every summer social we take on.

A few common questions

How much should we spend per head?

UK summer socials run from around £35 per head at the bottom of the market to £350+ per head for premium branded festivals or racecourse hospitality. A solid working figure for a well-produced event with food, drink, entertainment and venue is £80-£150 per head. Below £60 per head, your format choices narrow quickly.

How late can we leave it?

For under 200 guests, 12 weeks is workable if you're flexible on venue and entertainment. For 200-500 guests, plan 6 months out as a minimum. For 500+ guests or anything involving a marquee build, 9-12 months. July and August dates at premium venues are usually locked the previous November.

What's the contingency plan if it rains?

Every outdoor summer social we deliver has a wet-weather plan built into the venue contract and supplier briefing from day one - not bolted on if the forecast turns. For marquees, that means a specification check on wind and rain tolerance. For festivals, it means a covered footprint sized to absorb the full guest count if needed. We make the weather call by 6am on the day, no later.

Can it be a family day rather than an employee-only day?

Yes - and a good chunk of the summer socials we deliver are family-inclusive. Kids' zones, food choices, timing, alcohol management and safeguarding all want designing in from the brief stage rather than added in late. In our experience, family-inclusive events are often warmer and better remembered than employee-only equivalents.

Can you work alongside our in-house team rather than taking on the whole thing?

Yes - that's a lot of what we do. Some clients want full end-to-end event management, others want us at the coalface on the day with their team running the rest, others want us purely for venue finding and supplier coordination. We'll flex to fit how you want to work.

Looking for something else?

If summer isn't your window or a social isn't the right format:

Christmas parties → [/theme-parties/] - the winter equivalent
Festivals and fun days → [/corporate-events/festivals-fun-days/] - if scale and outdoor production are the point
Corporate events hub → [/corporate-events/] - if you'd rather scope by goal than format

Talk to us about summer

Drop us a brief or just pick up the phone. We'll come back with format options, venue thoughts and a sensible budget range. If your timeline's tight or your idea needs a different steer, we'll say so honestly.

Phone us today 01793 772999 or email events@planetpursuits.com