Case Study: The Dorothy Pax, Sheffield

At Gala Tent, we supply pop up gazebos and marquees to businesses from a multitude of industries, from motorsport to markets, event planning to hospitality, and festivals to fairs. One of the most active industries that use our products for many reasons are pubs. Our pop ups are used to shelter drinking and beer garden benches, or to create smoking shelters. Our marquees are used to create huge external sheltered dining rooms and function suites. One pub which uses our structures to near-perfect effect is The Dorothy Pax in Sheffield.

Located on the picturesque Victoria Quays in a trendy area of the city, The Dorothy Pax is a gem of a venue, hosting music, comedy and other entertainment events regularly. It’s small, but Richard Henderson, the venue’s owner and Managing Director, has made full use of the gorgeous outdoor area by filling it with dining and drinking benches, and covering them with a series of orange Gala Shade Pro 50 gazebos.  

These gazebos provide shelter from the rain, and shade from the blazing sunshine that the sun trap location attracts during the summer, and are used well by the pubs many loyal regular patrons.

Not content with simply popping up the tents to provide functional use, Richard and his team have taken great pride in the aesthetics and comfort, with heaters spread throughout, and elegant decorations to enable the tents to provide greater comfort to the people that come along for the top quality ales, wines and spirits, and a fantastic outdoor seating space for those who come to attend the many entertainment events that are hosted on a monthly basis.  

The gazebos also double as an extra outdoor bar or two when the event demands it, especially during warmer seasons, which helps the team to provide exceptional service by reducing queuing times.  

As a vital part of Sheffield’s wider social community, the pub’s team also provides a location during the popular Tramlines weekend as part of the Fringe festival, organising the free-to-attend Pax in the Park festival in nearby Heeley.  

Such is the phenomenal job that Richard has done with providing a spectacular space to socialise and be entertained, that neighbouring venues have taken a leaf out of his book and extended their own venues to incorporate Gala Tent gazebos.

“We've used Gala Tent for more than seven years, they are an excellent company to work with,” said Richard when we visited him to see the venue and their range of Gala Shade gazebos. "They have an amazing product, always delivered next working day. In the seven years we've had the gazebos, we have seen off many different storms. Not having our Gala Tent gazebos would be detrimental to our business. We have several more of different types that we keep in storage to provide to other community events in the city.” 

The venue has a range of sizes of Pro 50 gazebo (mostly orange) to suit the outside space available, some connected together by gutter kits to create longer, larger shelters, plus infrared heaters for when the sun goes down or the winter draws in.

"With Gala Tent, it's not just the structures themselves. There's all sorts of accessories to make them better. For example, we have the range of heaters that we switch on in winter, and aren't as expensive on the electricity as you might think. Then the gutter kits and connectors.. There are all sorts of configurations you can achieve."

Richard confirmed that his small-yet-beautifully decorated bar and gig venue has an indoor capacity of 70, but with the addition of the gazebos outside on the canal quay, his venue capacity is increased by an amazing 120. That's a capacity increase of 170%!

"This allows us to keep trading in all weathers. Obviously, this has an extremely beneficial impact on our sales."

All in all, we have to say that Richard and his team at The Dorothy Pax in Sheffield have one of the finest collections of Gala Tent structures that we know of, and they’re using them in some of the most perfect ways possible, in an extremely cool venue. Our thanks to the team for their pictures, kind comments and hospitality in allowing us to come for a chat.

If you’re interested in visiting the venue, you can find it at: 

The Dorothy Pax  

Arch 17, Wharf Street 

Victoria Quays 

Sheffield 

The Dorothy Pax puts on many different music gigs and events throughout the year, and is a well-connected part of the Sheffield live music scene, whilst also being a part of the Music Venues Alliance. They offer venue hire for corporate events and parties, and often put on free live music gigs to coincide with special events such as the nearby monthly Pollen Market

You can find and follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thedorothypax 

This article was part of our new Case Study series where we chat with customers of ours that own and use Gala Tent products to great effect. If you or your business are interested in having a chat with our team
about your experience with Gala Tent, and be featured in our series, then get in touch with our team on 01709 242454 and ask for Ryan. If you own a hospitality venue and would like to explore the opportunity to extend your capacity footprint with professional standard pop-up gazebos or high quality marquees, drop us a message by the form below and we'll be in touch.