Join our On-Site Commercial Conversion Day, and find out what it really takes to renovate a Grade 2 mixed-used building and develop it into a market-leading SA and hospitality venue.

We're inviting you to take a day out of your busy schedules to learn, network, and be inspired at our Hive Commercial Conversion event – happening Monday 17th April in the beautiful historic town of Knutsford, Cheshire.

We'll be teaming up with Kath Gibbs of Aneto Properties and Bekki Stovell of Raw Clay to bring you a jam-packed afternoon of hands-on learning and advice on all-things 'commercial conversions'.

If you're a female property developer (or a woman looking to get into the property industry), and you're interested in:

• Learning more about commercial conversions, and what it takes to source them, get them through planning, and design and develop them
• Renovating Grade 2 listed, mixed-used buildings
• Creating market-leading serviced-accommodation and hospitality venues
• The interior design process involved in a large-scale property project
• Meeting like-minded women doing incredible things in the property industry

... then we have an essential experience for you!

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Experience an on-site tour.

We'll be spending the first part of our afternoon with Jade McNeil from Beespace and Kath Gibbs, where we'll be on-site at Kath's recently completed Grade 2 listed, mixed-use commercial conversion project – The Freemasons Inn and The Silk Rooms building.

Previously a pub, The Freemasons Inn building was in serious need of repair before Kath took up the challenge. The renovations carried out by the team have brought this beautifully historic building back to life, retaining old features and working with heritage to sympathetically modernise the building for its intended new usage.

The re-build of the old pub included a new roof using the old timbers and original slates, opening up the bar area with supporting steels and original beams – and it also included rewiring, plumbing, and levelling of floors with new and old joists. Their overriding goal was to improve and repair the interiors and exteriors with luxury style and heritage in mind.

The property also consists of an outdoor hospitality space and two further upper floors, converted into x6 en-suite boutique-style bedrooms intended for overnight stays. Designed by Raw Clay, the bedroom interiors are luxury yet comforting, and use rustic materials to connect with the heritage of the building.

During the on-site tour, Kath and her build team will share their experience and knowledge of this huge renovation project as they walk the group through these spaces. They'll be sharing the realities behind a project of this size, and offering advice on how you can feasibly achieve it in the future too.

This is a fantastic (and rare) opportunity to see what it really takes to renovate a Grade 2 mixed-used building into a market-leading SA and hospitality venue.

Believe us when we say that deals and construction don't get much more complex than this project, so come prepared to learn lots and ask lots too! 

Take part in an interior design workshop

Following on from a delicious lunch at The Lost & Found restaurant in Knutsford town centre (included in the ticket price), our guests will then be sitting down with the lovely Bekki Stovell, Founder of Raw Clay, as she hosts an exciting branding and interior design workshop.

Bekki and her team have worked closely with Kath on the branding and interior design of The Silk Rooms, so they know first-hand the level of detail and care that goes into creating a project of this scale.

To kick-off the session, Bekki will host a 30-minute run-down of The Silk Rooms design project itself, where she'll be detailing everything that went into the project, including:

• Walking through the post-process stage
• Understanding the space, budget, and audience
• Explanation of brand process and branded elements to create a brand identity
• The benefits of working with an interior designer, and expected costs
• The importance of feasibility of the space
• Mechanical and electrical plans, and why they are vital in a commercial build
• The use of sustainable materials and choices to drive a better standard of commercial premises, and the positive impact it can have through better choices
• The work that goes into generating floor plans and elevations and how it helps to visualise the space.
• Working through pain points before the build to save costs and problems later
• Using branded elements to create other assets such as investor packs, social media, and marketing assets

Bring your deals to the table.

After learning about the intricacies of The Silk Rooms project, attendees will then be invited to join our relaxed open-table workshop session where they'll have the opportunity to gain tailored advice and support on building a brand and designing interior design schemes for their very own commercial conversion projects.

Bekki and Jade will work together during this session to review a select few deals – sent in by the attendees prior to the event. They'll discuss these potential deals and projects in depth, and what the considerations would need to be from a design and branding point of view.

Not sure what you could bring to the table? We're looking to discuss existing commercial buildings that can be converted to residential/mixed-use properties, such as:

• pubs
• offices
• churches
• shops
• night-clubs/bars

If you don't have any commercial deals on the radar at the minute, don't let that put you off! We're open to discuss aspirational projects, or hypothetical scenarios too – in order to offer tailored advice, inspiration, and help to show you the possibilities!

Experience The Silk Rooms experience.

Don't want the fun to stop? We've collaborated with Kath to offer a very limited number of overnight tickets that include a one-night stay in the newly finished boutique hotel rooms at The Silk Rooms.

You'll be able to experience the SA accommodation for yourself, and unwind from your business in style! And you'll also be invited to join us for an evening of networking, dinner and drinks too.

* All accommodation tickets will be passed on to Kath Gibb to confirm and organise.

Connect with our community.

As always, Hive events are designed to inspire, support, and facilitate growth in a safe and comfortable environment, whilst being surrounded by a lovely group of women.

We want each of our guests to walk away feeling more confident and informed on commercial conversions – and ready to tackle new opportunities!

After this event, you can expect to come away understanding more about:

• What commercial conversions really take
• The type of team you need in place to execute a project of this scale
• How to approach a commercial deal and the financing around it
• Spotting an development opportunity, and gaining the confidence to take it
• Associated time-scales
• The build-team and Project Manager's role
• Cost management
• How to build a brand identity
• The interior design process
• Effective marketing strategies

And although this event is specifically aimed to educate about commercial conversions, we think that there is a wealth of other value, inspiration, and advice to gain here too, regardless of your current stage or experience in property.

Even if you think this event might be 'out of your league', we'd encourage you to come along and learn – it could offer you invaluable advice about stepping into a project of this scale in the future, and give you the encouragement you need to see that it is possible.

Experience The Silk Rooms Experience

Don't want the fun to stop? We've collaborated with Kath to offer a limited number of overnight tickets that include a one-night stay in the newly finished boutique hotel rooms at The Silk Rooms.

You'll be able to experience the SA accommodation for yourself, and unwind from your business in style! And you'll also be invited to join us for an evening of networking, dinner and drinks too.

*All accommodation tickets will be passed on to Kath Gibb to confirm and organise.

If you have any questions about this event, or any of the information provided, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

We'll hopefully be seeing you in Knutsford very soon! ✌🏿⚡️

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