Gfellergut Events

Tents, rooms and catering with a social purpose

Gfellergut Events is the tent rental and event planning department of the Sozialpädagogisches Zentrum Gfellergut, a social-education center at Stettbachstrasse 300, 8051 Zürich (the site's title places it in Dübendorf, Zurich). The center belongs to the Stiftung Zürcher Kinder- und Jugendheime (zkj), a foundation for children's and youth homes, and its work is the assessment of young people and the delivery of youth welfare measures.

That context is the point of the business. The about page explains that event planning, from customer contact to putting up and taking down a tent to catering at the event, gives the young people at the Gfellergut the chance to gain first experience in many areas, discover their talents and enjoy a job. It tells customers that by booking, they take an active part in the development and integration of young people into a meaningful future. The homepage puts it more simply: rent our tents, let us set them up, and support a social project, because every booking counts. The about page also links to the institution's own shop with products it makes and to its bicycle workshop, and the site's gallery offers a look behind the scenes, so the event business is one part of a wider program of work for the young people.

For a wedding, Gfellergut offers a combination of tents and event equipment delivered to the couple's own site, rooms and grounds at the Gfellergut itself, and catering and planning for either.

Tents and equipment

The rental catalog is the core of the offer. The homepage lists stretch tents ("Stretchzelte"), gable tents ("Giebelzelte"), scissor tents ("Scherenzelte") and tent construction, as well as sound and lighting equipment, a street soccer pitch and a bouncy castle. It shows a video of a stretch tent being set up. The services section names festive lighting, music systems and a catering service. For a couple planning a garden or field wedding, that is the kit to turn an open space into a venue, with the Gfellergut team putting up and taking down the tent.

The site does not publish tent sizes, guest capacities per tent or prices.

The rooms and grounds at the Gfellergut

The events page is aimed at anyone looking for a quiet place for a conference, a seminar or a festive occasion, and asks: "Auf dem Land aber doch mitten in der Stadt?" (in the countryside, yet right in the city?). The Gfellergut rents its rooms with their infrastructure and supplies the catering too, so that hosts have nothing left to worry about on the day. The page lists:

• a hall of 115 m², with furniture, projector and screen
• a Cheminée-Saal of 70 m², with a cozy fire, furniture, projector and screen
• meeting rooms for 10, 8 and 6 people, with flipcharts (the largest also with a whiteboard)

All rooms can be equipped with pinboards and a moderation kit. The page adds that there is enough parking, extensive outdoor grounds, and that the forest is only a few meters away. There are also sports fields: a natural grass football pitch with goals, 50 x 75 m, and a rubber-surfaced basketball court with hoops, 8 x 16 m.

For a wedding, the fireplace hall and the main hall are the relevant spaces. The page does not give a seated or standing capacity for either, so the guest count each can take has to be confirmed with the team.

Catering and planning

The services page covers both. For planning, it invites clients to lean back and leave the organization to the team, which develops a coherent, smooth running order for the day together with them, whether for a wedding, a birthday, a seminar, a conference, a street party or a small company party. For catering, it offers pastries for an aperitif, a cold or warm buffet, or live grill catering for dinner, framed as a tailor-made culinary offer "Von der Vorspeise bis zum Dessert mit hausgemachter Leidenschaft" (from starter to dessert with homemade passion).

The events page closes with an offer to put together an individual package: "Fragen Sie uns an und wir stellen Ihnen ihr individuelles Rundum Sorglos- oder Sportpaket zusammen" (ask us and we will put together your individual all-round carefree or sports package). There is a booking form on the homepage for those who want advice on the options.

Planning a wedding with Gfellergut

The site suggests two routes. A couple with access to a garden, a farm or a field can rent a tent with lighting and sound, have the Gfellergut team build it, and add the catering, so that the whole setup comes from one supplier. A couple without a site of their own can use the Gfellergut's halls and grounds, with the forest a few meters away, and have the same team cater there. In both cases the first questions are the guest count each hall or tent can take, which tent type suits the weather and season, and whether the meal should be a buffet or live grill catering.

Language and contact

The site is in German only. It does not say whether the team works in English, so couples planning in English should ask in their first message. Enquiries go to events@gfellergut.ch or 043 299 33 31, or through the booking form.

What the site does not settle

The site publishes no prices for tents, rooms, equipment or catering, and no package contents for weddings. It gives no guest capacity for the halls or the tents, no information on whether the grounds can host an outdoor ceremony, no end time for a party and no lead time for booking. It does not say whether a wedding at the Gfellergut has the site to itself. The site gives the address and parking but no directions by public transport, so guests without a car should ask how to get there.

Who it suits

Gfellergut Events suits couples who want a relaxed, practical wedding, either at their own garden or field with a stretch tent, lighting, sound and a buffet or grill delivered, or in the Gfellergut's own fireplace hall with grounds and a forest nearby. It particularly suits couples who like the idea that their wedding budget supports young people's training and integration.

It suits less well a couple who wants a polished luxury venue, published prices, or a planning process in English. The service is delivered by a team that includes young people in training, which is the purpose of the project, and couples should talk through their expectations early.