Plan your business event
The Growing Corporate Event Trend: Business Events In Tents
Organising a great business event involves a lot of skill, hard work, and creativity. It’s why there’s a whole industry out there doing everything event related from venue finding, furniture rental and catering, to full-scale event management.
The first hurdle when organising a business event is finding the right venue. Serious meetings require formal boardrooms. Informal staff celebrations warrant relaxed and fun surroundings. Product launches need either a blank canvas or a quirky, show-stopping platform. There are all sorts of venues for all sorts of occasions, but finding the right one isn’t always easy.
Growing in popularity are business events in tents, and they’re taking the pain out of looking for a venue. Don’t let the memories of a washed out childhood camping holiday put you off. Done with style, corporate entertaining in a luxury tent has the potential to match any other corporate event at any venue across the UK. If you are finding it hard to visualise, take a look at these tents for VIP events.
If you need convincing further, read on for an excellent guide on organising a business event in a tent. We’ve even included the pros and cons so you know what you are letting yourself in for. Get it right, and your next business event (in a tent) could be the talk of the town.
Business events in tents: the pros
Décor: White tent structures give you a blank canvas to work with (literally). Add props, furniture and décor to suit your business. It gives you a unique branding opportunity.
Elegant: High-end marquees are as elegant and atmospheric as any other venue, and add a touch of quirkiness.
Location: You choose a location to suit you.
Weather: Outdoor events are a great addition to your marketing tools, but can easily flop due to the inclement British weather. Corporate events in tents provide cover from potential breaks in the weather, but allow you and your guests to enjoy the outdoors when the sun is shining.
Cost: Hiring a tent and grounds could save considerably on the cost of hiring a luxury venue.
Catering: You’ll have complete control over caterers – many venues have their own catering team.
Event Management: You have complete control over event management, too. Either take the whole job in hand yourself, or hand over to your chosen event management team. Some luxury marquee hire companies offer a full event management service and do a brilliant job.
Business events in tents: the cons
Temperature: There aren’t many disadvantages of using a luxury marquee for your corporate event, but the temperature outside (too hot or too cold) could be a problem if you haven’t organised fans or heaters.
Toilets: If there aren’t toilets on site, you’ll need to organise portable loos. Don’t panic, there are plenty of luxury options, so it won’t cramp the style of your event. Pippa Middleton had luxury portaloos at her wedding!
Location: You will need to find a location with suitable access and parking. An event planner or a venue finding service will help you find a suitable location. If you are organising the whole event yourself, check out "hire a field."
The hidden extras: Some tent hire companies may charge you for extras you weren’t expecting, such as guttering, tent-sides with windows, delivery and insurance. Be sure you have a complete quote from any marquee suppliers you would like to work with before you give the go-ahead.
Choosing a marquee company to work with
When you are looking for a marquee company to work with, it's worth going the extra mile with research. Make sure you:
- Get a full breakdown of all the costs.
- Narrow down your choices to 2 or 3 providers.
- Before making a final decision, ask for a no-obligations site visit.
- Check the quality of the marquee – is it a high calibre marquee that is constantly maintained? Some companies only clean their tents periodically, not after every hire out.
- Find out if the company kit out the entire interior or just hire out the marquee. The more interesting your marquee structure and interior the more likely you are to encourage people to attend.
- Find out what previous customers say.
Choosing a location
Arguably one of the biggest advantages of choosing to host your next business event in a marquee is flexibility in terms of location. Choose a location that is convenient for your guests, or one with a stunning location people will want to take the opportunity to see.
Kitting out your marquee
Some corporate tent companies will offer a range of props and furnishings you can hire to customise your marquee to suit your event. Here are some useful tips:
- Use a specialist tent event interior designer.
- If you are designing the interior yourself, draw up a detailed plan.
- Get your essentials in first, then plan everything else around them (bar, dance floor, stage).
- Create a focal point.
- Consider walkways, outdoor seating and additional smaller break-out tents, as well as a separate tent for catering staff.
- Think about seating – is there a formal sit-down meal, do you want it set up like a conference, or do you want a more informal seating plan in clusters.
- Get creative – this is the fun bit and an opportunity for you to impress your guests.
Don’t forget about the clean-up
It’s easy when you are focusing on the event itself to forget all about the clean-up afterwards. If the marquee company you are using isn’t the same company supplying furniture and props, you’ll need to co-ordinate the pack down accordingly. For ease, using a marquee company with a full events service will ensure everything is taken care of afterwards so you don’t have to worry.
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