Gear is good, skill is better

Innovative equipment and creative problem solvers get the job done.

I began my journalism career in photography, and then moved away from it. “You can learn photography on the side!” people said. “Major in print journalism instead!” (Life advice right up there with the realtor who told me in 2004 that housing values almost never decline.)

When I set my personal goals for the year, one was to get back into the hobby that launched my professional life. And because I’ve been taking most of my photos with an iPhone, I would need a decent camera. I dove into research and reviews, and soon my head was spinning with ISO ranges and burst rates and focus points. But one commenter on a camera review site put all of the bells and whistles into perspective: “A writer once asked me what camera I used because it took great pictures and must be expensive,” the commenter wrote. “I told him he must be using a really expensive Pelican fountain pen. Point being, gear is great; skill is better!”

A feature article in this issue highlights just some of the great equipment available to the tent and event industry today. The right equipment, developed specifically for tent installation, can help rental companies work safer and more efficiently. It pays for itself. High quality gear is great.

And so much of this equipment was developed by professionals within the industry—highly experienced and innovative people who saw a problem and invented a solution. Skill is better.

The tent and event industry requires both technical and practical proficiency and a creative streak that can solve unique problems and offer custom solutions. If I were to give a young person career advice today, I would say that this is a profession for creative innovators. And I would add that the best bosses are those who give you the tools to get the job done. In this industry, some great bosses purchase those tools, and some invent them.