The tent collapse that resulted in one death and dozen injured on Saturday in St. Louis, Mo., is leading to scrutiny of that city’s regulations of event tent installations. The tent had been granted a permit and was inspected prior to Saturday. The city of St. Louis requires tents to be wind rated to 90 mph. Gusts on Saturday were measured at more than 70 mph. A cause of death for the victim, 58-year-old Alfred Goodman of Waterloo, Ill., has not yet been released.

The annual “Call for IFAI board candidates” from the Industrial Fabrics Association International was sent to the association’s voting membership on Monday, April 9. Applications are due May 28, 2012.

In June, the IFAI board’s Leadership Development Committee meets to consider the qualifications of the candidates. In July, the association’s membership is notified of committee’s recommendations.

Election results are announced at the 2012 IFAI Expo Americas, Nov. 7–9 in Boston.

IFAI members are encouraged to recommend candidates for the board:

Cherie M. Schmit
Executive Assistant to the President
Industrial Fabrics Association International
1801 County Road B. West
Roseville, Minnesota 55113
U.S.A.
Ph: +1 651 225 6985
Fax: +1 651 225 6977

The Big Ass Fan Co.’s Yellow Jacket® has been named a “Gold Winner” of the 2011 Product of the Year Awards from Plant Engineering. Yellow Jacket was selected for the honor out of more than 100 finalists in 14 categories.

Introduced by Big Ass Fans in March 2011, the Yellow Jacket offers vast airflow coverage area combined with quiet operation, low maintenance and durability.

“Yellow Jacket is a unique addition to our strong lineup of industrial fans,” said product manager Stephen Bird. “Like all Big Ass Fans, it shows the expertise of our engineering team and the rigorous performance testing carried out in our state-of-the-art research and development facility.”

In April 2012, the Yellow Jacket will offer an optional oscillator and a misting package that provides the same cooling effect as 11 tons of air conditioning.

Classic Party Rentals, Torrance, Calif., has appointed Jeff Black as president and CEO. Pedro Mata, who led the organization the past two years, is retiring to pursue other opportunities.

Black comes to Classic from Aramark Uniform Services, where he worked for the past 17 years in a variety of leadership positions, most recently as vice president of customer care and general manager of Aramark Japan.

With senior leadership experience in operations and sales, Black is known as a change agent and collaborative leader who rallies people through a well-communicated vision, strategic discipline, teamwork style and flawless execution. He is a hands-on leader who has driven bold work by listening to the market and client base, as well as his internal teams. In addition, Black is a tireless competitor who will work to ensure Classic Party Rentals continues to improve and innovate on its extensive products and services.

Classic Party Rentals serves nearly 40 U.S. locations including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and Dallas, with a high-profile event roster including major sporting events, brand promotion tours, Hollywood awards shows and movie premieres, celebrity weddings, charity events and personal life celebration events.

InTents | April 2012

By Melissa Paul

Designing the empty space of a white tent is a process of starting afresh, taking risks and giving shape to the imagination. Working within the constraints of the client’s budget and taste is expected, but when it comes to color, event designers draw on a kaleidoscope of options. Sometimes, though, living on the color wheel is overwhelming. Paring down a color scheme to black and white produces results that are dramatic and understated, timeless and elegant. In other words, it’s a sure thing.

While some may regard black-and-white design as limiting, others see a sophisticated palette with tremendous possibilities. Consider how shades of black and white surround us: snowcaps on dark mountains, a zebra’s stripes, a bright moon against a night sky. A black-and-white event brings to mind the glamour of Old Hollywood, art deco architecture and nostalgic fashion photography, all of which maintain their popularity as party themes because they are accessible for any budget.

When styling your own black-and-white celebration, start with the basics: a solid white, glossy black or checkered dance floor for big impact; cocktail or dinner tables dressed with white linens and black chairs; and black vases and accessories added to tabletops. To add drama, drape the space in black or carpet the tent in white. Extend the theme by suspending black chandeliers over dinner tables or black-and-white damask lampshades over the dance floor. Upholstered white sofas with black tufted chairs, black-and-white striped pillows and mirror-topped tables further enhance the design. Vertical striped chair covers are statements by themselves in an otherwise all-white tent landscape. A black-and-white scheme doesn’t have to be stiff and cold; it is best served with a personal flourish and a dash of whimsy.

Using only black and white works because the colors play off each other. Yet, the combination makes a spectacular backdrop, and any color placed against it is intensified. That color could be in the floral arrangements, on the dinner tables or in the pillows, furniture and lighting effects. For example, washes of purple light are the perfect backdrop to a whimsical black-and-white tent. The color theme won’t lose its relevance if you incorporate natural woods, live plants, sisal rugs and raw linens. Warm, textural elements will add an organic, approachable quality to the setting.

No matter how you design it, a black-and-white scheme will evoke a sense of style that transcends time. Simply look to classic black-and-white films or photographs to know that time goes by in color, but we remember it in black and white.

By Melissa Paul, owner of Melissa Paul Ltd. Paul is a brand storyteller for the luxury wedding, culinary and hospitality industries.

InTents | April 2012

Every event is a kind of production, but Beachview Event Rentals & Design, Brunswick, Ga., found itself on the set of an actual production in April 2011 after submitting the winning proposal for a tent that would be part of a key scene in the pilot episode of “Revenge,” which aired on ABC in fall 2011.

An artist’s rendering of a glowing party tent made it clear that this project, a 2012 TRD Award of Excellence entry, wouldn’t be simply pulled out of inventory.

“I like a challenge, so when they sent these pictures I knew we had to be able to do this,” says Elizabeth Veal of Beachview, which also has a Jacksonville, Fla., location.

Beachview achieved the ethereal look by having a custom fabric liner made and installed over the clear top of a 50-by-80-foot hip-end frame tent. Event Resource Group of Smyrna, Ga., pitched in to help Beachview meet a tight timeline, and a few compromises were made with set designers.

“They wanted the exterior to be a gathered fabric look and there really was no way to do that and still have it look as clean and finished as it turned out to be,” Veal says. “We were able to compromise with a smooth fabric exterior and a gathered interior liner.”

While some aspects of this installation were no different than any other job, Veal learned to imagine the setup through the narrow shots of a lens, where things don’t always need to be symmetrical.

“I walk into a room or a tent and see the overall finished result, whereas [the production] is looking for certain shots,” she explains.

And unlike a typical installation, where when it’s done, it’s done, a tent on a screen can live forever. Veal had nearly put the show out of her mind when several months later she walked into a movie theater and was stunned to see the tent on the big screen in a preview. The tent was a prominent feature in advertisements leading up to the airing of the pilot episode, and in subsequent episodes the tent scene returns in flashbacks.

“I’ve seen some of our work in a movie or show before but it’s always a quick blip,” Veal says. “To see it over and over is fun.”

Richard “Dick” Browne passed away Feb. 7 at his home in Longwood, Fla. Browne owned Kirby Rental Service & Sales of Orlando, Fla., from 1962 to 2008 and was a member of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) since the early 1970s. Under Browne’s guidance, Kirby Rental was awarded multiple IAA Outstanding Achievement awards. His business ideals consisted of giving back to the community that gave to him.

Special Event Sales, a division of Special Event Rentals of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has signed an exclusive agency agreement with COSCO (JM) Aluminum Development Co. Ltd. to be the sole distributor of Cosco Clear Span Tents in Canada and the United States. “This agreement will bring top quality structure tents to the North American market at a competitive price,” says Thomas Pollard, vice president of Special Event Sales. The tents meet NFPA701 and CAN/ULCS-109 flame retardant standards; feature highly reinforced aluminum and double PVC-coated fabrics; are UV resistant, waterproof and mold proof; and are engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 100km/h.

B.C. Tent & Awning Co. Inc., Avon, Mass., has hired Gene LaPierre as director of special projects. LaPierre is the former owner of Taylor Rental Center of Holyoke, Mass. He will continue to serve as the executive director of the American Rental Association of Massachusetts (ARAM) and in a similar role for the American Rental Association of Connecticut (ARA of CT).

ACW, Woonsocket, R.I., a manufacturer of high performance plastic and metal fasteners, hook and loop, as well as elastic and non-elastic narrow textile webbing and cord products, announces the purchase of a continuous dye-range finishing system for treating webbing products. The major equipment upgrade provides increased production capacity while providing military and commercial textile webbing customers with product consistency and quality. The all-electronic, computer-controlled system virtually eliminates pigment excess with its precise and consistent aqueous padding application of dye and pigment finishes to webbing material.

TLC Rents Event & Tent Rental has moved to the West Midtown Design District, 1570 Southland Cir. NW, Atlanta, Ga., 30318-3631. The move includes a newly designed 40,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom.

Mexico-based Grupo Serna launched a new website.

InTents | April 2012

When event organizers expect more than a million attendees, including VIPs of the stature of Pope Benedict XVI and the Spanish royal family, the safety and security for all tent installations is of utmost importance. That was the challenge for tent rental company Carpa 10 of Spain when it installed structures for World Youth Day in Madrid in August 2011.

World Youth Day is a weeklong youth-oriented Roman Catholic international gathering. Initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, it is held every two to three years in a different location. Official estimates report that two million people participated in an all-night vigil during the 2011 event.

With safety and comfort in mind, Carpa 10 installed 10 clearspan tents with a total area of about 4,500 square meters along with furnishings and decor. This included:

• 15-by-90-meter press center. Carpa 10 supplied all of the necessary elements to transform this tent into a temporary international media center for 434 accredited news agencies.
• 15-by-75-meter VIP hospitality tent with bar and restaurant.
• 20-by-30-meter stage on 5.5-meter-high scaffolding for the 170-voice Orfeón Donostiarra, one of Europe’s most highly regarded amateur choirs.
• 10-by-30-meter tent for ecclesiastical authorities.
• 10-by-30-meter tent for bishops.
• 5-by-10-meter tent that served as a reception area for the Spanish royal family, politicians and celebrities.
• additional tents for event staff, catering and dressing areas for musicians and choir members.

Negotiations to win the contract were long because of the event requirements, Sánchez says. Planning and design required a couple of months, and installation required three weeks. A summer storm with strong winds threatened the event, but all Carpa 10 structures remained safe and erect.

“This helps to confirm that we are a leading company in Spain in the field of events with tents that ensure safety,” Sánchez says.

InTents | April 2012

For Steven Eisenstein, the best indication that a backyard tented party has been an unqualified success is in the post-party thank-you letters.

“We love the fact that we can take someone’s home and turn it into an awesome event space,” Eisenstein, president of Classic Tents & Events, Atlanta, Ga., says. “People are just so proud to show off their homes, their personal area. It becomes an awesome place to have a party, and they take pride in the event.”

This was the case for an April 2011 employee appreciation party at the home of the president of an automobile finance company, whose property on the Chattahoochee River provided a scenic locale.

Classic Tents & Events installed a 40-by-55-foot Navi-Trac® Tent by Anchor Industries for guests and a 10-by-10-foot Fiesta® Tent for the caterer. Decor included a dramatic LED lighting scheme inside the tent and around the house and pool. Classic sales manager Bari Schlam worked with the client to book all rental items for the event, including items that needed to be subrented.

“It was a huge hit,” Eisenstein says. “The client was more than pleased, praising us in a letter afterward about how happy they were.”

A backyard tented party can be a great alternative to a permanent venue for businesses hosting company events. The cost of renting tents and party supplies can be offset by avoiding numerous other fees including special event venue rental and the food and beverage minimums they often require. In addition, hosts can purchase alcohol at retail prices, eliminating the huge markups of restaurants and hotels. Finally, a party at the home of a president or CEO can create a more intimate gathering for guests, promoting a feeling of family among employees that continues long after the party is over.

Like most backyard events, this party had its set of installation challenges.

“There was a small fence with a narrow gate alongside of the house that everything had to go through, so everything had to be hand carried,” Eisenstein says. “We had to charge a difficult-access fee for this client. It worked out, it just took a little bit of time on the labor side.”

When installing tents in a backyard, underground sprinkler systems are a concern in addition to public utilities, as is landscaping that homeowners cherish. Eisenstein approaches those issues by clearly communicating on site visits and in proposals the steps the property owner and the installers will need to take to avoid damage and leave the space exactly the way it was found.

“You are dealing with people’s personal space,” he says. “It’s their garden, it’s their yard that they take such care of. When somebody runs over someone’s bushes and flowers, we’re dealing with a lot more emotions, verses a corporate event where it’s a nice blank space with no emotions involved.”

InTents | April 2012

Niagara Tents and Events is the amalgamation of two companies—Rain or Shine Tent Rentals and All Event Rentals. In 1999, the two small companies joined forces to create an inventory to fill the needs of large festivals in southern Ontario.

With its clients divided evenly between festivals, weddings and corporate functions, the company is one of the few in the area that will install tents in the winter. “Geographically our area poses some issues for tenting,” says Mike Howe, Niagara Tent’s owner and president. “Winters cause some havoc with strong winds, blowing snow and frozen tundra. Though the demand for tenting is minimal in winter, we have loyal repeat customers who rely on us to make their events happen.” The underlying bedrock throughout much of the territory also presents a challenge, requiring a variety of ballasting techniques including permanent lags, concrete ballasts and water barrels.

One winter event, the Niagara Icewine Festival, takes place under a variety of Niagara Tents and Events tents each January, and draws a community together to sample wine made from frozen grapes. Practically speaking, Niagara supplies heated tents to shelter festival-goers and wood-fired pizza ovens. But what Niagara supplies on a community level is a real—instead of virtual—social networking hub.

Niagara Tents and Events has also provided the structure and ambiance for the Niagara Wine Festival for the past 12 years. The annual two-week event draws people from across the globe to sample wine, food and entertainment. Niagara Tents and Events supplies more than 30 tents, and lighting, tables, chairs, staging, fencing and pipe and drain. “We have been working so closely with the organizers of this event for so long they know they can trust us to come through,” Howe says. “They know they can let us do our thing and the event will get done on time and to specs.”

The company shelters about 30 to 40 weddings a season. “Banquet hall pricing has increased dramatically,” Howe says. “That, coupled with the fact that brides are looking for something different, directs them to tents and the outdoors for wedding venues.

The smallest portion of the company’s clientele, especially due to the recession, has been corporate events. Still, the corporate events that do happen tend toward the grand. Niagara Tents and Events erected a 60-by-150-foot clearspan structure complete with flooring and a carpeted reception area for 400 in September 2008. Featuring illusionist Greg Frewin and a Cirque du Soleil performance, the event “delivered” and the event planner has been a client ever since.

Howe notes the decline in clients in the past three years may not have hit Ontario as hard as other parts of North America but nonetheless it’s been a reality he’s happy to see changing. “The past couple of months have shown a renewed interest in tenting for the coming season,” Howe says. “I think it’s a great sign of things to come.”

InTents | April 2012

By Maura Keller

Graduation ceremonies and parties punctuate the end of a long educational journey and celebrate a new stage in life. Rental companies help make these celebrations memorable with crisp tents, upsells such as specialty lighting, and rows and rows—and more rows—of perfectly aligned chairs.

"Commencements are the final impression that thousands of students will have of their alma mater, so they are very important events,” says John Creedon of Creedon and Co. Inc., Worcester, Mass. “To meet our objective, we communicate with the [college or university] staff to educate them about the mechanics and practical realities of installing tents, chairs, staging, lights and other equipment.”

Econ 101

Several tent renters who serve the graduation event market note that the economic collapse beginning in 2008 dramatically changed this market sector. “Companies that didn’t typically involve themselves in events like college commencements found themselves looking for more work,” says Ben Philbrook, sales manager of Chase Canopy LLC, Mattapoisett, Mass. “Thus the bidding process has become very competitive, and the schools now have a disclaimer in most bids that basically says they can break a contract at whatever point they wish, without having an explanation.”

Creedon, whose company offers catering services in addition to tent and party rental, adds that colleges and universities are taking a closer look at bids and RFPs due to budgetary constraints.

“Since the economy slowed over the last few years, cost has become a more important component in customers’ decision making,” he says. “Wherever we can add value for our customers—by cutting costs or providing more efficient options—we always do that. Long-term relationships with our customers are more important to us than a single invoice.”

Matthew Mutton of Bob Mutton Party and Tent Rentals, Fort Wayne, Ind., has noticed a decrease in the number of tent rentals for graduation parties and open houses.

“I believe some of this is a direct result of the economy causing homeowners to tighten their budget,” Mutton says. “But I think another factor in this is some of our competitors are discounting prices because of the economy.”

Job application

Bob Costa, owner of B.C. Tent & Awning Co. Inc., Avon, Mass., says the first challenge in providing tents for the collegiate community is getting in the door, as most schools already have a working relationship with tent vendors.

“Once in the door, it takes years of work to build trust,” Costa says. “College graduations are a major statement and representation of the college itself, so everything has to be perfect. They want to impress parents, students and alumni. Therefore, margin for error is close to zero. Like most large institutions there are layers of bureaucracy, so getting prompt answers and decisions are the greatest challenge.”

Creedon notes that another major challenge to providing rental services to graduations is that in the United States, most commencements occur within a time span of two to three weeks, making the month of May one of the busiest times of the year for tent rental companies.

“Across the country, tent and event rental equipment companies’ inventories tend to be pretty well tapped out during commencement season,” he says. “This time of year also tends to be one of the busiest for the colleges and universities too. As a result, clear and efficient communication in preparing for and executing the event is absolutely critical. We work hard to earn our customers’ trust and confidence in our ability to perform and deliver smooth equipment installations even in the face of challenges such as hectic schedules and sometimes severe weather.”

Making the grade

Mutton believes the biggest key to success within the graduation segment of the industry is clear communication when it comes to policies, procedures, expectations and deadlines.

“It’s important that not only do we understand what the school expects, but that they know what our expectations are,” he says. “This becomes particularly important when someone new takes over responsibilities at the school.”

For large-scale layouts, Creedon generates CAD drawings before the installation and shares those drawings with its customers to ensure that they are on the same page.

“Again, clear and efficient communication is critical,” Creedon says. “When we’re on site actually installing chairs, we use string grids to ensure that the columns and rows of the thousands of chairs we set up are straight and sharp looking.”

Douglas Barrera, owner of Camelot Party Rentals, Sparks, Nev., begins graduation jobs by conducting a site review—traveling to the event location, meeting with the event designer and measuring the location of the event.

“We then use our PartyCad program to draw out different setup designs for the client to choose from,” Barrera says. “On the setup day we use plumb lines and specific measurements to space the rows and aisles to scale. When you are responsible for setting up a large amount of chairs, even a little error can be detrimental on a time-sensitive setup.”

AAA Rental System, Markham, Ill., warehouses its chairs on movable racks to ease delivery and load-in. “We try to deliver with logistics in mind,” says owner Jay Heiferman. “School facilities don’t often have great loading areas. Pre-event site visits are essential for the on-campus event.”

Mutton requires that the customer call to have underground utilities marked. “We are very clear and repetitive through the entire planning process: from quoting, to reserving, to confirming delivery times about having utilities marked and what the free services do and don’t mark,” Mutton says.

For AAA Rental, a sprinkler damage waiver ispart of its rental contract. “A system schematic of course is always nice to have,” Heiferman says.

When orchestrating backyard graduation parties, Creedon typically visits customers’ yards to measure for the tents, get a sense for the terrain and any slopes or challenging areas, and determine the best method to load and install the tents.

“One solution if there are serious concerns or unanswered questions about what lies underground is to install a weighted frame tent instead of hammering stakes into the ground as anchors,” he says.

Marketing degree

The combination of a competitive marketplace and a tight economy calls for effective marketing to potential graduation clientele. AAA Rental serves both the consumer and commercial markets. “Bringing in new customers of all kinds is, of course, our goal,” Heiferman says. “We try to attract new ‘general public’ customers primarily through search engine optimization as well as word of mouth and very targeted print promotions and community-based sponsorships.”

One way AAA Rental targets the graduation party market is by providing graduation party tent packages. “Consumers enjoy not having to make too many decisions,” Heiferman says. “Packages make it easy for both of us. We also market specials for the school ceremonies.”

In Creedon’s experience, the best source of business is from repeat customers and referrals from satisfied customers to their network including family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.

“Our staff always answers the phone with a smile and we make it a point to be as prompt with our responses as possible,” Creedon says. “Our website, social media efforts and referrals from online search engines also work well.” Beyond that, Creedon encourages staff to be involved in the community and to network with existing and new customers.

When it comes to graduation parties and ceremonies, tent renters are providing memories as much as they are providing tents.

“A lot of people just have a backyard party with those 10-by-10-foot easy-up tents,” Philbrook says. “But let’s be honest. In the end, tents can keep you dry in the rain and cool in the sun, but it’s not the shelter you’re renting, it’s the atmosphere it brings to the event.”

Based in Plymouth, Minn., Maura Keller frequently writes about applications of specialty fabrics

InTents | April 2012

By Danielle Beurteaux

Every aspect of a tented event influences furniture choice: budget, theme, number of attendees, fashion and food trends, delivery logistics and cleaning requirements. Manufacturers have responded to event trends and rental company needs, providing choices for every party. Here’s what industry insiders have to say about today’s event furniture trends.

Furniture au naturel

“Everyone seems to want to do something that’s natural or organic,” says Robby Puckett, senior sales executive for McCourt Mfg., Fort Smith, Ark. “I think you’re going to see a lot of natural and organic [looks] like bamboo chairs, linens and driftwood centerpieces.” He also notes an increasing demand for the ever-popular Chiavari chairs, but in black, in part because the color hides dirt and can be touched up with paint.

Jason Robbins, partner at Snyder Lounge, North Charleston, S.C., agrees that many clients want a warm, earthy look. Unfortunately, pieces such as wicker and rattan furniture with cloth cushions aren’t the easiest for rental companies to maintain and transport. Handling and delivery separate from chairs, tables, floors and tent components helps to prevent damage to delicate pieces. In addition, rental companies with cushioned furnishings in their inventories must be prepared to launder them immediately if they come back wet.

“You also have to be willing to replace a lot of stock, or sub it from somebody,” Robbins says.

Clients who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint or have a bare-bones budget may want to limit the use of linens or do away with them altogether. This means furniture needs to be attractive without the benefit of linen coverage.

“Our focus is on products that are good-looking enough not to be used with a linen and light enough to be handled by one person,” says Michael Mostek, marketing manager of PS Furniture, Milwaukee, Wis. “That’s generally where we think the market is heading: lightweight and good looks.”

Mostek adds that pewter brush laminate is selling well. “It has a metal-swirl look to it but it’s still laminate so it’s easy to clean and it doesn’t tarnish.”

Washington, D.C.-based event planner Michele Hodges of Michele Hodges Events LLC says that for her clients, going without linens has less to do with budgets than a desire for mixing up table styles. For bigger events, she might use three different tables—for example, white-washed rectangular wood, standard round and square plank—with linens and color accents that tie the look together.

Stand up for traffic flow

Slimmed-down event budgets have resulted in a trend away from full-seated events to hors d’oeuvres and cocktails served in stand-up environments. This, in turn, has led to an increase in sales of cocktail tables for PS Furniture, Mostek says.

An added benefit of high tables is that they contribute to event flow. Kevin Dana, director of marketing and product development at CORT Trade Show & Furnishings, recommends half seated- and half standing-level furniture to accommodate guests who wish to circulate as well as those who want to find a space for more private conversation.

“It’s very important to have both [seated and standing options] because that’s how people network and socialize,” Dana says. “My biggest pet peeve at an event is not having enough highboy tables to set your drink on.”

Hodges also notes a trend away from plated, seated dinners. Instead, she says, a client may serve buffet-style and incorporate lounge furniture.

“If you’re doing food stations and you have partial seating, you really want to have seating for at least half your guests, and my preference is for 70 percent,” Hodges says. “It doesn’t mean big dinner tables; it could be ottomans mixed with cocktail tables.”

More tents, more options

Bigger tents and a trend for multiple tents for a single event expand the options that event designers have at their disposal.

“With the technology of tents being what it is now, you can almost build what looks like a brick-and-mortar venue,” says Mark Greason, director of trade shows at AFR Event Furnishings.

Robbins says it’s common to see a series of tents used to create different phases or event “rooms” for a party. In plantation events—a Snyder specialty—there will typically be a space created for a ceremony; a cocktail area, which is sometimes tented; a dining area in a tent; and a tent for the dance floor with a bar and dessert area, often with lounge furniture.

For wedding ceremonies, plantation-style benches have been a big trend, Robbins says. Modular furniture is also popular because it allows event planners to create an original space. “[Event planners] don’t want to use what another one is using,” Robbins says. “There’s a big need and drive to have different looks.”

Recognizing this trend, CORT is introducing a modular sofa that can be arranged in different configurations, depending on space and design needs.

“So rather than a regular vignette—sofa, chairs, love seat—they can create any sort of combination,” Dana says.

Light up a brand

Another trend that has grown in recent years, in part because they’re very easy to brand, is lighted furniture. “It not only adds light to the event, but it adds light in different colors,” says AFR’s Greason. “If it’s a corporate event, you can set lighting for most colors, for example, the corporate colors on a logo.”

Lightweight but fragile lighted pieces require extra care when handling and delivering, such as air-filled cushioning material and moving blankets to wrap each piece, and securing each piece to the side of the truck, Greason says. On the plus side, the technology has lessened the nightmare of finding power for a mess of cables. Many lighted products are battery operated, ranging from simple D batteries to rechargeable lithium, depending on the complexity of the piece.

Branding isn’t just for corporations, either. Clients throwing social events often want a unique graphic touch. “When we rent product for a wedding, the bride and groom want to have all aspects of the event branded with their initials,” Greason says.

Hodges suggests personal branding to many of her clients, for example, a customized bar or ottomans with branding on the pillows. Another furniture trend Hodges notes is mirrored mercury glass furnishings. They give an event a subtle and different look that can complement almost anything.

“When you envision adding all the beautiful china and flowers and glassware and napkins, there’s just enough exposed that it captures the light,” she says. “They’re beautiful.”

Every client these days desires a customized event. Furniture that looks great with or without linens, can be arranged in different formations, promotes event flow and can be branded helps rental companies and planners create that unique event every time. Add in lightweight and easily transported and cleaned, and event professionals might have time to sit back and enjoy the party.

Danielle Beurteaux is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

InTents | April 2012

By Janice Kleinschmidt

When the University of Virginia (UVA) asked Skyline Tent Co. of Charlottesville, Va., to install a tent on a new 100-foot-wide pedestrian bridge to accommodate 340 people for a sit-down dinner, Skyline proposed using a crane to lift concrete anchors onto the bridge. “But the project engineers would not allow that much weight on the bridge,” says John Hingeley, Skyline’s president and owner. “And we found out after the third planning meeting that the sidewalks on the left and right side of the structure had delicate piping running underneath them to melt snow and ice. We were not allowed to use any type of forklift or pallet jack due to concerns that a forklift would crack the thin sidewalk slab installed over the pipes.

“Because engineering and UVA facilities took so long to review the original plans before rejecting them, we had to come up with a new anchoring system with only a few weeks remaining before the event.”

A place to anchor

The event on Oct. 22, 2010, included a dedication ceremony with Gov. Bob McDonnell, dinner and dancing to celebrate completion of a 10-year expansion of the school’s South Lawn, which included the terrace crossing, the pedestrian bridge over Jefferson Park Avenue. One can imagine the enthusiasm university officials would have for Skyline’s anchoring alternative: drilling holes in the concrete bridge that was part of a $105 million expansion project that included the South Lawn and 109,000 square feet of new buildings.

“At first, UVA wouldn’t allow any concrete anchors to be drilled anywhere on the Terrace Crossing,” Hingeley recalls. “We finally came up with a plan that the UVA would accept: to dig into the planting beds running along each side of the bridge and install 14 anchors in the rebar-reinforced concrete wall that formed the edge of the planting beds. An engineer was required to spec the correct anchor sizes and produce drawings of the system. We ended up having to fabricate 1-inch-thick, stainless steel angle iron for each anchoring point and excavate below grade in the planting beds.” Each angle iron was fastened to the concrete using stainless hardware set in epoxy. A stainless steel eyebolt was bolted to the angle iron to attach to the tent straps.

Because the tent guys would extend across the sidewalks to the anchors in the bridge piers, Skyline had to create scaled drawings to show the university’s building and fire inspectors that the straps would not interfere with emergency egress from the tent. (A 6-foot person would have a 6-foot-wide pathway.)

The system also included water-cube weights on each of the 20 tent legs, secured with 2-inch webbing straps.

Roof swap

In addition to the 50-by-120-foot, gable-end Navi-Trac® tent for the dinner, the job included a 50-by-50-foot Navi-Trac tent with a dance floor and stage for the band, a 16-by-32-foot frame tent for the kitchen, and a 12-by-42-foot food preparation tent. The challenge with the dance tent—set on a circular plaza at one end of the bridge—was that the top had to be changed mid-event. The university wanted a white top “so there was no glare on the governor” during the dedication, Hingeley explains, and then a clear top for dancing under the stars. The changeover, which took an hour, had to be accomplished as quickly and quietly as possible (while guests were inside a building enjoying cocktails) to avoid impacting the celebratory ambiance.

Smooth transitions

Skyline’s crew of 16 worked an 18-hour shift on the entire installation. They had one day to install the tents and plywood flooring because the following day was reserved for other vendors to set up decorations and catering equipment. Skyline also had one day for disassembly. “And we had to keep a pathway clear for students,” Hingeley notes, since the grass-covered bridge connected academic buildings.

“We covered the anchors back up with dirt and left all of the anchoring hardware in place,” Hingeley says. “If they ever want to tent that location again, we’ll be ready.”

Janice Kleinschmidt is a freelance writer based in Palm Springs, Calif.

Reduce setup times with the V3 High Peak tent line. Based on Vitabri’s best-selling V3 line, the high peak frame tent can be set up within 30 seconds. Made in the USA with durable aluminum poles, stainless steel fastenings and heavy-duty, flame retardant and waterproof vinyl tops, the tents are built to endure intensive uses of professional tent rental companies. The V3 High Peak is available in 10-by-10-foot, 10-by-15-foot and 10-by-20-foot sizes.

SOURCE Vitabri Canopy.

Hide dirt and grime that build up over time with French Vanilla VentaSpan® and Vanilla VentaSpan Sun-Bloc®. French Vanilla and Vanilla join ABC Industries’ line of VentaSpan and VentaSpan Sun-Bloc engineered structure fabrics designed to resist UV damage and cold cracking. Available in a variety of construction weights, these high-strength substrates have been developed to address the stresses of wide span fabric structures. Fabric widths range from 61 to 85 inches and are available in translucent and black-out colors including white, red, blue, green, yellow and black.

SOURCE ABC Industries Inc.

The newest addition to the Jumbotrac™ family of kedered-frame tent products, Jumbotrac™ Lite is a nonengineered frame tent system that provides exceptional performance in short-term and seasonal applications. The design features a fabric system that slides through a channel in the extruded aluminum frame, allowing for easier installations and a reduction in wear to the fabric due to repetitive installations.

The system is available in 10-, 15-, 20- and 30-foot widths in both hip and gable ended configurations with 10- and 15-foot extensions. Custom widths and lengths are also available.

SOURCE Aztec Tents.

Central Tent’s graphic department can mock up almost any flag to represent countries, states and local municipalities. The company produced a 20-by-20-foot United States flag tent using simple red and white with minimal printing to produce the desired effect at a lower overall cost. The fire-retardant quick peak tent includes ropes, stakes and baseplates.

SOURCE Central Tent.

Liri Tent Technology’s Polygon structures are available in hexagon, octagon, decagon and dodecagon shapes. Structures are built with hard-pressed extruded aluminum alloys with PVC-coated polyester textiles.

SOURCE Liri Tent Technology Co. Ltd.

With highly reinforced aluminum and double PVC-coated fabrics, Special Event Rentals structures are UV resistant, waterproof, mold proof and engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 100 km/hour and meet NFPA701 and CAN/ULCS-109 flame retardant standards. Free of interior supports and exterior guy ropes, clearspan structures come with sidewalls in white fabric and are available in sizes ranging from 3 to 40 meters wide.

SOURCE Special Event Rentals.

The Manhattan Design system from HTS-USA/Hocker Structures is designed to offer an alternative to traditional A-frame tents and provide a world-class convention hall image while maintaining quick installation and takedown. The system directly integrates components such as avant-garde windows and solid walls with channels in the extruded beams, and top load into the channels without additional aluminum hardware and connections. HTS manufactures the system with hard-pressed extruded structural aluminum, and all connections are hot dipped, structural grade, corrosive resistant galvanized steel.

SOURCE HTS-USA.