InTentsMag.com | March 4, 2010

Fred Hageman and Gary Stansberry of Hageman, Stansberry & Associates (HS&A) launched a new blog specific to the rental industry. The blog is titled "The Rental Advisor" and will be updated every Monday.

InTentsMag.com | February 22, 2010

The Haitian government will soon receive numerous large tents formerly used by Cirque du Soleil. The tents will temporarily house the Port-au-Prince government, says Tom Schrade, a real estate developer from Nevada who donated the tents. Schrade purchased the 30,000-square-foot tents, which are equipped with interior and exterior lighting, HVAC systems, toilets and furniture, from Cirque du Soleil for about $5 million. Economic hardship prevented Schrade from using them at a hotel in Reno, Nev. as planned.

The Conrad Hilton Foundation is funding the shipment of the tents to Haiti, and the William J. Clinton Foundation will ensure the delivery of the tents to Port-au-Prince. Schrade hired technicians to travel to the site to supervise tent installation.

InTentsMag.com | February 10, 2010

After some initial resistance, the Virgin Spa at Natirar received approval to erect four connected special-event tents on the 90 acre property in Peapack- Gladstone, N.J., according to a Central New Jersey News report.

The spa developers first sought permission to erect one large temporary tent to hold up to 225 people. Some residents and members of the Land-Use board were opposed, as temporary tents were specifically prohibited in the spa’s final approval from the board.

Land-Use board secretary, Barbara Osmun, said the latest approval, an amendment of the original plan, would give the spa a maximum of four years to keep the tents standing.

With plans to have at least one tent in place for Valentine’s Day, the temporary tents will allow the spa developers to hold events and large parties on the property while proceeding with future phases of construction, said Bob Wojtowicz, a partner in the project.

The largest tent, which will serve as the main structure, will measure 66 feet by 82 feet and would be joined to a marquee tent where guests would enter. Placement of two other tents, a lounge with restrooms and a kitchen would be attached to that tent as well, Wojtowicz said.

InTentsMag.com | February 3, 2010

Visitors to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, held in New Delhi, India, will be able to stay in luxurious tents modeled after those put up during the Pushkar Fair, according to the Press Trust of India.

The tents will be set-up at two places in the National Capital Region— Surajkund and Dondahera

“Our target is to accommodate as many as 700 tourists in tents at Surajkund and Dondahera. These tents equipped with all modern facilities would be similar to those at the Pushkar fair,” said Keshni Anand Arora, the Haryana secretary for tourism.

InTentsMag.com | January 29, 2010

Two weeks after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Haitian President Rene Preval has made an urgent appeal for additional tents to help house those left homeless.

According to BBC news, on Monday, President Preval issued a statement from Port-au-Prince, calling for the need of 200,000 more tents before the start of the rainy season in May.

President Preval, whose house was destroyed, is planning to move into a tent on the lawn of the destroyed National Palace. The Haitian government plans to relocate some 400,000 people, currently in makeshift camps across Port-au-Prince, to temporary tent villages outside the city.

“ On the medical side, we’re getting there, and we now face a big challenge over shelter and camps and getting people into tents and off the streets,” John Holmes, the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, told BBC news.

InTentsMag.com | January 13, 2010

The American Rental Association (ARA) recognizes individuals for outstanding service to the Association and the industry each year. At this year’s Rental Show, Stan Crumbaugh, president of Independence Rent-All, Independence, Mo., will receive the Meritorious Service Award, which honors an ARA member who has made a significant contribution and demonstrated leadership pivotal to the success of a project or program.

Clay Eubanks, president of Takeuchi Manufacturing (U.S.), Pendergrass, Ga., will receive the Special Service Award, and Neil DeJong, manager of Industrial Tools and Equipment Rentals, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, will receive the Outstanding Leadership Award.

InTentsMag.com | December 29, 2009

John Rudy has joined the Classic Party Rentals team in Chicago, Ill. as director of sales and marketing. Rudy previously provided sales consulting services to the company. A graduate of Michigan State University and the Culinary Institute of America, Rudy also worked as the vice president of Food For Thought Catering, Chicago, Ill., and the director of catering for Marriott International Inc.

InTentsMag.com | December 22, 2009

PartyCAD 11 has introduced its new Virtual Reality (VR) module. The new VR allows users to save PartyCAD movies in a format playable on most computers. PartyCAD 11 also offers:

• New and improved Virtual Reality (VR) module
• PartyCAD movies that can be saved as Windows Media Video (WMV)
• Finished designs that can be saved as web pages
• Designs that can be saved as immediately viewable PDFs
• Automatic coloring of plans and drawings
• Layer controls for layout page graphics

Visit www.hufsoft.com.

InTentsMag.com | December 17, 2009

Hospitality Performance Network (HPN) and Meetings International announced today a joint venture that will result in a rebranding as HPN Global, a new, global site selection and meeting procurement company.

The joint venture will take effect March 1, 2010 and the company will provide bespoke site selection and meeting planning services to corporate, association, and government clients worldwide. HPN Global will be headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and will provide coverage to clients in 45 countries.

Bill Kilburg, chair and CEO of HPN, stated, “The meetings industry has changed dramatically over the last 18 months. We recognize that future success will be driven by the depth of the relationship with the customer.”

Kilburg added: “Meetings International embodies the same core values we do and is well respected in the industry. The new combined company will be better suited to compete in the international marketplace and we couldn’t be more pleased to start offering global services to our clients in 2010.”

InTentsMag.com | December 15, 2009

Choura Venue Services, parent company of Anza Event Rentals, welcomed Howard Tabackman as executive vice president in November. Tabackman began his career in the events industry in 1979 and was most recently employed by Classic Party Rentals.

Ryan Choura, CEO of Choura Venue Services, said, “It has been my dream to attract the very best talent to our team, and finally we’re in the place to do just that. I couldn’t be more honored than to welcome Howard Tabackman and look forward to his energy and commitment to excellence.”

InTentsMag.com | December 7, 2009

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is accepting nominations for the Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Awards program. Nominees must clearly have contributed to the meeting and events industry through innovation, global reach and influence. Individuals may be nominated for the Meeting Industry Leadership Award, the Young Professional Achievement Award and the Member of the Year (MPI members only). Communities and MPI chapters may be nominated for the Community Achievement in Marketplace Excellence Award, the Community-Emerging Excellence Award and the Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas Award.

InTents | December 2009

It’s time to take stock of inventory and anticipate what your clients will want in the 2010 season. InTents asked tented event pros to predict what trends will come on strong in 2010 and what will be left behind in 2009.

Becky Harris, CSEP, director of sales
Event Lab LLC, Minneapolis, Minn.

Ring in the new year: Middle Eastern themes are strong—the Sahara Desert-feeling, luxurious fabrics, draping, oversized pillows, floor seating, Bedouin tents, Arabian nights.

Leave behind in 2009: Probably the ’80s theme.

Ann Evans, business development
Marquee Event Group, Austin, Texas

Ring in the new year: We are coordinating tent liners with colors in linen, furniture and pole draping—all of which we manufacture in-house.

Leave behind in 2009: Standard lighting. We are using LED and home-style chandeliers more and more in our custom decor rather than the standards.

Dion Magee, event and wedding expert
Dion Magee Co., N.J. and N.Y.

Ring in the new year: Lighting, special effects, and projection—Special effects such as rotating logos, shapes and images help to create a 3-D effect. In addition, the biggest way to create a unique experience is to dress tents (inside or outside) with [projected] images of scenic landscapes. This is ideal for clients looking to explore a particular theme such as jungle, casino or luau.

Leave behind in 2009: Traditional decor. Clients are opting out of traditional rental items such as large columns, Christmas decor and scenic sets.

Melynda Norman-Lee event and design consultant
J J L Events Inc., Toronto, Ont.

Ring in the new year: People are keeping it simple. Elegant when that is what they want, but still simple. Sometimes it’s because of budget, but also because people want to focus on the fact that since they are outside, they want to work with their natural setting as much as possible, rather than hiding it.

Leave behind in 2009: The over-the-top decor, with lots of draping and large florals.

Geodesic projection cupola extends the possibilities of 360° screenings.

InTents | December 2009

ZENDOME the Berlin manufacturer of geodesic event architecture, has developed a mobile alternative to conventional projection screens: the immersive media screen. The screen provides a new surround perspective for use by event planners who want to communicate complex contents, present products or simply entertain.

The unique mobile hemisphere of geodesic structure can be used for a complete projection, extending the possibilities of incorporating 360-degree-projection from educational to entertainment events.

The vacuum membrane, fitted for the Advanced Frame Structure System of the geodesic domes, was developed for the high quality demanded of light projections. Made up of three membrane parts, the inner and outer projection membranes are joined close to each other by a vacuum, creating a crease-free screening surface for projections.

InTents | December 2009

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) is urging Congress to expand its export financing assistance to include both small and medium-sized manufacturers. Under a current program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) grants loans to small businesses with up to 500 employees. NCTO is urging Congress to authorize SBA to offer loans of $5 million, $10 million and $15 million and expand eligibility to firms with up to 1,250 employees, which would include a large number of textile companies. For more information, visit www.ncto.org.

InTents | December 2009

Chase, the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co., announced plans to increase its lending to small businesses by up to $4 billion in 2010, boosting expected new lending to about $10 billion to this vital segment of the U.S. economy.

This will provide businesses with increased access to working capital, term loans for expansion, commercial mortgages, lines of credit and business credit cards. While the $4 billion in additional credit will be available to qualified businesses with annual sales of less than $20 million, the majority of new loans will be targeted to companies with sales of less than $10 million. Small businesses are typically served by specially trained business bankers, and generally will receive a credit decision within a week of application.

InTents | December 2009

While their travels were different, both participants in the latest international rental exchanges had similar revelations: each learned the differences in rental business practices between the U.S. and Australia, plus gained valuable lessons they can apply once back to their respective jobs.

Todd Daymont, manager of American Party Rentals in Durham, N.C., is back at his business following six weeks working at Harry the Hirer in Richmond, Victoria, Australia, just outside of Melbourne. Daymont believes these exchanges are beneficial, because they help the participants and the rental businesses involved “see how others do business and ways we each can improve our customer service and business practices.” During his time in Australia, Daymont visited the office of the Hire and Rental Industry Association (HRIA) in Mona Vale, New South Wales, Australia.

Michael Hayek, branch manager of Kennards Hire P/L in Sydney, Australia, also had a six-week rental exchange, working at three U.S. rental businesses: Eagle Rentals in Seguin, Texas; Taylor’s Rental Equipment in Fort Worth, Texas; and Taylor Rental/A&A Tents in Shreveport, La. In addition, he attended the Texas Rental Association Roundup in San Antonio, Texas, in September and the American Rental Association (ARA) Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 16-18. The next round of exchanges will be during mid and late 2010.

More details on Daymont’s and Hayek’s experiences are available at www.globalrentalalliance.com.

InTents | December 2009

Moss Inc. has moved its corporate headquarters from Lincolnwood, Ill., to an expanded office in Elk Grove Village, a suburb west of downtown Chicago and adjacent to O’Hare International Airport.

The new facility, featuring 105,000 square feet of manufacturing space, was specifically designed for the production of tensioned fabric structures, using lean manufacturing techniques for improved efficiency. The new plant also includes a number of sustainable design initiatives, including energy efficient lighting.

InTents | December 2009

Dallas Party Tent and Event, Irving, Texas, has been named the official tent provider of the new $1.2-billion home of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys Stadium is projected to host more than 50 major events per year for which Dallas Party Tent and Event will install tents used for concessions, merchandise and storage on the two major outside plazas. New at the stadium are “tailgating pods” where fans can have an all inclusive experience that includes the use of one of 12 climate controlled 20-by-20-foot tension top tents with an attached 10-by-20-foot porch tent, unlimited food and beverage served out of two tents in the middle of the pod and 20 tickets to the game/event.

InTents | December 2009

At this year’s Showman’s Show at the Newbury Show Ground in the U.K, Custom Covers, the UK’s largest marquee manufacturer, celebrated its 25th birthday by throwing a party for its customers. At the show, the company also launched its 9m Tri Cone, a triangular tensile roof cone to complete the family of 6m, 9m and 12m tensile roof cones.

InTents | December 2009

Hurricane season 2009 may have been relatively mild, but tent rental companies in the southeastern United States are dealing with a different kind of storm: the steep economic downturn.

Michael Tharpe, sales and marketing director at TopTec Products LLC, Laurens, S.C., says that companies are holding onto their inventory longer, making repairs instead of replacing equipment, and are looking at all jobs big and small. Making the tents they have in inventory work for the job at hand is especially prevalent.

“In prior years rental companies may have gone ahead and purchased new tent products if they had a rental to fulfill the need, but now they sell the job for less and entice the client to use a tent that may be different than [the client] originally wanted, because they have it in inventory.”

Tharpe says the subrental market is growing, which helps large companies keep their inventory turning and keeps smaller companies from having to purchase a tent for a one- or two-time rental.

Macon Tent Rentals Inc., Macon, Ga., is focused on treating each customer as if they are the most important person on the planet, says Roland Holloway.

“With a company such as ours … to continue to provide nice, clean equipment, we must keep our prices above our break-even point, which many times puts us at a disadvantage when competing on price alone,” he says. “So we have to emphasize value and the fact that we can indeed create the ‘picture perfect’ setting that their event requires.”

Dan Nolan III of Tents Unlimited Inc., Marietta, Ga., says his company has made good decisions with regard to overhead reduction and is running the business as lean as ever.

“This has allowed us to continue to compete even though many of our competitors have done the wrong thing and simply dropped prices to generate cash flow,” he says.

Jason Robbins of Snyder Event Rentals, North Charleston, S.C., says his company is reducing overhead by using existing personnel to perform previously outsourced services.

“We have also taken advantage of many of our vendors’ overstocks and incentive-laden terms to increase inventories and add several new products to our lines,” Robbins says.

Nolan says clients are approaching events from a minimalist perspective.

“Less is more, and they are still spending money but the money is for high quality products in much less quantity,” he says. “I see many of our clients making an effort to achieve a more European look.”

InTents | December 2009

Camelot Party Rentals began as a small party equipment renter with a few tiny tents. But along with the northern Nevada population, the company—and its tent inventory—has boomed.

In 2007, a group of employees purchased Camelot from its retiring owner. With tenting now at the forefront, Camelot is led by president Ken Stebbins, general manager Douglas Barrera and other partners.

“Since the ownership change there has been a real commitment to becoming a more professional organization, which has included better definition of responsibilities and further pushing quality, reliability and safety issues, which ultimately has provided a better rental experience for our customers,” says director of organizational development Joe Del Grosso.

Camelot places particular emphases on environmental sustainability (“Camelot Green”), keeping its website current, and becoming a stakeholder in community events.

“We really think our ‘brand awareness’ efforts are still just beginning, but we have definitely seen an improvement this last year, with people better knowing who we are and what we do,” Del Grosso says.

Tent installation in the Reno region means dealing with a little bit of everything—from desert landscapes to mountainous forests; from snow to 100-plus degree heat.

“Working at Lake Tahoe gives us a chance to do some unique, high-end type jobs in some very beautiful locations while working with a full spectrum of personalities, but our primary market is serving a still smallish community in Reno-Sparks where everyone still knows everyone else,” Del Grosso says.

Among the company’s eclectic portfolio is the annual Reno Rodeo. In 2009, Camelot provided VIP food tenting for 500-600 people a night for 10 nights; however, the company initially passed on a long-term contract, preferring to prove its worth before entering into a longer commitment. “The event worked out better than everyone involved had hoped for and we are excited about being the official tent sponsor for the Reno Rodeo for many years to come,” Del Grosso says.

An extensive backyard—and front yard—party helps a family celebrate a time-honored religious rite.

InTents | December 2009

Take a historic New York City neighborhood with strict guidelines for licensing and permitting, a narrow lot with elaborate landscaping, a family planning to celebrate its son’s bar mitzvah by hosting six events over a two-day period, for up to 800 people at a time—and you’ve got a spectacular challenge to create temporary environments for a spectacular event. Classic Party Rentals, New York City, took on the challenge with help from its Chicago office, which helped design and provide the tents for the celebration.

Planning functional beauty

The event took place at the client’s home in the exclusive Long Island community referred to by historians as the “First Hamptons.” Planning for Classic began months in advance of the event, with several production meetings to ensure that the client’s wishes were fully understood and to determine if it was physically possible to create a layout that would reflect the vision. That vision was to create an extension of the house with a consistent covering to provide a uniform look while protecting guests from the ever-changing March weather.

Classic created the layout, for 18,699 square feet of structures, to work around the narrow lot and elaborate landscaping while the client consulted with an architect to ensure the design concept was structurally sound and to obtain the necessary village permits. In an effort to remove a minimum amount of landscaping, the crew raised the floor level and built flooring over and around hedges and shrubs.

Large trees in both the front yard and backyard presented more challenges. For the backyard trees the team designed and built two custom two-piece panels to accommodate the trees into the tented areas. The panel openings were larger at the top and gradually decreased in size to funnel rain through the flooring. For the front, Classic designed a 2,000-square-foot octagonal reception tent to fit between the existing trees and landscaping.

Building the vision

Classic’s Chicago office was instrumental in designing and providing the tents for the event, which included the octagonal reception tent, a 7,920-square-foot dining tent, a ceremony tent, a tent to accommodate overflow guests, kitchen tents, a restroom and coat check tent, a crew tent and several connector tents.

Cyndi Provenich, project manager for Classic Party Rentals, was on-site for about a month overseeing the planning and installation. “A lot of things changed while we were on site, like whether or not they wanted a walkway,” she says. “We got the whole driveway covered and then they decided they didn’t want the driveway covered. It was intense.” It was also important to the client that the tents align with the landscaping, house and other tents to create the look of a purposeful environment. The configuration of the tent located on the driveway, which led to the restroom tent, required the most effort to align because the tents ran parallel to each other with a five-foot hedge in between. The installation took 10 days and involved crews ranging from eight to 25 people.

Climate control

Once the tents were installed, the combination of clear tent walls and ceilings, and sun and rain, required particular vigilance to maintain a comfortable climate inside the structures. “The client wanted clear tents so it wouldn’t look like they had a bunch of tents around their house,” Provenich says, “but that made climate control tough.” When the sun was shining, the temperature would reach 120F. At night it would drop to 40F. “At one point during setup the flowers were starting to die. So I started to get to the site by 5am to open up all the walls before the sun came out,” she says. “Then we’d have to close it up just before the sun set to maintain some of the natural heat.”

To ensure the heaters were operating properly for the cool evenings of the event, the crew performed a heating test the night before. Then, on the days the event took place, rain was a factor. “Because of how the sidewalls sat, the carpet soaked up anything that dripped onto it,” Provenich says. “At first we had the sidewalls stapled to the flooring, and then we had to rip it all up.” By paying constant attention to the weather and acting quickly, the crew kept the guests warm—but not too warm—and dry.

The intense planning, coordination and attention to detail resulted in an elegant and meaningful celebration for the family and its friends. “It was kind of like giving birth,” Provenich says. “You complain about it and it hurts like heck but once it’s done—well, I’d do again in a heartbeat.”

A party, a purpose and a plan come together to raise funds in Virginia.

InTents | December 2009

Each year, the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) hosts a fundraising event, which features cocktails, a seated dinner, a benefit auction and dancing, at a different historic property in the Piedmont region of Virginia. For the past several years, Skyline Tent Co., Charlottesville, Va., has worked with the PEC to make the event a seamless celebration of natural beauty, targeted event planning and goodwill.

For this November 2008 event Skyline incorporated the PEC’s vision of protecting and preserving natural spaces from development. To achieve a seamless transition from inside to out, the company connected the tent to the home—offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside to its guests.

However, one of the challenges for staging the event included a major drop-off created by a stone retaining wall situated in the event area. To compensate for the drop-off, Skyline constructed an 8-by-108-foot deck to run level with the stone retaining wall. The deck was floored with plywood to bridge the uneven transition from the deck to the main area of the tent. The company used an 80-foot-wide pole tent and decking, which allowed for installation of safety railings.

A further challenge—and aesthetic bonus—resulted from two small trees, approximately 15 feet tall each, that were nestled under the tent dome. Keeping in mind the client’s fundraising purpose for the event, Skyline avoided using a more expensive structure by incorporating decking and lifting the 80-by-100-foot pole tent over the trees. To that end, the Skyline team created a custom scaffold shell over each tree and hand lifted the tent over the scaffold towers. Because the space was limited, the stage for the band was constructed around one of the trees, and both trees were uplit, creating dramatic shadows—gifts from the outdoors—inside the tent.

The company also provided additional support equipment for this 2009 IFAI Tent Expo Award of Excellence winner, including two kitchen tents, a restroom trailer, a power distribution tent and a generator.

Timing is crucial not only for Olympic athletes, but also for those preparing for the 2010 Winter Games.

InTents | December 2009

By Janice Kleinschmidt

If there’s one thing the folks behind the 2010 Winter Olympics want, it’s snow. If there’s one thing the folks installing tents for the 2010 Winter Olympics don’t want, it’s snow.

“Beating the weather is a priority,” says Mindy McPherson, project manager for Karl’s Event Rental of Milwaukee, Wis., the main provider of tents for the games beginning Feb. 12, 2010. In late September, a crew of about 50 carpenters and tent installers were in the early building stages for mountain venues (with 250,000 of the 2.8 million square feet of tenting in place). “We’re trying to get as much structure and floor built before inclement weather,” McPherson said a few days after a sprinkling of snow.

“The staff and overlay managers have worked over the last couple months producing installation schedules,” says Keith Eismann, also managing the project in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. “They are taking into consideration multiple vendors, site access, weather conditions. It’s very complex.”

The largest tent—the dining hall measuring 45-by-95 meters—presents Karl’s with its most distinct challenges. Plumbing had to be “spotted” and concrete grease traps poured before installation of the floor, which includes carpet, linoleum and checker plate. Flooring sections were laid over and around plumbing, electrical and gas lines. Drywall had to be installed to section off cooking areas and to hide plumbing and electrical components.

“The schedule is super critical,” Eismann says. “Every supplier, whether it be Karl’s or plumbers or whatever vendors are working inside, it’s imperative that you are true to the schedule that’s set before you.” Planning meetings involve everyone. “Only we know how long it takes to do our tent and flooring. Only plumbers know how long it takes them,” Eismann says.

Karl’s has gained respect as the tent vendor for the last five Super Bowls, but the company could really score with the Olympics, especially, as Eismann points out, “with the expectations for the level of finish and knowing you are on a stage that everyone sees.

“The Super Bowl is a big deal for us. It’s seen by millions of people. But billions of people watch the Olympics.”

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

Knowing how to take on the ‘big jobs’ helps smaller companies stay in the game.

InTents | December 2009

By Maura Keller

For many companies, handling large projects is the classic sticky wicket. If you handle the projects right, you will thrive. If not, they can make you fail—at least in earning “big client” referrals. And for many tent companies—particularly smaller players within the industry—landing and managing “big events” can be one of their biggest headaches. But with the right networking efforts and coordinated project management, you can get in on the big events, regardless of your company’s size.

Getting your foot in the door

The phone rings. On the other end is the event coordinator for a large corporation. She’s interested in hiring your company to handle their annual golf event—complete with a dozen tent structures, flooring and lighting. This could be the difference between a good or bad year for your company. While you may not have the inventory to meet the needs of this client, you know exactly how to get the job done.

For some small companies, knowing how to handle the big event comes easily; for others, it is more of a complicated process.

When handling the large projects, Kathy Schaefer, chief executive officer at Glawe Tent and Awning Co. in Fairborn, Ohio, tries not to limit the discussion to what her company does or doesn’t have. “I wouldn’t want to discourage the conversation by saying I don’t have the capability of doing something,” she says. “If possible, I steer the conversation in a direction of something I know I do have. I also know that if something is available in the industry, I can get it—it is the cost that is the ultimate guide.”

Mike Holland, vice president at Chattanooga Tent Co., Chattanooga, Tenn., advises smaller companies to thoroughly evaluate if they can handle taking on a large event in terms of resources available. “Although equipment may certainly be available, you also want to make sure you have the management resources to handle all of the facets of a large event.”

Subleasing equipment is not only a great way for smaller companies to get in on larger events, but it can also help pioneer something new or establish demand for it. “Subleasing allows you to offer the product, and get demand established before you actually buy it,” says Gary Stansberry with Hageman, Stansberry & Associates in Arlington, Texas. “It will also give you a sense if this is a viable rental product.”

As in any business transaction, cost is the name of the game when subleasing equipment from larger enterprises. Schaefer recently bid a job for which she needed to subcontract. “I priced my entire portion of the job—labor, materials, etc.—and then added in the rental cost from my subcontractor as well as transportation for my truck and crew to go get the equipment and return it to them after the event,” Schaefer says. “Then I decided what percent of profit I ideally wanted to make on this job given the inconvenience of subcontracting. There are times when the profit margin has to be less than ideal if this is a client that you want to be the sole supplier to. I have yet to find a reason to do a job at a loss just to get the job. I also had to weigh in what my crew’s time would be used for if I wasn’t doing this job.”

Holland advises companies to also thoroughly evaluate the reputation of the vendor from whom you are choosing to sublease. “If you don’t know them, jump in the car and go and see a job they’ve done,” Holland says. “Whether you are the ‘little guy’ or the ‘big guy,’ you are putting your name out there and even if they say yes on the phone, you don’t want someone who really can’t produce.”

Problems that surface

It should come as no surprise that subcontracting equipment from larger companies has its share of problems.

“In one case I was sent dirty and incomplete materials to do a job,” Schaefer says. “My client didn’t care whose [fault] it was or that I had good intentions. I had to make this right.” In this particular case it ended up costing Glawe Tent and Awning quite a bit of money to hire power washing on the spot and it also cost them the job, which they had been doing for years. “My own equipment was sent to another job and I chose to borrow the equipment for this job,” she says. “My lesson from this is that it is crucial to communicate with the company you are subcontracting from.”

George Smith, vice president of sales at Mahaffey Fabric Structures, Memphis, Tenn., also recommends that smaller enterprises make sure the companies from which they subcontract do not go directly to the customer in the future. “We are seeing more and more companies using noncompete contracts when subcontracting,” Smith says. “This helps you protect yourself from losing an ongoing client to a larger company.”

It is also imperative to have a good working relationship and lines of communication. “If you have a strong relationship, you know what to expect,” Stansberry says. “By establishing relationships, you know if these guys are more on the ‘Chevy’ or ‘Mercedes’ end and how they can help you with specific needs.”

Creating an extensive contract that clearly defines the role each entity will play in the equipment rental is imperative. “You need a firm understanding of what each company is going to do in terms of delivery, setup, cleaning and other labor involved,” Stansberry says.

Smith adds that you should thoroughly read through the final contract. “Don’t leave anything to chance and don’t assume anything,” he says. Be sure the contract includes the unique specifications required, cancellation fees and payment terms within the contract.

Companies of all sizes should make sure they have the proper level of liability insurance to cover larger events. “If you hire me to sublease the equipment and to put it up, then we are liable for that structure,” Holland says. “But if you sublease the equipment from me and install yourselves, you need to make sure your insurance will cover things if anything happens to the tent. Liability is a big consideration when you get into the bigger events.”

Network, network, network

Schaefer says that subcontracting is an essential part of being capable of doing any job as a small- to medium-sized business in a competitive market. “An integral part of me having the contacts available to rely on is belonging to a trade organization like IFAI (Industrial Fabrics Association International),” Schaefer says. “At the tent expo and tent conferences I interact with other business owners and suppliers and communicate with future partners. It really is a benefit to both of us since we are able to do a job and make a profit and they are able to use equipment that might otherwise sit unused in the warehouse.”

By connecting with other industry players, Rusty Paar and his team at AV Party Rentals in Newhall, Calif., have established a core group of companies with whom they prefer to work. “We weed out those we prefer to work with based on the quality of their products and their work,” he says. “There’s a certainly feeling of control that you need to have with each job, even those that include subleased equipment. Having control ensures you are providing the best equipment for your client and helping their event be a success.”

Maura Keller is a Minneapolis-based writer and editor.