TEXTILES.ORG
Sponsored Content
ATA News
Call for presenters open for Advanced Textiles Expo 2025
December 6, 2024
Advanced Textiles Association invites industry leaders, innovators and experts to present at Advanced Textiles Expo® 2025 and Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC). Advanced Textiles Expo and the ETC allow textile industry participants to showcase their knowledge and innovations, inspire other industry professionals, and engage with peers and thought leaders in a dynamic, collaborative environment. Presentation applications …
Business
Becoming versed in vinyl
December 1, 2024
Coming from the cosmetics industry, I found the tent industry learning curve to be quite steep when I began my career! During my eight years in this industry, I have certainly learned a lot, but as the industry continues to grow and evolve, there’s always more to learn. For my first Covered Conversations column, I …
Business
Improving warehouse efficiency
December 1, 2024
Several months ago, I ran across a particularly interesting query in one of the LinkedIn groups I belong to: What are some basic questions warehouse managers ask? Rather than hit each topic in depth, I have decided to offer the most frequently mentioned areas for further self-study. This article is designed to help focus attention …
Business
Four-dimensional leadership
December 1, 2024
Traditional leadership philosophies focus on what it takes for a leader to have sway over a team, to drive toward an outcome and to create coordinated movement. These aspects of reaching a goal are critical components of leadership, but they are one-dimensional. Four-dimensional leadership asks leaders to enhance their abilities by developing additional leadership dimensions, …
Showcase
Project Showcase: Tenting on ice
December 1, 2024
When a Toronto, Ontario-based marketing firm contacted Fiesta Tents Ltd., out of Montreal, Que., Canada, with a request to install a clearspan tent in February on a frozen lake north of Montreal, it sparked the team’s interest. Each year in the winter, Automobili Lamborghini Canada hosts a multiday on-ice driving program—Esperienza Neve—where preeminent customers across …
Company Profile
Company profile: Charnecke Tents
December 1, 2024
For decades, customers across the country have relied on Rosholt, Wis.-based Charnecke Tents for high-quality tents of all sizes. “We have customers who come back to us year after year,” says Jenny Cole, co-owner and vice president of Charnecke Tents Inc., which manufactures, sells and rents tents. Cole and her brother, Ken Jr., are part …
Features
Conquering the cold
December 1, 2024
As snow and freezing temperatures take hold in northern climates, tent and event rental business opportunities may slow, but they don’t stop. However, for even the most experienced tent installers, winter weather can present unexpected hurdles. Careful planning and weighing the benefits of taking on a winter project can make all the difference between a …
Features
Overcoming the dread of new software
December 1, 2024
If you’re like many business owners, the idea of undertaking a major software upgrade, transitioning to an entirely new platform, or onboarding software for the first time likely fills you with a feeling of dread on par with the prospect of a tax audit. It’s an understandable response, especially for tent and event rental company …
Features
2024 Premier Product Showcase, Part 2
December 1, 2024
Customization, fast installation, easy handling and style—these are the qualities that tent and event rental companies demand. For the annual InTents Premier Product Showcase, we asked our contributors to send us information about their latest products and services that help companies save time and labor, perform safer installations and turn a profit. This issue features …
Company News
Arena Group and Showblock announce expansion
November 12, 2024
Arena Group and Showblock announced that Showblock’s innovative solutions will now be available across North America. This expansion leverages the existing infrastructure and network of the Arena Group in the U.S., allowing Showblock’s modular structures to be efficiently delivered and installed for events across the continent. This development follows Showblock’s successful operations in the UK, …
Sponsored Content
Supplier Spotlights 2024
Expo News
IFAI Expo 2022 call for presentations
December 20, 2021
The Industrial Fabrics Association International is now accepting proposals for presentations at IFAI Expo 2022. IFAI Expo will take place Oct. 12-14, 2022, at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., with education Oct. 11-14. IFAI is accepting proposals for 50-minute classroom sessions in several categories: Advanced Textiles Shade & Weather Protection Specialty Fabrics Marine …
Expo News
IFAI Expo: Leveraging rental tents during and after the pandemic
November 4, 2021
Jim Reyen, business director at Johnson Outdoors Inc./Eureka! Big Tents Division, presented the campfire session “Leveraging Rental Tents During and After the COVID Pandemic” at IFAI Expo in Nashville, Tenn. During the session, Reyen explained the changing demands for tents throughout various stages of the pandemic. “The first wave of tent demand ran from March …
Expo News
IFAI Expo: How to outsell your competition
November 3, 2021
During the education session “Outselling Your Competition: Four Activities Your Sales Team Must Be Doing Post-COVID” at IFAI Expo 2021 in Nashville, Tenn., James Auerbach, vice president—event segment for the American Rental Association, shared four measurable and respectable pillars that all salespeople must excel at in order to outsell their competition. Referred to as the …
Expo News
IFAI Expo: Shade sail engineering software
November 2, 2021
On Nov. 2, 2021, at IFAI Expo in Nashville, Tenn., Timothy Akes, representative for the Americas, MPanel Software Solutions, and Andrew Askwith, senior software developer, MPanel Software Solutions, presented the education session “Shade Sail Engineering—It’s Not Just a Bunch of Numbers.” According to Akes, there is a tendency for shade sail engineering to be relegated …
ATA News
Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America moves co-location debut with IFAI Expo to 2022
July 7, 2021
Messe Stuttgart announced that its new U.S.-based show Sun Shading Expo North America will not be held in 2021 as a separate trade show but will instead contribute its expertise in internal and external sun shading systems at IFAI Expo 2021 in the form of expert talks, open discussions and more. IFAI Expo 2021 will still take place …
Expo News
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021
May 10, 2021
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021. IFAI Expo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the show this November, and you won’t want to miss it! After a long hiatus of in-person events, this year’s show is the perfect place to reconnect with your industry. Register now to get the Early Bird rate! Early Bird rates end …
Expo News
Standard for active illumination developed in Europe
November 16, 2020
In a session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, “Smart Textiles Standardization, Active Illumination,” Dr. Jan Beringer, senior scientific expert Hohenstein Group, explained the new standard for active illumination that will soon be implemented in European Union countries. Organizations worked together to develop the standards. It is notable, he said that both textile and electronics industries …
Expo News
Rapid prototyping = faster market launch
November 16, 2020
A presentation at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, titled, “Rapid Prototyping and Textile Product Development” urged attendees to use “sticks and glue … whatever method you have to get your idea out there.” The presenter, Dr. Andre West, director of the Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE), Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University, may not have meant …
Expo News
Textile industry leaders call for policy changes to support U.S. production of PPE
November 13, 2020
The U.S. textile industry has stepped up to meet the demand for face masks, medical gowns, wipes and other products necessary to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but it needs policy changes from Washington so that the U.S. is not caught off-guard again in a future crisis, according to association leaders speaking at Industrial Fabrics Association …
Expo News
The larger issues in respiratory protection
November 12, 2020
Dr. Bryran Ormond, assistant professor, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State explained respiratory protection in an “Ask an Expert” session with Jing Liang, Medical PPE Consulting LLC. Dr. Ormand has typically worked in the area of chemical and biological protective equipment, but with the onslaught of the pandemic, began to focus on respiratory protection generally, …
Sponsored Content
Supplier Spotlights 2024
Features
Conquering the cold
December 1, 2024
As snow and freezing temperatures take hold in northern climates, tent and event rental business opportunities may slow, but they don’t stop. However, for even the most experienced tent installers, winter weather can present unexpected hurdles. Careful planning and weighing the benefits of taking on a winter project can make all the difference between a …
Features
Overcoming the dread of new software
December 1, 2024
If you’re like many business owners, the idea of undertaking a major software upgrade, transitioning to an entirely new platform, or onboarding software for the first time likely fills you with a feeling of dread on par with the prospect of a tax audit. It’s an understandable response, especially for tent and event rental company …
Features
2024 Premier Product Showcase, Part 2
December 1, 2024
Customization, fast installation, easy handling and style—these are the qualities that tent and event rental companies demand. For the annual InTents Premier Product Showcase, we asked our contributors to send us information about their latest products and services that help companies save time and labor, perform safer installations and turn a profit. This issue features …
Features
2024 Premier Product Showcase
October 1, 2024
Customization, fast installation, easy handling and style—these are the qualities that tent and event rental companies demand. For the annual InTents Premier Product Showcase, we asked our contributors to send us information about their latest products and services that help companies save time and labor, perform safer installations and turn a profit. This issue includes …
Features
Members only content
Linens liven up events
October 1, 2024
With unlimited event imagery available at their fingertips, tented event planners and their clients have more decor possibilities to consider than ever before. The challenge, for those pursuing a one-of-a-kind design, is selecting fabrics and accessories unique enough to toe the line between inspiration and replication. And for many, the solution lies in linens—layers of …
Features
Members only content
Training safer drivers
October 1, 2024
In 2021, South Jersey Party Rentals (SJPR) started “playing around” with the idea of implementing an in-house driver’s training program, says Eli Tirado, tenting/project manager for the full-service party and event rental company. It wasn’t because they had experienced a rash of accidents or incidents, he says. Instead, the desire was to get a firmer …
Features
Members only content
Damage control
August 1, 2024
Ideally, once a tented event is over, the structure removed and the site cleared, few traces would remain to indicate that something had taken place at that location. Surfaces would be left unharmed, with the grounds swiftly returned to their original state or at least a very close approximation. Any peripheral/decorative elements—walkways, plantings, lighting, statuary …
Features
Members only content
Safety first
August 1, 2024
Years ago, little attention was paid to jobsite safety within the tent rental industry. Rather than being given hard hats, safety vests, steel-toed shoes and safety straps, new hires would be handed a company-branded T-shirt and told to watch from the sidelines as tents were installed or removed, typically by employees who also were not …
Features
Members only content
Showrooms: not just for show
August 1, 2024
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder, and never is that more true than when hosting an event. Whether it’s throwing a lavish wedding, a small intimate gathering or a gala dinner, those seeking to create that perfect event want to get a very clear sense of the space they’re attempting to …
Features
2024 Reader’s Choice Awards
June 1, 2024
We asked InTents readers to vote for the best of the best in 15 categories. Which companies, products and services do InTents readers believe to be the best of the best? What tent rental industry supplier always comes through when you need them? Which piece of equipment saves time and labor? And what services do you …
Sponsored Content
Supplier Spotlights 2024
ATA News
Call for presenters open for Advanced Textiles Expo 2025
December 6, 2024
Advanced Textiles Association invites industry leaders, innovators and experts to present at Advanced Textiles Expo® 2025 and Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC). Advanced Textiles Expo and the ETC allow textile industry participants to showcase their knowledge and innovations, inspire other industry professionals, and engage with peers and thought leaders in a dynamic, collaborative environment. Presentation applications …
Company News
Arena Group and Showblock announce expansion
November 12, 2024
Arena Group and Showblock announced that Showblock’s innovative solutions will now be available across North America. This expansion leverages the existing infrastructure and network of the Arena Group in the U.S., allowing Showblock’s modular structures to be efficiently delivered and installed for events across the continent. This development follows Showblock’s successful operations in the UK, …
ATA News
Countdown to Tent Conference: 1 month away!
November 11, 2024
Save and register for the 2025 Tent Conference before Dec. 3 for the early bird discount! Time flies when you’re waiting to gather with fellow tent leaders in Louisville, KY. Tent Conference is just one month away, January 7–9, 2025 so now is the best time to register. Here’s what you can look forward to in the …
Industry News
Proposed code changes
November 11, 2024
A draft code proposal for temporary structures was released by FEMA for next year’s ICC Code Development Cycle. The change in language, which is referenced in 3103.6.1.3, suggests “banning temporary structures in floodways and high hazard coastal areas.” FEMA did not provide any evidence or research to support the change in code and we plan to comment and reject the code language. We will …
Company News
Herculite named top workplace second year in a row
November 11, 2024
Herculite® Products Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance and custom fabrics, was selected as one of the Best Places to Work in PA for 2024 by the Central Penn Business Journal and Lehigh Valley Business for the second year in a row. The Best Places to Work in PA award identifies, recognizes and honors the best …
ATA News
ATA introduces workforce development website
November 9, 2024
The Workforce Development Council, a member group of the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), has launched its new website as a resource for building the textile industry workforce. The Council is working to find solutions to one of the biggest challenges our members in the textiles industry are facing—finding and keeping skilled employees. This group works to …
ATA News
H&E opens new Kansas City branch
November 4, 2024
H&E Rentals, Baton Rouge, La., has opened a new branch in south Kansas City, Mo. The branch is the company’s fourth location in the state of Missouri and its second in the Show-Me State in a year. H&E operates in 32 states and has opened 16 branches across the country in 2024. The facility includes …
ATA News
Advanced Textiles Expo 2024 brings more than 4,200 attendees
October 17, 2024
Advanced Textiles Expo® 2024, the largest event of Advanced Textiles Association® (ATA), concluded with resounding success on Sept. 24–26 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Once again held in conjunction with Sun Shading Expo North America—organized by Messe Stuttgart, founders of R + T and the world’s largest trade fair for roller shutters, …
Industry News
Houston Tents & Events acquires A Finer Event
October 9, 2024
Houston Tents & Events (HTE) has acquired A Finer Event, continuing its expansion as the fastest-growing tent and event rental company in Texas. HTE has doubled its footprint at 14820 North Fwy., adding more than 30,000 square feet of inventory, and brought on A Finer Event’s dedicated management team with more than a century of …
Industry News
Town & Country Party Rentals acquires Aztec Events & Tents
October 8, 2024
Town & Country Party Rentals in Houston, Texas, has acquired substantially all assets of Aztec Events & Tents, also based in Houston. The company said the strategic move brings Aztec back under local family ownership, allowing the businesses to expand their services and better serve the Houston community. Town & Country was co-founded in early 2022 …
Sponsored Content
Supplier Spotlights 2024
Industry News
Join the National Safety Stand-Down May 6−10
May 1, 2019
Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 366 of the 971 construction fatalities recorded in the U.S. in 2017 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data). The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country to stop fall fatalities and injuries. What …
On the Job
Codes set for adoption
December 1, 2016
Code revision process reaches final voting stage. A proposal to regulate outdoor events regardless of the presence of tents or special event structures was approved at the Public Comment Hearing of the International Code Committee (ICC) in October. This proposal (F310-16), submitted by the Fire Code Action Committee, had been disapproved at the code committee’s …
On the Job
Site survey equals site safety
December 1, 2016
A thorough site survey communicates event needs and flags potential safety issues. Ensuring the safety of tented event participants and the tent installation crew starts at the beginning of the job. Before a single rental item is loaded onto the truck, a site survey should be completed by a qualified professional with set-up experience. A …
On the Job
TopTec training goes on the road
December 1, 2016
TopTec Event Tents, Moore, S.C., is taking its long running tent installation and safety training program on the road in 2017. The first Tent School On The Road session will be held at Rent-E-Quip in Colonial Heights, Va., March 7–8. “Our goal was to make Tent School more accessible to our customers across the United …
On the Job
Tent inspections before events ensure safety
October 1, 2016
Inspections will help avoid disaster and add years to the life of a tent. The tent is up and the event is underway. But there may still be work to be done. Especially for installations that will be up for any length of time, inspection and maintenance are top priorities for keeping the tent as …
On the Job
IFAI’s Tent Rental Division works toward standard
October 1, 2016
IFAI’s Tent Rental Division looks to write an industry standard for tent anchorage. With final voting on tent-related code revisions for the 2018 Model Code set for late October, IFAI’s Tent Rental Division (TRD) is looking ahead to writing an industry standard that could be taken up in the 2021 code cycle. “As the 2018 …
On the Job
Moving on up with multiple locations
August 1, 2016
Expanding to multiple locations offers numerous benefits, if the timing is right and both will and cash flow are strong. Delores Crum didn’t see that she had a choice. Sure, her party, tent and wedding rental store in south Austin, Texas, opened in 2000, was doing well. But up in north Austin, another rental company …
On the Job
OSHA fines increase
August 1, 2016
New law directs U.S. Department of Labor to “catch up” penalties to inflation. Fines assessed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) increased by 78 percent as of Aug. 1. OSHA’s top penalty for serious violations rises from $7,000 to $12,471, and its top penalty for willful or repeated violations rises from $70,000 to …
On the Job
Collaboration yields successful code revisions
August 1, 2016
F-CAC work group is a key factor in the code revision process for tents, membrane structures and outdoor assembly events. The International Code Council (ICC) Committee Action Hearings were held in Louisville, Ky., in April. During the International Fire Code (IFC) hearings, stakeholders representing IFAI’s Tent Rental Division (TRD), the ICC Fire Code Action Committee …
On the Job
Ballasting for safety and safety when ballasting
June 1, 2016
Learning to ballast with concrete? Follow these steps to ensure safe and efficient jobsite practices. My crew has forgotten how to use a sledgehammer. Well, not really, but it could happen. In my local tent rental market, ballasting is common. So common that the top priority for my management team has been to figure out …
Sponsored Content
Supplier Spotlights 2024
Showcase
Project Showcase: Tenting on ice
December 1, 2024
When a Toronto, Ontario-based marketing firm contacted Fiesta Tents Ltd., out of Montreal, Que., Canada, with a request to install a clearspan tent in February on a frozen lake north of Montreal, it sparked the team’s interest. Each year in the winter, Automobili Lamborghini Canada hosts a multiday on-ice driving program—Esperienza Neve—where preeminent customers across …
Showcase
Project spotlight: Organic-Concept Tents
October 1, 2024
For a dance-centered festival that encourages freedom of expression, sustainability and human connection, finding a tent and event company that echoes those values is paramount. WECANDANCE at Zeebrugge beach in Bruges, Belgium, is more than a music festival. It’s a full experience focusing on community, design and impact that features six stages, two weekends, four …
Showcase
Customizing for Coca-Cola
August 1, 2024
What do you get when you combine the rich heritage and innovative spirit of Coca-Cola with the 25 years of experience and creativity embodied by Houston-based Elias Events? An over-the-top customized event that creates wonder and delight. Elias Events created such an event for the Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Association’s 2023 annual meeting that took place at …
Installation Spotlight
A clear success
June 1, 2024
Having a reception beneath a clear top tent has become the dream of many brides, but a logistical nightmare for more than a few event planners and rental companies. “Clients love the clear top tents, but they often do not think about how uncomfortable they can be in the hotter months,” says Jennifer Rodriguez, CERP, …
Showcase
Project Showcase: National Structures Events & Services
April 1, 2024
There may be nothing better than being a part of an event that showcases a company’s expertise and benefits children at the same time. For the third year in a row, National Structures Events & Services of San Antonio, Texas, did just that. The tent and event company erected structures for the annual Shriners Children’s …
Installation Spotlight
A stately challenge
April 1, 2024
When the word “estate” is mentioned, one immediately imagines spacious grounds with room to spare. But when AAble Rents, based in Cleveland, Ohio, was hired to install the tents and flooring for a wedding and reception at a private estate, it quickly became apparent that space, or rather the lack of it, was going to …
Design Spotlight
Project showcase: Houston Tents & Events
December 1, 2023
Looking at the photographs from the wedding and reception, no one would ever guess just how difficult the installation was for Houston Tents & Events in Houston, Texas. “This couple had the dream of hosting their wedding behind the original ranch home on their 110,000-acre property in South Texas,” recalls Darren Randle, the company’s founder …
Installation Spotlight
TenTen Crew tents the Goodwood Festival of Speed
December 1, 2023
Billed as “the world’s greatest celebration of motorsport and car culture,” the Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place each summer on the famous grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex, England. A 17th-century estate seems an unlikely place to stage a motorsport festival, but it is one of the most prestigious racing events in the …
Projects
Project showcase: Premier Event Rentals
October 1, 2023
When clients wanted to create a dazzling—yet challenging—wedding ceremony and reception for their daughter in the lake-filled Canadian region of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada, known as the “Hamptons of the North,” they turned to Brampton, Ont.-based Premier Event Tent Rentals Inc. to pull it off. The lakeside cottage was the perfect venue in terms of …
Installation Spotlight
Installation spotlight: Milestone Event Rental
October 1, 2023
Every event planner knows that trying to book a tent just four months before a wedding is going to be very difficult. Trying to book a tent four months before a June wedding is almost impossible. Fortunately for this particular bride, Marty Haas with Milestone Event Rental in Farmington, Minn., was determined to find a …
