TEXTILES.ORG
No event is too big, too small or too crazy for Tents Tents Tents.
For William Flynn and his crew at Tents Tents Tents in Cumming, Ga., “no” is not an option. “There is no event that is too big, too small or too crazy for us,” Flynn says. “We love to test our creativity by making the impossible happen and taking on many of the same types of events that larger companies take on—but with less people.”
Tents Tents Tents was founded in 1995 by a local man who realized the need for tent and event rental when he was planning his daughter’s wedding. In 2010 he was ready to retire, and Flynn, who had worked in the event industry for several years, was ready to be his own boss, and purchased the company.
Damage prevention
From backyard parties to large masquerade fundraisers to music videos, the Tents Tents Tents crew enjoys a challenge. It is Georgia’s topography—specifically
its rolling hills—that provides many of the installation challenges. “We have to deal with the unlevel ground in the mountains of north Georgia,” Flynn says. “And in almost every backyard there’s the issue of getting the tent exactly where it needs to be without damaging any of the landscaping.”
Flynn says the company has garnered quite a bit of work as the result of other companies damaging a client’s bushes and/or driving over grass and refusing to replace it. Flynn’s company rigs whatever is necessary to be sure that type of damage doesn’t happen in the first place—which at times includes assembling tents in
the air to avoid damaging trees. The crew also will cut barrels and place them over shrubs during installation, take the time to tie back tree branches that may be in the way and put down temporary subfloors if there’s a danger of the frames damaging stonework.
Inspired installations
One event the company was hired to do included elevating a tent so the client could house a 15-foot-tall movie screen. On another occasion they installed a 30-by-45-foot tent on 15-foot-legs to allow for a 15-foot-tall arbor that was a focal point of the property. The final effect was such that the arbor appeared as if it was supporting the tent. The crew also installed two 20-by-60-foot tents on 10-foot legs to keep the grouping to scale. All were finished with draping that hung from the base of the tents to the ground.
To keep staff motivated and energized, Flynn instigates on-the-job competitions, such as stake-driving contests and center pole climbing after the installation. “It lightens the mood,” Flynn says. “The loser buys lunch—and it usually ends up that I’m the one buying.