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Tyger Productions and All Occasions Event Rental overcome strict venue limitations to create a tented pavilion in the heart of Kentucky horse country.
Tyger Productions of New York City, N.Y., and Boston, Mass., and All Occasions Event Rental, Cincinnati, Ohio, were challenged with expanding the square footage of Keene Place, a historic mansion in Lexington, Ky. The solution: to create a clear pavilion connected to the building that would emphasize views and bring the outdoors in.
Planning for the April event started in late January with a site survey—plenty of lead time for All Occasions. Installation, however, was on a tight schedule. Because of other bookings at the venue, tent installation couldn’t begin until the Wednesday before the Saturday event, and needed to be done by noon on Friday.
To meet that deadline, All Occasions worked into the evening on Wednesday and Thursday, installing a 40-by-70-foot Losberger clear-top structure for the main guest tent, with an additional 20-by-40-foot Anchor frame tent for the bar and buffet.
“We were limited in the type and footprint of the ballast we were allowed to use due to the basement below the patio,” says Tommy Wilson, CERP, director of event services with All Occasions. “Instead of using our standard concrete ballasts, we had to use several smaller weights with plywood underneath them to distribute the load.”
A semicircular fountain was another challenge, requiring the subflooring to be custom cut and shimmed around it.
Wurlzelbacher Staging Inc. provided raised, leveled flooring. Carpet created smooth transitions from the patio to the tent floor. An 8-by-16-foot stage was centered on one end of the tent, surrounded by 30-inch-round pedestal tables and fruitwood chiavari chairs—intimate seating for the event’s 200 guests.
“We also installed the grid and lights for 120 chartreuse paper lanterns along with the fabric tent wall panels,” Wilson says. “The client had a very specific vision for the decor. During the installation of the draping and the lanterns, we often had to do a sample and tweak it once we had feedback from the client.”
Rain during the installation wasn’t an issue because the tent was installed as an extension of the venue. “We were able to secure the gable to the mansion and drain the water into the gutter for a rain-free transition,” Wilson says.