A seaside boardwalk getaway

A corporate event by All Occasions Event Rental provides a seaside boardwalk getaway for winter-weary guests.

by Sigrid Tornquist

Themed corporate events are all about creating atmosphere, community—and fun. Event planners and tent rental companies work behind the scenes to bring to life a theme and transform a tented space—where attendees are treated to an escape from the daily grind the moment they pass through the tent doors.  

When a corporate client reached out to Cincinnati, Ohio-based All Occasions Event Rental Inc. in October 2019 to begin planning a boardwalk-themed event with a casual feel, the team immediately began brainstorming concept designs. By November All Occasions Event Rental pitched its ideas to the client and finalized decisions for the January 2020 event, leaving two months to work out all the elements. And that timing was perfect. “With the wedding season winding down, we were able to shift focus and dedicate the time needed for the holistic design,” says Joanne Kelly, Certified Event Rental Professional (CERP) and customer service manager.

All Occasions Event Rental is a 40-year-old full-service event rental company that does a large variety of work including residential events, midsized corporate events like this one, and large wedding and social events. Nationally recognized as having the highest number of Certified Event Rental Professionals of any rental company in the United States and Canada, nearly 100 percent of its event consultant and service staff have earned this designation. “We have been fortunate to work with this client [for this event] for many years,” Kelly says. “This was an annual event for which we’ve typically provided the flooring, tent and lighting. However, for this year the client asked for full design.”

Custom-printed carnival

That full design included an upscale carnival-style atmosphere with a casual feel—complete with food stations, umbrellas and picnic-style tables. Custom-printed sky ceiling tiles, beach scene walls and a Ferris wheel gable end anchored the design to make the guests feel completely immersed into the boardwalk experience. “Guests strolled along the boardwalk to find an array of food stations dressed with striped awnings, menus and staged backdrops to create a more lifelike environment,” Kelly says.

Graphics were printed by tent manufacturer Fred’s Tents & Canopies Inc., Waterford, N.Y. The company’s graphics department uses UV-dried inks that hold up in most weather conditions to customize any part of a tent including tops, sidewalls, flags, gables and valances. And for this event, the graphics were a transformative element to create the carnival-like atmosphere.

Nuts and bolts

Six days before the event, All Occasions Event Rental installed a 60-by-100-foot Losberger P5 structure tent, which provided the backdrop for the event. The catering tent install took place the following day, along with flooring. Hamilton, Ohio-based Wurzelbacher Staging & Construction Inc. designed and installed the flooring system, which included a Waco System Scaffolding substructure with a proprietary engineered decking system. 

The tent was anchored using ¾-inch stainless steel drop-in anchors, 42-inch pin stakes and a few concrete ballasts, made simpler by the fact that All Occasions Event Rental has “done this same setup at this site for several years,” says Tommy Wilson, CERP and director of event services.

Wheel of fortune

The centerpiece for all other decor for the event was a Ferris wheel that reached up toward the 19-foot, 6-inch-high peak of the gable end, printed by Fred’s Tents & Canopies. “The biggest challenge was getting it in the air,” Wilson says. “We had to machine relief cuts into the bottom of our beam to feed the graphic into the channel. Once that modification was complete, it was a matter of pulling it into place without getting any dirt on the image. We used large drop cloths and took our time. Fred’s Tents did a great job manufacturing the graphic and making install a breeze with the addition of a lace line.”

Although the installation was smooth for the most part, Wilson says if he and his team were to do it again they would adjust the structure’s sizing and install it on a taller leg. “It would have been nice to have a little more headroom, and the ceiling graphics would have had more impact this way.” 

But most importantly, the event was a rousing success—for the client as well as attendees. Even the weather cooperated. “The winter weather can be an issue at this site this time of year, but Mother Nature took pity on us this year,” Wilson says. “There were rave reviews all around.”  

Sigrid Tornquist is a Minneapolis-based writer and editor, and a former InTents editor.

The team 

Tenting: All Occasions Event Rental Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio

Tent graphics: Fred’s Tents & Canopies Inc., Waterford, N.Y.

Lighting: Vincent Lighting Systems, Erlanger, Ky.

Flooring: Wurzelbacher Staging & Construction Inc., Hamilton, Ohio

Decor: Ambience Events, Springfield, Ohio

Custom triangle sails for the ceiling: Event Resource Group, Acworth, Ga.