Month: September 2014

A guide to holding outdoor film screenings

Thursday 25 September 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Provided the conditions are right and everything is properly organised, an outdoor film screening can be an atmospheric and exciting event.

You might want to hold a film festival, screen videos as part of marketing events and product demonstrations, or maybe you would like to show romantic videos as part of a grand outdoor wedding. Whatever the nature of your event, you’ll need to know exactly how to set up and screen your films.

Setting up

The way you organise space in your venue, whether it’s an event tent, marquee or perhaps just a field, is crucial to the success of your film screening.

You need to first choose the right spot for your screen, ensuring that sunlight or artificial light isn’t causing any glare on the screen. You should also look out for any obstacles which may cause shadows to fall over your screen. You might have to try a few spots until you get it exactly right.

A popular way to screen films is to project them straight onto the walls of the venue, which works brilliantly well in event tents such as the SaddleSpan where there are no poles, cables, seams or other obstructions blocking the screen. You need a completely smooth, flat, pale-coloured surface, and somewhere safe to put the projector of course.

The next thing to arrange is seating. Your audience needs to be a reasonable distance away from the screen – you don’t want the front row of people craning their necks to see. You either need a very large screen, seating that is on a slope or different levels or tiers of seating so that everyone can see clearly. Play around with different configurations, sitting in each seat yourself to see how it works and how clear the view is.

Lastly, you’ll need to organise power, lighting and sound – speak to your technical engineer or bring in a specialist team if you need to. Remember to keep your wires and cables as tidy and concealed as possible, or they could become tripping hazards.

Running your screening

The key to a great outdoor screening is atmosphere, which is surprisingly easy to create. You already have the perfect setting of an event tent, marquee or simply nature itself. The next step is to make use of your lighting, having it on full as people take their seats and dramatically dipping the lights when the moment to press ‘play’ comes. You should always have some form of low-level safety lighting in place, however.

You should always be prepared for technical problems, no matter how well you think you’ve set up. Have spare cables, fuses and even films on hand, along with a technical team or engineer. If you prepare for the worst, you’ll be ready to jump in and save the screening. You probably won’t need any of your back-up plans, but you’ll enjoy the screening much more knowing that they’re in place!

 

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5 amazing events to hold in a Spiegeltent

Tuesday 16 September 2014 by Amazing News Editor

The Spiegeltent is quite unlike other types of event tent. Lovingly recreated from the traditional mirror tent of the early 1900s, this type of tent is fantastically decorative, with heaps of old-world charm and a strikingly unusual appearance.

Not surprisingly, Spiegeltents are very popular for events. They provide such a unique and memorable backdrop for a special occasion, but what kind of events are they best for? Here are just a few ideas (there are many, many more!)…

1.     Cabaret!

The look of the Spiegeltent, with its many mirrored surfaces and elaborate decoration, lends itself perfectly to a cabaret evening. The Spiegeltent even has a box office, which looks the part even if you don’t choose to actually sell tickets from it.  Book a few interesting acts, ask your guests to dress up in period outfits and enjoy a cabaret evening from the 1920s!

2.     Themed weddings

Everyone wants their wedding to be different, and a great way to stand out is by holding a themed wedding. If you have a vintage or period theme, the Spiegeltent could be just the venue you’re looking for, especially when situated in the grounds of a stately home or another beautiful location. An ideal use for it is for your evening reception, as it’s the perfect venue for a party.

 3.     Musical performances

This kind of event tent is perfectly set up for performances of all kinds, and it is particularly good for music. It has plenty of space for the audience, great acoustics and a fantastic performance space for your singers and musicians, as well as a box office and a bar. It’s easy to set up any equipment and lighting you may need, as the Spiegeltent can be rigged to your exact specifications.

4.     Theatrical productions

In addition to musical events, Spiegeltents make ideal theatres, providing a small, delightfully intimate venue for everything from amateur to professional performances. The atmosphere inside one of these tents is fantastic, really setting the scene and the mood for the show even as the audience arrives through the mysterious mirrored entrance.

5.     Fundraising events

If you want to do something a bit different with your fundraising event, the Spiegeltent is the perfect venue. Starting with your rather unusual venue, you can build a whole theme around this marvellous space, from dress code to food and entertainment.

For example, you could hold a 1920s themed afternoon tea party, asking your guests to dress up and rounding everything off with an hour or two of dancing. You can sell tickets at your tent’s box office and create your own themed cocktails at the Spiegeltent’s bar, and sell photos of everyone in their finery with the beautiful mirror tent as the backdrop.

This is just one example of the kind of magical day or evening you can create using the versatile Spiegeltent, all in the name of raising funds for excellent causes.

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How to add indoor comfort to an outdoor venue

Friday 12 September 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Now that the reasonably warm weather of summer is nearly over, planning an outdoor event presents a whole new challenge to organisers. How do you keep your guests warm, dry and comfortable, even if it’s absolutely throwing it down outside?

Step 1 – Find a weather-proof shelter

This is the first and most important thing to get right – choosing the right venue for your event. If you’re plumping for an event tent, you need to be sure that it is sound, solid, water tight and as weather-proof as possible. This means choosing an event tent specialist with a great reputation, which provides structures that are guaranteed to keep the wind and rain out – like Amazing Tents! Once you have your weather-proof structure, you can start to make the inside of your venue a little more cosy and ready for your guests.

Step 2 – Lay a proper floor

Laying a proper floor in an outdoor venue not only makes the space look better and bigger, but it can also make it a degree or two warmer. Flooring such as lino, tiles or other temporary floors provide vital insulation against the cold, as well as keeping people’s feet out of damp grass.

Step 3 – Add heating and lighting

You have a weather-tight venue that’s solid and strong, and you’ve laid a proper floor. The next thing to think about is heating, which you will need if your event is held at night or in the middle of winter. You should have a heating back-up plan ready no matter what the season or time of day, just in case of a sudden chill. There are plenty of efficient, eco-friendly and unobtrusive ways to heat an outdoor venue, even one as potentially draughty as a tent, so do your research and come up with a good option.

Lighting can also help make your event tent feel cosier, by adding a little ambience and a feeling of warmth and welcome. Lights also add a little to the heat! Work with a lighting designer, or experiment with lighting effects yourself, to create just the effect you’re looking for.

Step 4 – Finish with soft furnishings

Comfortable chairs, sofas, armchairs and other seating options add the comfort, not to mention the style, you need to make your event a success and keep your guests happy. Use soft furnishings to complement whatever colour scheme or theme you’ve chosen and to completely transform your event space, so that your guests completely forget that they’re actually standing in a muddy field in a rainstorm and gale force winds.

Lastly – prepare for everything!

The only thing to add to these tips is this important piece of advice – be prepared! If you plan for every eventuality, every potential problem or accident and the very worst weather you can imagine, it will only help you overcome any little hiccups and ensure your guests have a fabulous time on the day.

 

 

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6 tips for a sophisticated black tie event

Wednesday 03 September 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Holding a high-end event isn’t easy. Yor guests will have certain expectations, and there will be no chance of the event being a success – or running the event again next year – if these expectations aren’t met.

A black tie gala is the perfect kind of event for all kinds of different occasions, including:

  • Corporate events
  • Christmas parties
  • Fundraisers
  • Landmark birthdays, anniversaries and weddings
  • Film premieres
  • Product launches
  • Charity auctions

Planning a black tie event – how to pull it off

To plan a fabulous, sophisticated evening and meet all of your guests’ high standards, follow these handy tips:

  1. Get your venue sorted first. For a luxurious black tie event, you need space and lots of it to create the right atmosphere for the evening. An event tent is the ideal venue, giving you oodles of space for everything from dinner tables to dance floors. You can put a large marquee like this practically anywhere, and you can also dress and decorate it the way you want.

 

  1. Decide how strict you’re going to be with the dress code. So that everyone is clear on what to wear (and what not to wear on the night), decide in plenty of time how formal you would like the dress code to be. You could go for black tie, or perhaps white tie, which is slightly more formal. Whatever you choose, make sure you give your guests plenty of guidance on your invitations.

 

  1. Choose a theme or colour scheme for the décor. Your event may have ‘black tie’ as a kind of theme, but you’re going to need something else to go on when it comes to decorating. You should choose a colour palette to use, or go for a theme. For example, black, white and red could be your colour scheme, or ‘Hollywood glamour’ could be your theme. Whatever theme you go for, try not to go over the top or it could look too kitsch – go for small touches just to bring the look of the event together.

 

  1. Pay attention to every detail. From the décor and the furnishings in your event tent to the food, drink, music and facilities – make sure you take care with every single detail of your event. This is what turns an event into a high-end occasion, and your guests will appreciate the effort.

 

  1. Greet your guests with a drink, and send them away with a goody bag. These ‘extras’ are what make an event really special, simply because they make your guests feel special! If the budget will allow it, welcome your guests with a glass of bubbly and put together a small goody bag for them to take away at the end of the night.

 

  1. Don’t skimp! Unfortunately, you can’t really hold a luxury event on a very tight budget, unless you’re exceedingly clever at sourcing some bargains or calling in favours. Your guests will be able to tell if you cut corners, which cheapens what is supposed to be a lavish, opulent affair.

 

 

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