Month: November 2014

5 ways to make your event better

Wednesday 26 November 2014 by Amazing News Editor

A successful event can boost sales, brand image and recognition and even make a profit. It can launch a product, get people talking and generate a buzz within your industry.

If you’ve managed to choose a great venue, fill it with the right people and achieve your goals, you should congratulate yourself on a job well done. However, there are lots of ways you can make your event even better, some of which you may not have considered before.

Here are our top 5 tips to improve your next event:

  1. Live stream your event. It’s amazing how many event organisers don’t do this, but it can have loads of positive effects. For example, those who can’t make it to the event can watch it in real-time, which may make them want to attend next year. It also strengthens your online presence and gets people talking about your event. It’s also cheap and easy to do – so why wouldn’t you do it?

 

  1. Change things up a bit with your venue. If you’ve been holding a successful event year after year, you probably won’t want to change the formula too much. However, your attendees will appreciate something new and different every once in a while. You could try holding it an event tent, for example, or if you already use one, set it up in a completely new location. You could also choose a new theme for the event, or play around with the layout in your venue. Do the planning first and figure out if your new idea will work for your established audience. After all, you want to attract innovative up-and-comers but you don’t want to alienate your regular attendees.

 

  1. Do some pre-event networking. Giving attendees the chance to meet and chat to each other before the event is a great idea, and many big events do it. Attendees don’t even need to physically meet, you can simply set up an online space where they can introduce themselves, share information and importantly – start talking about the event.

 

  1. Streamline your registration process. If you make it as easy as possible for people to register for your event, the more people will do it. More complicated processes tend to be put off and can end up being forgotten, so make it a matter of a few clicks for people to register. Once they have, make sure you follow up on everyone who’s registered to remind them of the event and ensure they actually turn up.

 

  1. Be creative on social media. Don’t simply post the same content, along the lines of ‘the event is coming….’ over and over again – give users something more creative to get excited about. Share pictures of your venue (especially if you’ve booked something unique like an outdoor event tent), announce new guest speakers and other surprises, run competitions and generally, focus on a different angle of the event each time in order to promote it.

← Back to Amazing News

Which is the best SaddleSpan for your event?

Wednesday 19 November 2014 by Amazing News Editor

SaddleSpan tents are fantastic for outdoor events. They are versatile, customisable and offer all the space you need, as well as being simple and quick to erect and put down. All you really need to have a SaddleSpan for your event is enough floor space.

The great thing about this kind of event tent is that it is modular, which means that it can be customised and rebuilt to better suit your needs. There are lots of configurations for the SaddleSpan, some of which can be used in conjunction with each other to create a customised space. The following are among the most popular configurations:

  • S1000 TriSpan – up to 470 square metres and space for up to 940 people, this tent provides a simple but impressively shaped canopy perfect for small sites and easy transportation around the country (making it ideal for roadshows!)
  • S2000 SaddleSpan – up to 250 square metres and space for up to 500 people, popularly used as a stage cover
  • S5000 SaddleSpan – up to 500 square metres and space for up to 800 people, with a choice of canopy, concert and enclosed. Another popular option for festivals and gigs, as the S5000 makes a perfect stage cover.
  • S5000 DuoSpan – up to 900 square metres and space for up to 1,800 people, this tent is essentially two S5000 SaddleSpans connected together
  • S5000 TriSpan – up to 1400 square metres and space for up to 2,800 people, this tent creates a massive marquee which can be completely enclosed or open at all sides, with plenty of space for creating different zones for your event.

If you’re planning an outdoor event in one of these tents, how do you choose the configuration that’s best for you? Here are some tips:

  • Work out how much space you need, and how much you have available. Take into account how many guests you’re expecting, what space you need (i.e. for exhibiting products, for dance floors and bars) and how much flat, even floor space you have at your site. This will give you a rough idea of the size of SaddleSpan you’ll need, or that you can fit in.

 

  • Choose the right tent for the nature of your venue. If your event is music or performance based, the S2000 or S5000 SaddleSpan is the ideal stage cover, providing excellent acoustics and cover for your musicians. However, if you’re holding a corporate event with many different events going on at once, something like the S5000 TriSpan with the option to create many different ‘zones’ would be more suitable.

 

  • Get some expert advice. These tents can be customised and built to suit the needs of your event, so to get the perfect fit it may be best to speak to an expert, such as one of the team at Amazing Tents. Explain your event and your needs and get a better idea of the type of SaddleSpan that fits the bill.

← Back to Amazing News

7 of the most unusual and exciting places to get married

Thursday 13 November 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Choosing a wedding venue is a highly personal decision, and not everyone wants to head down the traditional route. If you want to take a leap into the unknown, try one of these thrilling and unique wedding venue ideas:

  1. In the forest. A woodland wedding is incredibly romantic, and it can also be charmingly simple. So, if you want to tie the knot without all the fuss and expense, why not let the beauty of nature take centre stage and hold your wedding in a gorgeous local forest? You can put up a large marquee or tent to hold off the weather and retire to the space in the evening for a memorable reception.

 

  1. In your own back garden. Provided you have the space and the right kind of garden (a large, well-kept lawn is ideal), holding your wedding in your back garden provides a lovely personal touch to your big day. You can pop up a large marquee or, if you have more space, an event tent, just in case it rains, and hold your celebrations in a place that means a lot to you. It will also be a lot cheaper than hiring a venue!

 

  1. Atop a mountain or overlooking a canyon. The beauty of this kind of wedding is the breath-taking views in all directions, depending of course on the location you choose. These views provide the perfect backdrop for saying your vows, as well as making for amazing photos. If it’s too chilly to hold your reception at the top of the mountain, you can always head downhill after the ceremony to a sheltered and customised event tent.

 

  1. In a cave. Britain doesn’t have many caves suitable for weddings, but if you look further afield in Europe you’re likely to find lots of underground cave networks that could make for a thrilling and memorable venue. All you need is the right mood lighting and you’re all set.

 

  1. At an old railway station. This may not immediately jump out at you as a suitable wedding venue, but there is a certain old-fashioned romance to a traditional-looking railway station. We’re also very lucky in the UK that we have lots of them. If your station of choice has a ticket office or other building that’s large enough for your reception, all the better.

 

  1. In a treehouse. This can be a venue that is tricky to track down and quite expensive, but it certainly would be a wedding to remember if you can manage it. The experience of climbing up into the treehouse and enjoying the lovely views, as well as the surprise of your guests, can make it all worth it.

 

  1. At a festival. If you like the idea of a fun, laid-back and semi-spontaneous wedding, getting married at a festival can be just the ticket. Pack or hire a large tent, decorate it however you like, tie the knot and head off to see your favourite band. For music lovers, there’s no better way to do it. However, you will need to sort out things like a wedding licence and an officiant – although you could always have an unofficial ceremony at the festival and head to the local registry office later on.

← Back to Amazing News

Last chance to plan an amazing outdoor Christmas party…

Thursday 06 November 2014 by Amazing News Editor

December is not usually the time most people associate with outdoor events, unless they involve winter woollies and snowball fights. However, December also means Christmas, and an increasing number of people are choosing to have incredible Christmas parties under the cover of a specially designed event tent in the great outdoors.

If you want to have a Christmas party to end all Christmas parties though, you’d better start planning right this second or you won’t have enough time to pull it off!

Outdoor Christmas parties – how to stop your guests freezing to death

Holding any sort of event outdoors in the middle of winter, you’d expect it to be cold, not to mention windy, rainy and perhaps even snowy. You can’t stop the winter weather, but you can take steps to make your guests comfortable. For example:

  • Get them under cover. Shelter is essential for an outdoor event, so you need to hire an event tent or large marquee that is big enough to accommodate everyone. A tent may be a better idea than a marquee as it provides all-round shelter. The great thing about event tents is that they can be easily decorated and customised, turning them into a magical winter wonderland perfect for an amazing Christmas party.
  • Turn up the heat. You’ve sheltered your guests from the weather, so you now need to warm them up. Get some expert advice on heating your event tent and preventing cold draughts from coming in, and your guests will soon be toasty warm.
  • Hot refreshments. A catering company with experience in outdoor events will easily be able to provide you with seasonal hot drinks like mulled wine and hot chocolate, as well as hot food and snacks to suit your event. That should keep everyone nice and warm!
  • Dress code. Only a cruel party planner would stipulate anything less than a warm dress code, so be kind to your guests! You may also want to provide blankets, faux fur coats and perhaps umbrellas for the comfort of your partygoers.

You should also remember that in winter, roads, paths and access points to your party site may be difficult to navigate. You need to have an action plan just in case roads become icy or snow-covered, and you might also want to pick a site that isn’t too remote or hard to get to.

Now for the fun festive stuff…

With your event tent up and heated, you can now start to plan the Christmas element of your event. Event tents like SaddleSpans are easy to decorate with all the fairy lights, Christmas trees, baubles, banners, lanterns and snowflakes you desire, so you can really go to town with your theme. You can also arrange events that fit in with the weather, such as a snowman building contest, or perhaps a fast and furious Christmas dance-off to warm everyone up on an ice-cold day.

An outdoor Christmas event can not only be a success – it can be the most memorable party you and your guests will ever attend, so it really is worth going the extra mile to overcome the challenges of the season.

 

← Back to Amazing News