Author: Amazing News Editor

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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Can you hold an outdoor wedding just about anywhere?

Friday 29 August 2014 by Amazing News Editor

If you want to do something a bit different with your wedding, you might choose to hold it outdoors.

Outdoor weddings can be really special, especially if the weather goes your way! The day is less formal, you have lots of space at your disposal and you’re in touch with nature, which is something that many couples dream of.

However, there are lots of things to consider and plan for with outdoor weddings, because they can go wrong quite easily. You might need a large marquee or tent, just in case it rains, you’ll need to choose somewhere accessible so that all your guests can get there and you’ll need to sort out toilets and other facilities.

Before all this, however, you’ll need to pick a location. One of the questions that most couples ask is – can we hold our outdoor wedding anywhere we want?

The answer, unfortunately, is no. Here are some reasons why:

 

  • Rules and permits. They aren’t romantic and shouldn’t be part of the process, but these legal obstacles unfortunately are. You need to check whether your chosen location is actually suitable for weddings, and get permission in writing before you start planning anything.

 

  • You might not be legally married. If it’s important to you that you are legally married on your wedding day (some couples are fine to go to a church or registry office the following day to legally tie the knot), you should find out whether your ideal venue has a wedding licence. This, again not a very romantic thing, is the legal document that will determine whether your ceremony is recognised in the eyes of the law or not.

 

  • You might need other licences. You might need legal permission to do other things on your chosen site, such as to play live music and serve or sell alcohol – these are other crucial things you need to check before booking and planning anything.

 

  • Space limitations. This one all depends on your plans for your big day. If you’re counting on having a big wedding with hundreds of guests and lots of entertainment, you’re going to need a venue that’s big enough. If you’re planning to put up any sort of structure, such as an event tent, you will need enough space for it, access to get it in and erected, and enough capacity inside for all your friends and family members.

 

  • Problems with privacy. The last potential roadblock involves members of the public wandering into your wedding day, which can happen if you choose an outdoor space which members of the public have access to. Even if you book the space for your own exclusive use, you may still end up with accidental gate-crashers. You should also consider whether your wedding will be intruding on the privacy of people living near your chosen venue (i.e. a public park).

 

If you’ve considered all of these potential problems and found a way around them, then you’re all set to pop up your marquee, have an emergency umbrella at the ready and have an amazing outdoor wedding to remember!

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Can SaddleSpan tents be used indoors?

Wednesday 20 August 2014 by Amazing News Editor

When you think of a large marquee or an event tent, you may well picture it outdoors, in a field or on a wide concrete surface. However, not many people know that you can also use SaddleSpan and other event tents indoors.

Why would you want to use event tents indoors?

It may sound a little wacky, but there are quite a few advantages of bringing a traditionally outdoor tent into your venue. Here are just a handful:

  • Use your tent as decoration. A structured tent like a SaddleSpan is perfect for defining and decorating a large, cavernous space. Many exhibition halls, concert and conference venues are absolutely vast, making them expensive and difficult to decorate. If you’ve got a big space to fill and want an eye-catching centrepiece, a tent, canopy or stage cover will definitely do the trick.
  • You can use your tent as a stage cover for musical and other performances. If you have a stage area in your venue, which will showcase musicians, performers or speakers, you’re going to need a cover for it. Having the right cover is important not only for acoustic reasons, but aesthetic reasons too – it just looks more professional to have your performers on a proper stage.
  • The element of surprise! The key to holding a successful event, one that will be and remembered for some time to come, is to do something surprising. To get people talking, you need to do something creative, unusual and unique – like putting up a massive great tent inside your venue, lighting it up and rolling out a red carpet underneath it!

Can all SaddleSpans be used indoors?

Not all configurations of this popular event tent can be used indoors – some are just far too large to actually fit into most event or exhibition spaces. The most commonly used option is the SaddleSpan S5000, which you may recognise by its recognisable ‘saddle’ shape. This tent, often used as a stage cover, can also become a branded canopy or an indoor stage cover, making it ideal for a range of different events. It’s a very flexible option, which can be branded with whatever design you like and can also perform whatever function you like. It can help form a stage area, VIP area, a pop-up bar, a meeting and networking area or a demonstration area.

The logistics

To actually get an event tent into your venue, there are a few practical wrinkles to iron out. For starters, you need enough space. This means both floor space and ceiling height.  You’ll also need appropriate access to the venue, which most exhibition, event and conference venues should already have. Make sure you plan out your space properly, so you know exactly where your tent will go. If you’re not sure whether an event tent in your venue will actually work, the best way to figure it out is to speak to one of the team at Amazing Tents.

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Branding and decorating the fabric of your SaddleSpan

Wednesday 13 August 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Hiring a SaddleSpan tent for your event gives you an abundance of space and a very impressive venue in which to showcase a product or schmooze some important guests. What it also offers, however, is a wonderfully blank canvas on which to add your own branding, decoration and other personal touches.

Put down the paintbrush…

You don’t need wallpaper or paint to decorate your SaddleSpan tent. There are lots of far easier and more effective ways to put your stamp on the walls and ceilings of your very own event tent:

Lighting effects

Lighting makes the biggest difference in the appearance and feel of your marquee’s interiors. Lighting effects create atmosphere, highlight key areas (i.e. product showcases) and add colour and depth to the space. You can also put on lighting shows on the walls and ceilings, with the canvas acting as the ideal backdrop. Fly your brand logo around the canvas using lighting, put on your own planetarium show, turn the lights down and create a disco-ball effect throughout the space or light up each of the panels in a different colour – it’s completely up to you.

Screen videos

As well as being a great backdrop for all kinds of lighting effects, SaddleSpan fabric also acts as an ideal projector screen. Using quite simple equipment, you can screen specially made marketing videos, product demonstrations or even play music videos. This is not only a creative way to use the actual structure of your event venue, but it can also free up valuable floor space (otherwise taken up by video and screening equipment) for exhibiting and accommodating more of your guests.

Banners and branding

The particular fabric of SaddleSpan tents works very well with banners, removable decals and other branding and marketing materials. You can add as much or as little (if you want to keep the focus on your products) as you like. In a matter of hours, you can effectively re-brand the whole of your venue and turn it into your very own space, while quickly and simply removing all the branding once the event is over.

Flooring

Flooring is another simple way to make a major change in your SaddleSpan’s appearance. You can affordably and easily makeover the floor space with vinyl tiling or ‘click-lock’ flooring, transforming it from grass or concrete into the kind of floor you’d find in any luxury venue. You can roll out the red carpet in the welcome area of your event tent and even add touches of pattern and colour where you think the space needs a little more decoration.

You can also use flooring to divide your space into different zones, from small enclosures for your products and demonstrations to larger ‘zones’ for talks and conferences. This is very important when you have a very large venue like a marquee tent, as you need to create focal points and separate spaces to help people find their way around.

 

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Making a splash – the 5 steps to a successful product launch

Wednesday 06 August 2014 by Amazing News Editor

An event of any kind takes a huge amount of planning, and product launches are no exception. It’s hard to know where to start and there is so much to do, from hiring an event marquee to putting on refreshments. And, of course, you’ll need to figure out how best to show off your exciting new product.

Here are a few essential tips to remember when planning your launch:

1.     Exhaustively plan, then plan some more

Poor planning at a product launch can seriously damage the reputation of the product, so you’ll need to be meticulous about every detail. Start with the venue and once you have your event tents or room hired (for outdoor and indoor events respectively), everything else can be added in from there. It’s also a good idea to try to predict every minor and major thing that could possibly go wrong, and plan how to avoid such eventualities.

2.     Whip up some excitement with a big build-up

To get people to attend your event and get excited about your product, you need to let them know about it! It’s never too early to start publicising your event and sending out invitations, so that people can save the date in your calendar. Use social media and local/national press to start building a buzz and run the odd competition or two to get people talking – then don’t forget to send plenty of reminders in the run-up to the big day.

 3.     Choose the perfect venue – don’t be afraid to splash out!

If anything is worth spending money on, it’s the venue and all the trimmings that make a product launch special. You want attendees to feel that you have complete confidence in your product, so much confidence that you’re willing to hire the very best event tent in a great location, decorate and furnish it fully and put on lots of refreshments and entertainment for your guest. If you skimp on the launch event, it will speak volumes about the faith you have in your new product.

4.     Get the right people on your guest list, and build a relationship with them

It’s very important to get the right industry movers and shakers on your guest list, as well as key members of the press and key consumer groups. Don’t just invite everyone, even if you do want to get your numbers up, but concentrate on getting these very influential guests there. You should also think about tailoring your event to your target consumer market, the people who will actually buy and use your product – don’t try to impress absolutely every possible market and consumer because you’ll never be able to do it.

5.     Show people a good time, as well as showing them the product

Of course, the product will need to be centre stage in your event tent or other venue, but don’t forget about hospitality and entertainment for your guests. Show them a fun and entertaining day, provide great quality refreshments and they will associate the enjoyable time they’ve had with positive feelings about your product. If you make the day too marketing based (even though it is a marketing event), you may only end up pushing your customers away.

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Tips for organising child-friendly outdoor events

Tuesday 29 July 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Outdoor venues like SaddleSpan tents are fantastic for family-orientated events, providing easy access to the great outdoors, lots of shelter, whilst also having plenty of space for kids to run around and have a great time.

However, if you’re planning a family event, one where a lot of children of all ages will be attending, you’ll need to take steps to make the occasion child-proof.

Is your outdoor venue kitted out for kids?

Here are a few handy tips to help organisers child-proof their event tent and make it perfect for families:

– Do a risk assessment before and after setting up your venue.  Health and safety risk assessments are essential when holding any event, and especially for family events. Carry out a detailed assessment of the site when the event tents go up, and then again once you’ve furnished and decorated your venues. Things may change a lot between these two stages, so carrying out the assessment again is crucial. Don’t forget to look for tripping risks (i.e. loose wires and uneven floors), injury risks like furniture with sharp edges and anything else that could otherwise injure or harm your guests.

Fire risk assessments are also important (and a legal requirement!), so don’t forget about fire exits and escape routes, smoke detectors, fire alarms and maximum venue capacities.

– Add extra facilities – you’ll need them! When it comes to family events, the toilets are likely to be the most popular place in your venue. With lots of children and lots of babies needing changing, you’ll need lots of toilets. If in doubt, go for more than you think you need!

– Set up lots of visible meeting points. If you have a very large marquee or lots of event tents set up on the same site, there’s a good chance that the occasional child is going to get lost. You need lots of very visible meeting points, so that parents and children know exactly where to go if they get separated. Then, reuniting them can be as simple as calling their names over the PA system and pointing everyone to the right meeting point.

-Recruit some helpers. With lots of families in one place, there are likely to be lots of crises and mini dramas to deal with on the day. You can make things easier on parents and help smooth over any problems by recruiting plenty of extra help, preferably people who are good with kids, used to big events and calm in a crisis!

– Set up a first aid station. Hopefully you’ll get nothing worse than a grazed knee or the odd bump and bruise, but having at least once trained nurse and plenty of first aid supplies is still a very good idea at family events. Make your first aid station visible and easy to find, and make sure everyone knows about it.

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Dressing your SaddleSpan to impress – 5 top tips

Tuesday 22 July 2014 by Amazing News Editor

SaddleSpan tents are great venues for a range of different occasions, giving you all the space you could ever need. The only problem is, SaddleSpans are so roomy that unless you decorate, plan and furnish the space, you could end up with a big empty tent without much character.

With so much space to play with, where do you start when it comes to decorating? Follow our 10 top tips for dressing your SaddleSpan tent:

Tip 1 – Decide on a colour scheme first

With a palette of colours to work with (choose no more than three main colours), it’s a lot easier to choose all the other decorations in your tent. This includes lighting. So, before you do anything else, decide on your colour scheme. You can take inspiration from the theme of your event, using brand colours or, if it’s a birthday or wedding, the favourite colours of the guests of honour.

Tip 2 – Branding, banners and posters

Although it depends on the nature of your event, a great place to start with decoration is with the things that really need to be there – posters, banners and marketing materials. This is particularly important when it comes to product launches, exhibitions, trade shows, fundraisers and other marketing events. Before you put anything else in your event tent, plan where you’re going to put these vital decorations.

Tip 3 – Create a focal point

With such a large space to decorate, little bits of furniture and decoration could end up getting lost. You need to plan out the space properly and the best place to start is with a focal point. To put it another way, you need to put something in the middle! Good ideas for focal points include a bar, dance floor, ice sculpture, help and information desk, display unit or exhibition stand. Once you have your focal point, it’s a lot easier to plan the rest of the space around it.

Tip 4 – Light up the ceiling!

By far the hardest to decorate in your event tent is the ceiling, mainly due to the difficulty in reaching it and the huge amount of surface space. You can add lighting and banners to the frame of your SaddleSpan, but an easier and more creative way to add some flair to the ceiling is by actually pointing lights upwards. You can create a range of colourful decorative effects using lighting, project films or still photos on the canvas or plan a light show (a great idea for parties!).

Tip 5 – Lay down the parquet flooring

Being the largest surface area in your venue, changing the flooring in your event tent can make the biggest difference of all your decorative efforts. There are lots of temporary flooring solutions available, many of which click or snap together for easy installation. You can create a dance floor, create zones within the space or simply cover the whole floor with gorgeous decorated tiles.

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Outdoor weddings could get the green light – will you hold yours under canvas?

Wednesday 16 July 2014 by Amazing News Editor

The government is considering giving the green light to non-religious wedding ceremonies, meaning that they could be held anywhere from the top of a mountain to under the canvas of your very own amazing tent.

In a recent Ministry of Justice consultation paper, a proposal has been put forward which could create a whole new category of weddings – called ‘belief marriages’. These are weddings for people who aren’t part of a religious movement and as such, don’t have their own designated buildings (such as churches) to get married in. Both Scotland and Ireland have already legalised a similar kind of wedding, but England and Wales could soon follow.

If approved, the new plans could mean that humanists, ecological groups, Freemasons and even existentialists could have the green light to hold legal weddings anywhere they like. According to the Daily Telegraph, this could be “anywhere meaningful to the couple, including outdoors”.

To counter concerns about ‘jedi’ weddings and ceremonies from other more unusual groups, there are plans to draw up a few rules and restrictions to go along with the new laws.

Where will you hold your ‘belief wedding’?

The proposals haven’t become law yet, and may not for some time, but those wanting to get married in this kind of ceremony might want to start looking at locations. As couples will not be confined to a traditional building such as a church, there are a huge number of different options to choose from.

Here are a few ideas:

Event tents! An outdoor wedding is a great idea on paper, but the great British weather may have other ideas on your big day. If it’s windy or rainy, having a shelter like a marquee or tent is a lifesaver – sheltering everyone from the elements whilst being a unique and fun venue in which to hold your ceremony and reception. Go for a large event tent and you can design your very own bespoke wedding venue, adding in bars, dance floors, dining and seating areas.

 

On the beach. If you want something simple, relaxed and beautiful for your wedding, the beach is the perfect spot. Invite a few close family and friends, light a few candles and say your vows with the waves lapping in the background. You don’t have to head abroad either, as there are many lovely coastal destinations with fantastic beaches right here in the UK. The weather can’t always be relied upon, so it might be a good idea to have a backup plan (i.e. an undercover venue for the reception) in place just in case it pours down.

 

In the forest. A forest wedding, under the canopy of lush, leafy trees, can be a truly magical experience. You can create your own forest wonderland, complete with candle-lit forest trails and music and dancing under the large marquee at night – all in a location so quiet and rural that you’ll feel like there’s no one else around for miles.

 

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Indoor luxury in an outdoor venue – it is possible!

Thursday 10 July 2014 by Amazing News Editor

Outdoor venues such as event tents and large marquees make fantastic venues for professional events such as conferences, exhibitions and trade shows. They’re also good for corporate events, such as team building days, training programmes and networking events.

This kind of venue offers something a bit different to the normal kind of venue. A large tent can be placed practically anywhere where there is space for it, it offers a taste of the outdoors and the chance to use outdoor space while also offering shelter from the elements.

However, an outdoor venue also offers more complicated challenges than a standard indoor venue. For example, toilets and other facilities, power, heating and lighting and other things we take for granted in buildings. With a little creative thinking and the help of some well-chosen experts, you can overcome these challenges and add a touch of indoor luxury to your outdoor venue.

Flooring

This is one of the most common issues raised when choosing an outdoor venue like an event tent for a conference or exhibition – what happens about flooring? You don’t necessarily want your guests and visitors walking on grass or concrete, but what other options are available? The good news is that there are lots of different things you can do to create a proper floor in your outdoor venue, including laying marquee flooring. Specialists in professional outdoor events will be able to advise you on temporary flooring solutions that clip, snap or otherwise fit together, so that a floor can be installed very quickly across a large space affordably.

Toilets

You have two options when planning bathroom facilities for your guests. The first is to site your event tent near a building which already has toilets, or ask a nearby business if they could allow access to their facilities. The second is to install temporary toilets on the site – these don’t have to be horrible festival toilets though, as there are better quality options available.

Power

Depending on the size of conference tent you choose, you’re going to need to use a generator or other temporary electrici ty supply to power your event. Again, this is where you’ll need to speak to a specialist, to make sure your power supply is both reliable and safe. Luckily, venues such as SaddleSpan tents are designed to be wired up for lighting, heating and sound, leaving plenty of space for safe and efficient power solutions.

Decorations

Holding a conference or exhibition in an event tent doesn’t mean that you can’t decorate and furnish the space just as you would in an indoor venue. In fact, there are even more opportunities to unleash your creative side and give the space a complete makeover to suit your event. You can design the space, furnish it, add accessories and decorations, banners and exhibition stand, so that your guests get the full ‘wow factor’ as soon as they walk in.

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7 Tips For Conference Success

Tuesday 01 July 2014 by Amazing News Editor

If you’re planning a conference, you’ll know just how important it is to get everything just right and to create a professional event that runs year after year. If you want to attract industry leaders and really make a name for your event, you’ll need to know a few crucial tips.

What makes a good conference?

There is not one, but 7 keys to conference success. Simply get the following right and you should have something really solid to build on next year:

1. An accessible, central location. The easier you make it for as many people as possible to attend your conference, the more will come – it’s as simple as that.

2. Clear signposting and scheduling. It’s very important that everyone know what’s going on at any one time and how to find the seminars and sessions they want to attend. Make your event easy to understand and easy to navigate – you can do this by planning the space properly (i.e. dividing your conference tent into zones), providing clear scheduled and highly visible signposting.

3. The latest technology. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, your conference needs to be ahead of the game and this means using the very latest technology. Do some research and perhaps bring in an expert to help you integrate technology into your conference – this will definitely get it talked about, if nothing else.

4. A great theme or unusual venue. Standing out in a crowded conference market can be tough, especially if you’re aiming at a very competitive industry. If you want the elite of business leaders to choose your event, you need to give them something a bit different. Choose an unusual venue like an event tent, or go for an attention-grabbing ‘zeitgeisty’ theme (but don’t go too wild or you’ll lose the sense of professionalism you’re aiming at).

5. Attract the best speakers. Whatever you need to do to get the crème de la crème of guest speakers at your event, do it. Even just a short lecture from an industry leader or respected expert will do wonders when it comes to filling up your guest list, and it will help you publicise your event.

6. Dedicate time and space to networking. This is one of the main reasons why people go to conferences – so that they can make valuable business contacts within their industry. You need to dedicate a specific zone to networking (this is a lot easier when you have a modular space such as a TriSpan event tent with its three defined sections) and encourage it throughout the conference. Leave enough free time within the event for networking – don’t fill your schedule with wall-to-wall seminars and speakers.

7. Make your conference interactive. No one will be engaged if they are sat listening to someone else for the entire event – you need to encourage debate, discussion, interaction and contribution. Have these aims in mind when planning every part of your event, as people who feel valued and stimulated are always likely to return to your conference again next year.

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