Author: Amazing News Editor

A look back at our Summer of Saddlespans

Wednesday 07 September 2022 by Amazing News Editor

In May our Saddlespans were at VET Fest, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Coventry, and Creamfields South. Sheena Jones, Head of Operations at Creamfields tooted our flute saying: “We love the style of the Saddlespans from Amazing Tents – they’re an iconic part of the Creamfields festival landscape.” Well, thank you Sheena. You’ve made us blush! 

We went onwards into June at Loungefest, followed by “the most rambunctious garden fête” at The Great Estate Festival in Cornwall. July saw us on site with the exclusive Soho House Festival and then we were part of the very last Cornbury Festival. August was our busiest month: we spent some time by the sea at Boardmasters Festival, and then to the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside with Big Feastival. And we have recently come off-site from both Hide & Seek and the Reading and Leeds Festivals. Phew! 

We also have the Jockey Club Blenheim Horse Trials in Oxford coming up later in September. However, we’re not completely wrapped up for the year, as we do of course supply events over the autumn and winter with our heated Saddlespans providing lots of warmth.  

We’ve enjoyed looking back over this year’s sites, festivals, and events. If you are a festival producer or events professional planning your alfresco summer 2023 shindigs, bear in mind Sheena’s kind words and get in touch with us so we can help you to make your event Saddlespan smart! +44 (0)7778 835 207  / enquiries@amazingtent.co.uk 

“September is a thirty-days long goodbye to summer, to the season that left everybody both happy and weary of the warm, humid weather and the exhausting but thrilling adventures.” – Lea Malot 

Photo credit: Geoffrey Hubble. Creamfields.  

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We can pitch anywhere!

Monday 08 August 2022 by Amazing News Editor

SaddleSpans are one of the most versatile and impressive temporary event structures in the industry, catering for any number of people and every type of event. From festivals and concerts to corporate events, parties and balls.

We work with event planners, design professionals, and discerning businesses who know that creating an appealing venue for an event, launch or festival can bring people together to experience the ultimate wow factor. This is an especially great opportunity when pitching our Saddlespans in a unique location.

The SaddleSpans are strong, weather resistant, flexible event structures that look fantastic. . They’re able to be erected on grass, or hardstanding, and without poles to detract from the interior space. They can be custom designed to your needs to offer a perfect fit. As there are no ropes or cumbersome support mechanisms, Saddlespans help to improve the usability of any available space, which can be crucial when your event needs to consider turnover, the number of clients who can attend, or at an event where space is at a premium.

Don’t forget, the versatile Saddlespan can also incorporate your company logo to help promote your business.

One of our largest structures consists of Seven S5000 Saddlespans connected together. Creating an area of 2,910 m2 with a standing capacity of 5,820, a row seating capacity of 3,880 and Gala seating capacity of 1,620. But in reality, the modular nature of the S5000 SaddleSpan means that bespoke configurations are limitless and can be designed to suit your requirements and location.

We have the largest stock of SaddleSpan tents in Europe. The tents can be easily transported and erected by our experienced team of event professionals. to just about anywhere. Making our Saddlespans the most flexible and cost-effective solution for impactful corporate events, trade shows, trade stands, and experiential marketing solutions. Get in touch to see which of our versatile venues to book!

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The importance of a well styled event

Monday 04 July 2022 by Amazing News Editor

The Amazing Tent Company has been part of the planning and delivery of so many diverse events over the years, so we know and appreciate the value of a well-executed themed or styled event. This might be for an exhibition, product launch, conference, concert or outdoor event; whatever the occasion, the theme will create an impactful first impression, help to engage your target audience and attract attention.

If your event is for a product launch or corporate event, ensuring it aligns with your objectives and promotes your brand is important for a success. Our Saddlespan tents are the perfect choice for brand impact, as the opaque fabric cover of the tent is easy to style with company logos and can even be used as a film projection screen. There are a number of areas on the tent that you can use to promote your message, including the sides and banners under the front of the curve.

To encourage your guests or employees to engage, create an impressive occasion so they share their experience with others. The Saddlespans have the versatility to create a space for backdrops, ‘selfie’ corners or areas for bespoke furniture and props consistent with your theme. Guests and employees will act as natural advocates for your company, event or product through organic social media promotion, so make it memorable for them.

Your style or theme should also create an atmosphere in line with your brand messaging. Saddlespan tents give you the ability to dress and light the tent to create a striking backdrop to match your theme, or showcase your product effectively. There are no internal supporting poles to block the line of sight, and with its high, wide, curvaceous design, the SaddleSpan creates a spacious and spectacular area for your event.

Executed effectively, your themed event can deliver your goals and objectives using clever and bespoke venue styling. It’s no understatement to say we live and breathe events; as a team we are uniquely placed in our industry to offer the support and advice required for every type of event, with our team having delivered some of the most prestigious events for major clients around the world.

Get in touch with us to chat over your options to create your own outstanding styled occasion.

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Getting hitched?

Thursday 26 May 2022 by Amazing News Editor

Have you considered our SaddleSpan marquees as a unique and flexible venue for your wedding reception?

We know that many traditional wedding venues are struggling to meet demand for dates, as the ceremonies and celebrations which have been postponed for the past two years are now happening but causing a backlog of availability at some venues. If your wedding plans are being held up because of this, we can help!

A marquee wedding is one of the most versatile choices – you can put your marquee more or less anywhere you like, (with permission!). Maybe design a twilight woodland wedding reception, celebrate on a working farm, or even rock around the roses in a private garden. Creating your own wedding party venue, to your own specifications and making it a reflection of your own style and personalities is an incredibly special opportunity.

Able to be erected on grass, or on hardstanding, and without poles to detract from the interior space, our SaddleSpans can be a truly unique and beautiful backdrop to your special day. They make the most of your outdoor surroundings and give your guests the option of being indoors or outdoors.

The Amazing Tent Company will help you with the logistical and planning considerations that need to be considered when organising a marquee wedding reception. We can also advise on lighting as in many cases a day-to-evening transition will be required; the options are endless and have an enormous impact on atmosphere. If you are considering converting to canvas for your wedding reception get in touch – we will help you make it happen!

#ImgettingMarried #WeddingVenue #WeddingMarquee #Weddings #ConvertToCanvas

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Our solutions to your creative events

Wednesday 30 March 2022 by Amazing News Editor

In the aftermath of the pandemic, we are seeing event organisers getting creative with their events, to engage and enchant audiences. We’re not sure whether that’s because the general public feel they need bigger, better and more entertainment, or because we’ve had time to develop these exciting ideas whilst sitting at home. 

2022 sees a variety of interesting event solutions for the public to choose from: immersive experiences that claim to be ‘more than just VR’. For example, the War of The Worlds live, where actors, virtual reality and 5D effects place you INSIDE the action, to on-stage holograms at the ABBA Voyage concert where you get to see ABBA’s avatars perform. Events are involving the audience, providing interactive forums and giving them control with voting handsets and video, to smart technology and experiential activities. 

But none of these events, or experiences, would work without the right venue. A venue that’s not right can have an impact on the delivery of the entertainment and the message effectively to the audience. That’s where Amazing Tents can come in!  

Naturally, each event has its own specific objectives – there are key inputs or outputs that need to be delivered. And these stimulating events, which are expensive to produce, need a venue to support these essential deliverables. Our range of tents, from our smaller Saddlespan which can hold from 120 people, right up to our Quadspan – the only one in Europe – which can hold over 3,500 audience members means we’re sure to have an event venue solution for you. 

We can help you consider what kind of atmosphere you’re looking for, the functionality you need, and how you want to use the space. Open canopy? Or enclosed space? Most events have a stage, or performance area of some kind and our tents allow branding, projection and the options for stunning lighting effects are endless, having a huge impact on atmosphere. Examples include projection-mapping presentations on to a blank canvas turning it into a live show, or immersive technology where presenters can control the presentation using body movements and even interact with videos and add comments live on stage. 

Take your event to the next level, create a buzz and attract those new demanding audiences – with our help. Get in touch and we’ll talk through your next creative event and Amazing Tent needs.

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Events are back!

Thursday 24 February 2022 by Amazing News Editor

If you’re looking for available tickets for the confirmed festivals this summer, you’ll discover that Glastonbury is sold out, Creamfields is sold out, Reading Festival only has day passes remaining and Creamfields South has just a few tickets up for grabs too – get on those waiting lists now!

That’s before we start to look at the likes of Camp Bestival, Greenbelt and all the other fabulous festivals dotted around the UK, which are planned alongside a host of university balls, weddings and parties – it looks like we’re in for one Amazing (pun intended) summer of fun. Pull on your wellies, don your festival gear and glitter your faces…

That said, the return of events and festivals will certainly bring some learnings from the last couple of years. These are the musings from our team for the summer of 2022:

In-person events will be social and creative

Despite some hybrid events still being around, we do expect there to be a surge in in-person events such as outdoor festivals and concerts, where there is plenty of space and fresh air. People are keen to socialise in person, make up for lost time and host those events that just couldn’t be done in the same way online. For that reason, we expect in-person events to be more creative with a focus on experiences – something that online events simply can’t recreate in the same way.

Focus on sanitation and cleanliness will continue

Even once restrictions are relaxed, we predict that there will be a continued focus on sanitation and cleanliness. People are much more conscious of hygiene after two years of being constantly reminded, and the expectations of cleanliness will continue. This might mean extra toilet facilities at festivals, or hand sanitiser dispensers remaining a feature at events for the foreseeable future.

Contactless will still be king

From QR codes to virtual check-in, e-tickets and cashless bars, we expect the contactless ways of the last few years to continue. These processes have been particularly useful during social distancing, but have also proved their worth in efficiency, reducing costs and reduced waste.

The pandemic accelerated an already established trend towards more digital and contactless solutions for events. We expect that things like e-tickets are here to stay.

Reducing environmental impact

One of the benefits of events being online has been the reduced environmental impact – from less travel to less plastic packaging. This will all be on the minds of those running events, but also for attendees. We are much more aware of our impact than we were a few years ago, and all much more concerned with reducing our plastic waste and carbon footprint. We expect to see event organisers focus even more on reducing single-use plastics and looking for ways to off-set the carbon footprint of the event, such as Glastonbury’s ‘Love The Farm’ initiative, encouraging festival goers to ‘reuse, reduce, respect.’

In summary outdoor festivals and events are definitely back for 2022 and our #SaddleSpan tents will be found on site at:

Creamfields

Creamfields South

BBC Big Weekend, Coventry

The VET Festival

With more to follow…

We look forward to seeing you out there!

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The SaddleSpan is the perfect party tent

Monday 20 December 2021 by Amazing News Editor

If you’re looking for a great, bespoke event space to hold your party, why not consider a SaddleSpan event tent? Our tents offer the wow factor for any event and make it a memorable experience, as well as offering flexibility that is hard to find in a traditional event space.

Here are a few other reasons our SaddleSpan event tents could be the ultimate event space or party venue for you:

We can assemble it almost anywhere
All we need to put up a SaddleSpan tent enough space. We can erect our event tents in a wide range of different locations, from car parks and large gardens to fields and even the grounds of stately homes. They can be put up on a variety of surfaces, including grass and concrete. We recommend you find out how much space you have to work with ahead of hiring your SaddleSpan so we can make sure you hire the right size tent for the space. We also suggest you leave a little space for us to set it up, and for any additional equipment you might need.

It’s modular, so we can make the shape work whatever your event
We can completely customise the shape and layout of our tents to meet the requirements of your event. From adding a marquee for caterers to work from, to opening out the sides to make the most of a beautiful setting or allowing ventilation. One of the best advantages of a SaddleSpan, however, is the option to create zones within the tent. This could include space for a bar area, or a dance floor; perhaps you need space for a buffet, or a chillout area as well as a dining space and a conference area? All this is possible within one tent – our team can talk you through and carefully design the best layout for you.

It has all the space you need
In our SaddleSpans you can accommodate many more guests than most interior spaces. Although there is a maximum capacity for each tent and configuration, they are larger than average indoor event spaces. This means the sky is the limit with how big you can go with your party, making it perfect for a memorable event.

It’s a blank canvas
Despite being such a large space, SaddleSpans are perfect for customising, the large white interior is the ideal blank canvas. From hanging banners, to laying click-together flooring, rig lighting to hanging screens, the options are endless, and can be absolutely spectacular. You can make your event truly customised in a way that would not be possible in a conventional venue.

A SaddleSpan could be the perfect space, giving you the flexibility and wow factor to make a very memorable event. Don’t forget to consider what size tent you need – our recent blog highlights all the factors to take into consideration: Hiring the right size tent

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Hiring the right size tent

Wednesday 27 October 2021 by Amazing News Editor

Making sure you hire the right size event tent can seem daunting, and certainly isn’t something you want to get wrong. There are many online calculators that estimate the size based on the number of guests and basic information, such as standing or seated events; these are great for roughly estimating what you’ll need but over-simplify your requirements. When you hire through us our team will take the time to talk through what you need in detail to make sure the tent you hire is right for your event. There are multiple factors to consider, from the number of guests to the layout of the space, from extras such as dance-floors to any staff working the event too. Here’s what we’ll need to know:

How many people?
We’ll need to know how many people will be at your event, this includes all guests, any speakers/hosts, event planners, serving staff, performers etc. It might be more than you initially think once it’s all added up.

Will your guests be seated or standing?
The type of event you are having will massively affect the size of structure you need. We calculate the space needed per person for different events. Seated events such as a sit-down dinner require more space per person than a theatre-seated seminar; a standing drinks reception will need less space than a party with a dance-floor. Our team can calculate this for you, taking out the guess work!

How will the space be arranged?
As well as the type of event we also consider how the space will be laid out. Will you need a bar in the space or an auxiliary tent to serve from? Will there be a dance-floor in the middle of the space or tucked into one corner? Will you have a speaker or performer requiring a stage? Will there be lighting rigs or sound systems to take into consideration?

Hiring an event structure isn’t just about getting the right size. Our team can also advise on other aspects to make sure your event goes smoothly, such as considering acoustics, making sure you deliver the wow-factor and practicalities such as planning for the weather.

 

Read our blog on choosing the right event structure for your event: https://www.amazingtent.co.uk/how-to-choose-the-right-cover-for-your-outdoor-event/

 

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A few of our favourite festivals

Tuesday 24 August 2021 by Amazing News Editor

We all love a good festival, whether that be music, food, arts or otherwise. We’ve seen our fair share of fantastic festivals over the years in both glorious sunshine and pouring rain, and we’ve certainly missed attending them.

After cancellations across the board in 2020 due to the pandemic, we had all hoped for a return to normal this summer, none more so than the entertainment and events industries. The government decision for restrictions to end on 19 July was music to our ears, but unfortunately it was too late for many of this summer’s festivals, and some have found insurance and other challenges too insurmountable for this season. We are delighted to see that some festivals are managing to run again this summer and are looking forward to a return to the full festival season next summer.

We decided to take this opportunity to look back at the festivals we’ve provided our Saddlespan event tents for over the years, and to celebrate some of our team’s personal favourites.

 

WOMAD festival imageWOMAD

More than just a festival, WOMAD is an experience, bringing music, workshops and cuisine from around the world all to a little corner of Wiltshire. The festival is inclusive in every way possible and that is part of why we love it, as well as its commitment to the environment. We’ve provided the event tent for what our team think is the best part of the festival ‘Molly’s Bar’ named after a beloved dog. A few of our team are very disappointed that WOMAD won’t be running again this year, as they like to attend with their own families – only once our Saddlespan stage covers are all in place of course!

 

Creamfields festival image

Creamfields

This huge festival is the biggest electronic dance music (EDM) festival in the UK and is always an exciting event to be a part of. The Creamfields festival brings the biggest names in EDM to Cheshire for a four-day event over the August bank holiday, with 70,000 people attending each day. For a number of years, we have provided two saddlespan tents for the VIP area for the festival. We are delighted that this festival is due to go ahead this year.

 

Latitude festival image

Latitude

A family-friendly festival set at Henham Park, in the Suffolk countryside, Latitude is a definite favourite of a few of our team. With a range of entertainment from top musicians to poetry, dance to comedy, art to theatre, there is something for everyone and all the family. We’re proud to have supplied our Saddlespan event tents to house the Lake Stage for the last several years, which has played host to the likes of Wolf Alice and Clean Bandit.

 

Electric Castle festival image

Electric Castle – Romania

Set against the backdrop of the 15th Century Banffy Castle in Transylvania, Romania, Electric Castle is an exciting festival, that brings an eclectic mix of music, technology and alternative arts. What truly makes the festival unique is that organisers donate a percentage of the profits from ticket sales towards the restoration of the historic castle. So far this has helped restore the roof and build flooring. We first supplied our Saddlespan tents to the festival in 2018, where it housed the festival food hall, which boasts an impressive variety of cuisines and even fine dining options.

If you are lucky enough to be attending a festival this year, we hope you have a fantastic time. And if you are an event organiser planning a festival for autumn or next year, then get in touch with us if you need to get it covered!

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Live events reinsurance – does the Government’s new scheme go far enough?

Thursday 12 August 2021 by Amazing News Editor

The events and entertainment industries have been hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic. Events were postponed or cancelled, causing some venues to shut down for good, and many staff losing their jobs despite the furlough scheme, as companies couldn’t keep afloat. The government announcement on 19 July 2021 that the legal restrictions were over was music to the ears of all those in the entertainment and events industries, finally a chance to start the long road to recovery after the challenge of the previous 16 months. Many live events have since returned, festivals are going ahead, theatres can fill their seats, and musicians are returning to stages. However, the situation isn’t as rosy as you might think.

After a year of financially crippling restrictions and forced cancellations, live event and festival organisers are not in the position to take a gamble to get their events back up and running, so great insurance coverage is more critical than ever. Insurance problems have been cited by a number of festivals as the reason for them not going ahead this year. The launch of the new government scheme to help encourage insurers to cover live events is exactly what is needed. The government are stepping in to act as a reinsurer, meaning events can go ahead with the reassurance that pay-outs are guaranteed to be funded if events have to be cancelled due to COVID.

While this is great news and a really positive step towards getting the sector back on its feet, the devil is in the detail. When you take a look at the fine print, the reinsurance is only valid if the event is cancelled due to another lockdown, not if the event is not feasible due to other COVID related restrictions. This could prove problematic as it seems more likely that there would be a reintroduction of restrictions, such as social distancing, rather than a full lockdown given how far we have come with vaccinations and the low number of hospitalisations due to COVID. Meaning that the reinsurance is not much of a guarantee to events organisers, who could still be at risk of losing out if social distancing restrictions were to be reintroduced. So, although this is an important and valuable step from the government to help get events going again, we aren’t sure that is it enough to give the sector the confidence boost it needs right now. If the government want their scheme to really boost the sector, they need to expand it to cover reintroduction of other COVID related restrictions that would affect the industry.

But the last year has brought out the pessimist in most of us, with massive changes to our daily lives and challenges to our livelihoods, but maybe now it’s time for us to be optimistic? Here’s to hoping that 2022 will be a year full of live events and festivals which gets the industry well and truly back on its feet!

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