abc guide to choosing a marquee (temporary structure) design for events
DESCRIPTION
An ABC 1-2-3 guide to help new event managers, owners & private people through the options of choosing a marquee to rentTRANSCRIPT
FAQ & pictorial glossary to help our customers
better understand the main components &
choices in a marquee.
www.beesmarquees.co.uk 01329 833950
Maybe you are just wondering about a marquee. These pages will either guide you through choosing the right setup – or put you off right away and save you reading the
rest!
Just to be clear, this guide talks about our type of marquees, which are “clear span” style marquees (an aluminium A-frame skeleton with PVC roof and gable covers, then
glass, PVC rigid or soft walls) – the proper, sturdy, variety where you need to know what you’re doing putting them up and not the flimsy quick popup types which you can
get in a hardware superstore and which can blow away or fall down. This guide is aimed at private individuals and smaller company functions; we have another guide for
the larger corporate & public events work.
Let’s correct one misconception first: a marquee is not usually a cheaper alternative to a ‘bricks and mortar’ venue…
(a ‘nice setup’ will often cost more than a venue)
You choose a marquee because you want one or because it gives you an advantage.
What’s so great a marquee anyway?! Quick list of main things that affect the price
About the basics: Size Styles Flooring Linings Walls & roof Windows & doors Lighting Furniture Dance floors & staging Anchorage
Some of the refinements: Receptions & walkways Heating Toilets Incorporating a prominent feature
Some examples to make sense of it all: Examples: A typical wedding reception marquee, priced Examples: A private theme party, priced Examples: A corporate celebration & awards ceremony, priced Examples: ‘charity bash’ marquee, priced
And what can we do for you now?
Create a venue as you like it, WHERE you like it – garden, office car park, friendly
farmer’s frozen field, place you fell in love, your favourite undiscovered viewpoint…
building a marquee let’s you do what you want, where you want to do it and how you’d
like to be seen doing it.
And WHEN you like it – sometimes you just can’t get the right slot at your chosen
resorts – they book up so fast and far in advance! So use a marquee to avoid working
around other peoples’ schedules.
At just the right size and style for you – our marquees build in 3m or 5m sections
so you don’t need your small but well chosen group of friends rattling around in an
oversized hall – or your company event to seem packed like sultanas in a Christmas
cake.
Customise to your heart’s content – we really can make & dress it as you’d like. You’d
be surprised what can be done!
Ensures privacy – no matter the size of your party, it will only your chosen people, so
relax!
We do the basic ‘just a bare tent’ too so, if you just want (sturdy) temporary cover, it
needn’t cost thousands and ‘look all frilly’.
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WHERE will your event be?
• The smaller or more basic a marquee setup, the more relevant it is to use a local marquees company to remain cost effective
• Type of ground = landscaping & anchorage (staking or drilling is cheaper than needing weights on a delicate hard surface)
WHEN is your event?
• May, June, July, September & December are peak season; other times should be cheaper (booked in advance)
• The time of year affects many considerations, not just heating
WHAT would you like your marquee to do?
• SIZE: how many guests at the same time and what will they be doing?
• STYLE: classical wedding style, contemporary style for a corporate event, country show/fair, basic weather cover...
• COMPLEXITY: decor, presentation, furniture, ancillaries, add-ons...
ADVANCE BOOKING - we'll be sure we can stock it ourselves; last minute means we’ll probably have to source some parts elsewhere, and will therefore cost more
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How many people and what will they be doing?
•Standing room only = ¾m2 per person
•Seated (or dancing) only = 1m2
•Seated dining also with space for dancing and a bar area = 1½m2 per person
The grid on the right shows some of the more popular sizes but we can build anything you like.
A marquee’s dimensions should be given as width (which is the “gable end”) x length (depth), so for example 9m x 12m means the gable (triangle that’s the end of the roof, on top of the square that’s the walls) is 9m wide.
Dimensions In feet m2 Max seated dining only
Seated & dancing with bar
Standing only
3m x 3m 10 x 10 9 9 6 13
3m x 6m 10 x 20 18 18 12 26
3m x 9m 10 x 30 27 27 18 40
6m x 6m 20 x 20 36 36 24 49
6m x 9m 20 x 30 54 54 36 73
6m x 12m 20 x 40 72 72 48 97
6m x 18m 20 x 60 108 108 72 146
9m x 9m 30 x 30 81 81 54 109
9m x 12m 30 x 40 108 108 72 146
9m x 24m 30 x 80 216 216 145 292
9m x 27m 30 x 90 243 243 163 328
12m x 12m 40 x 40 144 144 96 194
12m x 15m 40 x 50 180 180 120 243
12m x 18m 40 x 60 216 216 144 291
12m x 21m 40 x 70 252 252 168 340
12m x 24m 40 x 80 288 288 192 388
12m x 27m 40 x 90 324 324 216 437
12m x 30m 40 x 100 360 360 240 485
10m x 20m 33 x 67 200 200 134 270
10m x 30m 33 x 100 300 300 201 405
10m x 40m 33 x 134 400 400 268 540
15m x 15m 50 x 50 225 225 151 304
15m x 20m 50 x 66 300 300 201 405
15m x 25m 50 x 82 375 375 251 506
15m x 30m 50 x 98 450 450 301 607
15m x 40m 50 x 130 600 600 401 809
15m x 50m 50 x 162 750 750 501 1011
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Chinese Hat Similar to a Clearspan structure, small, distinctive, popular
Dome Contemporary, popular for corporate events, inflatable
Clearspan
PVC on aluminium A-frame skeleton Modern, strong, best use of space “Clear span” means that the span of the marquee (everything inside the walls) is clear, i.e. there’s no poles, ropes etc supporting it – just the legs which align with the walls.
Traditional
Retro, heavy canvas, poles inside and ropes extending outside
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The cost is the only disadvantage but there are several advantages of having a built timber floor (with carpet/lino cover):
1. Protects against the weather-the floor stays dry and it helps stay warmer 2. Creates a level surface on uneven ground 3. Friendly to ladies in heels 4. Superior underfoot feel
We can build a bespoke, ply & bearer floor (any size/shape) or use our cassette floor system; timber infills to an aluminium extrusion system
For larger events (or very uneven surface) we can raise the floor as needed
An uncovered timber floor in an unlined marquee (30m wide, shown here as ‘canopy only’)
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Plastic floor • Great for catering tents (and walkways) – functional
but not beautiful • Good additional weather resistance – lifts wooden floor
further up away from rain • Can have carpet laid on top but not at all stiletto
friendly! Gives a clicky, plastic feel underfoot
Just carpet • Looks like a nice floor without the expense • Feel underfoot is very inferior, but good for
rustic theme or ‘tenty feel’ • Good budget option (only) when the
weather is nice, otherwise you risk soggy disaster
• Especially if the marquee is large or on uneven ground
Coco / Coir matting Good for a rustic theme, but this is used stock whereas carpet is always supplied new (we recommend carpet for guest areas)
No floor at all – a “bare tent” Used as storage, outdoors/picnic style, country show, field kitchens...
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Pleated Linings
The most common lining used in marquees
Usually ivory, but can be white
Blackout Linings
Can give a ‘nightclub’ effect in part of the marquee, or useful for slideshows
No Lining You see the roof beams and supporting legs
Flat Linings Less popular than pleated linings, but give more of a ‘crisp look’
Or any colour/ style lining you would like… It just costs more!
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Starlight Linings
Add a special effect over the dance floor,
or the whole marquee! The LEDs can be static or ‘twinkly’
Available in Scarlet, Blue, Ivory or Black
Swags (or pelmets)
Decoration that goes around the tops of the walls – choose from almost any colour (or they can match the linings)
Wall / Roof Overlays Add a matching splash of colour to your linings
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Standard White PVC the usual choice of PVC for most marquees
Clear PVC roofs, walls or
gables
or completely clear!
Black PVC
No Walls have it open sided to create a canopy
Georgian Window Walls
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Add “hard glass” windows rather than clear pvc
Without adding a “proper door” to your marquee, you can have an entrance/exit anywhere you like simply by having one of the walls off or setup as a curtain wall
You can choose glass or plastic “proper doors”
Or timber-framed fire escape doors
Or hard panel Walls
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Chandeliers
Paper globes
Uplights (which can have coloured gels)
Fairy lights or rope lights
Spotlights from roof beams
or trussing
And external – flood lights, sodium up-lights….
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We also stock tables and chair covers
Like most marquee companies, we own a core stock of the most popular and basic furniture, otherwise source on-demand from furniture rental companies, so can get whatever you like.
Here’s the basics....
Bistro style chair (white plastic)
Chiavari Chair
Gilt Chair
Wooden folding chair
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We own a large quantity of the classic parquet dance floor and also stage (supplied in 8’x4’ sections which is 10” high but can extend to 18”),
otherwise we’ll source in whatever is needed
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Marquees come in all sorts of sizes and can be put up in most locations. The width of the structure and type of ground/surface sets the method of anchorage and can have a major impact on the price. Staking in to grass is the easiest (so cheapest) and ‘self repairing’ of the small holes that remain after removal. Setting up on a hard surface is straight forward for a narrow marquee (we can use leg-attached weights) or where there’s something sturdy we can attach to. Otherwise drilling in to concrete is the cheapest (holes can be capped or filled in) or if the surface where a large marquee is setup should be preserved, we need to use ballast blocks or tanks at the base of the legs to weight it down.
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Make an entrance…. ….or keep dry!
We supply a range of gas or diesel fuelled & thermostat controlled external marquee heaters with diffuser unit for evenly pumping in the heat.
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We source in any manner of portable toilet – from the simple, classic portaloo (from £45) to a complex of luxury toilets, showers and changing rooms in a bespoke marquee
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Staircases, flowerbeds, fountains, pergolas & trees
can usually all be incorporated if the will is
there!
12m x 18m lit & lined marquee with windows, built timber floor & fitted carpet, 18’ x 18’ parquet dance floor with spot lit mirror ball, stage, tables & chairs for 150, walkway, reception, catering tent, heaters and external lighting £4,950 (but we do plenty of weddings under £2000)
15m x 25m lit & lined marquee with pelmets, panoramic windows, built floor & carpet, 21’ x 21’ dance floor with spot lights & mirror ball, tables & chairs for 160, power generator, luxury loo trailer – and a separate chillout marquee, catering tent, external seating and lighting £11,000
20m x 55m fully equipped gala marquee with seating for 500 10m x 40m presentation/awards marquee with theatre style seating for all 12m x 24m Traditional style marquee Toilet marquees Entrance/reception marquees Catering/staff marquees Storage marquees All marquees dressed to high standard with metal/glass doors and windows, power generators, luxury loos, stages, dancing £75,000
30m x 45m on 4m leg, many partitioned areas, glass &
metalwork, temporary road, separate marquees for ice
skating, catering, staff, walkways etc
Marquee supply only £75,000 – furniture, specialist lighting, main equipment etc provided
by other event companies
We offer a free site survey, free expert advice and an accurate quotation, scale diagram of the site and proposed marquee with seating plan, maybe a set of
visuals and/or 3D virtual tour CAD – “the movie of your marquee before it’s made” (the other marquee guys don’t have that)
Some examples of CAD designs
Contact us Email – [email protected] Web – www.beesmarquees.co.uk
Phone – 01329 833950