In-Tents Events

Four other tents held reception space, bars, and food on multiple levels. “All of the tents were linked via walkways,” Graves says. Although the tents were only used for two nights, setup took a week. “It will always be a little more complicated,” he says of event setups that incorporate tents. “You don’t have wall outlets, you have to bring in the power and account for weather, and setup time is a pretty big deal.”

Price is another moving target; it can be harder to estimate costs for tents than traditional, permanent venues. Most meeting halls charge a blanket price for space. Events take place year round, and discounts apply to events held off season. Tent prices, on the other hand, vary greatly.

Most tent rental companies set a base price based on the equipment needed for the site. “A basic price installation will be on an area that’s already prepped for a tent like asphalt or grass—flat, level areas,” explains Jim Bach, director of tent operations for Après Party and Tent Rental in Edina. “I would say that 95 percent of what we do takes place in normal situations.”

But tents in strange locations lead to higher invoices. “Tents can be put anywhere that the space provides,” Bach notes. “We’ve put tents in parking lots, on ramps, and on the top of buildings. If you have what I call an abnormal installation, such as a rooftop installation where we’ll need to bring in cranes or close off the street, other costs come with that above the basic price.”

Weather Concerns

Of course tents provide shelter, but couldn’t rain ruin a party anyway? No worries, Bach says. “We wouldn’t be in business if we couldn’t do events in rain.”

Ewing agrees: “We plan as though rain is always possible.”

As part of the event-planning process, the rental company performs a site survey. “When we do site visits, we plan the direction water will run, where it can drain, so that, in the case of rain, we’re set,” Ewing says. He also checks for overhead obstacles such as electrical wires and underground hazards such as gas lines.

It’s important to give the tent-rental company a generous window of time for installing the tent, so they can choose a nice day. While a tent can withstand wind and rain after it’s been set up, the experts say it’s difficult to install a tent in bad weather. But once the tent is in place, it keeps the ground dry before guests arrive.

Rain gutters and downspouts also help divert water away from the tent site. Covered walkways can be built to shelter people as they go from car to tent or building to tent. If flooring is used, “[it’s] raised, so that water can run underneath the tents,” Ewing notes.