Gary
Part four of the ultimate guide deals with the perfect site for your marquee. Whether at home or at a venue there are a few important factors that you’ll need to consider when deciding exactly where to situate the marquee.
Whilst a flat lawn might provide an ideal space it isn’t a necessity. Lifestyle marquees have solutions for sloping ground, multi-tiered terraces, ornate lawns with flowerbeds, rockeries, pergolas, trees and even ponds. Flat lawns are great but not always available.
Here’s a list of alternative spaces that you may not have realised were suitable for housing marquees:
Tennis courts
Often overlooked as a potential marquee space, yet tennis courts are ideal. They provide a flat, level space and you may be surprised to hear that they can accommodate a marquee suitable for up to 250 guests for dining and dancing with catering space too.
Swimming pools
If space elsewhere is limited then consider building the marquee over the swimming pool. Ringbeam flooring creates a perfectly level surface and is ideal for construction over pools.
Ponds and lakes
Build over them or even incorporate them into the marquee. A pond, especially one with a fountain, creates a lovely focal point at a party or wedding.
Assessing the marquee site
There are a number of important factors that you’ll need to consider when selecting the perfect site for your marquee. You may not be able to tick all of the boxes, but follow the guidelines below as closely as you can and you won’t go far wrong.
The ground
Consider the ground carefully. Certain types of marquees cannot be built on hard standing spaces such as tarmac or concrete. Frame tents, stretch tents and pagodas can be weighted, but if you have a traditional pole marquee in mind then you’d best avoid solid ground.
Things to consider
- Is the ground prone to flooding?
- Is the ground very soft under foot?
- Does the ground undulate or is it full of pot holes?
- Is the ground relatively flat or does it slope?
- What is overhead? Tree branches for example, could obstruct the build.
- Are there any underground services such as irrigation systems, cables for lighting?
Parking for your suppliers
Your marquee supplier will need a suitable place to park their lorries, vans and trucks. They will need to be as close as possible to the site of marquee build as there will be a lot of heavy and cumbersome equipment to carry. It is likely that the marquee company will need these parking spaces for a couple of days while the marquee is being erected and for at least a day while it is being dismantled.
Access to the marquee site
Great care and consideration should be given to access when you plan your marquee event. It is one of the most crucial, yet often overlooked aspects but poor access planning can have a variety of very negative knock on affects.
Difficult or awkward access routes, including those with steps, slippery grass slopes and long walks for example, can cause delays in the marquee build and may affect delivery schedules for third party suppliers.
Key considerations
- Can your marquee supplier easily get all of their equipment from their vehicles to the build site?
- Can your caterers and furniture suppliers get ovens, stoves, chairs, tables, bars alcohol and food to the marquee?
- Is the route suitable for heavy equipment to be carried across? Your lawns could become worn in patches, particularly if access route options are limited.
- Access boards may be required – especially across areas of soft grass or gravel.
- Are you having portable toilets? If so can they be delivered to a location suitably close to the marquee? Remember, portable toilet trailers are large and heavy and the delivery driver will need plenty of space in order to manoeuvre them into place.
- Guests won’t want to walk long distances, especially if the weather is bad – this applies to the walk upon arrival as well as for toilet trips. It may be perfectly warm, dry and cosy inside the marquee but if your guests get soaked through getting from their car to the venue then they may not be in the mood for the party once they get there.
- Is the ground suitable for the guests to walk across? You may need to consider adding a covered walkway, a coconut matting or boarded pathway – you won’t want muddy trouser legs or guests high heels sinking into the ground en-route.
Did you enjoy this guide?
Read the other six installments here:
- Part One: How to hire a Frame tent
- Part two: Pole tents
- Part Three: Pagoda & Stretch Tent Marquees
- Part Five: Extra space – Reception & Chill out areas
- Part six: Marquee Floristry
- Part Seven: Marquee Furniture
Hiring a marquee?
If you’re considering hing a marquee for your next event then why not speak to a member of our team?
We offer no obligation estimates over the telephone. We will also visit you at your home or potential venue to discuss and understand exactly what you are looking for before we produce a detailed hire quote and floor plan for your consideration. Call us on 01372 459 485 or email enquiries@lifestylemarquees.co.uk to talk to a member of the team.
