DIY Marquees Durable & Affordable Marquees on the Market

15. January 2017 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

DIY Marquees is a company with an incredible ethos of sharing advice, offering help and promoting best practice. They are a passionate team with a core vision of offering high quality marquees to customers as well as a high level of customer service. They encourage customers to gain knowledge in order to ensure their marquee hirer clients can maintain good standards. DIY Marquees aim to bring you the very best in Marquee Courses.

Marquee Electrical Courses

We have designed our marquee lighting packages to be as simple as possible, simply connect the leads together plug in to the house/extension lead and you’re done. If your customer needs another power supply then an additional extension lead would usually do the job.

This simple system is perfect when you’re starting up a marquee hire business but after a while the jobs will become more intricate and so do the electrics. At this point you need to consider attending training courses.

Our friends at Essential Supplies are running electrical courses aimed at the marquee hire industry:

Event Electrics Course:

Our one day workshop is specifically aimed at those working in the Marquee
& Events industry. We will cover all aspects of the design, installation and testing of temporary electrical systems for events. The course is aimed at those who specify and install such systems but have no formal electrical qualification. We will guide candidates through best practises in installing electrical and lighting systems in temporary structures for events, including how to avoid some common pitfalls and some not so obvious. There will also be plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with some of our latest products specifically designs for our industry.
This is a non examined course and provides no formal qualification; it is de-signed to provide candidates with an awareness of the issues surrounding electrical systems for temporary events. Candidates will receive a certificate of attendance upon completion and a set of course notes.
Price: £180 + VAT per candidate

Event Lighting Course:

Our one day workshop is specifically aimed at those working within the events industry. We shall cover methods and types of lighting and how to install your system. This is a non examined course and provides no formal qualification; it is de-signed to help candidates with lighting. Candidates will receive a certificate of attendance upon completion.
Price: £180 + VAT per candidate

PAT Testing Course:

The aim of our one day ‘practical’ workshop is to obtain an understanding of why
PAT Testing is necessary and be able to demonstrate safely and accurately all aspects of electrical testing necessary to perform PAT tests on your own or other peoples electrical equipment
The course is specially designed for those within the events industry, looking at key
Products, unique to the Events World. The testing techniques learnt can be used in any in-dustry. You will be shown how to PAT test a wide range of our products from extension leads to metal light fittings and from simple distribution boards to power tools. To ensure you get the most out of the course we aim to have a maximum of 6 Candidates on each course.
Price: £220 + VAT per candidate

If you have been in the hire industry for a few years and look to be taking the next step up in complexity of marquee bookings then I would recommend attending the Event Electrics Course first with the Event Lighting Course later.

All of your electrics require regular PAT testing, rather than paying an electrician to come in and test them it’s likely a wise investment to train you or a reliable member of staff up as a PAT tester.

Attending training courses like these that are specifically designed towards marquee hirers is good practice for everyone in the industry.

DIY Marquees have a large range of industrial marquee for sale and party tents for sale. 

DIY Marquees will be at the Showman’s Show next week

21. October 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: ,

It’s nearly The Showman’s Show time again where we grab the slowest moving members of our staff and decamp down to the Newbury Showground for a few days.

We will be in our usual spot halfway down Avenue E on stand number 263 opposite the Arcotherm stand. Come out of the hall and turn right then first left for Avenue E.

For those unaware of The Showman’s Show it is the one trade show where all of the marquee hire industry have a presence. Any supplier serious about supplying the hire industry will have a stand and just about every existing or prospective marquee hirer will come to visit.

This is where you will see new innovations first and create contacts you may use for years.

It’s a nice well organised show and well worth a visit. It’s free to enter but to save filling out forms on the day it’s worth registering in advance: Showmans Show online registration.

The marquees we will be exhibiting at The Showman’s Show 2016

At this year’s showman’s show we will have on our stand:

Commercial marquees for sale

A 4x8m Commercial peaked roof marquee. The peaks add an attractive touch to what is one of the most durable

and flexible 4m wide marquees in the industry. We are manufacturing an interior lining for half of the marquee so visitors can see the difference a lining makes.

A 3x4m Deluxe Demi Marquee and our new 3x4m Commercial Demi Marquee: We designed these marquees to butt up against buildings, they give a much larger entrance height and any water falls away from the building eliminating two of the largest issues marquee hire companies have when butting up against buildings. They have also proved popular as standalone market stalls. The popularity of our Deluxe model has encouraged us to produce a similar structure in the slightly lighter Commercial design. Compare for yourself at the show.

Marquee tents for sale 

A 4x4m pop-up marquee: We only supply the heaviest duty pop-up models (58mm dia. legs), at the show we are including our unique interior lining, compatible with just about any make of pop-up.

A 2x4m Walkway: Our walkways arrive as 2x6m but are modular so can be put up as 2x2m, 2x4m or 2x6m. At the show we’ll be putting it up as 2x4m and again include our interior lining.

We can’t display all of our marquees at the show but by exhibiting the above we are displaying a reasonable selection and illustrating many of the unique structures and accessories we provide suitable for marquee hire companies. Click here to contact us

All year around marquees with the right heating!

04. July 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

How to heat a marquee:

During spring and summer months heating is generally only required to take the chill off later in the evening. During autumn and especially winter you should heat the marquee for a reasonable time before guests arrive to ensure a successful event.

Do:

Use a heater with a powerful fan

Test the heating several days before the event (at the same time of day) to make sure it works and is sufficient for the space

In the winter have the heating on for at least an hour before people arrive. On arrival guests should walk in to a wall of warmth, if they walk in to a cold marquee they will not warm up for the whole function

If possible use several smaller heaters rather than one large one to create a consistent temperature in your marquee

Aim one heater towards the entrance, think of a high street shop – they have a heater above the door to ensure the temperature inside stays at a constant level

Don’t:

Use a halogen heater, cabinet heater or any other kind of infra-red heater without a fan. They are not powerful enough for larger marquees

Have anything close to or touching a heater (sounds obvious but still worth mentioning)

LPG Blower/Space Heaters (photograph c/o HSS Hire) space heater

space heater

Blower or Space heaters require gas bottles and will heat large areas very quickly. They can be purchased or hired for very reasonable prices. Even though there is a grill at the front of the heaters we wouldn’t recommend using them at a function where small children are present.

Ducted Heaters (photograph c/o HSS Hire) space heater

space heater

Ducted heaters also require gas bottles and sit outside the marquee with the warm air ducted in to the side of the marquee. These heaters generally include thermostats for ease of use, simply set the desired temperature and the heater will maintain the temperature in the marquee.

Ducted heaters can be prohibitively expensive to buy so hiring is usually recommended.

Indirect Heaters (photograph c/o HSS Hire) space heater

Indirect heaters are usually powered by oil/diesel and are similar to ducted heaters in that they sit outside the marquee and the warm air is ducted in to the side of the marquee.

Indirect heaters can also be prohibitively expensive so again hiring is usually recommended.

space heater

We are always happy to offer more customised advice for your event, please contact us giving a few details of the event you are planning (type of event, space available, number of guests and diagrams/photographs of the site if possible) and we will be more than happy to advise on your options.

If you would like to use or quote any part of this article please contact us for permission or licencing.

DIY Marquees excellent tips for evening party marquees

08. June 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

Tips for evening party marquees

Furniture:

  • Unlike marquees furniture is often too expensive to buy so hiring is usually the best solution
  • For a formal atmosphere use larger round tables (5ft for seating 8/9, 5ft6in for seating 10)
  • Use a mixture of smaller tables to create an informal atmosphere (see this article on seating)
  • You can get away with fitting more people in a marquee for a party than for a wedding, a wedding requires more space but you can squeeze people up a bit at parties.
  • A marquee can hold more people standing than seated (generally around 1.5 times the number seated) but it’s always worth having some seats in rows against the sides of a marquee even if you are leaving the middle completely clear for standing (or using it as a dance floor area)
  • For formal seating remember an easel for table plans (or two for larger functions)
                     

Dance Floors:

  • Do you want your party to be mainly about the dancing? In which case put the dance floor in the middle so it is very much the centre of attention. If you want it as an option then put it at one end.
  • Like furniture dance floors can be prohibitively expensive to purchase to hiring or making yourself (18mm plywood screwed to battens and stained) are the most common solutions
  • Alternatively if your marquee is to cover part of a patio or decking area that can be used as a dance floor

Other:

  • Set the marquee up several days in advance and test the lighting and heating (if applicable) at the time of your function just to make sure both are sufficient.
  • People (mainly blokes) will always congregate around the bar. For this reason always position it near the evenings entertainment to avoid having two parties. Always aim to keep everyone in one place to maintain the atmosphere so avoid putting the bar in the house or a separate marquee
  • Always have lighting on a dimmer, this gives you the flexibility to supply lighting to eat by and mood lighting to dance by
  • In October to April you will need to heat the marquee – have the heating on for an hour before people arrive to ensure they walk in to a wall of warmth
  • In May to September you might need a heater just to take the chill off in the seating area later in the evening
  • Think of how your guests will arrive – a simple path of carpet with flower pots makes an attractive and inviting entrance to the marquee
  • Think of how your guests will leave – it’s likely to be dark so some form of lighting will be needed to guide people back to their cars
  • You would normally allow one toilet per 40-50 guests. If you don’t have enough available then consider hiring in a luxury toilet unit
  • Give neighbours plenty of notice especially if you plan on partying until the early hours
  • Notify the police, it may sound extreme but it allows them to give informed responses (such as finishing time) to any complaint rather than come knocking on your door

We are always happy to offer more customised advice especially Tips for Wedding Marquees events, please contact us giving a few details of the event you are planning (type of event, space available, number of guests and diagrams/photographs of the site if possible) and we will be more than happy to advise on your options.

If you would like to use or quote any part of this article please contact us for permission or licencing.

Professional marquees from DIY Marquees

18. March 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: ,

Spencer King from DIY Marquees offers excellent advice for those wanting to set up their own marquee company; be it buying a pop-up marquee or one of the hundreds of different marquee available. DIY Marquees not only offer Marquees they also sell many accessories such as lighting, heating and  flooring.

DIY Marquees

Nearly all professional marquee hire’s use diesel or gas powered heaters. When using one of these to heat a marquee personally I would always put a carbon monoxide tester in the marquee too. They’re cheap, easy to fit and give peace of mind to both you and the customer. Not only that it makes you look (even more) thorough and professional. All fumes from a diesel heater should be kept outside from the chimney but what if the wind blows it straight back towards the marquee?

L B Whites have a very useful heating app that’s worth looking at and illustrates why electric heaters are just not man enough for any serious size marquee.

Inputting a 6x12m commercial (3m apex height) marquee with a rise of 30 degrees C (they do metric, I can’t!) gives a requirement for approx 100,000BTU’s or 30KW of heating. Had we designed our marquees to have a higher apex not only would they be less wind resistant they would also require far more heating – the requirement goes up to 40KW.

The maximum an electric heater can supply is 3KW of heat. If you wanted to heat one of these marquees using electric heaters you would need a whopping 10-13 of them and a very large generator to power them all!

Stick to diesel (indirect) or gas (lbwhite) and fit a carbon monoxide detector.

Find out more about pop up party tents for sale

Commercial marquees from DIY Marquees

07. February 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

Recently came across the most helpful site when looking to buy a commercial marquee, considering it’s a commitment deciding to go in the marquee business I decided to ‘snoop’ around DIY Marquees website to get an idea of the ethos and reliability of the company. DIY marquees has an excellent reputation in the industry, however, I was intent on doing my own research.

The first thing I noticed going on the blog posts is the transparent way in which each post is written thus showing that the owners of the business are open, honest, passionate and willing to go the extra mile to ensure their customers have all the knowledge they need thus making a success of their business.

I came across this special post that I wanted to share as this sheds light on the history of the company.

The first marquees sold by C & D King Ltd

DIY Marquees is part of C & D King Ltd, a company that has been manufacturing for over 30 years. Originally the manufacturing of clothing was bigger than marquees but over the years the balance has reversed.

Over Xmas I found some photographs from the early years.

This is c 1983 and we think the first marquee built by us. A lot of work for a 3x6m!

c 1983 First marquee

 

This is c 1984. The marquee in the background is likely to have been the 3rd or 4th one we built/sold (a bit different to the thousands we have sold since!).

Fair1984

Circled top left is Mary who had just joined after leaving school. Mary is now head of production and responsible for much of the smooth running of the company. Bottom right is lil’ ol me. Also featured are my brother, mother & grandparents. Quite the family company!

So if you are thinking of buying a heavy duty marquee look no further than the experts in heavy duty marquees for sale.

DIY Marquees have Interior linings and accessories available

08. January 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

Pop up Marquee are most suitable for those who want a strong shelter that’s quick and easy to erect. Ideal for market stalls or anywhere that needs a temporary shelter quick to put up and take down. A pop up marquee will never be as strong as if you buy party tent or marquee.

POP UP MARQUEE IS EASY TO ERECT

DIY Marquees pop up marquees are as strong as the folding design will allow but when you buy party tents or marquees you are buying a stronger rigid frame and covers who’s main function is to be durable and watertight rather than flexible and shower proof.

Marquee lighting, linings and flooring are all available to purchase separately either at the time of buying your marquee or in the future. If you have bought a DIY Marquee then you can always buy marquee lighting, flooring or linings for it in the future. Indeed spare parts are available for the complete range of DIY Marquees.

DIY Marquees have a large range of commercial marquee for sale, they will give you the best advice in terms of your requirements and what they have on offer. They can advise on lighting, flooring and planning. Their team have many years in the marquee industry and will give you the best advise around.

Contact Spencer the owner of DIY Marquees and he will direct you to the right staff to speak to.

The season to celebrate with a party!

05. December 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

Spencer King owner of DIY Marquees share  some interesting ideas, news and advice on  his blog, he has been passionate about  Marquees for many years and with all the  experience he has had with starting his own  business he is very happy sharing his  knowledge and expertise especially with passionate individuals wanting to start their  own business. Whether its marquee lighting or whether you need advice on buy party tent Spencer is you man.

Spencer has thanked everyone for visiting their  stand at this year’s Showmans Show.

Showmans Show 2015 – review

“Thank you to everyone who came and visited our stand at The Showmans Show 2015. I grew up on stands at various outdoor shows and as I’ve said previously The Showmans Show is so much better organised and so much more exhibitor-friendly than any other show we have exhibited at it is a joy to be a part of.

The atmosphere among the marquee hire trade in general is so much more positive and upbeat than just a few years ago.

Our newly designed demi-marquees seemed to go down very well, they are based on a concept we developed years ago but it’s nice to at last produce a more polished model. The deluxe version will be available early 2016 with a commercial model to follow.

The best part of the show is meeting people. Whether it’s meeting new start-ups with the energy they bring or existing customers that we have dealt with for years. There are also a number of past customers who pop in having moved on to the bigger machinery-erected structures that intimidate and impress me in equal measure!

Thanks for visiting us, I hope to see you at next year’s show.

Spencer “

Read this excellent blog on Selling used marquees by a man called Ben Dawson who has written a really interesting blog post on Linkedin: Selling used equipment – marquees especially

‘For those who don’t know Ben he’s the man who set up curlew.co.uk which is simply the place to sell second hand marquees or associated equipment. He’s a very, very knowledgeable person on marquees and I can only agree with all the points he makes’.

How much is a second hand marquee worth?

I’m often asked how much a marquee is worth.

The simple answer is as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

There are many factors that you should consider; here are a few…

Who made the marquee

There are a few factors that I’ve got to take into account.

1) Unknown manufacturer (The customer has no way of knowing the quality of the marquee frame or covers)
2) They will not be compatible with existing stock (Roder, Tectonics and Custom Covers).
3) I don’t know how much they cost new so may assume they are cheaper that they really are.

Imagine you were buying a car, which would you buy… a BMW, or a car made by Guangzhou Automobile group (China). There is no question. They may or may not be of equal quality, however, I know which one I would buy.

Again using the analogy of used cars a second-hand 10 year old Ford keeps more of its value than a BMW. Possibly because there are more cheap spare parts for a Ford or more people want a cheap run-around than a big old gas guzzling luxury car.

Still, considering buying cars, people will pay much more for a car from a main dealer than a back street garage. And again less if the car is sold privately.

Profile Size

The same width of marquee can be made with different sizes of profile.

It makes sense to have one profile for different number of widths of marquee. This means that for example you can have a 12m marquee on a small profile that is one third of the weight of the heavy profile.

Generally heavy profiles are more expensive to buy new and you receive less money when you sell them second hand.

This is because the heavy profile requires more material to make however is less attractive to a smaller marquee company who generally prefer marquees that are easier and quicker to put up. As well as much easer to transport.

Condition is King!

As an item gets older apparent age is more important that it’s actual age, for example if something is 10 years old and looks new then it will be worth more than a new marquee that looks 10 years old!

This also applies to how you present your marquee for sale. If the photos look like they are from a wedding magazine your marquee is worth much more than if you can’t be bothered to stack the marquee neatly and it looks like you are looking at scrap parts.

Timing

The price should be based on the price you can buy the equipment NOW not the price you bought it for.

So if prices rise or fall with inflation or exchange rates so do second hand prices.

There is more demand leading up to the summer season than just before Christmas!

However it’s just after Christmas when I get the most people looking at the website. However many of them take time to get into the buying mood. I have always said customers have to smell the chocolate of Easter eggs before they buy marquees. However Marquees do sell all year round. And if your marquee is not on the site customers can’t buy it.

Service

In my experience the marquees that sell quickly are the ones where the vendor offers just a little bit more….

For example

  • Help with delivery
  • It will be cleaned before we sell it to you
  • Advice on using the marquee
  • Training in the correct erection of the marquee
  • Complete installation
  • Ongoing support running the business
  • Offer to take back the marquee if they are not happy with it

The last item on this list may seem extreme. However customers are averse to taking risks, often you will not be able to see the condition of the marquee until you have bought it.

When I was selling marquees I used to give this following offer. “If you don’t like the marquee when you put it up for the first time, just give it back in the same condition that you bought it in and I will give you a full refund, less the price of a hire” In 15 years of selling marquees I never had one come back (however all my marques were in as described condition)

Depreciation

I have made the following table.

This assumes you lose 25% of a marquees value as soon as you have bought it. Then 10% per year….

Some sizes of marquees hold their value better than others i.e. 9M wide marquees hold their value better than 3m x 3m marquees.

The age something looks is more important than it’s actual age. (if your kit is 2 years old but looks 10 it’s only worth 26% of it’s original value!)

Conversely – If your marquee is 15 years old, and you have looked after it and it still in a 4 year old condition, then it’s still worth 50% of what you bought it for!

Depreciation table – -25.00% Then -10% per year
Price 100 £1,000 £2,000 £3,000 £4,000 £5,000 £6,000 £7,000 £8,000 £9,000 £10,000
Years
0 75 £750 £1,500 £2,250 £3,000 £3,750 £4,500 £5,250 £6,000 £6,750 £7,500
1 68 £675 £1,350 £2,025 £2,700 £3,375 £4,050 £4,725 £5,400 £6,075 £6,750
2 61 £608 £1,215 £1,823 £2,430 £3,038 £3,645 £4,253 £4,860 £5,468 £6,075
3 55 £547 £1,094 £1,640 £2,187 £2,734 £3,281 £3,827 £4,374 £4,921 £5,468
4 49 £492 £984 £1,476 £1,968 £2,460 £2,952 £3,445 £3,937 £4,429 £4,921
5 44 £443 £886 £1,329 £1,771 £2,214 £2,657 £3,100 £3,543 £3,986 £4,429
6 40 £399 £797 £1,196 £1,594 £1,993 £2,391 £2,790 £3,189 £3,587 £3,986
7 36 £359 £717 £1,076 £1,435 £1,794 £2,152 £2,511 £2,870 £3,229 £3,587
8 32 £323 £646 £969 £1,291 £1,614 £1,937 £2,260 £2,583 £2,906 £3,229
9 29 £291 £581 £872 £1,162 £1,453 £1,743 £2,034 £2,325 £2,615 £2,906
10 26 £262 £523 £785 £1,046 £1,308 £1,569 £1,831 £2,092 £2,354 £2,615

 

Spencer and his team would like to wish all their customers a very happy holiday this festive season and looking forward to doing business with you in 2016!

Contact Spencer by clicking here Pop up Marquees 

Spencer King from DIY Marquees gives sound advise on lighting for marquees

07. November 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

I have asked Spencer King from DIY Marquees to give consumers useful advice when purchasing a marquee.DIY Marquees

Pop up Marquees are a very clever invention but although all of the different designs use a similar folding mechanism the quality of the structures vary greatly. The quality of any pop up marquee comes from the quality of the frame, the quality of the covers and the build quality. At DIY Marquees we only sell the heaviest duty design of pop up marquee. This is designed for marquee hire businesses or those wanting a more reliable and durable structure than available elsewhere.

the pop-up diy marquee range

When wishing to buy party tent also consider what accessories you may need – tie downs and flooring are often required but interior linings and marquee lighting turn the party tent in to a far more impressive venue.

Marquee lighting takes many forms but the most popular are festoon lighting or marquee chandeliers all operated on a dimmer system for ease of use. You may not require accessories when originally buying the party tent but knowing that a wide range of accessories and spare parts are available gives you greater future proofing on your investment.

DIY Party Tent Range is excellent value for money

21. August 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Marquee Purchase · Tags: , ,

Do you need help with buy party tents? Are you looking to buy marquee party tent that’s durable, affordable and safe? Speak to the experts in marquee sales for their professional advice. They will advise you on the best party tents to buy.

The term party tents generally refers to structures that are lighter weight than average marquees. Party tents are made using PE material in weights of 90gsm (grams per square metre) in the basic models up to 240gsm in the heavy duty party tents. There is a similar range of different quality framework ranging from 20mm pipework in lightweight models up to heavy duty 38mm steel pipe in heavy duty party tents.

If you’re looking for a good quality party tent marquee then look no further than DIY Marquees – we offer a wide variety of different models starting at our light weight and easy to erect party tent range up to our commercial marquees designed for the marquee hire industry. Whatever your requirements we have the party tent marquee for you.

The following table shows the available sizes in our Classic range of marquees. Size guides can vary greatly, this is due to the variety of ways a marquee can be used. For example a 6x12m marquee can seat 70-80 people at round tables but if you allow for buffet tables and/or a dance floor then the capacity is reduced.

 
Size of Marquee (width first) Capacity seated Capacity standing
3x2m DIY Party Tent 4-8 4-12
3x4m DIY Party Tent 6-12 9-18
3x6m DIY Party Tent 12-20 15-30
3x8m DIY Party Tent 12-24 18-35
3x10m DIY Party Tent 15-30 20-45
3x12m DIY Party Tent 18-40 27-60
4x4m DIY Party Tent 8-15 10-22
4x6m DIY Party Tent 12-24 18-35
4x8m DIY Party Tent 12-30 18-45
4x10m DIY Party Tent 15-35 18-55
4x12m DIY Party Tent 20-48 25-70
6x6m DIY Party Tent 15-40 20-60
6x12m DIY Party Tent 30-80 40-120
« Older articles
Newer articles »