Starcloth Party Marquees
The brief was to help to design and coordinate the setting for a party for 200 guests with a lounge area for a drinks reception, a dinner dance marquee to accommodate a team of dancers performing selected scenes from The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, plus a band playing after dinner into the night. To make things more challenging, although the garden is large, it offered a limited clear area for a suitable structure. After the initial feasibility study, it was decided that it could be done, but the available area needed to be used very efficiently.
The Marquees
Reception Lounge and Bar
The first thing guests would see, so rather than a plain white box tent, a cluster of single peak chinese hat pagoda marquees lit from inside the roof void provided a glowing attraction right from the start. Simple linings with velvet trim and warm air heating immediately offered guests comfort without appearing overly lavish, while views over the lit garden were admired by guests with a real sense of anticipation.
Dinner Dance Marquee
Maximum size that could fit in with a little pruning plus extended side legs gave extra height, allowing a far more impressive lighting effect with starcloth and a 3M x 6M painted backdrop to enforce the theme. The lighting engineer had already programmed the controller so that as guests enter, the lighting was nice but simple; when the dancers took to the floor the lighting dramtically changed to recreate just the atmosphere the ballet required; as dinner was served another lighting scheme was slowly blended in to create an intimate yet pleasant and exciting ambience for dining. Finally, when the band began to play the mood again changed subtly to accentuate the band.
Reception Lounge and Bar
The first thing guests would see, so rather than a plain white box tent, a cluster of single peak chinese hat pagoda marquees lit from inside the roof void provided a glowing attraction right from the start. Simple linings with velvet trim and warm air heating immediately offered guests comfort without appearing overly lavish, while views over the lit garden were admired by guests with a real sense of anticipation.
Utility Marquee
The dancers and the band needed areas to change and to have refreshments which was acheived by adding an annexe of the main marquee. Catering is a crucial part of the success of any event, so a good area was found on an adjacent lawn and connected by a one-way system of connecting walkways. Full power, anti-slip flooring, ovens and running water all had to be in place in order for the team to work at their best. Portaloos and generators were tucked away on another lawn, the pathway being lit by matting and brass lanterns. The weather was remarkably mild, so there was no need for covering the portaloos inside a marquee.
What did the client have to say about Inside Outside Marquee Hire, the suppliers and the event manager?
"Thank you very much for all the skill and hard work in planning the marquee and other arrangements which looked fantastic and worked really well on Saturday evening.
Our guests all commented on how beautiful the marquee looked - magical was the phrase most used - and how much they enjoyed themselves. You produced just the right setting and the evening was a great success.
Please pass our thanks on to all your team and staff and particularly the electrical & lighting team and, most importantly - many, many thanks to you.
We hope there will be another opportunity to work with you in the future."
Another happy ending to a highly successful outdoor event.
The Event Management Team and Suppliers
The Marquees, Flooring, Lighting, Heating, Design and Planning • Inside Outside Marquee Hire.
Catering and Wonderful Hospitality • Cottage Caterers, Cranleigh, Surrey.
Floristry & Imaginative Decoration • Pesh Flowers.
The Band • The Dark Blues.
Plus... • Countless helpers, artists, consultants, technicians and associates.