The Perfect Cover-Ups

Properties are learning how to pull off bigger and more creative tent events with nary a hitch.

by Diana Mirel (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
May 2007
 

When the Metcalfe (Ont.) Golf & Country Club saw it was losing event business because of limited space, management knew something had to change. But a costly clubhouse expansion was out of the question. So the club decided to try expanding its facilities by buying a 30-by-60-foot event tent.

“When you’re using a structure only for the summer months on a golf course,” notes the club’s owner, Thomas Welch, “a tent is a lot cheaper than a permanent structure, so it doesn’t take too long to recover your costs and start making a profit.”

The club erected its new tent three days before its annual Mother’s Day brunch three years ago, and quickly saw reservations for that event jump from the usual 85 to 90 people to 300. The impact was just as dramatic for Metcalfe’s bookings for golf tournaments, weddings, holiday celebrations and birthday parties. Now going into its third season with the tent, Metcalfe G&CC’s overall event revenue has increased by about 30 percent. The tent, which cost the club about $15,000, paid for itself within the first year, Welch reports.

Catering to Every Whim
At a time when clubs and resorts can’t afford to ignore any opportunity to host a special event, one of the best payoffs from tents is how they allow a virtually endless extension of event options.

“Everyone knows catering is how you make money in this business,” notes Karen Baxter, Food & Beverage Director at the Roaring Fork Club in Basalt, Colo. While the club does not have a banquet hall, year-round tenting has helped Baxter build a booming catering business that brings in 40 percent of the club’s overall revenue.

“I always have a couple of tents in inventory, because they are such good money-makers,” says Baxter. “The tents I bought a couple of years ago, I bet I’ve paid for them 10 to 15 times over.” (Paybacks have been extended by the greater durability of today’s tents, some with 10-year lifespans.)

The Carnegie Abbey Club used two tons of sand to transform tents into beach-like settings.

By using tents and canvases not only on its grounds, but also to weatherproof its clubhouse veranda during cooler months, Roaring Fork can now hold events for up to 400, with much more pizzazz than the usual banquet room set-ups. “The more creative we are, the more it drops to the bottom line,” says Baxter, “because we do more numbers.”

With the club situated against a picturesque backdrop of sweeping long-valley views, Baxter likes to highlight the natural beauty with clear tent walls and canopies. If an event is using extensive floral arrangements, she opts for a solid canopy, to protect the flowers from the sun.

She also uses lighting to enhance the tent’s ambiance, often installing twinkle lights with clear-top tents to create a starry-night feel, or hanging chandeliers for a more elegant look. Baxter also recommends covering up tent framework with greenery, fabrics or canvas tent poles, as an inexpensive “warm up” of the space.

Themes for Summer Places
Setting up events in temporary and semi-permanent tents can work particularly well for clubs doing most of their business in the summer. “It doesn’t make sense to have a large room in the clubhouse—and all that overhead—when you only use it four times a year,” says Stephen Downes, General Manager of the Carnegie Abbey Club, Portsmouth, R.I.

Moreover, hosting large events outdoors can help to protect the value and condition of a property, without losing business. “Tenting gets business out of the building and reduces wear and tear on [it],” notes Roaring Fork’s Baxter.

Last year, at its annual “Beach Ball” fundraiser, Carnegie Abbey used tents to transform its grounds into an “oceanside” property for about 500 people. The club used a number of large tent structures, and then erected smaller 20-by-20 tents under the big ones, to create cabana-like dining spaces. Two tons of sand were spread throughout the tented areas, and each cabana was decorated with a different theme. The “Arabian Nights” cabana, for example, featured purple fabrics and jewels hanging throughout its interior.

Up, Down, All Around
These properties, and many more like them, have clearly learned that adding tents to the mix can help them host larger functions and, in turn, boost their bottom lines. But making the best use of temporary and semi-permanent event structures does require careful planning and execution, to ensure seamless operations. It’s not easy at the start, club managers say, but once you get the “hang” of it, it can become second nature.

The Roaring Fork Club’s event team has its set-up and take-down process down to a science, according to Baxter. “We have sold [events using] the tents so many times that we actually have a team of guys on the staff who I call when I need the tent up and down,” says Baxter. “If I’m using our 20-by-40 tent, it takes four to five guys about two hours to put it up, and one hour to take it down. It’s not that laborious or particularly difficult; just a little time-consuming to get the pieces laid out. Having a good system is key.”

As tent structures get larger and more elaborate, clubs might want to consider partnering with a professional tent contractor. “Work with a tent contractor who will be in charge of installing and taking down the equipment,” suggests one tent manufacturer. “They are the ones who can do the best job of installing, taking it down, maintaining, repairing and putting it back up.”

Storage & Maintenance
While tents offer great flexibility, storing them when they’re not being used can be tricky. One critical consideration for tent canvases is that they must be stored in completely dry and fairly warm spaces.

“They should be stored in an environment that doesn’t freeze and then get warm,” stresses one manufacturer. “When that happens, condensation forms on the inside layer and the water can’t get out, so it turns into mold or mildew.”

Storage is easier when a club leaves the steel frame up year-round, like Metcalfe G&CC. At the end of the season, the club simply folds the canvases and stores them in the boxes they came in.

Following the Rules
As with any clubhouse addition, clubs must follow rules and regulations when using tents. Coding and zoning requirements for temporary and semi-permanent structures vary per county, city and state, so it pays to do your homework.

“You can’t just throw up a tent and say we’re ready to do business,” warns one manufacturer. “The fire marshal, tax assessor, building code officials and zoning people will all have a lot of questions.”

The Carnegie Abbey Club works closely with its local fire department to ensure tents are up to code and within standards. The club is required to submit a permit request to the town council 60 days in advance of an event. Then the fire department inspects the space several hours ahead of its start.

When Metcalfe G&CC purchased its tent, the club submitted its certificate to the fire department, which now does an annual inspection at the start of each season.

While this kind of research and careful planning is clearly needed before using tent structures, many clubs attest it’s well worth the effort. “If clubs aren’t using tenting, they definitely will want to get familiar with it, because it creates so many new and different options,” Baxter believes.