Welcome tents

Reception tents for a well-organised welcome

Reception tents are tents in which you receive visitors dry and in good order: at the entrance to an event, at a start or finish area, at a trade fair or on an open day. Unlike an ordinary party tent they have a representative role. It is the first thing a visitor sees, and therefore the point at which they decide whether your organisation looks professional.

They are used by companies at customer events and open days, by sports clubs and race organisers for registration and race office, by local authorities at markets and festival weeks, and by exhibitors who need an outdoor area. We supply both plain versions and tents dressed entirely in your house style.

Applications

• Welcome and registration area at the entrance to a site
• Reception and catering point at a customer event
• Race office, jury post or timing station

Versions

The most widely used form is the folding tent: a concertina frame that you pull open with the roof already attached. Two people put one up in a few minutes, without tools. Side walls are chosen separately, in solid form, with a window or with a counter opening. For longer set-ups or larger spans, choose a tent with a fixed frame, which handles more standing time and more wind load.

Everything can be dressed: valances with your name, printed side walls, a half-height counter wall at the front, and flags or banners around the tent. Put your name on the valance as well, because that is what people see from a distance.

Materials and technique

Frames are built from aluminium or steel. Aluminium is lighter and therefore easier to handle and transport; steel is heavier but cheaper and more stable in wind. Fabrics are coated polyester or PVC, waterproof and with a UV-resistant print. Watch the seam finish and the roof pitch: a roof that sits too flat collects water in a pool that after a shower becomes heavy enough to deform the frame.

Setting up, ballast and safety

A tent roof is a sail on four legs. Without ballast the tent lifts off the ground at the first strong gust, with roof and frame as a projectile. On grass you anchor with pegs and guy lines, on hard surfacing with sufficiently heavy weights at every leg. Use weights that suit the size, not a half-filled bucket.

Do not close the side walls completely in wind: a closed tent catches the wind like a balloon and lifts faster than an open one. Agree who decides to take the tent down when wind is forecast, and make sure there are enough people to do that quickly. As organiser you are liable for a tent that blows away.

Maintenance and storage

Let fabrics dry completely before you put them away, because fabric folded up damp develops permanent mould stains. Check the frame hinges and pins after every use and store everything in the accompanying transport bag or cart.

When a reception tent is not the right choice

For a set-up lasting several weeks, or for a large covered area with catering and technical kit, you need a proper tent structure, not a folding tent. On a site with no anchoring option and a lot of wind, a tent is risky. The classic mistake is choosing the cheapest tent and economising on the ballast: that is precisely the part that keeps the tent in place.

What determines the price?

The price depends on the dimensions, the type of frame and the material, the fabric quality, the number and type of side walls, the print and the number of colours, the run, the ballast set, and the transport bag or cart. Delivery, on-site set-up and storage may come on top. Give us the size and the intended use and we will put a proposal together.

Working out your welcome area together

Tell us how many people you are receiving and what surface the tent will stand on. We will propose a tent and a ballast solution that suit your situation. Get in touch for advice and a quotation.