Everything You Need to Know About Planning an Exhibition in a Marquee from Start to Finish

How Do You Plan an Exhibition in a Marquee From Start to Finish?

The secret to exhibiting at any outdoor event is selecting a reliable, waterproof, and comfortable space to showcase your services and products.

With Carron Marquees, you can discover the marquees that will fulfil all your practical needs and set you apart from the competition at various events. Once you have the marquee sorted, planning the event should be a cinch.

Planning an exhibition in a marquee will depend on many factors, the biggest being the type of exhibition. The type will play a big part in how you plan your event. So with that said, here are some things you need to consider when planning your exhibition event:

What is the Overarching Goal?

Before you start planning anything, you need to decide why you are planning this exhibition in the first place.

Are You Looking to Promote Products or Offer a Service?

If so, then what type of product or service are you promoting?

Do you Want to Promote a Specific Brand or Establish Your Company as an Industry Leader in Your Field?

Whatever your goal for staging this exhibition, it’s important to stick to it when executing your bigger plan.

Are There Any Legal Requirements You Need to Meet?

Find out if your event requires any council permission or permits.

What Do You Want This Exhibition to Achieve?

Once you have identified this, you can plan the activities to achieve that goal.

Think About Your Budget

Do you have a budget? If so, how much do you have to spend on this?

Are You Trying to Source Sponsors or Money Through Other Means?

If so, do you have plans to source those sponsors or funding?

Are You Planning on Selling Tickets at the Event to Gain Revenue?

These factors will impact how you plan the event and the necessary resources.

Think About the Activities and Resources You Will Need to Put on the Exhibition

For example, do you need to rent a space, or can you use your existing facilities?

Do You Need to Hire Equipment?

Think about the activities you would like to include. Would you want to hire actors, musicians, or guest speakers for your audience or host?

You may also need a generator to power any equipment you are using. And have you considered hiring portable loos to cater for your guests?

Do You Need Staff to Help Out With Running the Event, or Can You Do This Yourself?

It is important to consider the resources you need and whether you have the budget for them.

Think About the Marketing and Promotion of the Event

This is very important! Think about how you can market this event to your target audience and what avenues you can take to achieve this.

Are There Any Local Businesses or Companies That Can Help With the Promotion?

Think about what will resonate with your target audience, and then take action!

The Number of Guests you Anticipate Showing up at Your Event

This will determine how many resources you need and how many staff or people you can hire to help run the event.

The Duration of Your Event

This will determine how long your event will last and what kind of entertainment or activities will be needed to entertain your audience.

The Products and Services You Plan to Display and Sell

This will determine how you plan to sell and showcase the products and services to your target audiences.

The Weather on the Dates of Your Event

This can affect the type of entertainment or activities that you can have at the event.

The Amount of Space Required for Your Exhibition

This will determine if you may need to rent an outdoor space or if you will need to hire other spaces for catering or seating, etc.

Once you have decided on these factors and have a clearer idea of planning your exhibition in a marquee, you can move on to the exciting part of putting the planned things into action.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Marquee for Your Exhibition Space?

The benefits will all depend on the type of exhibition you plan to host, but below are some of the top benefits of using a marquee for your exhibition space:

• Cost-Effectiveness: Marquees are cheaper to rent than traditional exhibition venues and don’t require as much staff to run them or require as much maintenance.
• Flexibility: You can hire marquees in various sizes and designs, meaning you have more scope to design your exhibition space the way you want.
• High-Impact: Marquees are large, bright, and have high ceilings, meaning your exhibition will feel more inviting and spacious.
• Space: Marquees are large and spacious, meaning you can fit everything you need without overcrowding the space or causing guests to feel claustrophobic.
• Weather-Proof: Marquees are weather-proof, meaning you can host your exhibition whatever the weather.
• Quick Setup: Marquees can be erected and dismantled quickly, meaning your exhibition can open sooner and stay open longer.
• Versatility: Marquees can be modified to suit almost any occasion, so you can use them to host a wide range of events, not just exhibitions.
• Professional Look: Marquees have a professional look and will make your exhibition look and feel more professional.

These are just the top benefits. Once you hire one and start using it for your event, you’ll quickly realise many other benefits associated with using a marquee for your exhibition space.

What is the Cost of Hiring a Marquee for an Exhibition, and What Should You Consider When Budgeting for This Type of Event Space?

Hiring a marquee for your exhibition will vary in cost per day depending on the number of guests you expect to attend your event and the size you require.

Below are some of the factors to consider when budgeting for this type of event space:

The Size of the Marquee

The size and length of the marquee will depend on the event you are hosting and how many people you expect to attend.

For example, if you are hosting a small event, you won’t need a large marquee or require as much space for furnishings or catering. If you are hosting a big event, you will need a larger marquee to accommodate more people and offer more space for eating and seating.

The Number of Guests you Anticipate Attending Your Exhibition

The type of exhibition will play a big part in the number of guests attending your event.

If you are a business hosting a stall at an exhibition and do not expect many guests to attend your stall, you will not need a large-sized marquee. However, if you plan on hosting a conference or a larger business event where guests will be arriving and staying in your event space for a longer time, you will need a larger marquee to fit more people.

This can also play a big role in deciding on a location for your exhibition space.

The Length of Your Hire Period

The length of your hire period will also affect the cost per day.

The more days you need to hire the marquee, the less it will cost you per day. Depending on the company you hire the marquee from, you may also get a discount if you hire the marquee for a longer time.

The Location of the Venue

The venue’s location will have an impact on the price as well.

Marquees tend to be cheaper to hire if you are hiring them in suburban or rural areas as opposed to city centres. This will depend on the company you hire the marquee from and where you live.

How to Hire a Marquee for an Exhibition

Once you have decided to hire a marquee for your exhibition or event, then there are several steps you will need to follow to hire the marquee:

Start Searching for a Marquee Company Near You:

Start by searching online for a company that provides marquees for hire in your area.

You can also ask friends and family for recommendations and reviews or look up online reviews of the companies in your area. Once you have found several companies that offer marquees for hire near you, you can start to research each one to find out more about them and whether they are right for your exhibition or event.

Visit Different Companies or Websites:

Once you have found a few companies that provide marquees for hire, you can visit each company and browse their different marquees.

The websites of each company will have a list of the different marquees they offer to hire, how large they are, and how much they cost per day. Once you have found several marquees you would like to hire for your exhibition or event, you can compare the companies that provide the marquees and get quotes to get a better idea of the prices they offer to hire the marquees.

Choose a Company:

Once you have found out about each company and the different prices, you can decide which one to choose.

The price and location of the venue will be important to you, as well as the quality of the marquees and the company’s reputation. Once you have chosen a company to hire your marquee from, you can start to hire the marquee from them and get the ball rolling.

Hire a Marquee:

Once you have chosen a marquee to hire and hired it from your chosen company, you can start to organise your exhibition or event and start thinking about the event’s planning and marketing.

Once your event is over, you can then return the marquee to the company.

Event Marketing: How to Get the Word Out About Your Exhibition?

Now the date has finally been set, you are counting down the days until your exhibition, and then it’s time to think about marketing and promoting your event.

This marketing can be crucial to the success of your event and your audience or student attendance numbers. Below are some of the best ways to promote your exhibition and increase the attendance numbers:

Consider Putting Together a Press Release:

Press releases are a fantastic marketing tool for any business or event.

They are the most effective way of marketing your exhibition. A press release gives you the chance to tell the public more about your event and provide them with all of your contact details.

You can promote your press release through newspapers and magazines, on social media, or through any sites that accept press releases before the start of your exhibition.

Consider Creating an Event Website:

Creating your website can be a great way of marketing your exhibition or event to a broader audience.

A website gives you the chance to provide the public with all of your event details and gives people an easy way to find out all the details about your event. You can create a well-designed website using an online builder or pay a company to create a website using their expertise.

Try Promoting Your Event on Social Media:

Another excellent marketing tool for promoting your exhibition and event is social media.

You can use many social media platforms to market your exhibition, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Start by creating a profile on each platform and advertising your event to a broader audience.

Many people use social media to find new events and exhibitions in their area, which is an excellent way of advertising your exhibition to a broader audience.

Create a Banner and Advertise in Public Spaces:

You can also advertise your exhibition by hiring a banner to display in public spaces around your venue for a few weeks before you host your event.

You can do this by renting the banner from a company and having it delivered to an outdoor space around your venue so that you can advertise your exhibition and event to a wider audience.

Consider Placing Ads in Local Newspapers and Magazines:

If you find a local paper or magazine to advertise your exhibition and event, do so in advance before the start of your event.

People read newspapers every day, and most people tend to read newspapers over magazines. This is a great way to advertise your exhibition to new audiences in your local area and is a great way to attract people to your exhibition and event.

Consider Creating Leaflets or Flyers:

Another way to advertise your exhibition is by creating a leaflet or flyer to hand out to people in your local town or city.

Create some leaflets or flyers to advertise your exhibition and encourage people to come to the event. You can include all of the details of your exhibition and event on the leaflet and encourage people to get in touch to make a booking or find out more about your event.

Consider Purchasing or Hiring a Digital Billboard:

Some areas around your city or town have digital billboards that you can rent out if you want to advertise your exhibition and event to a wider audience.

A great way to do this is by hiring a billboard and displaying your company logo or website link. You can then include all of the details of your exhibition and event on the billboard and encourage passers-by to come to see what your exhibition has to offer, make a booking or find out more information.

Other Marketing Methods You Can Use to Promote Your Exhibition and Event to Your Target Audience:

There are many other ways to promote your exhibition and event to your target audience. Some of these include:

• Advertise your exhibition and event on public transport around your city or local area.
• Use radio, television, or video announcements to advertise your exhibition and event.
• Advertise your exhibition and event using flyers and posters in your local area and on public transport.
• Consider creating an exhibition checklist and going through all the different steps for hiring an exhibition marquee.
• Start searching for a company that can provide marquees for hire in your area.
• Visit each company and browse their different marquees.
• Compare each company and their different prices for advertising for hiring their marquees.
• Contact any charity organisations in your area to see if they would like to promote your exhibition and event using their social media platforms or in their newsletters. This is a great way to get members of the public interested in your exhibition and event and is a quick and easy way for members of the public to find out about your event and exhibition.
• Consider contacting food outlets and companies in your area that specialise in selling food to a large crowd and asking them to sell food at your exhibition. People love to buy food and drink from local companies, which is often more convenient than buying food and drink from large chain stores, and this can attract more visitors to your exhibition and event.

As you can see, there are many ways in which you can try to market your exhibition, and online is a great way to attract more visitors.

What Are the Most Essential Things to Remember When Planning an Exhibition in a Marquee?

There are various things you need to remember when planning to organise your exhibition in a marquee. The main things you need to remember are:

How You Plan the Set-up of Your Exhibition:

How you plan the set-up of your exhibition will affect how suppliers and guests access the venue or space.

Day-to-Day Management:

When organising your event, this is a crucial factor to consider.

There are many things to consider when hiring a marquee, such as how the area will be laid out and how many people will be required to run the event on the day.

Food and Beverage:

Do you plan to serve food and drinks at your exhibition?

If you do, you need to ensure that you have enough staff to serve the food and drinks and enough washing facilities to cater to the number of people who have bought food and drink from the venue or space. You should also ask your caterers to provide vegetarian food options so that everyone can attend the event without feeling that some food and drink options are unavailable for them to buy and eat.

Staffing:

Do you have enough staff to run your exhibition?

You need to ensure that you have enough staff on the day of the event and the day before your exhibition to allow people time to set up the space before people start arriving on the day. This will give everyone time to prepare your venue or space.

Fittings and Decorations:

Do you need to fit projectors in your marquee?

If so, you need to hire a marquee with enough space to fit the projectors in without taking up all of your space. You should also ask an AV technician to check your projector and speaker set-up are working well before the event and that people at your exhibition can hear the speakers clearly and see the projector images on the large screens.

How to Plan the Lighting of Your Exhibition?

Do you need to use lighting in your exhibition?

If you do, you need to ensure your marquee is fitted with adequate lighting for your guests to see clearly when walking around in the marquee or space. The last thing you want is your guests to bump into and injure themselves or argue at the exhibition because of poor lighting. You also need to ensure catering staff see correctly when preparing food for the exhibition.

Tables and Seating Arrangements:

Do you need tables and chairs in your exhibition space?

If you need tables and chairs in your exhibition space, you need to hire the right size table and chairs to fit your guests’ space and needs. You should also ensure that all tables and chairs are safely secured in the exhibition area to prevent people from tripping over and injuring themselves. You should also check that all furniture is in good condition and not broken to avoid accidents and injuries occurring at your event.

How Many Guests Will There Be Attending Your Exhibition?

When planning your exhibition, you need to consider how many guests will be attending and how many you can reasonably accommodate in the space you have hired. This will help to decide which size marquee you will need for your exhibition and event and the number of people you will need to hire on the day and before the event.

You need to consider these essential things before hiring an exhibition stand.

Planning an exhibition or event of any kind is a stressful ordeal, and it can take a long time and be very complicated to plan. You need to know what you are planning to make the event a success and what you must do to make your exhibition successful.

Planning an event takes a lot of time, and if you do not plan properly, it could mean your event is a massive flop, or it might be a success. You need to make sure you have thought of all the little things you need and make notes of everything you need to do and organise to make the exhibition or event a success.

Conclusion

Hiring a marquee can be a fantastic way to create an impressive and unique space when planning an exhibition.

Marquees offer a range of benefits, from flexibility in terms of layout and design to the ability to host events outdoors. The prices can vary depending on size and location, but marquees are generally affordable compared to other event spaces.

There are some things to bear in mind when organising an exhibition in a marquee, such as ensuring that you have enough space for all your exhibits and that the marquee is correctly secured against bad weather.

Contact us today if you’re looking for more information or need help organising your next exhibition. We would be happy to assist you with everything from finding the perfect venue to marketing your event.