Australia Fashion

Booking a venue used to be a no brainer you’d find a spot that could fit the right number of people, sign on the dotted line, and hand over a big chunk of your event budget without ever having sent out a single invitation. But that’s changing in Australia. More event hosts are starting off with marquees hire as the first choice, not the last resort. And the reasons have little to do with making a good impression and more to do with saving money, being more flexible and having less hassle from having to follow some else’s rules.

What Australians Actually Use Marquees For?

The wedding industry is the one most people think of, but it’s a tiny fraction of what’s actually going on. Marquee structures are becoming super popular for backyard birthday blowouts for the kids and multigenerational family reunions where a fixed venue just feels too formal or too pricey for what you’re trying to do.

The Hidden Costs Of Hiring A Traditional Venue

The price tag on a venue package rarely tells the whole story. A lot of venues have minimum spend requirements that can catch you out with food and drink arrangements that either don’t fit your guest list or your budget. And if you want to bring your own drinks, watch out for those corkage fees they can be a real killer. And don’t even get started on trying to book a popular date months in advance good luck with that. Add in finish times and noise curfews and your event is just getting cut short at the worst possible moment.

And then there’s the bond and damage clause business at a lot of venues it’s just another way for them to gouge you on top of the initial price. They often give you a hard time about using your own catering, too you can’t shop around or find a caterer that actually knows what you want.

Marquee Hire: Sizing, Styles And All The Rest Of It

The terminology around marquees can be a real minefield for anyone new to it. A pop up marquee is basically a lightweight frame thing for smaller events and a pagoda is one of those structures with a pointy roof and is usually used to add something extra like a bar or food area. But a full framed marquee is the real workhorse you can line it, floor it, climate control it and it can handle events of up to a few hundred people depending on how you set it up.

Now sizing is where a lot of people go wrong. A 6 by 6 metre structure gives you about 36 square metres of floor space which might just about fit 30 people sitting at round tables, but that leaves zero room for a bar, buffet or dance floor. And if you’re looking at a 12 by 15 metre structure, that changes the whole ballgame but you’ve got to factor in how much space you’re going to need on site for all the catering and logistics. And then there’s lining and flooring for some events you can get away with it, but for others its essential or you’re stuck with uneven or wet terrain. And don’t even get started on heating and cooling in Australia’s summer or the cooler southern months you’ll be lucky if you don’t need to have it all sorted.

What Can Go Wrong Without A Proper Plan?

Dodging the biggest problem underestimating the footprint is what gets most hosts in trouble. They figure out how many guests are coming, pick a marquee size that’ll seat them all with some room to spare, and then realize there simply isn’t enough space for the catering crew to move around, for the speeches, or for the DJ to set up. And don’t even get them started on the service area that can easily swallow up 20% or more of the floor space you’ve got available for the event.

Ground conditions catch people off guard again and again. If it’s been raining, it turns out the ground is just too soft to install the flooring on, and guests are left treading on squelchy mud. And if it’s a residential street or a park that’s hard to get into, forget about getting the delivery truck in. And then there’s the council permits each one is different, and it’s all too easy to forget to sort it out until the last minute. Some councils need weeks’ notice, and you can’t even be sure they’ll give you the thumbs up.

Weather contingency planning is usually left until the very last minute, by which point the right gear is likely to be taken.

What Your Hire Checklist Should Actually Be Covering?

• Make sure you’ve got site dimensions sorted before taking that first quote don’t wait until it’s too late to change your mind.
• Get the power supply location and load sorted out with your hire company, so there aren’t any surprises at set up time.
• Sort out the flooring early, especially if you think the ground might be a problem.
• Work out what temperature control you need is it just heating or cooling? and get it sorted well in advance, rather than after the fact.
• Get a grip on all the accessories you need furniture, staging, lighting, catering equipment and get them from the same place if you can, so you’re not left dealing with conflicting delivery schedules.
• Check the council permits, before you even book a thing.

Marquees are on the rise for a reason. It’s not because they look nice (although they do). It’s because they’re the only way to get around the limits of fixed venues and still have a decent chance of pulling off a smooth event. And for a lot of Aussie hosts nowadays, the maths just adds up it’s a whole lot easier to have the marquee turn up at your place.