Hints & Tips?

Organising a major marquee event, where there are no second chances must rate as one of the most stressful moments in life. This can be so for the marquee contractors and allied trades (who should be used to it!) as well as for the clients. Nobody in our industry would admit that our work is anything but arduous. The rewards however are considerable when there is jubilation (relief?) and smiling couples not to mention the many thank you letters after the events. (You don't get this if you sell cardboard boxes for a living!)

So how can you minimise this crescendo of stress as the day looms nearer?

The first thing to remember is that you are the Boss . As the Boss you do need to get the basics right. Do make sure you know exactly what you are hiring. Photographs are good but there is nothing like seeing the real thing. If at all possible, visit the company's premises which will give you a much better insight to the company's substance, their professional stance and whether it is an organisation that looks organised!

It is so important that you have confidence in their abilities so you can get on and enjoy the planning of the finer details that you do best. Equally important is to read the paperwork carefully and if there are options in products or colours don't leave it too late to decide or at least make a first choice which is then reserved for you. All companies have a ‘subject to availability' clause. If there is any ambiguity or items you are not sure about, iron these out early so you are fully aware of the items you have had quotations for or you have ordered. Some product descriptions can be rather complicated to understand as different companies may use different terms for the same product! Once you have made your final choices of companies and their products, you are now the conductor holding the baton and all these trades are your orchestra who have to follow your lead and play together in harmony. You are not there to pluck a string or to beat a drum, just to have overall control.

Although you can choose to have an event organiser to arrange the whole wedding, this does push up the cost quite appreciably. So failing this, make sure all the trades working within the marquee environment are known to each other and have each other's contact details. You don't want to be getting involved with the minutia of your function; let the trades sort this out for you. By this I mean, for example, if there are electrical issues to sort out or such similar problems. It's not a bad idea to make one of the trades the ‘lead' trade and they will be responsible to oversee the operation for you. This may be the marquee contractor (which is often the norm) or the caterer, whoever you feel more comfortable with doing this. Once you have chosen the companies for the whole event, you need to trust in their organisational skills to get on with their job and report back to you on progress or requested changes you may have made. You should be doing little more than waving your baton! It was once said by a past Chairman of Coca Cola, “The worst kind of bosses are those who make decisions and then go back on them” But don't worry! We don't expect for a minute that there will not be many changes of mind as new ideas come about or situations change. It's the nature of the beast. However, fore-warned is fore-armed for a stress free enjoyable operation for all!