FAQ & pictorial glossary to help our customers

better understand the main components &

choices in a marquee.

www.beesmarquees.co.uk 01329 833950

Maybe you are just wondering about a marquee. These pages will either guide you through choosing the right setup – or put you off right away and save you reading the

rest!

Just to be clear, this guide talks about our type of marquees, which are “clear span” style marquees (an aluminium A-frame skeleton with PVC roof and gable covers, then

glass, PVC rigid or soft walls) – the proper, sturdy, variety where you need to know what you’re doing putting them up and not the flimsy quick popup types which you can

get in a hardware superstore and which can blow away or fall down. This guide is aimed at private individuals and smaller company functions; we have another guide for

the larger corporate & public events work.

Let’s correct one misconception first: a marquee is not usually a cheaper alternative to a ‘bricks and mortar’ venue…

(a ‘nice setup’ will often cost more than a venue)

You choose a marquee because you want one or because it gives you an advantage.

What’s so great a marquee anyway?! Quick list of main things that affect the price

About the basics: Size Styles Flooring Linings Walls & roof Windows & doors Lighting Furniture Dance floors & staging Anchorage

Some of the refinements: Receptions & walkways Heating Toilets Incorporating a prominent feature

Some examples to make sense of it all: Examples: A typical wedding reception marquee, priced Examples: A private theme party, priced Examples: A corporate celebration & awards ceremony, priced Examples: ‘charity bash’ marquee, priced

And what can we do for you now?

Create a venue as you like it, WHERE you like it – garden, office car park, friendly

farmer’s frozen field, place you fell in love, your favourite undiscovered viewpoint…

building a marquee let’s you do what you want, where you want to do it and how you’d

like to be seen doing it.

And WHEN you like it – sometimes you just can’t get the right slot at your chosen

resorts – they book up so fast and far in advance! So use a marquee to avoid working

around other peoples’ schedules.

At just the right size and style for you – our marquees build in 3m or 5m sections

so you don’t need your small but well chosen group of friends rattling around in an

oversized hall – or your company event to seem packed like sultanas in a Christmas

cake.

Customise to your heart’s content – we really can make & dress it as you’d like. You’d

be surprised what can be done!

Ensures privacy – no matter the size of your party, it will only your chosen people, so

relax!

We do the basic ‘just a bare tent’ too so, if you just want (sturdy) temporary cover, it

needn’t cost thousands and ‘look all frilly’.

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WHERE will your event be?

• The smaller or more basic a marquee setup, the more relevant it is to use a local marquees company to remain cost effective

• Type of ground = landscaping & anchorage (staking or drilling is cheaper than needing weights on a delicate hard surface)

WHEN is your event?

• May, June, July, September & December are peak season; other times should be cheaper (booked in advance)

• The time of year affects many considerations, not just heating

WHAT would you like your marquee to do?

• SIZE: how many guests at the same time and what will they be doing?

• STYLE: classical wedding style, contemporary style for a corporate event, country show/fair, basic weather cover...

• COMPLEXITY: decor, presentation, furniture, ancillaries, add-ons...

ADVANCE BOOKING - we'll be sure we can stock it ourselves; last minute means we’ll probably have to source some parts elsewhere, and will therefore cost more

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How many people and what will they be doing?

•Standing room only = ¾m2 per person

•Seated (or dancing) only = 1m2

•Seated dining also with space for dancing and a bar area = 1½m2 per person

The grid on the right shows some of the more popular sizes but we can build anything you like.

A marquee’s dimensions should be given as width (which is the “gable end”) x length (depth), so for example 9m x 12m means the gable (triangle that’s the end of the roof, on top of the square that’s the walls) is 9m wide.

Dimensions In feet m2 Max seated dining only

Seated & dancing with bar

Standing only

3m x 3m 10 x 10 9 9 6 13

3m x 6m 10 x 20 18 18 12 26

3m x 9m 10 x 30 27 27 18 40

6m x 6m 20 x 20 36 36 24 49

6m x 9m 20 x 30 54 54 36 73

6m x 12m 20 x 40 72 72 48 97

6m x 18m 20 x 60 108 108 72 146

9m x 9m 30 x 30 81 81 54 109

9m x 12m 30 x 40 108 108 72 146

9m x 24m 30 x 80 216 216 145 292

9m x 27m 30 x 90 243 243 163 328

12m x 12m 40 x 40 144 144 96 194

12m x 15m 40 x 50 180 180 120 243

12m x 18m 40 x 60 216 216 144 291

12m x 21m 40 x 70 252 252 168 340

12m x 24m 40 x 80 288 288 192 388

12m x 27m 40 x 90 324 324 216 437

12m x 30m 40 x 100 360 360 240 485

10m x 20m 33 x 67 200 200 134 270

10m x 30m 33 x 100 300 300 201 405

10m x 40m 33 x 134 400 400 268 540

15m x 15m 50 x 50 225 225 151 304

15m x 20m 50 x 66 300 300 201 405

15m x 25m 50 x 82 375 375 251 506

15m x 30m 50 x 98 450 450 301 607

15m x 40m 50 x 130 600 600 401 809

15m x 50m 50 x 162 750 750 501 1011

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Chinese Hat Similar to a Clearspan structure, small, distinctive, popular

Dome Contemporary, popular for corporate events, inflatable

Clearspan

PVC on aluminium A-frame skeleton Modern, strong, best use of space “Clear span” means that the span of the marquee (everything inside the walls) is clear, i.e. there’s no poles, ropes etc supporting it – just the legs which align with the walls.

Traditional

Retro, heavy canvas, poles inside and ropes extending outside

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The cost is the only disadvantage but there are several advantages of having a built timber floor (with carpet/lino cover):

1. Protects against the weather-the floor stays dry and it helps stay warmer 2. Creates a level surface on uneven ground 3. Friendly to ladies in heels 4. Superior underfoot feel

We can build a bespoke, ply & bearer floor (any size/shape) or use our cassette floor system; timber infills to an aluminium extrusion system

For larger events (or very uneven surface) we can raise the floor as needed

An uncovered timber floor in an unlined marquee (30m wide, shown here as ‘canopy only’)

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Plastic floor • Great for catering tents (and walkways) – functional

but not beautiful • Good additional weather resistance – lifts wooden floor

further up away from rain • Can have carpet laid on top but not at all stiletto

friendly! Gives a clicky, plastic feel underfoot

Just carpet • Looks like a nice floor without the expense • Feel underfoot is very inferior, but good for

rustic theme or ‘tenty feel’ • Good budget option (only) when the

weather is nice, otherwise you risk soggy disaster

• Especially if the marquee is large or on uneven ground

Coco / Coir matting Good for a rustic theme, but this is used stock whereas carpet is always supplied new (we recommend carpet for guest areas)

No floor at all – a “bare tent” Used as storage, outdoors/picnic style, country show, field kitchens...

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Pleated Linings

The most common lining used in marquees

Usually ivory, but can be white

Blackout Linings

Can give a ‘nightclub’ effect in part of the marquee, or useful for slideshows

No Lining You see the roof beams and supporting legs

Flat Linings Less popular than pleated linings, but give more of a ‘crisp look’

Or any colour/ style lining you would like… It just costs more!

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Starlight Linings

Add a special effect over the dance floor,

or the whole marquee! The LEDs can be static or ‘twinkly’

Available in Scarlet, Blue, Ivory or Black

Swags (or pelmets)

Decoration that goes around the tops of the walls – choose from almost any colour (or they can match the linings)

Wall / Roof Overlays Add a matching splash of colour to your linings

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Standard White PVC the usual choice of PVC for most marquees

Clear PVC roofs, walls or

gables

or completely clear!

Black PVC

No Walls have it open sided to create a canopy

Georgian Window Walls

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Add “hard glass” windows rather than clear pvc

Without adding a “proper door” to your marquee, you can have an entrance/exit anywhere you like simply by having one of the walls off or setup as a curtain wall

You can choose glass or plastic “proper doors”

Or timber-framed fire escape doors

Or hard panel Walls

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Chandeliers

Paper globes

Uplights (which can have coloured gels)

Fairy lights or rope lights

Spotlights from roof beams

or trussing

And external – flood lights, sodium up-lights….

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We also stock tables and chair covers

Like most marquee companies, we own a core stock of the most popular and basic furniture, otherwise source on-demand from furniture rental companies, so can get whatever you like.

Here’s the basics....

Bistro style chair (white plastic)

Chiavari Chair

Gilt Chair

Wooden folding chair

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We own a large quantity of the classic parquet dance floor and also stage (supplied in 8’x4’ sections which is 10” high but can extend to 18”),

otherwise we’ll source in whatever is needed

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Marquees come in all sorts of sizes and can be put up in most locations. The width of the structure and type of ground/surface sets the method of anchorage and can have a major impact on the price. Staking in to grass is the easiest (so cheapest) and ‘self repairing’ of the small holes that remain after removal. Setting up on a hard surface is straight forward for a narrow marquee (we can use leg-attached weights) or where there’s something sturdy we can attach to. Otherwise drilling in to concrete is the cheapest (holes can be capped or filled in) or if the surface where a large marquee is setup should be preserved, we need to use ballast blocks or tanks at the base of the legs to weight it down.

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Make an entrance…. ….or keep dry!

We supply a range of gas or diesel fuelled & thermostat controlled external marquee heaters with diffuser unit for evenly pumping in the heat.

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We source in any manner of portable toilet – from the simple, classic portaloo (from £45) to a complex of luxury toilets, showers and changing rooms in a bespoke marquee

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Staircases, flowerbeds, fountains, pergolas & trees

can usually all be incorporated if the will is

there!

12m x 18m lit & lined marquee with windows, built timber floor & fitted carpet, 18’ x 18’ parquet dance floor with spot lit mirror ball, stage, tables & chairs for 150, walkway, reception, catering tent, heaters and external lighting £4,950 (but we do plenty of weddings under £2000)

15m x 25m lit & lined marquee with pelmets, panoramic windows, built floor & carpet, 21’ x 21’ dance floor with spot lights & mirror ball, tables & chairs for 160, power generator, luxury loo trailer – and a separate chillout marquee, catering tent, external seating and lighting £11,000

20m x 55m fully equipped gala marquee with seating for 500 10m x 40m presentation/awards marquee with theatre style seating for all 12m x 24m Traditional style marquee Toilet marquees Entrance/reception marquees Catering/staff marquees Storage marquees All marquees dressed to high standard with metal/glass doors and windows, power generators, luxury loos, stages, dancing £75,000

30m x 45m on 4m leg, many partitioned areas, glass &

metalwork, temporary road, separate marquees for ice

skating, catering, staff, walkways etc

Marquee supply only £75,000 – furniture, specialist lighting, main equipment etc provided

by other event companies

We offer a free site survey, free expert advice and an accurate quotation, scale diagram of the site and proposed marquee with seating plan, maybe a set of

visuals and/or 3D virtual tour CAD – “the movie of your marquee before it’s made” (the other marquee guys don’t have that)

Some examples of CAD designs

Contact us Email – ian@beesmarquees.co.uk Web – www.beesmarquees.co.uk

Phone – 01329 833950