Industry Trends

When it comes to tent events in the state of Ohio, O'Neil Tents and Party Supplies does our best to stay on top of what is current. We strive to offer what it is our customers need to make their events as successful as possible. We do this through attending various trade group meetings as mentioned in our previous blog post, but also through trade publications.

One of the best tent rental publications available is called In Tents magazine. In Tents is a comprehensive source for all aspects of the rental business. From sales ideas to best accounting practices, In Tents covers it all. One piece we always look at though is the project spotlight (please follow the link at the bottom of the page to view). The project spotlight section shows what our peers have been working on and shows the direction the industry is headed.

Another great section is the Trend Watch. Whether its how to get the most out of you tent liner, or creative ways to light a canopy, the Trend Watch keeps O'Neil Tents on the cutting edge of tented events in Ohio.

Project Spotlight: http://intentsmag.com/events/projectbriefs
Trend Watch: http://intentsmag.com/events/trendwatch

Why Join Trade Associations?

Whether you work in manufacturing, insurance, or some other area, chances are that there is an association of trade professionals for your field. These groups meet sometimes monthly, other times annually to discuss current events, trends and issues that may affect your company or the way your company operates. They aren't cheap to join and the meetings are definitely not free. So why join?

O'Neil is a member of 3 rental related groups. We are members of the International Special Events Society (ISES), the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Tent Rental Division, and the American Rental Association (ARA). We join these groups for a couple of distinct reasons.

First, trade groups help keep us on the cutting edge of the event industry. Groups like ISES pull together professionals representing many disciplines like production companies, party planners, caterers, photographers, etc... When all of these people get together they talk about what's next in their profession. They let us know where the direction their markets are heading. This is helpful to O'Neil because we can take their feedback and see how or if we should change our product offering to accommodate the newest trends.

Joining a group that is more industry specific like the Tent Rental Division in IFAI still provides cutting edge information. The main benefit here though is that we can judge if we are up to par with other companies that we may or may not be competing against. By comparing our operation with other industry specific companies, we can benchmark things like:

1. Do our installation practices need improvement?
2. Are our safety precautions are up to date?
3. Is our manufacturing operation as efficient as it should be?
4. Is there equipment that we should be using that we currently are not?

Different than the first two organizations, the ARA brings together rental companies from all aspects of industry. Where the Tent Rental Division only includes tent companies, ISES only involves event planners, the ARA includes companies that rental heavy equipment, furniture, heating and cooling, and many more. This group helps to offer perspective into the way our business is structured, the way we work with end users as well as other companies, and different ways to look at the rental process from a business perspective.

Each of these organizations is important to the way we do business. Over all, they help us to make sure we're on our game in terms of what we're doing. But when you break down the individual benefits from each group, they are each rewarding in unique ways for O'Neil.

Don't over-sell or under-sell; Just sell.

One thing that will make any event a success is getting the details just right. It's one thing to take an order from the customer and deliver their goods on the agreed upon day; However, it's a completely different thing to avoid coming up short of customer expectations.

Each customer has an image in their head about how everything should look once a job is finished. It is the job of the event professional to make sure we get as close to that image as possible with our installations. The best way to meet expectations is to develop strong communication before the job even takes place. If we can communicate what our equipment looks like and what its capable of doing, the customer will more than likely be happy with the results upon delivery.

There may come a time that a chair or table may have picked up a little dirt and needs to be replaced. Those things happen. This is when strong communication comes in most handy. It's easier at this point to let the customer know that you will replace the item and make everything right. The customer will trust that you'll fix the problem because you've been able to deliver on what you've promised so far. There is no reason, in their mind, that you won't be able to fix a little problem. You haven't promised them the moon and not delivered anything.

Some people are of the opinion that you should sell your capabilities a little bit short to the customer. This way when you over deliver, you look amazing. To O'Neil though, it just seems like you're telling the customer: "We aren't that great. Don't expect too much." This is no way to develop a reputation as being reliable.

When I go on sales calls representing O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies to our customers, I try to give them the most realistic expectations as possible. I have no problem highlighting areas in which we've surpassed expectations. This isn't over-promising or over-selling. Its being honest about our experience and what we're capable of. Because we've surpassed expectations time and again, customers know we will go the extra mile to make their upcoming event a success.

September Recap

Long time no post. We're coming back from our busiest time of the year, and we've been a part of some pretty fantastic events. O'Neil was a part of the New Albany Classic, Delaware County Fair, the Michigan Irish Music Festival, the Country Living Expo, the Bob Evans Farm Festival, corporate events for Columbus companies, tailgate events for The Ohio State University Alumni Association, as well as hundreds of other events and parties.

It used to be that the end of our busy season was setting up and taking down the Fairfield county fair. Anymore we're pushing full steam ahead into October with tailgates, weddings, and other corporate events. Its great seeing an empty lot next door when its normally full of trucks waiting for a job to deliver.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp

The weather in Ohio is starting to change from the harsh heat and humidity of August to cool nights and pleasant days. This can only mean one thing: Fall is upon is. Not only is fall here, but that means its time for football. If you live in Ohio, you probably root for the Browns or the Bengals.

For the last couple of years, O'Neil Tents has partnered with a Cleveland affiliate to set up tents and structure for the Cleveland Browns training camp. We set up areas that allow the fans to experience the players up close and personal and really see what its like to be on the sideline for a pro game. The biggest of the tents we erect is a 15m wide structure on a 3 foot tall stage to help create unobstructed views of practice. What's even nicer than the view is the fact that our structure has an indoor area sectioned off and air conditioned for catering. Because of the versatility of clearspan structure, its no problem to create a carpeted area that has a refrigerator, seating for 50, buffet service, and a great view of practice.

In addition to the catered area, we a handful of smaller frame tents used for vendors and autograph signings. If you're a customer like Cleveland Browns, not just any tent will do. Our manufacturing teams created tent tops color matched to the Browns logos.

Clearspan structure with covered "patio" area and interior

Air conditioned catering area.

Orange tent on the right end is a custom O'Neil Tent. 

Know where you came from.

Every week, the administrative team at O'Neil has a staff meeting during lunch to discuss upcoming jobs, challenges we might face, or new opportunities that we are working on. This week,  Marianne Ritchey, one of the original owners of O'Neil Tents, stopped in.

As we sat and discussed business, I couldn't help but think about the great start Marianne and her husband Jim gave O'Neil when they took over operations. Jim (called doc by just about everyone) and Marianne first became involved with the company as an investment, but later assumed control of operations when they realized the potential of the tent rental industry.

Early on, the company consisted of a small office in front of a 2,000 square feet of warehouse space. With a focus on festivals and fairs, O'Neil quickly earned our name as an up and coming player in the rental market. Over the years, O'Neil has built our reputation as a top event rental provider as well as our physical footprint. We now operate out of 5 warehouses in Canal Winchester with an onsite manufacturing facility.

I am the third generation in the Ritchey family to work for O'Neil Tents. While it is exciting to look towards the future of the company and all of the opportunities on the horizon. It is important for me to not forget where the business came from: Two people who wanted to provide high quality products and service to their customers.

While technology may change our equipment and how the company operates, the hall marks of quality products and services will always be the cornerstone of our operation.

- Mark Ritchey, Sales and Marketing Manager

Pickerington Violet Festival

The Pickerington Violet Festival is going on right now. O'Neil Tents crew leader Kyle Waller was recently featured in a piece by the Pickerington Times Sun as he was pounding stakes for one of the many pole tents at the festival. To read the story, please click here.

We are proud to take part in so many festivals around the central Ohio area. We enjoy helping the community celebrate and make lasting memories!

Gearing Up

Sailors call it the calm before the storm when the weather gets eerily calm but you know a rough patch is on the horizon. That's kind of where we are right now. We're staying consistently busy but getting ready to ramp up into the horizon of the summer.

On the slate for this week is the St. Matthews festival in Gahanna, the Jazz & Rib Festival in downtown Columbus, the Cleveland Browns training camp, and to ice the cake we've started setting up the Dublin Irish Festival (the largest event of its kind in the US). Next week is more of Irish Festival, MOPAR Nationals, as well as the Violet Festival in Pickerington, OH. I'm not even going to get into September (it gets messy, but messy in a good way).

Believe me, I'm not complaining. Its good doing all of these big jobs as well as the smaller residential parties during the summer. Its also a good feeling knowing that we have a team of experienced professionals to handle the pressure of the upcoming months.

Side note to this posting: We remodled our offices last year. A complete gut was completed by DJ Builders out of the London, OH. area. They did a fantastic job. I've posted some pictures to our Facebook account here.

Rent what you need, not what we have.

Often times, companies will push customers into certain products due to what they have in stock. While this makes some sense, in the fact that you can't sell what you don't have. It's not right for the customer. Customers should buy (or in our case rent) what they need, not what we have.

Talking a customer into a certain product because its the only one you have is wrong. Leading the customer to believe that they are getting exactly what they need, then delivering a product that does not meet expectations is dishonest.

For example, Mrs. Smith asks for a quote on her daughter's upcoming wedding reception. She tells me the number of expected guests, the details of how the event should be laid out and what style of tent she is looking for. I take all of those important details and tailor a solution customized to her needs.

Everything should be spaced appropriately so they don't run into a situation where Uncle Jim and Aunt Marianne aren't eating dinner on the dance floor. There will also be more than a half of a foot between the buffet and the edge of the tent to allow for traffic to flow through easily.

After laying out all of the appropriate space requirements on my CAD software, I then choose an appropriate tent size, not the other way around. I would never say, "The largest tent I have is 40'x60'. Now let's figure out how to cram everyone in." Sometimes, this means that the reception will cost a little more, but as they say, you pay for what you get.

Over the years, O'Neil Tents has been able to build our tent and rental inventory to include almost any possible tent size. This means that we don't have to push you into something because its the only one we have. We can look at what works best for you and your event and plan accordingly.

Customers: If you don't choose to rent with O'Neil, make sure you end up with what works best for you not what works best for the rental company. 

Time for Reflection

Graduation season has passed. We're seeing a couple of residual parties this weekend, but they are done for the most part. First, congratulations to all of the grads! Second, thank you all very much for choosing O'Neil Tents to provide your rental equipment needs.

Now that the craziness of the last three weeks has died down, we have had some time to reflect. While O'Neil does provide tents and party rentals for some of the Midwest's largest festivals, fairs and events, we cherish the opportunity to serve the families of the Columbus area. The last couple of weeks have been a fantastic reminder of a few key thoughts:

1. O'Neil is a business driven by the needs of our customers. While many graduation parties may include very similar elements (20 foot frame or pole tents, tables, chairs and linens), each is unique in their own way. The Jones family doesn't care that we've done about 200 parties similar to their's in the last 3 weeks, all they care about is that their party is as special as it can be for them. We respect this desire and try to focus our service accordingly.

2. Cleanliness of our equipment is one of the best ways to service each individual customer. Our wash crews were thrown into the crucible over the last couple of weeks. Needing to turn high levels of inventory over with relatively short lead times, means more operational strain. Consistent rain over the last 3 weeks added one more complication as nothing ruins a tent top faster than mud stains in the stitching and webbing. Because of our experience in tent rentals, we know to use tarps while taking down tents to protect them from stains and mud. Applying our experience in the simple things like using tarps positions us to not only serve our customers next week, but it also makes happy customers in one month and one years time.

3. Growing your business means pushing your operating capacity. While all of these graduation parties were going on, we also erected over 100 tents just for the Asian festival, wedding tents, the Park Street Festival, massive clearspan structures in Cleveland and countless other corporate functions. We're moving right into the Pride Parade in downtown Columbus, the Gahanna Jazz festival and setting up the Tattoo event at Wright Patterson Air Force Base all this week. That's quite a lot, and that's ok. We'll never know how much we can do and how good of an equipment rental company we can be without pushing ourselves. After the last couple of weeks, a little breather in the action is nice, but its good to know that we are capable of some pretty great things.

4. Without the right people in place, none of our recent successes would have been possible. Some of our delivery crew members have been with O'Neil for well over 10 years. Some have joined us in the last couple of months. No matter what the duration of experience is, each member is vitally important to our success. With a lot of training and solid operational support, our guys on the road are confident they have the skills necessary to accomplish any task presented. It is this confidence that our customers see. It is this confidence that leads to a job well done.

It has been a rough couple of weeks but they have shed light on what is truly important to our customers and how we can better give them what they expect.

Thanks again for reading the blog. Let us know what you think in the comments section. (Next week we'll be back to posting lots of awesome pictures of events O'Neil is working on. We promise.)

The Right Stuff

There is a lot that sets O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies apart as a tent rental company from our competition. We've previously discussed how our manufacturing capabilities give O'Neil a competitive advantage. This week, we started construction on an amazing project that, after a little reflection, we wouldn't have been able to do without our decades of experience.

We have come a long way from the early days of frame and pole tents at festivals to where we are now. Our most recent major project is the construction of a 30 meter clearspan and two 40' x 60' frame tents on the field of Ohio Stadium for the Make a Wish Foundation's Big Wish Gala. To say that this project is awesome is an understatement.

Back in the early 80's O'Neil Tents made the decision to get into the world of clearspan structure. At the time, this was a pretty risky venture. The only tents that our customers were renting were pole or frame tents. Looking at European trends, and preparing for the day that all tents would need to be inspected and permitted by the government made our a decision easier. Clearspan structures would be the wave of the future.

Luckily, this bet has paid off. More and more, State and Local governments are requiring safety inspections on tents over a certain size. Because clearspan structures are engineered to withstand wind and snow loads, they meet and exceed safety requirements. While other companies are scrambling to shift their inventory over to structures, O'Neil has been there and been doing that for over 20 years. 

Back to the work we're doing for the Make a Wish event. The structure for the Make a Wish event is 30 meters wide and 60 meters long. We custom manufactured clear panels and gable ends for the structure as well as installing solid white wall on the sides. The side wall was custom cut to marry up to the 7 large HVAC units used to heat and cool the structure.

The synthetic surface of the field was our main challenge for this job. Because we were not able to stake into the ground, we had large plates fabricated to hold 10,000 pound concrete blocks at each upright in order to meet engineering codes. Aside from the staking issue, there was constant rain for 3 days straight. Weather forced us to slow down the install to ensure that our crews were able to safely erect the heavy parts that go into a 30 meter structure. Again, experience tells us when to slow down and when to proceed full speed ahead.

The results of this project were amazing due to our experience, quality manufacturing, well maintained inventory, and partnership with a dozen other vendors. O'Neil is happy to have been a part of such an awe-inspiring job and we look forward to more like it in the future.

To view a complete photo gallery of the event set up, visit our facebook page by clicking here.

Off to the Races!

This past weekend, Churchill Downs hosted one of the oldest and most repected thoroughbred horse races in the world, the Kentucky Derby. People from all around the world flock to Louisville, Kentucky to witness the "fastest 2 minutes in sports". For those of us who couldn't make the trip to Churchill downs, there were several opportunities to view the races elsewhere. However, if you wanted to view the race in style, you were at Beulah Park in Grove City, Ohio.


Beulah Park is Ohio's first thoroughbred racing track, built in 1923. It was also the first track in Ohio to offer simulcast wagering on the Kentucky Derby. Each year Beulah Park hosts a derby party as a celebration for the end of their racing season. O'Neil Tents erects a 25 meter wide by 35 meter long clearspan structure right next to the track as a hospitality area for VIP's. O'Neil provides a tent for the buffet line attached to the main structure as well as the tables and chairs for patrons.

To make the experience one to remember, Beulah Park puts its VIP's right next to the track. Being 20 feet away from a thoroughbred horse as it races past you to the finish is an experience like any other. Rain or shine, Beulah wanted their patrons to be a part of that thrilling moment. O'Neil used clear wall for the side panels to keep everyone on top of the action. Luckily, the weather held off during the races and Beulah was able to unfasten the panels, creating open area between the structure and the track.

Whether their bets were winners or losers, everyone at Beulah park was treated to a one of a kind day of fun. Check out some more of our pictures from the day on our Facebook fan page by clicking here: Derby Pictures

Columbus, Ohio ...

Columbus Ohio has many reasons to celebrate. Columbus is consistently ranked by major publications as one of the top cities to live, learn, or let your hair down in. The city is among the nations most diverse in terms of urban, suburban and rural residences. Its citizens work in diverse markets balanced between manufacturing and service industries. Columbus is a center of higher education. Schools range from the very large like The Ohio State University, the nations largest public university with an enrollment of over 60,000, to Ohio Dominican University, a smaller school with 3,100 students, but still an integral part of the community. Columbus does a fantastic job of helping its citizens enjoy their down time with a thriving downtown nightlife, professional sports teams, or with festivals and fairs. Columbus has many reasons to celebrate. That's why O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies is proud to serve the party rental needs of Columbus, Ohio whether it be where the people live, learn or play.

O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies made our name a long time ago by providing the best tent rentals in the state of Ohio. Several years ago, we set up tents for county fairs or local festivals exclusively. We were the best at showing up to an empty field, setting up tents, tables and chairs and turning it into a festival by the end of day. We still are the best, as evidence by our work with the Dublin Irish Festival, the Asian Festival, and the Ohio State Fair. Around 1960 though, our focus started to expand.

Columbus Ohio needed party equipment for their residential and corporate events. Doing what any good business does, we satisfied the need demanded by our market. Our inventory expanded to include tents that were more suitable for the Morgan's wedding as well as MOPAR Nationals race course. We added specialty items like linens, dish and barware rentals to accompany our tent, table and chair rentals. The combination of our developed skill in tenting and growing specialty items made O'Neil a great fit for corporate events and universities alike.

Regardless of job size, O'Neil recognizes that our results must be exceptional. We deliver the same results for large Ohio State University tailgate parties as we do for back yard graduation parties. The reason for this is simple: Our goal is to give you the best event experience possible. Because the Columbus market is diverse in its needs, O'Neil has made our inventory equally as flexible. Our inventory can be as big or small, elaborate or simple as our customers need it to be.

When you go out and see our tents or event rentals, whether its in the Arena District, the Short North, the Campus Area, or its to your local Festival or Fair, you can be comfortable knowing that over 100 years of knowledge and experience went into that event. O'Neil Tents has grown with the City of Columbus over the years and we have been happy to help it celebrate its many occassions large or small.

Advertising Campaign Kick-off

O'Neil Tents is happy to announce that our advertising campaign has just kicked off. We have spots playing on 610 WTVN throughout the week. We are excited to reach more potential customers than ever before!

Click the links below to listen to our spots:
15 second ad
5 second ad

Graduation Season

As Spring turns into Summer, graduation season is approaching and O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies is moving into our busy season. This time of year, O'Neil takes hundreds of calls from people looking to plan their son or daughter's graduation party and we are more than happy to help.

Some customers know what they would like for their graduation parties like tents, tables and chairs. Some customers need a little more help. At O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies we pride ourselves in helping you find the right rental equipment solutions for your specific needs. O'Neil recognizes there is no "cookie cutter" party. Each party is unique and is treated accordingly.

O'Neil Tents offers free site evaluations to all of our customers. Sending our professionals to your site does a couple of things. First, we can help you plan out your event space. We can find potential problems like low hanging tree limbs or sprinkler systems that might interfere with setting the tent up. Second, we can help you think of items you might have overlooked like coolers, trash cans, or linens.


Graduation Party Planning Tips from the Pro's:

Think about the drive way as a tent location.

All too often, we send our professionals out to a job site to measure for a party and the slope of the customers yard is not conducive for a tent. If you have this same problem, don't be discouraged! Most drive ways are big enough to accommodate tents. Another benefit of the driveway is that they are very flat. Tables and chairs can sit on drive ways without wobbling like they do in the grass sometimes.

Plan to seat about half of your expected guests at one time.
One of the first questions we will ask our customers is how many people will be attending your celebration. This serves a couple of purposes: First, it helps determine necessary tent size; Second, it helps to figure how much seating is needed. During high school graduation season, there are typically a handful of parties on the same day and guests will be coming and going throughout the day. In our experience, you shouldn't need seating for more than about half of your guests at any one time.


Call before you dig.
The utility companies have been using this slogan for years to warn their customers about the dangers of digging without knowing what's under the ground. We ask that you use do the same thing before we install our tents. Some of our tents require staking into the ground for tensioning. Our stakes sink roughly two and a half feet into the ground. This is deep enough to reach irrigation, electric or cable lines. Save the head ache and call before we stake. Click this link for the correct contact info for Ohio customers.


Keep the hot stuff hot and the cold stuff cold.
Our customers are pretty good about remembering coolers for events. All too often though hot food is over-looked. We've all been to parties where the hosts are serving light hors d'oeuvres and they taste fantastic right when they are hot out of the oven. After some time though, the hot food gets cold and loses flavor and texture. Most times, a good portion of the appetizers get thrown out because they've become un-appetizing. Avoid this common trip up and think about renting chafers for your function. Chafing dishes will help keep the quality of your food consistent over a longer period of time.


Keeping these tips in mind as you plan your next function might help you avoid some headaches down the road!

The History of Tents

Tents have been around as long as people have needed temporary shelter from the elements. From the early nomads roaming the plains in search of food to catered corporate luncheons, tents have a storied past. Over the years, tents have been made from animal hides and various fabrics like cotton, nylon, felt or vinyl. To waterproof early models, the cotton was covered in paraffin wax. This was a great idea until people realized that paraffin is EXTREMELY flammable. After experiencing a steep learning curve with cotton, lighter materials like nylon were employed because they didn't absorb as much water as the cotton would. Nylon was the material of choice for a number of years until plastics and vinyl were introduced to the market. These materials were light weight and water tight, making them ideal for shelter coverings.

Shape and styles of commercial tents have changed with technology just as much as the materials used from their coverings. Larger tents that aren't usually used for sleeping are commonly known as marquees. These are the tents that you would see at company functions or for large gatherings. There are several types of marquees like bail-ring tents, pole tents, or frame tents.

Bail-ring tents were usually larger than 100 feet wide and you would generally see them at an old circus or exposition. Set up of these tents had to be very precise. First, center poles were erected and tensioned out to stakes using guy lines. Next, the entire tent top was spread out and attached to shackles. These shackles attached to ropes and pulleys on the center poles. Upright poles were installed on the side of the tent to give the crews just enough room to work. They would crank the pulleys attached to the shackles raising the tent top (circus elephants were also used to raise the tops). Further tensioning of the sides was completed and the tent was ready for use. Bail-ring tents were labor intensive and faded in popularity when heavy machinery became more readily available.

Very similar to bail ring tents are traditional pole tents. Pole tents are usually smaller than bail-ring tents, with the tops weighing a great deal less. Pole tents are set up very similar to their predecessor with one major difference. Companies got rid of the bail-ring and shackle system in favor of their crews manually pushing the center poles up. The large holes in the top of the tent created by the shackles were all but eliminated, leaving a small hole for the center pole to be guided up through. These tents are still commonly used today and hold up great in the wind and rain when they are tensioned properly.

As time progressed, customers weren't happy that so much of the tented area was consumed with the center poles of the traditional pole tents. Manufacturers listened and developed frame tents. Frame tents are constructed out of pre-engineered aluminum or steel tubes that are arranged to create the shape of the tent top. The top then slides over the assembled frame and is fixed to the frame by strapping. The legs are connected and you have a tent in no time. Because of the strength of the assembled frame, no center poles are needed and customers can enjoy the whole tent without obscured views. Less staking is required for frame tents than traditional pole tents. Less staking is a benefit to customers as there is less of a tripping hazard.

The future of marquee tenting is heading the direction of clearspan structures. Clear span structures are generally available from 10 feet to 150 in width and are lengthened based on a modular design system. Engineered to withstand harsh snow and wind conditions, clearspans are as smart as they are strong. Frames are assembled in place and raised into the air. As arches are formed and connected, tops are pulled through kedered runs, making the structure water tight. Construction is simple, but what you can do with a structure is worlds beyond any other tenting system. Flooring can be installed in structures. Glass or insulated walling units are available as well as doors. Liners, lighting and sound systems can be attached to the high strength rafter beams. The list of possibilities goes on and on.

Since our founding in 1886, O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies has been on the leading edge of tent technology. O'Neil listens to what our customers want and reacts accordingly. O'Neil was one of the first companies in the country to introduce structure to the marketplace. O'Neil's early adopter stance on tent technology gives us immense experience in what's next. We look forward to moving forward with you!

... & Party Supplies

Sometimes its easy to leave off the "...& Party Supplies" from our name. It makes sense. We do tents extremely well. O'Neil has over 120 years experience constructing tents and temporary structures in the Midwest. It's safe to say we've been around the block a time or two. Leaving off the rest of the company name is easy, but incorrect. O'Neil is so much more than just tents.


Rather than force our customers to work with a handful of rental shops around town for their event, its logical to offer as much event equipment as makes sense under one roof. Some people use the cliche, "One stop party shop", to describe their business. While this saying is somewhat true of O'Neil it doesn't really capture all of our capabilities. Full service event equipment rental shop is much more accurate (although it doesn't rhyme or sound as catchy).


If we were to tell you that we provide equipment for events like the Dublin Irish Festival. The assumption would be that we provide tenting. That would be true, but its not the whole story. The Dublin Irish Festival has grown over the years to become the largest gathering of its kind in the country. O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies has been there every step of the way to accommodate the expansion. Because of our wide variety of rental inventory, we provide hundreds of tables, thousands of chairs, staging for performance areas, and much more. We are a proud sponsor of the Dublin Irish Festival and can't wait for this August when it opens again!


Another illustration of the importance of the party supplies are fundraising events like the one held annually at Columbus Bishop Hartley High School. Every year, Hartley holds its fundraiser to support its tuition assistance fund. O'Neil provides hundreds of chairs and dozens of tables for the event. On top of the tables and chairs, we provide a full table service of dishware, barware and silverware. Along with those food service items, O'Neil also helps with setting up bars and skirting, pipe and drape to hide the bleachers, and linen service. When it's all said and done, Hartley is able to raise funds for its programs and we help them do it in style!


Surely the"...& Party Supplies" portion of our company name is important.While it may be over-looked sometimes, these are the services that allow O'Neil to be a "full service equipment rental shop". We doubt that tag line will catch on. It's okay with us though, just so long as our customers know we can handle all of their equipment rentals without a problem.

Manufacturing is Our Advantage

In 1990, Michael Porter (world famous Havard Business School professor on strategy) published a theory called Competitive Advantage. Porter said that a company creates a competitive advantage when it develops goods or services that allow it to provide an advantage of differentiation over its competitors, ultimately creating higher levels of value to the consumer. Smart guy, but a little long winded. Here it is in a nutshell: When a company can do something of value for its customers that its competitors can't, that company has an advantage.

O'Neil Tents is a study in competitive advantage for one simple reason: Manufacturing. O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies has manufactured our own tent tops, side wall and other custom pieces for over 50 years. Our 2,500+ square foot on site manufacturing facility is complete with welding and sewing machines - this means production is handled in house with short turn around times. All of our space, capability and experience would be meaningless though if we couldn't translate them into benefits for our customers.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is an important fundraising event held annually to promote breast cancer awareness and research. Thousands of people participate in the race each year in Columbus, all wearing pink ribbons and shirts as pink is the awareness color for people suffering from breast cancer. Before the event in 2004, we were approached by the Race for the Cure staff on the possibility of having pink tent tops at water and first aid stations to reinforce the theme of awareness. Because of our manufacturing capabilities, pink tents weren't an issue. It's small details like the tent tops that help make events unique.

Our manufacturing was also put to the test this year by the Wendy's Chili Open, an event held at the Columbus Zoo supporting Central Ohio charities. We custom-made a clearspan structure to create an unobstructed seating area that connected local restaurant vendor space to the performance stage. We covered an area that could be comforably heated where guests could enjoy the delicious food and listen to live music. Was it a challenge? You bet. Was it worth it? Absolutely! To see how the tents came together check out this video on youtube.

Manufacturing at O'Neil supports everyday applications as well. Many bars and restaurants have begun using enclosed awning spaces for their patrons to use. We help those establishments meet local code by supplying tear away emergency exits for the enclosures. This creative solution keeps the area walled in for heating but allows quick exit in case of emergency.

Whether its an item for everyday use, or adding elements that will help to make your event special, O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies has the expertise to manufacture exactly what you need. We like to think that the only limit of what we can do is your imagination.

St. Patrick's Day

The snow is finally gone in Columbus, OH and that means one thing: It's time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And celebrate we did! There were events all over town from the parades Downtown and in Dublin, the Irish Family reunion at Veterans Memorial, and several celebrations at bars and restaurants. O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies was there to help the city celebrate in style.

The biggest celebration in town is at Flannagan's in Dublin. O'Neil erected an 18,800 square foot structure to accommodate the thousands of people who came out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We specially manufactured Green panels for the top which added a special flare to the event.

This event really goes to show why clearspan structures are great for events. Flannagans was able to heat the structure, construct a full stage complete with lighting for the band, roll in a couple of beer carts and a food cart and they weren't too tight on space for their guests. They wouldn't have been able to do nearly that much with a tradional pole tent or frame tents.

O'Neil Tents & Party Supplies also had tents up at various other locations through town. We covered patios at O'Shaughnessy's Public House in the Arena District, both Brazenhead locations, Patrick J's, Callahan's and we helped Lounge 62 in Gahanna celebrate its first St. Patrick's day.

These events can sometimes be challenging to set up, each with their own special needs. For example, the Brazenhead location in Grandview required 10 foot tall sides. Another special need was setting up O'Shaughnessy's tent after the downtown work crowd had cleared out at 8 pm. O'Neil is always willing to work with our customers to meet any unusual request they may have as our primary goal is helping them to host the best event possible.

Now that Spring is in the air, our busy season is coming up. We're looking forward to the Weddings, Graduation parties, 4th of July celebrations, fairs, festivals and numerous other special events in central Ohio.

Getting to Know O'Neil Tents

In 1886 several important events occurred: Karl Benz patented the first gas powered automobile; Coca Cola was invented; and the Statue of Liberty was dedicated, ensuing in the first ever ticker tape parade. That same year, in Columbus Ohio, O’Neil Awning and Tent Company was founded. Since 1886, changes have affected all of those events: Almost everyone drives a car; Coca Cola now competes with Pepsi globally; New York’s skyline is now dominated by skyscrapers instead of a lonely Lady Liberty; O’Neil Awning and Tent Company has grown to become a Tent and Party Rental industry leader.

Buckeye Tent Products Circa 1922:

O’Neil Tents and Party Supplies, as the company is known today, is really the combination of two companies: O’Neil Awning and Tent Company and Buckeye Tent Company. Buckeye Tent Company was established in 1909 in Columbus, Ohio. Buckeye was purchased by the Ritchey family in 1960. Three years later, the Ritchey’s acquired O’Neil Awning and Tent Company. For a couple of years in the early 60’s the two companies operated independently of one another until they were merged into the same business under the O’Neil name. After about five years, the Ritchey family decided to specialize in tents and non tent rental items and the awning portion of the business was spun off.

O’Neil now provides a wide range of rental products with tents as their primary focus. In addition to tents, rental products also include tables, chairs, linens, dishware, barware, silverware, staging, dance floor, and dozens of other accessories. All of these elements combined allow customers to meet their rental needs all in one location. O’Neil has developed its manufacturing capabilities over the years and makes their own tent tops and related vinyl products. The demonstrated strength in manufacturing is leveraged to respond quickly to customer needs.

Both rental inventory growth and expanding areas of service to include Cincinnati, Cleveland, Michigan and Kentucky have made O’Neil a leader in tent and party rental.

O’Neil realizes that their customers rely on them to make their events successful, no matter the size. O’Neil is committed to helping its customers make each event the best it can be.