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.