O'Neil Manufacturing

O'Neil has been manufacturing our our tent tops, clear span tent panels, tent wall, and other related items for over 30 years now. We have relied on our vinyl welding, heat sealing and sewing machines to bulk up our own rental inventory but now its time to put our experience in manufacturing to work for you.

We acknowledge that our expertise is as a frame tent manufacturer and would like to build relationships with other rental outfits, helping to replace, enhance and bolster their tent inventories. We specialize in "Indiana" style frame tents but are capable of making a top to fit any tent our there. In addition to tent manufacturing, O'Neil is going to jump into the contract sewing and welding industries.

What the heck is a derecho anyways?

"According to the National Weather Service, a derecho is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. Generally, derechos are convection-induced and take on a bow echo form of squall line, forming in an area of wind divergence in the upper levels of the troposphere, within a region of low-level warm air advection and rich low-level moisture. They travel quickly in the direction of movement of their associated storms, similar to an outflow boundary (gust front), except that the wind is sustained and increases in strength behind the front, generally exceeding hurricane-force. A warm-weather phenomenon, derechos occur mostly in summer, especially during June and July in the Northern Hemisphere, within areas of moderately strong instability and moderately strong vertical wind shear. They may occur at any time of the year and occur as frequently at night as during the daylight hours."

In other words, derecho's are fast moving bands of thunderstorms in the Midwest that can create hurricane force winds. On June 29th, a derecho came through town, clocked at 83 mph. The storm was so fast moving that it left little warning or preparation time. We had several projects set up and we had several projects go down because of that storm. While the toll was rough for a tent company in terms of loss, over a hundred thousand people lost power due to the storm, some for over a week.

We have not seen storm related damage like that since Hurricane Ike blew through the Midwest before it finally fizzled out. All told, a couple of dozen tents were lost due to the winds. More amazing to us were the tents that didn't fall down. There was no rhyme or reason as to why they were left standing. A structure engineered to with stand 80 mph winds got yanked 15' into the air and tossed about 75' through and past a chain link fence, but a 20x20 frame tent with no engineering or wind load design was o.k. in an open field. It's mind boggling.

In the end, no one was injured by our tents or structures and that's the most important thing to consider. It was an awesome reminder of just how powerful mother nature can be. Some times there is nothing that you can do but sit back and pick up the pieces when its all over.

What derecho damage looks like in person (photo by NBC4i.com):


What a derecho looks like on the radar (photo from the National Weather Service):

A Truly Special Event

A lot of talk in the industry goes on about what makes a special event. There are special event planners, special event managers, special event services companies like ours, and the list goes on and on for all things special event related. I got to thinking about it recently and the only thing that really makes one event special next to all the others is the cause that it is being held for.

Sure, birthday and graduation parties are great. We enjoy setting up weddings because of the elegance associated with them. Local fairs and festivals bring people from various communities together. In our jam packed schedule, we probably work on 2,000 "special events" of varying sizes and scope every year. To us though, probably the most special of all of those events is going on this weekend at The Ohio State University with the Special Olympics.

From the Special Olympics Ohio website --

The concept of Special Olympics began in the early 1960's when Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a day camp for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The first national meet was held at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1968 for 1,000 athletes from the United States and Canada. Shortly thereafter, Ohio began a Special Olympics program under the name of the Ohio Athletic Association. Special Olympics Ohio became incorporated in 1975. Today, there are Special Olympics programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 150 different countries around the world.

Special Olympics Ohio has approximately 200 local member organizations and over 23,000 athletes who are in training and competition. These organizations originate from County Boards of MR/DD, public schools, developmental centers, parks and recreation departments, churches and parent and community groups.

We have been participating in this awesome event for as long as I can remember and I hope that O'Neil will continue to participate in it as long as possible.

New Clear Span Structure Inventory!

Great news! O'Neil Tents and Party Supplies is now offering 40' wide clear span structures.

We are expanding our clear span structure inventory, which is already the largest in the state of Ohio, to include 40' wide structures.

The benefits of these structures are numerous:

1. Our new 40' structures are engineered to withstand winds of up to 65 mph. That's strong!

2. While our traditional 40' frame tents offer no center pole or support obstructions under the body of the tent, our new structures take that a step further with modular addition of sections in 10' increments. The real benefit here is to our long term renters. If you need more space than originally planned, we won't need to come out and take down your existing tent to add more space to it. We can simply add sections to the existing tent while its still in the air. This gives you more space in less time! Rather than a full day to add an additional 20' to an existing tent, our time will be cut to about 1-2 hours on site.

3. Side heights are extendable up to 10'. Currently, our frame tents come in 7' or 8' side heights with limited opportunities to extend those sides higher. We can easily extend our clear span structures to the side height of your choosing. This is ideal for using stages under the tents.

4. Easier uses of mixed media tops and covers. Our new structures make it worlds easier to use different types of roof and side fabrics. We can transition between opaque, translucent and clear tops to give your event a high end feel without breaking your budget.

O'Neil now offers engineered tent solutions in 33', 40', 49', 66', 82', and 100' widths making us the leading tent and structure renter in terms of safety and choice. Starting in the second week of July we will be expanding our huge inventory even further to include 20' wide engineered structures. Truly now, ALL of your tenting needs can be met safely and efficiently.

For details on pricing, please visit us on the web at www.oneiltents.com.

Commencing of Commencement

It's graduation season, not only for high school seniors but also for those at colleges and Universities across the country. It's a great time to celebrate achievements and to look forward to whats ahead. Some will move on to college and further their education, others will be moving into the "real world" and begin their careers and count down to retirement.

We are lucky to be a part of so many celebrations, not only in the central Ohio area, but also in various locations around the state. In partnership with Advanced Tent in Cleveland, we erected a MASSIVE 100'x300' clear span structure for the Lakeland Community College commencement ceremony. Believe it or not, an 82' x 245' structure was not large enough to house the ceremony. As far as classy ceremonies go, this one takes the cake.

It took us only 2 days to erect and finish this huge clear span structure. The first day was comprised of laying out base plates and frame as well as driving stakes to secure the temporary structure able to withstand 70 mph winds. The second day was for erecting the frame with the help of some heavy lifting equipment and pull through the vinyl tops. Who would think that in only 2 days you could have 30,000 sq. ft. of unobstructed space set up and ready to use? It's pretty amazing when you think about it.

Take a look at the photos below to see our results. All photos are courtesy of Lakeland Community College.

Graduation Party Tent Check List

As the season approaches for graduation and commencements, there are several items that a renter must consider. Hopefully, this check list will make you're party planning go smoothly and allow you to enjoy the celebration rather than stress over the details. Of course, please visit us at www.oneiltents.com to view our full product assortment and party options.

1. Do I need a permit? - Depends. If your tent is less than 400 sq. ft. (20x20), you generally do not need a permit. Check with your local building department and fire department to be sure of their requirements.

2. How large of a tent should I rent? - Depending on the number of guests and how you'd like to use the space, different tent sizes can accomplish different atmospheres. For a good guide of spacing requirements, please see the seating arrangement page on our website at http://www.oneiltents.com/pages/seating.aspx.

*** It is important to keep in mind that depending on the size of your space, you need to allow some extra room on the perimeter for stakes to be driven to secure the tent. For example, if you have a 20x20 space, we may be able to only set up a 15x15 tent when allowing for the stake line along the perimeter.

3. Can I cook or grill under the tent? - ABSOLUTELY NOT. According to the 2009 International Fire Code,     Outdoor cooking shall not be located within 20 feet of tents. (2404.15.6)

4. Should I rent a pole tent or a frame tent? - Depends. Pole tents are generally less expensive than frame tents but there are certain benefits for each. A pole tent is great if you don't mind center poles partially obstructing your event space. Also, pole tents MUST be staked into the ground for proper set up. Frame tents offer no obstruction throughout the event space and do not have to be staked. Frame tents can be secured using water barrels or concrete ballasts. Depending on your situation one may be a better option than the other.

5. Do I need to rent lighting? - Depending on the time of day for your event, the answer may be no. Of course night time events should be properly lit for the safety of your guests. However, if its a daytime event, odds are you probably don't need to rent additional lighting. If you're looking to add a little flare to your tent, string lights and Christmas lights always look nice.

6. How soon should I be placing my order? We would recommend placing your order as soon as possible. Placing your order early guarantees that our full inventory selection will be available for you to choose from. As we get closer and closer to the event date, supplies go quickly. Also keep in mind that all orders for linens must be placed at a minimum of two weeks ahead of time.

I hope this guide is helpful. If you aren't sure about the size of the space you have available, please call our office at 614-837-6352 and we can schedule a time for one of our representatives to give you a free on site consultation.

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IFAI Tent Rental Division - Expo Follow up

For those IFAI - TRD members who weren't able to attend the meeting in Vegas, you missed out on an exceptional learning experience and an all around great time with peers and leaders in our industry.

The conference started on Sunday with the Golf scramble. My foursome didn't win but we finished pretty respectably for a group without an NCAA golfer on our team. Overall, it was a great opportunity to have fun with friends old and new.

Monday was the first day of meetings. The topics covered were great. Several members put on a panel of what to do when an emergency occurs at an event, how to prepare for emergencies and how to speak with the media after catastrophe. The board brought in speakers that talked about the best way to hire and retain good employees, as well as (my personal highlight of the day) a sales strategist. The strategist/mentalist covered a wide range of topics from personal interactions to how the words you choose to use can make or break sales. VERY informational.

The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the initial results from the ballasting study from the Clemson University staff. I will not say too much about the study as it is yet to be completed other than this: This study will absolutely revolutionize the way our industry ballasts tents and structures in the near future.

I am proud to be a part of a professional organization that is so forward thinking. Being on the leading edge of the industry is an interesting place to be. We all saw how well received the staking survey was. I believe that the ballasting study will be of even greater importance.

IFAI Tent Rental Division Expo

O'Neil will be sending 2 representatives to the IFAI TRD expo in Las Vegas this weekend. We are both extremely excited about the Ballasting Study Results that are going to be presented. This study has been a long time in the making, and has been a hot topic of conversation for most of the rental companies in the IFAI. The study focuses on the best way to ballast structures instead of staking them down.

It's very satisfying knowing that a group we're involved with has safety concerns for event goers in the front of their minds.

More to come from the weekend in Vegas... Stay tuned!

For more info about our company and the products we offer, please visit us on the web at www.oneiltents.com.

The Super Bowl Shuttle

Four 33'x33' heated temporary structures with glass double doors at the Indianapolis Airport. Photo by Indianapolis Airport Authority.

O'Neil Tents and Party Supplies was in Indianapolis last week for the Super Bowl. Although we didn't provide any of the big party or event tents, we helped the city in another way. We worked with the Indianapolis Airport Authority to bolster their existing infrastructure.

Normally, when travelers arrive at the airport they take a shuttle to the car rental depots and are on their way. With the extreme influx in passengers looking to rent cars during the week of the Super Bowl, the Airport had to supplement existing drop off and pick up locations. In addition to needing more, covered space, the Airport also needed temporary structures that were strong enough to stand up to the 40 mph winds that would blow the week of the event.

We erected a couple of 20'x20' heated structures complete with glass entry doors as waiting areas for shuttle pick ups. After the shuttle would pick up passengers, they were then taken to one of four 33'x33' heated structures where they could wait for rental car service (pictured above). These structures allowed the Airport to better handle the increase in traffic as well as providing a safe, warm place to wait.

Out with the old, In with the new.

 We're currently going through a rigorous inventory assessment right now which the result is scrapping a whole pile (see picture) of our tent inventory. From frame tents, canopy tents, and pole tents our rental inventory is getting a major upgrade this winter.

Our manufacturing team starts the process by opening up tops in our facility and assessing their quality. Those deemed to be unfit to rent have all of the reusable hardware removed and the vinyl is scrapped.

Please know that once the vinyl is scrapped, we do not take it to the dump! We donate the used tents to local farmers and others to be used as tarps, covers, etc... We care about the environment we operate in. It's awesome to be able to help out those in our community and the environment at the same time!

When we go through old inventory, we look at rental trends and see if the tents are worth replacing or not. For example, 15 years ago, a customer would ask for 60' wide tents and we would automatically set up a pole tent. Anymore, tents of great size must be engineered. We won't be replacing too many of those pole tents as O'Neil has been on the front lines of clear span structures and engineered pole tents.

It is important to keep our inventory as fresh and new as possible in order to remain relevant in the tent rental market. As discussed in a previous post, our manufacturing capabilities give us a competitive advantage. We can replace our inventory cheaper than our competition and we pass those savings directly to you, our customers.

Web Site Updates

We've recently updated the layout and functionality of our website to make it more user friendly for our current and prospective customers. 

A look at the newly revamped website!

O'Neil is proud to be the rental destination for tents, canopy tents, tables, chairs, etc... in Columbus, OH. We just wanted to make our customer's online experience as stream- lined as possible. 

Our team made it so all of the content on our www.oneiltents.com homepage is visible when the page loads. This means if you're looking for tent, table or chair rentals you can more easily navigate to your destination.

In addition to making the page easier to navigate, we've added menu's for our sale items. This allows us a unique place to offer the market great deals on our used inventory.

Speaking of deals, we're giving our customers a chance to opt-in to our mailer. We will send email campaigns to those interested in event equipment rentals offering sales and discounts, as well as keeping folks up to date with industry trends.

Take a minute to go over to our site and let us know what you think about the recent changes made in the comments section. We're thrilled to hear feedback!

New Clear Span Inventory

We are happy to announce that we have added the ability to create hex ends to our 10 meter wide structures. These ends add to the design element of clear span structures.

Rather than the flat gable end that we our currently offering our customers, the hex end can create interest as an entrance (as used in this application).

We can custom fabricate the roof panels to be standard white or any other color or stripe that you desire. When you want something out of the ordinary, or when you want to dress up an entry way, think of a hex end.

Please reference the CAD drawing below that illustrates the difference in our product offering: