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.

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.

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:

'Tis the Season

Columbus Commons opened this past Spring with the mission to bring more green space and a family friendly environment to the downtown landscape. They have thus far delivered on this plan quite successfully.

Before the park opened, there were many people who complained that this type of green space should not be built in a down economy. People were worried that the city and corporate investors were wasting their money.

After a full season of events and people flocking to the space for recreation, I would think that the people who were complaining before can see the merit in putting a green space like this in the heart of downtown. From food truck festivals to flag football, the Commons has hosted a wide variety of events. We are proud to have worked with the Commons on several of their events this past year. We are also happy to take part in the Holiday Fair this weekend.

We erected a 66x82 clear span structure on the Grand Lawn complete with heat, 2 double door units and lighting. Usually, this size of a structure isn't much of a challenge to our experienced installation crew but this project was not without its own challenges. Because the park rests on top of the old City Center parking garage, we cannot drive stakes into the lawn to secure the structure. Our solution was to bring in 60,000 pounds of concrete ballasts to ensure that the safety of our structure was not compromised (If you check my post a few weeks back on the Indiana State Fair tragedy, you'll understand why safety is our primary concern.)

There is something exciting about a project that challenges your professional abilities. Challenging projects test your logistical planning skills, the creativity of your installation professionals, and your ability to change your game plan on the fly. If every project we did was the exact same this industry would get boring after a while. Its because of these unique challenges that I think you have so many Tent and Event Rental professionals and families who stay in the business for generations like our family has.

The Holidays a season for gift giving and being with your family. The Columbus Commons has given the Central Ohio community a gift in this park that can be enjoyed year round.

Happy Holidays from O'Neil Tents and Party Supplies
!

Bob Evans Farm Festival

The Bob Evans Farm Festival has been a great customer of ours for several years. As the Festival has grown, the type of tents they have used have become much larger and much more sophisticated. When Ray McKinnis, manager of Bob Evans Farms, approached us to discuss this year's festival, we thought they might want to change their order a bit; But, we were suprised when they said they wanted to re-design the site layout and almost complete change how the Farm Festival would operate.

Change is to be expected in the rental industry, but a change this large called for a complete re-thinking of the event. Brian Ritchey, our President, worked with Ray to re-configure the grounds and tenting to substitute clear span structures for the numerous large pole tents that the Farm had been using. From those planning meetings came the new Bob Evans Farm Festival. 14 uniquely colored structures would be set up in a horse shoe shape for vendors to operate out of. In addition to each tent being a different color, all of the gable triangles would be clear, to let more natural light in. Each of those structures would be lighted by our 400 watt high bay tent lights. There would still be some smaller frame tents used for general purposes, but the new Festival design created a significant manufacturing challenge.

As soon as the plan was finalized, our manufacturing team went to work on creating 64 new roof panels of varying color stripes, 28 new clear gable triangles, and several new lights were assembled to complete the order. All of this production was to be done while projects for other manufacturing customers were being worked on. The results: one of the most technologically advanced, beautiful set up's that we've done in recent years was created.

Please see the pictures below, and check out our facebook page for more images. You can also get more information regarding manufacturing capabilities on our website @ http://www.oneiltents.com/.

March, St. Patty's Day and More.

Well, as today is the first of April, a couple of things have happened recently. First, We're starting to get past some of the cold weather that we've come to know and love in Columbus. Second, our installation crews are starting to see more time on the road working on projects (which, believe me, they prefer to inventory maintenance). Third, we've had another St. Patrick's Day weekend. Everyone knows that the biggest St. Patrick's Day party in the state is at Flannagan's in Dublin. We've worked with them to cover their sand volleyball courts with 25mx50m clear span structure. Using structure, we're able to almost make the volley ball court area an extension of the building itself because of the proximity to the building that we can achieve. This is an awesome event that the local morning zoo broadcasts from and thousands of people attend throughout the day. This year we added another new comer to the St. Patrick's day mix. The Tilted Kilt in Polaris is a pretty interesting bar/restaurant to say the least. Its basically the child of an Irish Pub and Hooters. The concept apparently works due to the success of their inaugural St. Patrick's Day Party. The Tilted Kilt took over the parking lot in front of its restaurant and we set up a 15mx30m clear span structure complete with event deck flooring, staging, lighting, tables and chairs. In addition to these services, we took care of heating the event space, generator and crowd control fencing. This job was not without challenges, but it shows how awesome planning and execution can make an event feel seemless. After the initial site visit and quote acceptance, O'Neil achieved the temporary building permits, hired contractors, and delivered positive results for our new customer. We took care of the details so all they had to worry about was traffic into the event. Some of the pictures below are credited to the Tilted Kilt Columbus' Facebook account. Check out their page for more images of events at the pub.

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. 

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

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!

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.