What is your competitive advantage?

When faced with this question there are many standard responses including things like quality service, quality products, on time delivery, experienced, and many more.  I recently saw Jaynie Smith speak and she would tell you all of these things sound like blah, blah, blah.  These are the things you must have to be in business, not competitive advantages.  Competitive advantages have three definitive characteristics - they are measurable or definable, they are true, and they must be unique to your company.  Instead of us saying you should hire us because we have a wealth of experience, we say Traube Tent has over 150 years of tenting experience on staff or we say Traube Tent installed over 1 million square feet of tents in 2010.  Instead of saying we have great quality, we say almost 90% of our clients have referred us to family or friends and over 90% said they would refer us if the opportunity arises.  There are countless ways to define your competitive advantages so be creative.  Some of the best ways we have found is to let the client tell you what your competitive advantages are.  This can be done with double blind client research.  Double blind means that a third party administers the survey and you do not know which client said what.  This helps ensure that you will get an honest answer or at least come closer to the truth.  Brainstorming sessions with employees, clients, friends, and business associates are another great way to come up with competitive advantages.  We spent about 4 hours conducting some brainstorming and came up with over 75 competitive advantages in addition to the dozens we discovered through our double blind research.  Check out our newly redesigned website at www.traubetent.com to see a different competitive advantage on every page.    

Top Five Tent Rental Myths
1. Myth - Tents are an all-weather shelter
1. Truth - Tents are designed to meet certain wind loads and snow loads and should be evacuated when extreme weather conditions are predicted or present.  Check with your tent rental provider for specific guidelines.
2. Myth - Tents can be installed over and under any obstructions
2. Truth - There are many obstructions that inhibit or prohibit a tent being installed on a site.  Obstructions could be underground, ground level, or overhead. Most tent rental companies offer a no cost site survey to inspect any possible obstructions.
3. Myth - Tents can be delivered and installed with little or no notice.
3. Truth - Last minute orders can be handled in certain instances.  Clients should keep in mind that good tent rental companies will need 48 hours notice to call the local diggers hotline and get lines marked or the client may face additional charges for weights if the tent allows for weights.  There are also a variety of other factors including loading, transportation, assembling a crew, availability of inventory, and more.   
4. Myth - Having my event at my house will be more economical than renting a site.
4. Truth - It can be, but most times it is not.  Caterers typically charge more to cater off site than to cater where they have a kitchen to work out of.  Other considerations for an event at your residence include portable restrooms, additional power needs, any local permitting requirements, and much more. 
5. Myth - A tent will keep my guests and the entire area covered by the tent dry during heavy rain.
5. Truth - A quality tent, properly installed will keep the rain off your head, but will not keep your keep feet dry if the ground allows run off into the tent.  The only way to keep the ground dry is to have the tent erected in a space that slopes away from the tent on all four sides or install an elevated tent floor. 

TRAM is Here

The Tent Renter's Association of the Midwest will be at Traube Tent on Wednesday October 19, 2011 conducting industry training sessions.  Training elements include a stake pull test, history of engineered structures, selling engineered products, and hands on workshops with frame tents, tension tents, and clearspan structures. More information and registration information is available on TRAM's website www.tentrenters.net.  Come join us for some good food, fun, networking, and you may learn a thing or two. 

Inflatable Tents Are Here

Traube Tents & Structures is pleased to introduce our new line of lightweight inflatable tents.  Inflatable tents are unmatched in their ability to provide instant shelter for emergency services, operations, accommodations, and much more.  To address the various needs of emergency respondents 3 models are available and all models can be connected to each other, other tents, existing buildings, or even vehicles. 

Advantages of inflatable tents versus traditional tents or other buildings:

-         Can be erected in minutes by only two people

-         Immediately ready for use

-         Can be used in all weather conditions (tent has snow & wind load)

-         Complete unit is stored in one bag, no pieces to go missing

-         Can operate without power supply for long periods of time

-         Flexible design adaptable to many applications

Applications and uses are limitless.  Accessories include floor liners, HVAC, lighting, and inflation blower.  For more information or to schedule a free on-site demonstration please contact us.

Limitations of Your Tent Rental

Tents and structures are excellent alternatives to traditional event spaces and have limitless industrial, agricultural, commercial, and construction applications.  Tents do come with some limitations.  One of the most common misconceptions about tents is that they will protect your event or application regardless of what mother nature brings our way.  Tents can protect you from the rain overhead, but do not prevent the water from running underneath the tent and saturating the ground, your guests feet, or anything being stored inside.  This risk can be mitigated by installing an elevated floor under your tent.  This will allow the water run under the floor keeping your space dry.  In permanent or long term installations it may make sense to pour a concrete or asphalt pad.   Tents also have a limited capacity to withstand high winds.  The majority of tents from rental companies are traditional frame tents and pole tents.  These tents typically do not come with any engineering to meet specific wind loads.  The exceptions to this rule are clearspan tents and tension tents.   Most clearspans are engineered to withstand 3 second bursts at 90 MPH and 70 MPH constant load.  Tension tents are typically engineered between 70 and 90 MPH depending upon manufacturer and model of tent purchased.  Be sure to check with your rental provider to see what type of tent you are getting and to ensure it will meet your needs.  The single largest factor when considering your tent provider is the quality of the installation.  An engineered structure that is not installed and anchored properly will not perform when put to the test.  Take a long look at the company's history, experience, and speak with some past clients to help ensure you will get a quality installation with a reputable tent company. 

What size tent do I need for my event?

One of the most common questions for a tent rental company is what size tent do I need for my event?  There are a multitude of variables that go into this equation including the guest count, number of bars, size of band or dj, buffet style or sit down, type of seating, and almost countless other options.  There are certain industry standards that can be used to give the client a good idea of what size will be needed.  A seated event with no tables, such as a wedding ceremony, typically requires between 8 to 10 square feet per person.  For example a 100 person wedding ceremony would require a tent between 800 and 1,000 square feet.  A seated event, such as a wedding reception, typically requires between 12 to 20 square feet per person.  As a general rule 15 square feet per person accommodates most average seated events.  This number can go up or down depending upon the variables listed above.  There are also a variety of tent size calculators available on the web.  Feel free to check out our My Tent Selector by visiting our website www.traubetent.com and clicking on the My Tent Selector tab.  

Traube Tent offers New Sailcloth Tent from Aztec

Traube Tent is pleased to announce the arrival of an Aztec Tidewater Tent for the fall 2011 season.  Aztec has offered us a 44' x 83' Tidewater as a demo to determine the viability of this tent in our market.  It is a tent like no other.

Inspired by the sea, the entire line of Tidewater™ Sailcloth Tents are constructed of a durable sailcloth material and are an elegant alternative for outdoor events. With nautical flair, the sculpted peaks and eaves combined with a no-valance design creates an open airy event space like nothing you’ve seen before. The translucency of the sailcloth fabric allows natural light to enhance your next daytime event and positively glows when lit for evening gatherings.
Let us know if you have a need for a unique structure such as this or to discuss any of your upcoming tent and fabric structure needs.