Marquees for Trade Shows, Launches & Open Days

Most people think of marquees for weddings and garden parties, but some of the most useful jobs we do are for businesses. We recently put up a marquee for a Bedford company's trade show, and it's a good example of what a marquee does well: it gives you a big, covered, professional-looking space exactly where you need it, for exactly as long as you need it.

If you're thinking about a trade show, product launch, open day or customer event, here's what's worth planning for.

Why Use a Marquee for a Business Event?

• It's on your own site. Customers come to you, see your premises and meet your team, rather than you packing everything into a van for an exhibition hall.
• You choose the size. From a single 6m-wide marquee for a launch to a 12m-wide space for a room full of stands.
• It works in the weather. Displays, stock and visitors stay dry whatever the day throws at you.
• It's temporary. Up for the event, gone afterwards — no long-term planning, no permanent building.

Clear Span: Why It Matters for Stands

Our clear span marquees have no poles down the middle, so the whole floor is usable. That matters for trade shows: you can lay out stands, displays and walkways however you like, without working around a pole in the middle of someone's pitch.

What to Plan Before You Book

• Your layout. Roughly how many stands or displays, and how much walking-round space. A quick sketch is enough for us to work out the size.
• The ground. Grass, gravel, a car park — we can work on most surfaces, but we need to know which so we can plan how the marquee is secured.
• Power. Screens, lighting, demo kit and card machines all need it. Work out early where your power is coming from and roughly what you'll be running.
• Timing. We'll agree build and takedown times with you so they fit around your working day and don't block deliveries or customer parking.
• Branding. Bring your banners, pop-ups and signage. Let us know what's coming so the layout leaves room for it.

What Size Do You Need?

For events where people are walking round rather than sitting down, the standing figures from our size chart are the ones to use:

• 6m × 12m — around 100 standing: a product launch or small open day
• 9m × 18m — around 180 standing: a handful of stands with room to move
• 12m × 18m — around 250 standing: a proper trade show layout
• 12m × 24m — around 300 standing: our largest size

Stands take up floor space that guests can't use, so if you're planning a lot of them, size up. Our marquee size guide has the full chart.

Not Just Trade Shows

The same setup works for product launches, customer days, open days, staff summer parties and Christmas do's — and for extra covered space when you just need somewhere dry to work or store things for a while (see our marquee storage page). If you're planning something for the end of the year, our Christmas and winter party guide covers heating and lighting for the darker months.

Where We Cover

We're based in Rushden and cover the whole of Northamptonshire, plus Bedford, Milton Keynes and parts of Buckinghamshire and Leicestershire. If your business is anywhere near, ask.

Frequently Asked Questions

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