Top things to think about when you’re hiring a marquee in winter

A marquee in winter can be almost anything you want it to be – a bustling seasonal market, beautiful celebration venue, welcoming Diwali destination, luxurious Christmas party space, seasonal ice rink or warming stop-off on a winter light trail. Winter marquees are, quite literally, a blank canvas, and with an expert support team behind you, they’re full of possibilities.

The best place to start is by pinning down what you want to achieve from your event, what kind of experience you want your guests to have and what budget you’ve got behind you. Once you’re clear on those things, you’ll be in a great position to start talking to suppliers – like our GL events team – about marquee hire in winter and what they can create for you.

If you’re thinking of hiring a marquee in winter, it’s never too early to have those first conversations with suppliers. You can even start planning next year’s event before this year’s actually takes place. In fact, when potential new suppliers have the opportunity to see your event in action, they’re in the best possible place to give you expert advice on what could be better next time.

If you’re already past that point, just try to start as soon as you can, while your experiences of any previous events are fresh in your mind. The more time you give your suppliers, the more creative they can be and – very often – the better prices they’ll be able to give you. But if time is tight, don’t let that stop you reaching out! 

That’s exactly what we do at GL events. Because as well as designing, delivering and installing event structures like marquees, we’re also part of the wider GL group, which includes lighting and placemaking specialists Field & Lawn, and expert power providers Flow Power. We regularly collaborate as one team to design whole events and experiences for all sorts of clients.

While winter is a big time for events, the shorter days and colder weather obviously bring their own challenges, and some marquees are better suited to those conditions than others. 

For example, while traditional pole tents such as our Showspan Marquee can be the perfect pick for a summer event, they’re much more vulnerable to windy conditions, so we don’t recommend them between October and April. Instead, we recommend a clearspan marquee as these marquees use a robust frame, with a higher wind rating. 

The type of marquee you choose will also depend, to a large extent, on the type of event you’re holding. For example, a collection of pagodas makes a great choice for a Christmas market, while larger marquees tend to suit events where you’re bringing people together for a longer evening celebration. For example, if you are organsing a large, corporate Christmas party one of our temporary structures would be ideal as these can be configured for high-capacity winter events.

In winter, marquees can also be kitted out with different finishes to create a more comfortable, robust structure. Suppliers will often be able to include walls, ceilings and flooring with better insulating properties, specifically designed to minimise heat loss, withstand weather and keep your event spaces warm. The insulation level is measured by a “U value”, and it’s a key part of the calculations we do to work out how we’ll heat your marquee to your desired temperature.

The kind of experience you want your guests to have will also play a big part in the winter marquees you choose. Our GL team maps out the journey guests take through your event, from car parking and arrival through to spaces you want them to linger, feel comfortable and spend more time and money. We use that to plan your layout, so it never feels congested – and we can walk you through the space before it’s built using CAD and virtual fly throughs. 

We always factor the season into your layout too. For example, we design larger cloakrooms in winter marquees because everyone brings a big coat, and often scarves and umbrellas.

Heating and lighting your marquee properly can make or break your event, so it’s always best to bring in experts. On a basic level, it’s about making people safe and comfortable, but it’s also your opportunity to create inviting, beautiful spaces that people really enjoy being in. 

Lots of marquee suppliers outsource this part of their event projects, but we’re lucky enough to be part of the wider GL events Group, with sister companies Flow Power and Field & Lawn which specialise in power, heating and lighting. 

We collaborate right from the earliest design stages, looking at everything from the insulating properties of particular marquee materials to the best position for heating infrastructure or lighting features. Because we start this process early, we’re able to make sure cables, pipes and equipment are hidden within your design, creating a really seamless, attractive finish.

It all begins with establishing a power supply to your marquee. Some locations will be able to give you access to a mains supply – which is always the most straightforward option. But if you’re somewhere more rural, you might need generators or batteries bringing in, and that’s something our Flow Power team is always happy to handle for you. 

They can also assess which parts of your event will need more power than others – for example an ice rink that needs constant cooling – and which elements can be switched off to save energy and cost once you shut your doors for the night. 

Once your power supply is in place, there are a whole range of options for heating a marquee in winter, including infrared heaters, blown air, diesel powered heaters and hot water systems. In fact, it’s often most effective to use a combination of heat sources in different parts of your structure – like air curtains over doorways to limit heat loss. As well as keeping people warm, these can also help to prevent snow building up on roof panels. 

Again, the type of event you’re holding plays a big part. At something like a Christmas market, people will expect to keep their coats on, while at a dinner or awards ceremony, nobody’s expecting to stay wrapped up. Because we work closely with the Flow Power team, we can identify the right mix for your marquee – and your event – early in the process.

Lighting installations, sculptures and selfie points can be off the shelf or bespoke, again depending how much budget you have available. We work with suppliers right across Europe, so we can tap into a huge range of eye-catching off-the-shelf light features. And if you do have the budget to go bespoke, that can range from incorporating a logo or colour palette to designing the entire structure from scratch to fit in with your event theme.

The lighting you choose inside your marquee helps to set the mood for your event and there’s a huge range of potential options, from sophisticated central fixtures and uplighters that wash the walls with colour, to nostalgic festoon lighting or even a statement ceiling of light.

But lighting can be about much more than your interior space. It can guide people safely around your site, or encourage them to take a particular route, experiencing the event in a certain way. 

Our Field & Lawn team also specialise in festive lighting, illuminations and placemaking, designing and installing Christmas lights across the country every year. By working closely with them, we can help you add beautiful structures, selfie points and projections that create a real sense of place and magic around your winter marquees.

Absolutely. Marquees are a great way to cover an ice rink and give your guests extra protection from the elements, keeping your footfall flowing even on rainy days. 

As well as a reliable power source for the rink’s chillers, the most crucial thing is a completely level floor. Without that, the ice won’t freeze evenly and you’ll use much more power keeping it solid. But that doesn’t mean you can only have ice rinks in totally level locations. We can create that level ground for you using scaffolding, high-strength flooring and laser levels – and we’re used to collaborating with ice rink suppliers who’ll then come in to lay the chillers and ice.

You can create a more welcoming ice rink experience by using a combination of several temporary structures, marquees or pagodas, providing linked spaces for things like skate hire or a heated bar area with a view over the ice. Mix in some festive lighting and you’ll be creating a place people enjoy, talk about and come back to. 

Site access is always something to consider early. If you’re looking at a city centre location, there might be restrictions on when you can access the site for setting up, and if your location is usually open to the public, you might need fencing to keep people away from working areas. It’s always important to check any rules or approval processes with the local council or landowner up front.

On the other hand, if you’ve got a greenfield site, trackway for parking and paths is essential during the winter to protect the ground and stop the whole site becoming muddy.

Whatever you’ve got in mind, talk to your supplier and benefit from their experience. Teams like ours have set up winter marquees in every kind of location, so we know what you’ll need to make sure the event goes smoothly and everyone can enjoy it safely and comfortably.

A reputable marquee team will be used to the UK’s changeable weather, but during the winter months, that can inevitably become more challenging. Heavy rain, snow and high winds can affect ground conditions, or make it dangerous to set up your marquee, especially if a crane is needed. Meanwhile, reduced daylight hours can make working days shorter.

However, if we’re installing a marquee in winter, that’s something we always factor in. We’ll look at long-range forecasts, do robust risk assessments and build in contingency time to give us the best possible chance of installing on schedule. Of course, exceptional conditions do arise, but our experienced teams will do everything they can to get your event safely up and running.

We also factor in the shorter days, allowing our teams a longer timeframe to get the work done, or advising if extra site lighting is going to be needed.

You’ve probably heard about winter events having to close to visitors due to bad weather. Obviously that’s something everyone wants to avoid, and at GL we’ve got a strong track record for keeping our client’s events open. Because we’ve got a wide range of marquees, we can always draw on the most appropriate products not just for your event, but for your location and the likely weather conditions.

Our structures have a much stronger profile than many others, and we ballast or anchor them for extra wind protection. In fact, a client who’d previously had to shut their event several times hasn’t had any closures since switching to us. Our power experts take every precaution to make sure power sources stay protected, safe and working properly, even in difficult conditions.

We’re also experienced in acting as Principal Contractor, taking care of everything from end to end and providing all the infrastructure, expertise and Construction Phase Plans (CPPs) your temporary event structures need to be robust and resilient, right through the winter. 

A good marquee supplier will brief your team with all the safety information you need before your event begins, and that’s something we always take the time to do. We’ll advise you on monitoring the weather and what to do if conditions become extreme. It’s really important your venue managers come to that briefing, or are given all the details, as they’re the ones on the ground, on the day.

We’re happy to provide standby crews as part of your event package, with agreed response times if weather conditions are worsening. If your event’s running for several weeks, our crews will also come out and run regular checks to make sure your marquees stay in great condition.

Last but not least, it’s essential to get insurance for your winter event. In fact, your marquee supplier shouldn’t install without it. Premiums are generally higher in winter, reflecting the weather conditions, but we can arrange cover for you as part of your marquee hire.

As we said earlier, if you’re interested in winter marquee hire, start early and be really open with suppliers from that first conversation. Share your vision for the event, let them know about any challenges you’re anticipating and, crucially, let them in on your budget. That way, they’ll be able to use value engineering to put together the best marquee package for your money.

At GL events UK we’re part of a global group with a 5,000-strong team, delivering complex events, all over the world. Here in the UK, we host more than 150 events every year. So, whatever you’re planning next, we’re always happy to talk it through. Just get in touch.