Obstacles Uncovered: Conducting a Successful Site Survey

1. Obstacles Uncovered: Conducting a Successful Site Survey Panelists: Tim Boyle, CERP U.S. Tent Rental Sarasota, Florida Melani Kodikian, CERP A to Z Party Rental Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania Tommy Wilson, CERP All Occasions Event Rental Cincinnati, Ohio Maura Paternoster, AIC, ARM ARA Insurance Kansas City, Missouri Educational Session Sponsors: Alert Management Systems Aztec Tents Seitz, The Fresher Company TopTec Products

2. Booth #2346 Please remember to thank these educational session sponsors Booth #3720 Booth #3740 Booth #2725

3. Obstacles Uncovered: Conducting a Successful Site Survey Panelists: Tim Boyle, CERP U.S. Tent Rental Sarasota, Florida Melani Kodikian, CERP A to Z Party Rental Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania Tommy Wilson, CERP All Occasions Event Rental Cincinnati, Ohio Maura Paternoster, AIC, ARM ARA Insurance Kansas City, Missouri Educational Session Sponsors: Alert Management Systems Aztec Tents Seitz, The Fresher Company TopTec Products

4. Maura Paternoster, AIC, ARM ARA Insurance Kansas City, Missouri

5. Event design • Three tent installers electrocuted while moving fully-assembled frame tent. • Customer changed location of tent on install day, no time to locate underground utilities, stake struck electrical conduit causing power outage at resort hotel ($112,000). Site surveys prevent accidents

6. Event design • Wedding photographer tripped over a coffee table ($40,000). • Party guest disconnected ratchet strap to eliminate tripping hazard; tent later collapsed in windstorm ($6,200). Site surveys prevent accidents

7. Surface/underground hazards • Weight of frame tent punctured holes in tennis court ($15,000). • Tent stake punctured underground propane pipe ($9,000). • Tent stake struck underground electrical line to stadium scoreboard ($9,000). Site surveys prevent accidents

8. Obstacles • Four people electrocuted, 3 injured installing center pole of tent too close to overhead power lines ($1,070,000). • Wedding guest broke ankle stepping off curb obscured by carpeting ($58,000). Site surveys prevent accidents

9. Getting to/maneuvering around event site • Custom plate glass window broken during tent installation ($48,000). • While dismantling tent, antique pot was broken ($36,000). • Forklift knocked over huge decorative clock ($30,000). Site surveys prevent accidents

10. Getting to/maneuvering around event site • Forklift damaged school track ($10,000). • Box truck got stuck in lawn, had to be towed out ($2,100). • Delivery truck struck utility pole, it fell on ice machine ($1,300). Site surveys prevent accidents

11. Tools/equipment needed • Guest tripped on sagging stage skirt, cut leg on edge of stage ($36,000). • Dance floor sections separated, guest fell and fractured hip ($94,000). • Child fell face first onto a rebar tent stake ($113,000). Site surveys prevent accidents

12. Melani Kodikian, CERP A to Z Party Rental Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania

13. Prequalification Phone Call • Obtain vital details of the event • Determine location and who owns the property. • What township is the site located in? (codes & permits) • Type of Event, Date, Time, # of Guests • Is staking allowed? • Up Sell – what else can I offer them? • Retain details for follow-up sales calls • Opportunity to introduce other items / services available • Sell yourself

14. Who Performs a Site Survey? • Qualified professional: Sales Consultant or Crew Chief • One familiar with the client and their event • One familiar with installation of tents

15. Why Perform a Site Survey? • Safety of Crew – utilities, installation environment • Obstructions – fences, fountains, trees, sheds, pools, utilities… • Access to Site – for crew and guests • Weather – what weather is typical? What is the wind exposure? • Surface Type – anchoring, level ground, ground protection needed… • *Meeting Clients Expectations – will the tent/layout requested fit? • *Communication - organize all the details to become an effective means of communication for everyone involved: staff, client(s), other vendors, permit department… • Permanent Record of transaction

16. Meeting Client’s Expectation • Tent is a temporary structure and is affected by weather. • Will the tent fit in the desired space? • Is the tent large enough to fulfill needs? • Are additional tents needed? • Timing of setup and removal. • Address “Assumptions” • Record all items requested and declined.

17. *Communication • Photos of the job site for your crew • Sketch the tent site and overall area / CAD • Planning meeting with Crews • details of the event • unique aspects of site • special requests • special equipment needed / trucking • code / permit requirements

18. *Communication (cont’d) • Share information with other vendors • reduces assumptions • confirms your responsibilities of event • vendor knows something you don’t

19. *Communication (cont’d) • Review details with client in advance • discuss CAD layout • confirm schedule • impact of weather predicted • review items on order • review items declined

22. Tommy Wilson, CERP All Occasions Event Rental Cincinnati, Ohio

28. Tim Boyle, CERP U.S. Tent Rental Sarasota, Florida

29. Common Mistakes of a Tent Survey and What to AvoidTopography - Knowledge Saves You $$

30. Ground Types and Leveling The Consequences of Each Grass or Dirt • Make sure the ground can hold your stakes • Always use ground covers to protect your tents and avoid costly washes • Check the entire tented area for holes, hills, insects etc. • Foot plates or wood blocks - avoid sinking and loose tents

31. Asphalt and Tennis Courts • Ground covers and tent bags • Patching holes properly • lawsuit tripping on old tent stake hole • Foot plates or wood blocks - avoid sinking • Tennis courts - always requires a signed waiver (sample) and use wood blocks under all grounded metals • Anchoring walls, shredded wall bottoms, breathing walls

32. Concrete and Parking Ramps • Engineered Anchors - Rec, Red Heads or Heckmann Anchors with Chem Masters pourable anchoring Cement • Added cost - drills, anchors • Truck access - parking garages, trailers only, added costs • Drains - know where your drains are and how the rain water flows

33. Beaches or Sand Surfaces • Anchoring types - always run a test stake, augers, stake bars, additional stakes • Access - are you carrying equipment, driving on beach, or using a golf cart? Can be costly, time consuming set ups if unprepared • Sand gets in everything- cannot avoid, it increases wear

34. Level Surface or Unleveled Surfaces • Rule of thumb on tents - less than 80’- If you need a laser you are probably ok • 2’ Aluminum frames, pole tents - very forgiving for moderate uneven ground, they will contour • Structures-You will have to build up your legs on structures to set your tents

35. Access to Site Areas Can you gain access to your site with your standard truck? • Low trees • Narrow road, no turn around access • Beach, sand or construction zone (you must virtually put yourself behind the wheel of a fully loaded, sometimes overweight truck) • Expensive landscaping or valuable vehicles (don’t set your delivery driver up for failure) • Coded access • Escorted access • Credentialed access - government/military bases, public schools (Jessica Lunsford act)

36. Alternatives to standard delivery trucks: • Hand or cart equipment - think about the surfaces • Using trailers vs. trucks • Cross loading (if a fair distance from warehouse and trailer is to small) • Golf carts or Gators

37. Taking Correct Measurements • How to square off a tent (simple formula handout) • Critical, you have a large curved area but need to fit a rectangle tent. • Maximizing your space - saving customer $$ • Adjacent tents (CAD with adjacent tents) • Creative floor plans • Pitfalls of poor measurements

38. Not Producing an Operational CAD • Competition- if they are providing CAD’s and you are not, you are already behind • Operations • Costly - Without proper floor plans your people may end up setting up everything twice - CAN YOU SAY MOVE THAT TENT!! • Wait Time - If you do not have a scaled floor plan you have no choice but to have your crews sit and wait until the decision maker shows up, otherwise see above • Permits - Without regularly using scaled floor plans and site plans you run the risks of having code enforcement shut you down or have you MOVE THAT TENT!! • Your Crews - Without a proper floor plan they don’t see your vision, they strictly become at the mercy of your client and have a feeling of DO BOY. Help make them the professionals they are.

39. Ground types, Sites, Topography and Anchoring • This could be a topic in and of itself. Without going to much in detail here I will address some anchors and their uses for different sites and ground types. • Standard Stakes • 30”- Your everyday stake for your smaller tents, 10, 20 & 30 Wides. Useful in grass, asphalt and dirt (if not to loose) • 48” – 40’ Wide Tents and up, can be used in all of the above and beaches. You will want to accompany these with stake bars on beaches • 60” – any tents on the beach with loose sand and high wind situations or LT Rentals

40. Ground types, Sites, Topography and Anchoring • Augers - Best use if 40’ tents and smaller and most often used for beach set ups. Generally bend if using for larger tension tents • Concrete bolts or sometimes called lags • Red Heads - Basically an eye bolt with embedded nut in the concrete • Heckmanns - Similar to the above but more of a large head bolt • Cement Mortar-Basically the glue that hold the nut in the concrete.

41. Time for Questions

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