B.C. Tent & Awning Co., Inc.

New Blog!

2012-02-21T05:36:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to follow our blogs. We are switching over to a new blog! Please go on and subscribe to the NEW BLOG .

Fall Fair at Derby Academy

2011-10-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

On October 15th Derby Academy in Hingham hosted their Annual County Fair. Luckily, Mother Nature acted in everyone's favor and the weather was beautiful for the event. Co chairs Franny Andahazy, Bev Koswick, and Kathleen Regan did a wonderful job organizing this day of fun had by students, staff members, their families, friends, and members of the community.

Much like past years, B.C. Tent had the pleasure of providing more than 10 tents at this event! There were some great new additions to the annual attractions this year. There were new amusement rides which were a HUGE hit with the kids! The students loved the live animals that they were able to pet, hold, and even ride!

Who doesn't love the teacups?!

Multiple people from the school and community helped make this day possible. A few guys from Sea Dawg Brew Pub of Hull were there grilling up delicious food for all. Some of the past favorites such as the bake table, flower stand and used books were back this year as well! As always, there was facepainting, games, inflatables and even a 70ft rapid slide! DJ Cubey Entertainment was there blasting the tunes to keep everyone in party mode and having a great time.

Check out the AWESOME DJ booth that was made for DJ Cubey!

A special thanks goes out to Lindsay Jagodowski for taking the beautiful photos of this event that showcase our tents! Lindsay even climbed up to the top of Hersey Gym to get all of the tents in one shot!

The Game Tent

If you missed this fabulous event, shame on you!, but there is always next year!!

For more photos from the 2011 Fall Fair visit Photos from 2011

A Very B.C. Wedding

2011-09-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Recently here at B.C. Tent we had a wedding that was very special for all of us. Andrew, stepson of owner Bob Costa (and former tent installer!) and his fiance Jennifer (current BC office employee!) were married and had a beautiful tented reception at the Pierce House in Lincoln, MA. The preparations for the wedding went very well...but then Irene decided to try and ruin our fun! Despite the storm, the installers were able to get the tent up and the wedding was a HUGE success...not to mention needing umbrellas made for some adorable photos by Julie Surette Photography!! Check them out!


The wedding party with the stunning bride Jennifer and groom Andrew

And how could we throw a B.C. wedding without all of the extras? Jennifer and Andrew's tent displayed our gorgeous tent liner which we accented with our LED pars. We also had a custom gobo provided by Advanced Lighting Production Services (ALPS) of Randolph.


Tent Liner with white LED's underneath and accented by our LED Pars. The pars were set to purple for this wedding, however we can adjust to many other different colors!

Here is the Monogram Gobo... gobos can be made featuring custom images or words!

We would like to send a special thank you to all of the vendors who made this wedding a huge success. *The staff at the Pierce House was wonderful to work with*

*Silent Chef catered the event and provided DELICIOUS food and cocktails all night*

*Julie Surette used the rain to her advantage to create beautiful photos*

*Chad Codon from Boppers DJ had everyone up on the dance floor*

*Designing images provided beautiful flowers*

We would especially like to thank Chad Codon for the stories about the Bahamas and for showcasing Bob's John Travolta impression during the reception!

Bob Costa "Getting Down!!"

Pine Hills 2011 Arts on the Green Festival

2011-06-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Pine Hills recently featured the "Arts on the Green" festival, an event that showcased the regions finest painters, sculptors, photographers, weavers, and jewelery designers (and more!). We'd like to thank everyone who worked hard to make the event an overwhelming success. And, we were fortunate enough to have some wonderful aerial photographs taken. Take a look!

4th of July Party Tents!

2011-06-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

If you're planning on having a 4th of July party this year, look no further for your event rental needs! Partying on the beach? Partying in your back yard? Either way, we have the canopy tents to keep you and your guests in the shade. And if you need tables and chairs, we're currently running specials that package in tables and chairs at no extra cost! So, to get started planning your party, give us a call and ask for an event rental specialist or visit our website!

Phone: 1-800-660-TENT
Website: www.bctent.com

30th Celebration

2011-03-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, we finally got around to throwing a birthday party... for ourselves. Throughout the past year, we had been half-heartedly "celebrating" being in business for over 30 years. But two months into 2011, we decided to take a break from operations, gather our staff, partners, supporters and family, and throw a little party. And what better way to do it than in a luxurious heated tent. Check out the pictures below.

Not the Oscars, not the Grammys... it's B.C. Tent!

High-powered LED lights give the tent a spectacular glow

Bob with local politicians and long-time supporters

Bob (right) and his father, who's nearing 100 years old (or young)

Parking lot turned elegant celebration site

The Crew

www.bctent.com

Winter Update

2011-01-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's nearly half-way through the first month of 2011, and New England is already bracing for the year's first major snowstorm. Over at B.C. Tent, we're going through a typical winter season. Tent rentals are low, although they're very doable since we can fully heat a tent. Mostly, we're going through inventory and deciding what new products we want to add to our line-up for the upcoming seasons.

Below is a tent we set up for a Super Bowl party all the way back in 2005, when the Patriots played and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. It's a 30x45 navi-track frame tent with propane-fueled heaters, as seen on the right side of the second picture. We're committed to making tented events possible, even in the snow!

Spacious interior to maximize seating

Propane fueled heaters

Making tents possible in the snow!

www.bctent.com

Used tables and chairs for sale

2010-12-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

Before we start exploring new products for the 2011 season (our 31st year in business!), we're looking to clear out some of our inventory from 2010.

Items for sale:

brown and white Samsonite folding chairs
6' and 8' banquet tables
4' and 5' round tables
30" wide x 30" tall cocktail tables

All prices are listed here.

Thanksgiving Celebrations!

2010-11-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

What are you doing this weekend? If you're in to festive occasions, patriotic music (including the world-renowned The Tops In Blues (the Air Force's premier entertainment showcase http://www.topsinblue.com/about-us.html), and activities for all family members, then you should probably consider the 15th annual Thanksgiving celebration, held at the birthplace of Thanksgiving, Plymouth! Here's a link to their website for full details: http://www.usathanksgiving.com. If you're worried about the weather getting in the way, have no fear! B.C. Tent will be supplying a handful of tents (they'll be heated), ranging from 30x30 to an enormous 60x150!

See you all there!

A scene from last year's celebration

B.C. Tent at the MATRA Games

2010-11-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, B.C. Tent attended a conference called MATRA (Mid-Atlantic tent renta association) in Rhode Island. This weekend-long festivity-filled event features manufacturers' newest products, seminars and vendor shows, and of course, the MATRA games. The games feature competitions in various tenting activities, such as stake pounding, stake throwing, tent lacing, and more. Now this might sound pretty uneventful, but this is something we look forward to every year! We're also very proud of our Crew Chief, Mark, and Rodrigo who together came in 2nd place in the 2-man stake driving contest. Their time was 9 seconds.

MATRA wasn't all games for us. We attended seminars on customer service, tent flooring, upscale lighting and décor, and even a workshop on automated inventory management. So, congratulations to Mark and Rodrigo, and we're excited about the new things we learned and can't wait for next year's MATRA!

Loving the Creativity!

2010-09-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Bride's Maid and Party Designs did a fantastic job transforming a B.C. Tent Co. tent into a exquisite, intricate shelter for a promotional event! Take a look!

New Employee Bios

2010-09-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

We'd like to welcome Jen and Jon, our newest employees, to our team!

Jen, a recent graduate from Brandeis University, is going into her third year at Boston University to pursue a doctorate degree in physical therapy. When she's not hard at work, Jen enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and black raspberry ice cream.

Jon is going into his senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he's pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Psychology. In his spare time, Jon enjoys hiking, traveling, and creating mischief with his roommates.

Jen

Jon

www.bctent.com

Walling Creativity

2010-08-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

When most people consider their various walling options (solid, café, cathedral, and mesh), they typically don't realize how much flexibility there can be. You can choose to completely enclose the tent, have walling on only two sides, or just pick and choose sections that you want to have walled. In the picture below, this beautiful wedding tent only had about half of a side enclosed, centered behind the dance floor and DJ area. Having the walls (cathedral, in this case) by the dance floor focuses attention to that area of the tent. So, even if it's a warm summer night, a touch of walling can be a great addition to the tent!

www.bctent.com

B.C. Tent @ The Fisher House

2010-08-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Fisher House™ in Boston, the newest addition to the national Fisher House family, recently had its grand opening at the VA hospital. B.C. Tent was proud to provide several large tents and seating for the event, and was even featured on Chanel 7 local news (unfortunately, we couldn't find a direct link to the video). The Fisher House, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, is a national foundation that provides a "home away from home" for families of patients receiving medical care at major VA medical centers. The homes are professionally decorated and styled specifically to their region, and feature libraries, playrooms for children, and other amenities.

If you'd like to support the Fisher House foundation, you can do so through their website http://www.fisherhouseboston.org/contribute.html

www.bctent.com

The Bradley Estate

2010-07-21T13:16:00.001-07:00

Since I talk about the Bradley Estate so much with one or two sentence posts on Facebook, I've decided to devote a slightly more lengthy blog post to it. For those of you who don't know, the Bradley Estate is a historic property located in Canton, MA. It's maintained by the Trustees of Reservations, whose mission is to preserve properties of significant historic, scenic, or ecological value for public use in Massachusetts.

On the 90 acres of grounds lies a gorgeous Georgian style mansion, constructed in 1902, that is often rented by couples for their weddings. The setting is nothing short of breathtaking. It doesn't offer ocean views or a sparkling cityscape, but it provides a unique, serene setting that will transport you back to the early 1900s. It's no surprise that so many couples select it as their wedding venue.

Take a look at some shots from the most recent wedding that B.C. Tent did on site.

The front facade

A totally classic feel

Guests having fun with a creative photographer

The sun goes down and the tent lights up!

Beautiful glow inside

www.bctent.com

History lesson

2010-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today's history lesson:

At the start of the 1950s, people who needed extra seating for their events would go to funeral parlors to borrow chairs. As the 50s progressed, funeral parlors became smarter and realized that they could charge people to "borrow" their seating (nothing's free these days). Entrepreneurs started their own chair rental businesses, and other new companies offered a more complete line of rental equipment (Source: American Rental Association). The rental business in general has evolved quite a bit since then. Today, you can rent virtually anything you want, from cars to tents to clothes to movies. Check out http://www.renttherunway.com/?destination=rtr_home, a company that allows you to rent "runway" fashion.

www.bctent.com

Dressing a Tent

2010-07-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

At the minimum, a tent provides shelter from the sun and elements. It's dependable and sturdy, has varied functionality, but really it's just a skeleton of its potential. To take full advantage of a tent's potential to impress, there are several "accessories" that can be used to dress it up a bit.

Tent liners -

The smooth style creates an open, elegant interior that has an almost pillow-like feel that adds rich texture and depth.

Tent liner, no pole covers

Pole covers -

Let's face it, metallic poles in the middle of your wedding or other lavish function are not the most attractive things. Fortunately, many tent companies carry standard white center pole covers to "hide" the center poles. Also, most event decorators can custom make pole covers to suit the design scheme of your event.

Center pole cover, no tent liner

Leg skirts -

Definitely not obligatory, but leg skirts can add a little bit of flare to your tent.

Leg skirts, no pole covers or tent liner

www.bctent.com

The Special Formula

2010-07-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's not really that special. But believe it or not, there is some rhyme and reason to how we select a tent type and size for an event. We call this The Special Formula, and it goes something like this:

First, we consider the number of guests. Let's use 100 to make the math easy.
If the event is a sit-down, then the guests need tables. At 10 guests per table, we now have 10 round tables (5' in diameter) for seating. We like to allot 100 square feet per guest table, so we're now at 1,000 square feet for our tent.
Next, we factor in other items, such as buffet tables, bars, cake table, DJ table, etc. We allow for 150 square feet for bar and buffet tables, so if our event has two buffet tables and two bars, we're looking at another 600 sq. ft., which brings our total to 1,600 square feet.
If that's everything we're having, then we'd be looking at something like a 40x40 pole tent. Here's what the layout could look like:

This size tent would be pretty perfect, and there's still a little bit of room if we wanted to squeeze in a DJ table.

But what happens if we want a dance floor? That makes things a little more complicated. Since it's likely that not all the guests will be hitting the dance floor at the same time, we tend to allow for space for about half the guests at a time. Of course, if your event requires otherwise, we can plan for all the guests to be dancing at once as well. But for our event, we'd be looking at a 12x16 area for the dance floor, which comes out to about 2 square feet per guest. (Since the dance floor panels are 4x4, the best we could do for this is a 192 square foot area.)

Here's how it would affect our layout:

We're faced with some pretty major changes here. The table behind the dance floor is for a DJ, since the two basically go hand in hand. Adding these two items pushed our tent size from a 40x40 to a 40x50, giving it 400 extra square feet (for a total tent area of 2,000 sq. ft.).

So, while the formula may not be that special, and is subject to vary quite a bit for individual cases, it gives us a pretty good starting point.

www.bctent.com

Understanding the Rental Process

2010-07-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

First time customers can sometimes be perplexed when they're confronted with what they consider to be an overpriced tent. For an inexperienced consumer, this perplexity is understandable. After all, a tent is just a tent, right? Well, the rental business has a little more depth than it is often given credit for. For us, a tent is not just a tent.

It doesn't set itself up

With any rental order there are a number of factors that the rental company has to take into account. For example, when a prospective customer calls and says that they’re looking for a tent for wedding reception of 100 people, we can’t simply chose a tent that fits 100 people. There’s much more to the process than that, and we need to take into account certain variables. Let’s look at the venue. Is the tent going to be installed on grass, pavement, or sand? Is the lawn graded so that we need to install custom flooring? In order to make sure a site is appropriate for a tent, experienced rental companies like B.C. Tent send over professional consultants to evaluate a property and to answer these important questions, among others. These are just a few of the many variables that we need to address in order to ensure a successful event.

It’s also important to consider the time it takes to actually install and take down a tent. For a small canopy, we typically plan for about an hour for installation. Larger tents (40x60 pole tents) are even more time consuming, taking about four hours on average to set up. We take pride in our meticulous installation and take-down processes, because lack of diligence and poor attention to details can lead to safety hazards for the customer and their guests.

When a tent is finally set up, whether it’s in a backyard for a BBQ or on a football field for a commencement ceremony, the customer expects the tent to look as good as possible, as do we. What’s often overlooked, however, is the amount of work that’s put in by rental companies to maintain the presentation of a tent and other items. In our warehouse we a have a room that’s solely devoted to cleaning and caring for our tents. From our experience, most customers don’t quite understand the amount of work that goes into maintenance. If you owned a tent yourself, you would have to spend many hours bleaching it to keep it white and mildew free, and you would also need a place to store the tent and all of its components. But when you rent, that’s all taken care of.

I've covered a bunch of information here, but this is only beginning to scratch the surface. There's the interaction with event planners, the process of sub-renting equipment, and other things to take care of. If you're really interesting in learning more about what we do, feel free to give us a call. 1-800-586-TENT

www.bctent.com

Top Three reasons

2010-06-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

My Top Three reasons to rent a tent for your wedding:

1) Customize everything to have your event exactly how you want -- from the tent to the tablecloths.

2) Do things on your own time -- the flexibility of a tent rental company allows you to take as long as you need to set everything up and prepare for your event.

3) Be outdoors in any season. Tents allow you to plan your wedding without worrying about the weather. With a tent, you can hold your event in any venue you'd like -- a botanical garden, sandy beach, or your own backyard.

What are your Top Three?

www.bctent.com

BC Tent on WeddingWire - press release

2010-06-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, has just announced that B.C. Tent & Awning Co is officially WeddingWire Rated 2010! WeddingWire created the annual Rated program to honor wedding professionals, like B.C. Tent & Awning Co, for their excellence and to help brides and grooms easily find the right wedding professionals to match their needs.

“We are excited to unveil WeddingWire Rated 2010, now in its fourth year. With hundreds of thousands of reviews, WeddingWire has made it easy for engaged couples to find the nation’s very best wedding professionals,” according to Sonny Ganguly, WeddingWire’s Chief Marketing Officer. “WeddingWire Rated is an excellent way for businesses to showcase their continued success in the wedding industry.”

B.C. Tent has three reviews with an average of 4.5/5.0 rating, making them eligible to hold the Rated title on the WeddingWire Network. Each review has been written by our former clients and includes detailed ratings and insightful descriptions of their experiences with our services. These reviews not only enhance our credibility, but also help differentiate our business within the WeddingWire Network.

B.C. Tent would like to thank their past brides and grooms for taking the time to review our services on WeddingWire.

If you are a past client of B.C. Tent & Awning Co and have yet to provide us with your feedback, visit reviews.weddingwire.com and review our services today.

www.bctent.com

BC Tent on WeddingWire

Congratulations to Rhona!

2010-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have ever been inside our office here in Avon know how busy it can get for our staff, especially in the summer. From the front desk to our warehouse out back, you can constantly hear phones ringing, rental orders being taken, and deliveries being coordinated. And to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that our customers are happy, we're very lucky to have Rhona Dias on board. In fact, Rhona is so instrumental to our success that she was recently promoted and is now BC Tent's General Manager.

Thirteen years ago Rhona joined our team as a receptionist, mainly dealing with customers and new orders. From there, her patience, dedication, and hard work paved the way for her promotion as the Director of Administration in 2000. Rhona further continued to impress, leading to yet another promotion; this time it was to the tune of General Manager. To quote Bob Costa, the man who puts the "BC" in BC Tent, "Rhona is our glue. She holds the office together and makes things happen."

Again, congratulations to Rhona, and we look forward to many more years of her leadership here at BC Tent.

www.bctent.com

BC Tent covers Boston University's ccommenement ... again

2010-06-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

The sun goes up, the sun goes down, and BC Tent provides shelter for thousands of graduates and their friends and family at BU's commencement. BC Tent has been in business for over 30 years now, and for about half of those years it has been the primary provider of shade for BU. Take a look at some pictures from the recent commencement and other ceremonies on campus.

Anxiously awaiting the grads

Covering every inch of the BU president's yard

Setting up on Alpert Mall

www.bctent.com

New Bars

2010-03-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Check out our new bars. The bars are 6' long and approximately 42'' in height.

Please call for pricing.

Promotion at B.C. Tent & Awning

2010-03-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

B.C. Tent & Awning is pleased and proud to announce the promotion of Mark Wilson to Operations Supervisor. Mark is an 11 year veteran of B.C. Tent. Mark first started as an Installer, worked his way up to Crew Chief, then was promoted to Tenting Supervisor, now he is in charge of our Operations Department. Congratulations Mark!!

B.C. Tent Team Hard At Work!

2010-03-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Homes For Our Troops

2010-03-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

B.C. Tent & Awning is proud to offer our support to Homes For Our Troops. Homes For Our Troops is a non-profit organization that helps severly injured veterans and their families by building handicap accessible homes at no cost to the veteran. They can be contacted at 866-7-TROOPS, or info@homesforourtroops.org. Website: www.homesforourtroops.org.

B.C. Goes Green

2010-03-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

B.C. Tent Goes Green We have added LED Par 64 lights to our lighting inventory. LED lights can make a significant change to an interior look of a tent. They can maintain a single color or be put on a cycle of a variety of colors. They can be installed around the perimeter of a tent to up light the ceiling or the can be installed over a dance floor and synchronized to music. The best part of LED Lights is that they don’t require a lot of power. LED’s are also non-toxic, and reduce CO2 emissions

We Got You Covered!

2009-12-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Are you in need of protection against sun, rain, and snow? Or are you in need of some extra space for storage? Well then we have the solution for you. Our shelters are an economical alternative to adding an addition onto your home or more space for your business.

Homeowners will find the shelter comes in handy when storing valuable possessions like campers and boats for the off-season. They can also be used to house automobiles for everyday use.

For the business owner, the shelters are a way of adding more storage space to your property without erecting complete buildings.

The shelters are made out of a 12oz. flame retardant poly in either white or green. This material is considerably thicker than the shelters you will find in your local bargain store. We come out and install these units, then in a matter of hours, you are left with your temporary storage space for whatever your needs may be. The life expectancy is 6-10 years on our units, and can be custom made to your liking.

Don’t let Mother Nature wreak havoc on your prized possessions, or your business assets. We got you covered!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving usually marks the ends of our busy season at B.C. Tent & Awning Co., Inc.. For our last hoorah, we set up tents for the America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration in Plymouth MA. Plymouth is the birthplace of Thanksgiving, and annually they have a parade to commemorate the day. This year's event took place on Saturday November 21st, and attracted over a thousand people to the waterfront to view the floats as they make their way downtown. This aerial picture was provided by WCVB Channel 5 as their anchors were the Grand Marshals for his years parade. The tents shown there housed the crafters and food services for the event. We love doing festival work, as it gives back to the community, and gives us an opportunity to reach many business;s who are also dedicating their time and effort to make days like this a success!

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well it is that time of year...Holiday Season! A time for Families and Friends to come together and celebrate! If you are like me, it can be quite the hassle having everyone over for the festivities, and then cleaning up after them once they leave! Kitchens especially take the brunt of the traffic flow, and I find myself cleaning for days on end!

Why not try something new this year. At B.C. Tent we provide tents that will go perfectly over a back deck or in a large back yard. It is essentially like putting an addition onto your house at a minimal cost. I know what your thinking...it is too cold this time of year to be outside... and yes, it is. However, we also provide portable heating units that will warm that deck tent up just right. We also provide lighting and other party essential items. You will be able to entertain without having folks track everything into your home. We do the set up, and thankfully, the clean up.