Magnificent Seven

Addressing the Board of Trustees after a rain swept summer ball last year, the student union’s director of commercial services, Alister Hussain, stressed the need for more dry space at the event in 2009, “to make it more comfortable for our stakeholders.”

Eleven months later, he delivered. The Amazing Tent Company joining seven modular, saddlespan structures to provide 38,000sq ft of covered ‘ballroom’ and more ticket potential too.

“Research tells me this is the biggest structure of its kind,” director at Amazing, Daniel Hyde, tells Access as the madding crowd grows, drinks and gets a little madder.

“Last year, the main stage was in a tri-span and the DJ stage in a separate duo-span, so you had to walk outside between the two, and of course it was lashing with rain. So we sat down with Alister afterwards and worked out a system to put it all under one roof. We could have put the same set up in for the same budget with walkways between the structures, but it would have looked odd, and he wouldn’t have been able to increase the capacity. Here, you can walk freely between the stages, you only have to go outside for the funfair, and it provides 50m of bar space.”

The build

With the pre-surveys on AutoCAD, and having worked out which structures would go where, Hyde spent a morning on site taking a physical measure before beginning the drilling and staking that afternoon. The two main tri-spans went up, united by a duo-span join the following morning. The seventh structure was added in the afternoon.

“We’ve been doing this for six years now, and this was the biggest one yet,”

Alister Hussain

“The structure really lent itself to the event and we’ve had some great feedback. People were waiting at the bars for an average of two and a half minutes for a drink and there were no big queues for the toilets or the rides despite the numbers. We’re at a stage where we’re only constrained by the car park. I want to grow it again next year, so we’re looking at the options.” With no viable tarmac alternative, that means a greenfield site in 2010.

“Then you’re into fencing, trackway and water run off, but if [Alister] is going to increase capacity by 1,000/2,000 he can do it financially,” Hyde muses through the ballroom blitz.

“It’s really good to have a client who comes to you with a vision. We listened to what he wanted and worked with him to make it happen. It’s a very good contract, and we’re very proud of our achievement. The first thing people are saying when they turn up is, ‘This is Amazing!’” he smiles. And yes it is.

Readers' comments (2)

• Anonymous | 14/02/2010 4:51 pm

  The Arabesque SaddleSpan Shelter and Joining system is a 1974 design by Kurt Ehrich Warner P.Eng ,President and CEO of Warner Shelter Systems Limited (WSSL),Calgary,Alberta Canada.
  Web www.wssl.com
  The Arabesque SaddleSpan Shelter and joining System-" The choice structure for the event Industry for the past 35 years"

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• Anonymous | 06/04/2010 11:00 pm

  Saddlespan tent is a servile copy of WSSL's 1974 Arabesque tent.

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