Making Your Fundraisers Stand Out with Different Tents

For a fundraiser to work, it needs to stand out. Put simply, people need a reason to attend and donate. A fundraiser that comes across as run-of-the-mill will not attract attention or attendance—as a result, fewer funds will be raised. While there are many great ways to make your fundraiser stand out from the rest, one that is overlooked is the use of smart shelter. That’s right: event tents can greatly increase the appeal and success of any fundraiser by bolstering attendance, improving guest experience and driving donations. In this guide, our event experts here at Extreme Canopy cover the many types of fundraiser events tents and the many fundamental ways they can improve a fundraiser. Take your event to the next level—pitch a tent.

 

The Importance of Exposure and Guest Experience at Any Fundraiser

The purpose of any fundraiser is to raise funds. It’s not rocket science, but it’s sometimes easier said than done. A few sure-fire ways to improve fund-raising are to increase attendance and improve guest experience. The more people come to your fundraising event, the more potential donors you have. The more those potential donors enjoy their experience at your event, the more likely they are to donate.

So, what’s the secret to bringing more people to your fundraiser? The answer starts with exposure. When people see and hear about your event, they are more likely to show up. Once exposure has done its job, the quality of experience steps in to ensure that guests are engaging with and enjoying the event. This often leads to transactions and supercharged brand recognition. Many event hosts know the importance of exposure and experience at any event—what many don’t know is how effective tents are at bringing these two key ingredients to a fundraiser.

 

How Tents Can Help You Improve Your Fundraising Event

Just how do tents generate exposure and improve guest experience at fundraisers? There are several answers to this question, each of which shows just how important tents are to an overall fundraising strategy. When it comes to exposure, tents create attractive high visibility that draws people in during an event. Those walking or driving by an event with brilliantly-branded, creatively shaped tents are more likely to stop and see what’s going on, even if they’ve heard nothing about the event itself. This same principle applies to smaller fundraising booths within a larger event—the bigger and more interesting a tent is, the more people are likely to show up.

Fundraiser event tents also improve guest experience. Tents provide shelter during inclement weather; they provide reprieve from rain, or protection from the sun’s hot and harmful rays. Simply having a tent at an outdoor event can draw people in who are seeking shelter, which can lead to more funds raised.

Tents can also create atmosphere. Within a tent, event hosts can set up activities, sell merchandise and present information in creative and engaging ways. Large event tents add a degree of elegance and ambiance to shows and galas—essential for setting the right tone and prompting potential donors to participate. No matter the size of your event or your organization, tents help to create an atmosphere that encourages people to get involved, which is vital to the success of your fund-raising efforts.

 

Different Tent Types for Fundraisers 

No two events are exactly alike. Each has a unique set of space considerations, audience demographics, festivities and merchandise, branding and a host of other characteristics. These factors contribute greatly to the type of tent needed for a particular event. Today’s top tent manufacturers offer a wide range of smart shelter options to fit events of all kinds. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most popular tents used for fundraisers and their unique benefits.

• Pop-Up Canopy Tents: Portable, versatile and easy-to-set-up, pop-up canopy tents are perhaps the most popular of all fundraising tents. Available in a wide range of sizes, including from 10’ x 10’, 10’ x 15’, 10’ x 20’, 13’ x 13’, 13’ x 20’, 13’ x 26’, 16’ x 16’, 20’ x 20’, and more, these tents can be used in a number of different spaces. Also known as “instant canopies,” pop-up canopy tents are distinguished by their ability to be set up and taken down in seconds with no assembly required. Simply expand the frame, adjust the height on the legs, attach included roofing and sides, and you’re ready to go.
• Inflatable Tents: Inflatable tents are one of the newest types of event tents on the market today. Like pop-up canopy tents, inflatable tents have the advantage of easy set-up and tear-down. No matter their size, these tents can be set up by a single user in single a step: just turn on the electric pump to inflate or deflate and stand back. Inflatable tents use pressurized air as their support, which gives them excellent stability without rigidness. It also allows them to be constructed in virtually any shape—an added advantage for those trying to catch eyes and drive traffic to their fundraising events.
• Star Tents: Star tents are another uniquely-shaped option for those looking to get creative with shelter at their fundraisers. Star tents earn their name thanks to their star-like shapes: they feature either one or two poles at their centers for support and a host of angular, staked appendages that extend out to form shelter in the shape of a star. Star tents have the benefit of unique aesthetic appeal and flexible spatial capabilities. Their appendages can be staked at a number of different angles and widths to accommodate different spatial configurations.
• Event Tents: For fundraisers and other events in need of large-scale shelter to accommodate guests, equipment, and activities, event tents are the right choice. Perfect for turning an outdoor event into an indoor gathering, these tents are designed to cover larger areas with increased weather resistance. Event tents come in a number of different sizes, shapes, and styles, including pavilion tents, pinnacle tents, and crest tents. These tents can also be outfitted with add-ons including extra wall layers, windows, flooring, interior siding, and more.

 

Making Your Tent Stand Out: Custom Options to Consider

When choosing a tent for your fundraiser, there are a number of design options to consider before buying. You want your tent to perform exactly to your liking—and you want it to look good while doing it. For the best in both performance and appeal, there is no better choice than a custom tent. While many retailers, distributors and even manufacturers offer a limited selection of standard tent models, today’s top tent manufacturers provide a host of custom options to help their clients create one-of-a-kind tents to meet their unique needs. By ordering a custom tent for your fundraiser, you can ensure that the product you’re getting fits your event and showcases your organization, ensuring lasting performance, optimal ease-of-use, and maximum exposure.

As you shop around for a fundraiser event tent, a few custom options to keep in mind are add-ons, size and custom printing. Tent add-ons and accessories include extra walls, interior and exterior siding, floors, water management systems, wheels, and increased support. These products can improve a tent’s overall functionality, strength, and weather-resistance while increasing aesthetic appeal.

Another custom factor to consider when shopping for a fundraiser event tent is size. Certain tents made to order—like large event tents—can be ordered to exact size specifications. Though few manufacturers offer custom sizing options for small tents, such as instant canopies, inflatable tents and star tents, many top manufacturers do offer a myriad of sizes to events large and small. At Extreme Canopy, we offer made-to-order tent sizing for large event tents, as well as an extensive selection of standard sizes for our smaller models.

Custom printing is a final factor that one should look for when shopping for a fundraiser event tent. With custom printing options like ours here at Extreme Canopy, customers are not only able to choose the color of their tents but they are also able to add text, graphics and even photographs to their tents’ roofs and sides. This creates a truly one one-of-a-kind look that attracts attention and increases recognition for any organization. To ensure the highest standard of quality for custom printing, our experienced technicians use the industry’s latest printing equipment and fade-resistance ink to print high-resolution images that last.

 

Take Your Fundraising Event to the Next Level with Extreme Canopy

Planning a fundraiser? Increase attendance and improve guest comfort with a high-quality fundraiser event tent. Contact our event experts here at Extreme Canopy to learn more about the many benefits that high-quality tents can bring to your fundraiser, and shop our industry-leading selection of custom tents made in-house from our world-renowned manufacturers to find the perfect product for your next fundraiser.