Thank you so much for all your help with the Relay for Life event this year at Ascot Race Course.
This was the first time we had used your company and I must admit we were initially persuaded by the quote, which was extremely competitive in comparison to the other marquee companies who tendered. As a charity event we must always ensure that we get value for money and the best possible price. However, Ascot Race Course is not only a prestigious site — the Silver Ring where we hold the Relay is extremely windy in all weathers! We must ensure comfort and above all safety for our participants and visitors and cannot afford to compromise price with quality. I must say we were not disappointed.
The set-up day dawned with almost gale force winds and the odd sharp shower, but your workforce were there at 7.15am and very soon had the main marquee erected and we had almost immediate rain and storm cover. We were very impressed by the marquees themselves — the lovely arched windows of the big clearspan marquee made them feel lovely and airy and our cancer survivor guests had the comfort of enjoying their buffet with full views of the race course and beautiful surroundings and of course to watch the Relay events going on outside.
We used the centre part for a Cancer Health information area — including a mole screening clinic with skin cancer specialists — this gave us the opportunity to keep the area separate when we needed to.
The third area made for a refreshments tent — again with plenty of room for tables and chairs and lovely windows for views. The weather settled beautifully on the day but we were grateful of the added reassurance that if the rain fell we could quickly move the dancing displays under cover.
By night we turned the survivors end of the marquee into a reflection tent with lots of fresh lavender and glow sticks to make an ambient atmosphere for anyone wanting a quiet space to deal with all the emotions of the candle ceremonies. Throughout the night the main marquee became a warm haven with endless cups of tea and respite for the Relay walkers going through the 24 hours. I cannot stress how much we enjoyed the versatility and flexibility of the space and lighting supplied.
The other smaller marquees were used well too. One for a children’s activity tent where they had their own space to do arts and crafts and for general play. The second marquee was used for preparing and selling the Candles of Hope which form such an important part of the Relay. There was again lots of space for storage, tables and chairs, etc.
One other thing convinced us we had gone with the right company — we became slightly concerned there might be movement from one of the internal pillars. Our phone call in the middle of the afternoon met with an immediate response which actually proved there wasn’t a problem at all. But this reassurance of a response when you are putting on a weekend event where you are relying on experts if things go wrong was extremely reassuring.
We also found the staff and owner extremely friendly and helpful and were pleased to see them arrive on the dot of the arranged time to dismantle the marquees.
Well done Marquees First and please reserve the same set up for our event next year at Ascot Race Course July 16th and 17th 2011.
