Location Tente Blog — event and marquee advice

Expert advice for organising your outdoor receptions. Choosing the marquee, decoration and logistics.

The Location Tente blog brings together the practical guides, the feedback and the price benchmarks we exchange daily with event organisers in France: brides and grooms, wedding planners, event agencies, communications departments, local authorities and festival organisers. Each article answers a concrete question raised in the field — choosing a structure, surface area to allow, reference budget, administrative procedures, provider coordination.

The editorial logic is simple: one topic, one decision to make, an answer backed by real cases. No generic content, no marketing rankings. The comparison guides cover 200 m² marquees for 150 seated guests just as much as 30 × 60 m large-span structures for trade shows. The regional articles (Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Paris) take in local specifics — prefectoral regulations, seasonality, signature event venues.

Four pillars structure this knowledge base: choosing your structure, sizing and budgeting, mastering the authorisations, organising the event. Select the pillar that matches your project stage or browse all the articles below.

01The 4 pillars of the blog

Where to start depending on your stage

Choosing your structure

Comparisons of marquee, stretch tent, orangery, reception tipi, crystal tent. Find the right shape for your venue, your capacity and your type of event.

View the 23 structures

Sizing & budgeting

Marquee sizes for 100, 200 or 500 people, 2026 price scales, usable surface calculation by format (standing cocktail, seated dinner, dancing party).

Prices & dimensions

Authorisations & safety

ERP, CTS, town-hall declaration, M2 certificates, anchoring: all the technical documents to provide to validate your installation with no administrative surprises.

Procedures guide

Organising your event

Seminar checklists, corporate cocktail ideas, opening organisation, festival feedback: the field-tested method for an event without a wrong note.

Organisation advice
02FAQ

The 6 questions that come up the most

Before digging into a full article, here are the condensed answers to the questions we are asked most often at first contact. These answers hold for 95 % of projects; for the remaining 5 %, write to us: every singular case deserves a direct conversation.

The marquee remains the versatile solution: rectangular volume, easy flooring, suited to 60 to 500 seated guests. The stretch tent imposes an organic visual signature (ideal for gardens and vineyard estates, 60 to 200 people), while the orangery offers the transparency and ridge height of a gala format (200 to 400 people). The decision comes down to three criteria: venue (ground, available height, lorry access), format (seated, standing, mixed) and the expected image (classic, contemporary, prestige).

A prior declaration is generally required above 20 m² installed and 15 days of occupation. For ERP structures (establishments open to the public) or CTS (Marquee, Tent and Structure), stricter rules apply: M2 fire-reaction certificates, evacuation plan, validation by the safety committee. We provide all the technical documents needed for the file (M2 certificates, dimensioned plans, anchoring attestation) to build a compliant file from the very first step.

The reference rule: 1 m² per person for a standing cocktail, 1.3 to 1.8 m² per person for a seated dinner (the wider the place setting, the higher it goes), 1.5 to 2.2 m² per person for a dinner + dancing party (you need to allow for the dance floor and a bar area). Above 200 guests, you systematically add 15 to 20 % for technical areas (cloakroom, bar, entrance, catering).

The event high season (April to October) fills up from January onwards. The weekends of May, June and September go first, followed by July and August for weddings in the PACA and South-West regions. Booking 6 to 9 months ahead is the norm for weddings, 3 to 6 months for corporate events, 4 to 8 weeks for company parties and openings. We also handle urgent requests (less than 2 weeks) subject to fleet availability.

Yes — installation, transport, setup, takedown and logistics coordination are systematically built into the quoted price. The quote details each item (structure, flooring, lighting, heating, toilet units) to make budget trade-offs easier. Our teams generally come the day before for setup and the next day for takedown, with technical standby available on the day for high-stakes events.

To frame your project quickly, start with our 2026 comparison of event structures (marquee vs stretch vs orangery), then read the 2026 hire price scale and the size guide for 100, 200 or 500 people. If your event is corporate, see the outdoor company seminar checklist and the ERP/CTS authorisations guide. These 4 articles cover 80 % of the questions organisers ask before the first contact.

A project in mind?

Leave nothing to chance for your event. Contact us to look into your covering needs.

Contact usSend my brief