Promotional Canopy/tent?

T

tssdetailing

New member
I've been thinking about summer-why not, it's only 17° out, right? So anyway. I want to have a nice 10x12 or so canopy that I can pop up and work on the car under shade with. I would love to have ts|s detailing graphics on it for obvious promotional reasons. Does anyone have any insight on where one can get this and not drop $1,000 on it?
 
Don't know about cost, but I work with a local company that puts logos on almost anything. You can reach the company I use at:



For Pricing/Product Information

[email protected]



Promotion Plus

731 W. Glendale Ave



Appleton, WI 54914

920.734.9198

888.734.9198 (toll free)



920.738.9198 (fax)
 
Buy a $99 tent, and order up some professional signs (at least 3), hang them off the top of tent on 3 of the sides. Done.
 
tssdetailing said:
thought about that, but it could look jerry-rigged.
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purchase some vinyl from a fabric/crafts store and either use the ready to stick letters or buy some spray glue and some normal fabric. print on paper what you want and then trace and cut the vinyl, apply to the tint. since you aren't using the tent as protection from the rain I don't see any issues, might be time consuming though.



btw, Hobby Lobby typically has a 40% off 1 item on their website, you should be able to get the vinyl for <$10/yard (easy)



sorry, just checked website, its only 25% this week.





or do as AeroCleanse said, spend a little more and get it looking super professional
 
Design a banner with MSPublisher and send it to a local sign shop.. a 2'x8' banner should be around $100- you can then hang this from the end of the canopy facing the customers or... design one that is about 2' x 4' and put on the windshield as you polish- also keeps dust from the glass and wipers. Have your logo and number or whatever works for you on there.



I would go with yellow and red- they stand out very well. One for the color and one for the font.



There are also those flagpole type signs on Ebay that are very tall and say, "Auto Detailing". Basically, you want to be seen. However, I do not like to talk while someone else is paying me for their car- you can talk to someone for 10 min. and then not have them call and you lose time on the "money" in front of you that you are already working on. Thus, have a system in place to deal with 'talkers' that want to hang out and ask questions while you work.



I also had a nice sandwhich sign done (made with MSPublisher) that we can put at the entrance to any office park- it states...



Car Wash Today from $20



1. Hand keys to receptionist

2. Fill out service card

3. Leave keys at front desk



Idea is to have secretary on board and promote- she/he earns points toward washes and details. Customer can make an order in about 30 seconds and that's it. WE collect keys, return and pick up money or charge card, done!



Rob
 
tent.jpg




$79.95 from a place called XS Cargo (discount liquidation place), but the same thing can be found at Walmart for around the same price.



Agreed on getting your own custom vinyl decaling or banner, it'll keep the price down compared to a real custom one.
 
I'd alternate them rather than group them. if someone is looking for a detailer and comes up from the custom graphics side (or vice versa) you'll miss target audience. otherwise :2thumbs:
 
Thought about that-might be more economic that way too. But seriously, most people are dumb and you gotta make it black and white for them. At a show, i don't want the guy walking from the left to say "oh it's just a detailer" or the guy on the right saying "oh its just a custom shop, i need a detailer" lol...i play devils advocate all the time like that.
 
There is a franchise place called FastSigns here, they were able to take my photshop( sort of like yours above) and send it to someone to make the tent. I should have the price quote this week. I will let you know.
 
tssdetailing said:
that's awesome-i know of the company. what size did you get?
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I am pricing out a 10x10. We usually have one car on each side of our tent. The tent is just for our "booth" setup. You can get the tent with an optional backdrop in it. That would kind of get rid of any background distractions. Now the guy who owns my local fastsigns said he would be sub-contracting the work, so when I get the quote and the name of the sub-contractor I will let you know.
 
I had a quote done by EZ-Up for a 1 color canopy (10x15) where my logo showed on two of the top panels (the actual canopy). They quoted me around 1200.

I am currently working on them with a more comprehensive design...I expect it to be a bit more but I think they sublimate the fabric rather than screen or vinyl it. Much more durable. I used to race bikes and our factory canopies were made by EZ-up. they were very durable and resistant to fading.
 
D Tailor said:
I had a quote done by EZ-Up for a 1 color canopy (10x15) where my logo showed on two of the top panels (the actual canopy). They quoted me around 1200.

I am currently working on them with a more comprehensive design...I expect it to be a bit more but I think they sublimate the fabric rather than screen or vinyl it. Much more durable. I used to race bikes and our factory canopies were made by EZ-up. they were very durable and resistant to fading.
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that's still pretty damn high...i'm thinking like $400 tops
 
I know it's quite a bit of money. You have to consider a few things though. Adding more than one colors costs will drive up your costs. Your designs have 2 and 3 colors. On top of the cost of a nice canopy, I don't think you can get that for $400. Nice canopies (IMO) are made of aluminum, are stable when erected, come with a rolling bag, have securable and strong velcro to keep the canopy on the frame, can be raised and lowered to multiple levels, and don't have cheap fabric that leaks and fades after a few months. I look for something that will last several years.

So for that kind of canopy with frame you will spend at least 300-400 (if you get a good deal on them).



Then you have to add the cost of the graphics. I have found that vinyl will start to look ratty after a season on those canopies. Remember that it is getting folded up a lot, and sometimes it is not dry. Hanging a vinyl banner between the legs is a good way to go, but the custom canopy is out the window with that solution. A nice 84" vinyl banner will cost anywhere from 100-200 bucks with 1 or 2 colors. I have also seen screened canopies. These look good but for how long? That's a huge screen and I think the cost for that would be big as well.



SO, in short: If you want a nice, custom canopy, that will last and look good for duration it will cost you more than what you're looking to spend. I would recommend you either save for a bit longer or get a regular canopy and see how often you use it. Then make a bigger purchase at that point.



I've owned about 4 different kinds of canopies myself for different businesses and/or endeavours. I've had crappy ones, 20x20 awesome ones, and some where in between. For my next one...my choice has been made and I came to my conclusion as to which one using the reasoning above. I hope it helps you make the decision and end up with something you're happy with that also serves your purpose!
 
When buying a printed pop up tent make sure the printing process is dye sublimation and no screen printing. The dye sublimation the graphic is embedded into the fabric instead of laying on top of the fabric. Visit Custom Printed Tents for small and large scale promotional tents.
 
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