Building giant tents for 1,000 guests at the Danish country side

Imagine the Danish country side in May. Small roads allowing cars, but perhaps mainly bicyclists, to gently roll over the green fields, passing red brick houses, farmlands, tree groves that have seen centuries passing by. Above all of these, blue skies with small white clouds blowing in with the salty winds from the North Sea. And in this Scandinavian idyll fourteen giant beige brown Nordic tipis rises, hosting 1,000 people, as a local Danish banking company wanted to celebrate its 100th anniversary together with customers on a big day out.

Image Luksustelte.dk

-It’s our largest job ever in terms of guests. Well in terms of anything, really, Peter Vilhelmsen, owner of the Danish event business Luksustelte, says.

-Creating an event for 1,000 people, that’s not an easy thing to do. But when I got the call from Impact Group (who organised the event) I didn’t hesitate one minute about taking on this huge task.

But had it only been two years earlier, Peter wouldn’t have been so sure. He might not even have been in the business. But his path to leading one of Denmark’s most well established tent rental companies was paved by a twenty minute video…

Image Luksustelte,dk

Started in the furniture industry

Peter started out working in the Danish furniture industry, interested both in furniture, lightening and interior, but in 2010 he joined an event company as partner. The company had just bought its first Stratus but Peter didn’t work with it back then.

-The company had many legs to stand on but from the little I saw of this giant Nordic tipi I could tell it had potential. Until recently there were no serious Nordic tipi rentals in Denmark.

In the latter part of 2015, however Peter had quit his partnership and bought the company's Stratus and started his own firm together with his wife Trine Vilhelmsen. They immediately booked themselves into a wedding fair and saw that there was interest in the product. From that day, he and Trine have invested all their commitment fully in the concept of whole events under their own auspices. Luksustelte was formed.

Image Luksustelte.dk

– The Nordic tipi from Tentipi was so unique, magical! Peter says. It made me want to use them for our business right away.

But even though finding the right hardware and paying much attention to detail is crucial to creating beautiful events, it’s always the bigger picture that’s been Peter’s and Trine’s main focus.

- With the tents we can make a beautiful framework and set the stage for the customer’s day of notice. With them we can create a parallel universe.

Creating framework for any occasion

- If you can create the perfect framework, you can create the perfect party. At Luksustelte we are passionate for more than just renting tent solutions. We are passionate about forming the simplest party completely unique and magical, using unique tents. Since 2015, we have dedicated ourselves to inventing unique frames for festive occasions, and we not only build the room, we shape the entire frame. We offer solutions that construct a well-functioning and magical space, Trine and Peter say.

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- Luksustelte make it a virtue to offer our customers the very best, Peter tells, and that’s why we also have discussions with our international colleagues, who we meet across borders and exchange experiences and ideas.

Rapid development – for better or worse

Luksustelte grew by a hundred percent in the first few years but for 2020 they do not expect the company to double its operations. From acting only in the Copenhagen area, the business has been developed to organize events across the country.

At the end of the 2017 season, he was totally drained of energy because the company had grown so much faster than they had expected. Peter was always present on all building of the Nordic tipis – which is physically demanding work. On top of that, the tension that comes with being the ultimately responsible for building enourmous structures housing sometimes hundreds of guests with high expectations. Peter talks about how there have been times when he has wondered if it is worth it, to be completely exhausted from working and barely able to cope.

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- Once when we took down the tents after a successful business event, we walked in the drizzle rain. It was dark and wet, all the equipment was soaked, your shoes sailed in water and you just wanted to be somewhere else. It was almost as one considered (tired after a long season) whether it was the right career at all. Then we were finally done and got in the car, an email came from a customer we had in August. They explained how pleased they were with our three linked Stratus and attached their wedding video, Peter continues.

The wedding video was made by a skilled photographer and with goose bumps on his arms, Peter immediately realized why they worked so hard with Luksustelte and the Nordic tipis.

- We were sucked into the universe of beauty, magic and joy that we repeatedly try to create for our customers when we saw the wedding video, even though we have never had a proper party in our own tents, for our own sake.

- After watching the video I was confirmed that our work was very special, and that what we create gives our customers memorable moments without comparison. It reassured me I was on the right track in life.

A part of the video from that wedding is here; we have already had the opportunity to show it in Tentipi's social media and we are happy to do it again.

Back on track and getting the gig of a lifetime

So came that day in spring of 2019 when Peter got the phone call. Could Luksustelte arrange a big event with over 1,000 guests? Of course they could!

The Danish flag waved and peaks of a number of tipis rose over the bushes when you approached the meadow at the headquarters, where the annual summer celebration would start. The children stopped and counted to fourteen high tents and eight lower. It looked lovely, almost like a magical village in a fantasy movie in the old, well known spot. Many happy people gathered for picnic on the grass and under the inspiring roofs formed by the huge witch hats when the tipi tent canvases were raised and linked. Despite the large number of people, there were more than 1,000 people on the guest list, it never felt crowded, just welcoming and friendly.

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Children ran around chasing each other between and behind the big tents, or took part in the workshops done especially for them. One easily walked back and forth, in and out of the tents. String lights around the wooden poles, and the stage lighting, lit up the beige brown tent walls. The shadows on the canvas and the cosy light gave a magical and adventurous shimmer in the Nordic tipis, where live music flowed. There were something for everyone when many artists entertained, presented by the energetic and humorous compere Jacob Haugaard.

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From green horse boxes you could fetch something to drink and in the smaller side-kick tents food and goodies were served. The tables were invitingly decorated with wildflowers. You could just sit down on the benches and continue the conversation. Wherever you were you met people to stay and chatter with, both known and unknown persons. Right there in the party, you could make an agreement to have contact in the week to come.

It was so nice, different and cozy that most people stayed until late at night, even families with young children, who had many fun things to do during the day and then tired hung over their parents’ shoulder in front of the stage. With a simile on one’s lips, the party scene was left in the chilly May evening. It was a grand event that had taken place, as in another universe, something unusual.

There are some nice pictures from the event at Luksustelte.

-I was so proud over this event. I was proud of what we had achieved. All this hard work, all the late nights taking down heavy equipment in rain, wind and snow! Being persistent paid off. I can’t say how glad I am that I stayed with Luksustelte, Peter tells.

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Developing both hardware and software for better tent experiences

-We expect to grow further, as the Danish market has few companies that create high quality tent events. We hope that we will succeed in being recognized as a brand that guarantees something extra in our industry, Peter says. We strive to take the lead in creating tomorrow's party.

The work with focus on details and the overall solutions is the way forward for Luksustelte. The market is demanding delicious full-scale solutions for events and the company is investing in the big Nordic tipis and accessories such as string lights.

Speaking of string lights, they actually developed the string lights themselves and they turned out soo good that Tentipi are going to bring them into stock for sales later, hopefully in 2020! Peter's previous work in the Danish furniture industry and his interest in design, decoration and lighting are tools that have come in handy more than a few times in Luksustelte's history.

 Images Luksustelte.dk

To cement their position on the Danish event market even further, they are developing software to be able to show customers different planning solutions and plans based on the customer's wishes, which Peter hopes also will generate new customers for the company.
He has drawn much inspiration from the Nordic tipi industry in Britain, which is recognized as the most developed market for tipi rentals in the world, and the competition there has driven the business as a whole to world leading standards. In the future, Peter and Trine dream of building a showcase that is set up for a weekend or two per year, as many Nordic tipi rentals do in the UK.

Nordic tipis from Tentipi

-We have chosen to offer Tentipi tents because they are made of recognized Swedish quality with high demands on materials. They have a good indoor climate, can withstand wind and weather and are approved for gatherings, Peter explains. At the same time, their beautiful Nordic design creates a particularly authentic atmosphere as you enter the tent.

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He notes that quality and choice of materials are top notch and they feel that Tentipi is constantly developing and improving the tents with small details, which each time increases their job satisfaction with the Nordic tipis. The window solution WallFlex in particular has been of great importance to the configurations and customers often choose it for the panoramic effect. WallFlex is a guarantee for Luksustelte to be able to deliver the open Stratus with the view you can get, while at the same time securing customers against the weather and wind.

- In addition, we appreciate the way Tentipi works and the visions the CEO Bengt Grahn has had for the company. There are a lot of values behind the Tentipi brand that we are proud to represent, Peter says.

Luksustelte has got three types of Nordic tipis. The giant Stratus 72, which can be used with the sides up, the sides down or something in between, one hosting 72 people seated at tables but by linking several Stratus the room for guests is infinite. Cirrus the medium-sized Nordic tipi, which seats 35-40 people, and is used at smaller parties and also can be connected to Stratus to get an intimate dance tent or lounge. Nimbus the small side-kick tent with different uses can be a pavilion to cook and serve or a relaxed place outside a larger Nordic tipi.

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To make a successful event and rental company

-The most important thing is that we work with the thesis that we are a service company, Peter begins. We do everything in our power to give customers exactly the arrangement they want. We only get one chance to make each arrangement perfect, so we are very careful to intercept what the customer wants.

In order to provide the best possible service to the customers, Luksustelte benefits from the good network that is built up in the industry by suppliers that have the same high standards as the company itself. The network is part of the success that has been gained as it has contributed with lots of customers.

- When we have to “sell ourselves”, the focus is on selling the atmosphere and the universe we create with our Nordic tipis and for that, pictures are the best for us, Peter concludes.

Image Luksustelte.dk