Theme parties, period weddings and flashy corporate parties have increased dramatically in the past few years, which bodes well for the party rental market that helps drive these trends. And the rental store that can offer an extra flair with interesting lighting is well-positioned to attract more of these extravagant party accounts.

Manufacturers are seeing a major trend toward elegance in the party industry. Lighting can play a major role if it is designed properly and blends in with the party design.

"We are seeing a trend toward a much more elegant look," says Mike Tharpe, national sales manager for Partyline/FunTec, Simpsonville, S.C. "For example, we're seeing an increase in the use of chandeliers and other lighting that can be focused on a central area in the tent."

This can include the use of spotlights and professional lighting equipment similar to that used in live theater. "Everything seems to be moving toward a more professional, modern look. The industry is moving away from strings and strings of mini Christmas lights that might illuminate, for instance, a little wedding walkway," Tharpe says.

Suzanne Warner, sales manager for Tentnology, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, adds that while mini-lights can look very beautiful, they can just as easily look bad.

"In the past, people used Christmas lights and wrapped them around tents and poles, but this is very labor-intensive, and if it is not done just right, it can look very sloppy, which gives a non-professional image. I have seen, however, parties where mini-lights were wrapped around the bases of several palm trees, and that was gorgeous."

Icicle lights were really big this past year, but Warner doesn't expect them to stay popular. "It seems like everyone in North America was hanging icicle lights this year, and it's been overkill."

But she does see an interest in chandelier-type lighting. "There are some great products that simulate a chandelier. They have round, huge bulbs and they typically are hung from pole-style tents."

One of the reasons lighting is becoming diversified is simply the upscaling of the tent rental industry itself, Tharpe says. "I really think what is happening is that the tenting industry is gaining a better reputation as a memory-maker. A tent is not just a tent anymore - especially with corporate events or weddings. The customers are more savvy, too, and they want their guests to feel like they are attending something really special."

Tharpe is seeing an addition in the use of lights that hang, and in the use of freestanding lights.

"You might have little settings or scenes created in different areas of the event, such as a park bench with flowers and a Victorian-style street lamp next to it," he says. "Companies like San Marino and Olympia Lighting offer many styles, and they really add a lot for scene-setting."

Warner also has seen a lot of interest in her company's lighting systems, which save time and labor.

"We have a flying center pole suspended across cables with a donut-shaped electrical box that slides on the center pole," Warner says. "Around this box are four lights. One option is to use halogen lights that shine up into the tent ceiling. Another option is to use glow bulbs that are more decorative."

Colored lighting also is a way to add drama or flair.

"Quite often you'll see such things as large potted plants that have colored gel lights behind, shining up. In addition, designers often have theatrical scrims, or background panels of stretched materials, that are lighted from behind to achieve an avant-garde look," Warner says.

Tharpe says colors such as lavender and pink are being used to accent tent ceilings. "It's really about adding anything that can soften the mood or make it more appealing."

But Warner cautions that colors must be chosen carefully. "You wouldn't want a pink light illuminating tables at a party, because then the people and food will be pink, too."

Consideration also must be given to electricity. There are regulations, and stores must make sure to use the proper-size drop cords, Tharpe notes. "These products also can add rental revenue as add-ons to the party."

There are also on-site safety regulations. "The big thing is how to quantify the amount of bolts and jolts you need," Warner says. "Getting electricity to the site is another consideration, in addition to wattage used and having ground-fault or safety protection.

"It's important when booking the rental that you ask customers careful lighting questions. You have to make sure that the social and ambient lighting will conform to regulations. For example, our new literature on lights has a chart that talks about the various power requirements and suggested use for each kind of light."

Although the more elegant, professional look is in, keeping an inventory of high-end lighting is probably not for every rental business.

"Specialty lighting, such as what would be used for a concert or something like that, would be provided for and set up by a technical lighting company, or it will be part of a techie road show," Warner says.

But even the simplest installations often don't have ground-fault protection, and too many lights are strung together. And you have to think of transportation.

"When you're dealing with light bulbs, which obviously are going to break, you have to think of inventory costs," Warner says. "You don't want all your lights broken by the time they get to the site. Tote boxes are great, and a lot of people use these for storage and transport."

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