Event Industry Boss: The Book by Gala Tent Founder Jason Mace
Gala Tent founder Jason Mace built the company from a £2,000 credit-card investment in 1999, alongside his brother-in-law Mark Thompson, into one of the UK's leading suppliers of event structures. In Event Industry Boss: The Secret to Becoming Successful in the Event Industry, he's written down how he did it. For anyone weighing up a tent hire business, it's practical advice from someone who has actually built one from the ground up.
Jason is a relentless self-educator — "if you're learning, you're earning" is a line the whole team knows — and the book is the distillation of more than twenty-five years of doing the work. It's split into three defined sections, each building a fuller picture of the thinking and the practical steps behind getting a start-up going in events, or in any other industry.
Inside the Book
Written in plain, user-friendly language, the book takes you from the mindset of starting a business, through the pitfalls and considerations to weigh up, and into the marketing and operational detail. There's no magic formula here, and Jason is the first to say so — the onus is on your own drive — but the ideas and anecdotes throughout give you direction and the confidence to take the leap.
"Many entrepreneurs consider themselves people who like to take control and make important decisions. When you're in the driver's seat, you decide how to steer your company into the future. That can be overwhelming, and you must know when and how to delegate, but making your own decisions day to day lets you create your own culture, your own brand and your own organisation, which in turn creates a solid future for you and a legacy for your family." — Jason Mace, Event Industry Boss
Real Stories from Gala Tent Partners
The book is an extension of Gala Tent's long involvement in the marquee and party-tent hire trade, and it includes case studies and interviews with successful Gala Tent partners. These are the people who have walked the path, sharing how they did it in their own words.
"My mother-in-law was turning seventy, so we had a party in the back garden and bought a Gala Tent marquee. During the party, someone said the marquee was great and I should consider hiring it out. I did some research and found lots of companies doing the large traditional marquees, but very few doing the small garden-party type events. So I started a small business hiring children's bouncy castles and small marquees. Because I knew the sizes I could get from Gala Tent, if an enquiry came in for a particular size I'd buy one and do the job — and that's how I built up my stock to the point where I now offer fifteen different sizes." — Gary Strangeman, Bounceroo
The Practical Side: Setting Up Legally
Having formed several companies himself, Jason is well placed to cover the official side of starting out. Sole trader or partnership? What's in a company name? What about insurance? The book walks through the decisions, and our own guide on how to start a tent hire business covers the same ground alongside current GOV.UK guidance.
Get Your Copy
Whether you're setting up as a full-time events professional or a casual hirer earning on the side, Event Industry Boss is worth a place on your shelf. You can order a copy here, or get one free with any marquee purchase by calling 01709 242454.
Partner with Gala Tent — The Professional's Choice
Hire firms across the UK build their fleets on Gala Tent kit, and for good reason: exclusive footprints and the 60mm frame nobody else supplies, structures engineered for the speed and durability commercial hire demands, and a team that understands the trade. If you're equipping or expanding a hire business, partner with the people who make the professional's kit.
