EVENT MATTING SUPPLIERS

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In this post we’ll be looking at a challenge many Event Shed customers face – how to change event matting supplier.

We spoke to Kate, Frame & Tailor's Events Director, to find out how they planned and managed the transition.

INVESTING LONG-TERM

“The biggest thing for us was to commit long term to changing our stock and phase out our old polypropylene flooring in stages. We knew long term that PapaFlex Event Matting was a better product and one our clients would prefer.”

MAKING A PLAN TO CHANGE EVENT MATTING SUPPLIER

“You have to replenish a bit of your matting each year anyway. So instead, we made a staged plan to replace our stock with PapaFlex. “

“Step 1, you might aim for 1 event a week to have PapaFlex, or your biggest/premium event to have it. Step 2, you would buy enough for 2 events a week.“

“We decided all Sperry jobs would have PapaFlex matting the first year.  We'll put it in all Sailcoth Tents, then Tipi events the year after. You just need to know your stock!”

USING THE OLD MATTING

“When changing your event matting supplier, there’s always chances to use any old polypropylene matting you have. We use it for festivals as it can take weeks to clean the mud off festival flooring! We use it for long term hire’s too. It also comes in handy for outdoor walkways, or there’s always the option to sell it second hand. As long as it’s in a decent condition it holds its value pretty well.”

Coir or coconut matting used for outdoor events and rentals has a shorter lifespan than polypropylene matting because it is damaged by UV and rain. A staged phase out naturally works well with those products when changing event matting supplier.

MANAGING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS

Alongside managing the matting itself, Frame & Tailor also had to manage their client’s expectations during their matting transition.

“When we knew we were investing in PapaFlex, we started off with two types of matting at our open day and made a point of telling clients which one they would be having. We soon found that we were more worried about it than they were! I’ve never had a client complain that the matting was not what they expected.”

"PapaFlex is a more desirable, serene flooring than our previous matting, that perfectly matches the feel of our tents. It’s lighter in colour and now features in many of our recent gallery images, so clients are even starting to request it! Up close too, PapaFlex doesn’t contain the bright coloured strands of some competitive products, meaning clients were really happy with samples or photos that we sent them.”

FURTHER INFORMATION

For other frequently asked questions about PapaFlex, please see our FAQ's page!