Summary
What is a TentBox Takeover?
A TentBox Takeover is a meet-up, organised by a member (or members) of The TentBox Community i.e. fellow TentBoxers. You can find details about how to attend, or organise your own below.
They will always:
- Be hosted at a registered campsite (or similar i.e a festival)
- Have a group organiser (a fellow TentBoxer)
- Have a loose purpose (i.e. a mountain biking weekend, or just a friendly chill-out!)
- Be open to all TentBoxers
- Have an itinerary - of which you can take part in as much or as little as you like
- Follow the TentBox Principles & Ethos
All monies will be paid directly to the campsite, and never directly to the group organiser.
How do I join a TentBox Takeover?
Takeovers will be listed as Events on the TentBox Community Facebook Group.
As a TentBoxer, you can find details about the event, ask questions, register your interest, or mark yourself as attending, just as you would with any other Facebook event.
Takeovers need TentBoxers to make them fun, so please go get involved!
If you have any questions about a Takeover, please reach out directly to the event organiser.
Legal disclaimer
TentBox Takeovers are approved by the TentBox team, after checking that they meet our event guidelines and are consistent with our brand. However, TentBox is not the organiser and is not responsible for running the event, the event individual organiser is responsible for this.
Please read our safeguarding article here. If you have any concerns please reach out to our team: support@tentbox.com
How do I organise a TentBox Takeover?
Organising a TentBox Takeover is extremely fun and rewarding, but it is important to take it seriously, to make sure everybody has a fun and safe time.
If you would like to organise your own Takeover
1. Read the things to consider section below, and start planning
2. When you're ready, fill in this form, to submit the details to our team
3. We'll check the details, then send you instructions on how to list the event on the TentBox Community Facebook group
Things you need to consider
Before you can fill in the form above, you need to start planning. Make sure all of the below steps are completed so that we can approve your event, without delay, on the TentBox Community group. We're always here to help, so feel free to reach out to support@tentbox.com if you need to.
1. What is the purpose of the Takeover?
It's always great for an event to have a purpose, even if that's just 'a friendly hangout'
Other events may be more specific, such as a surfing weekend, or a hillwalking adventure.
It's important to have this decided, before pushing forwards with the planning.
2. When will the Takeover take place?
Obviously, a start and end date are extremely important for any event!
It's good to give at least 1 month's notice, to ensure people can attend. An ideal event would have at least 3 months' notice.
3. Where will the Takeover take place?
This is a big one and will depend on the type of Takeover you are running.
Often, the event will be at a single campsite. Sometimes, it could be at multiple, depending on how you want to run it!
Remember:
- Call the campsite, and find out if they are okay with 'groups'. It is best not to call it an 'event' as this will scare a lot of campsites. You can share our TentBox principles with the campsite, to explain that we're a friendly bunch and not there to have a 'party'.
- Make sure the campsite is okay with TentBoxes
- Find out what their capacity is, and if they are okay to give a section dedicated to the Takeover
- Get the booking instructions from them
- Get a list of the site rules, by email, so they can be included on the Facebook event details
- Get a list of the site facilities (toilets, showers, swimming pools, fires, communal bbq's etc.)
If you are planning to attend multiple campsites, you should call all of them to make sure they are okay with it. There would be nothing worse than turning up at a second campsite and getting turned away!
In other circumstances, the Takeover may be taking place at a pre-existing festival or similar pre-organised event, but again, you must notify them and get approval first.
4. Booking Instructions
a) Accommodation
Event organisers are not permitted to take money directly for TentBox Takeovers. This can result in all sorts of issues, both from an organisational perspective, but also a legal one.
Payment for the 'pitch' should always be made directly to the campsite / festival / pre-organised event that you will be attending.
You should get the exact booking instructions from the campsite:- How to book (ideally a link to a payment page)
- What will the cost be (nightly cost will be fine - if you can haggle a discount, even better!)
- What to say when booking i.e. 'part of the TentBox group'
- What to book as - campervan / ground tent etc.
- Exact dates to book for
b) Activities
Are there any activities that you plan to do, that require pre-booking? Maybe you are looking to attend a surf lesson, a trip to GoApe, or perhaps a group meal?
If so, the same things as above need to be considered:
- How to book (ideally a link to a payment page)
- What will the cost be
- What to say when booking i.e. 'part of the TentBox group'
- What date / time to book for
Again, the group organiser is not permitted to take money directly for this, for legal reasons.
5. Event Itinerary & Detail
The event itinerary is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. It ties together all of the above, gives a clear picture to potential attendees, and acts as a 'run-sheet' for the attendees during the takeover.
It should include:
- Dates, times and locations for every element of the event
- Any planned activities, when, where, and what (all activities should be optional)
- Details on the activities, and what they involve (i.e. a 3 hour, moderate walk around X lake)
- Information about eating - is there a local supermarket? Will there be a group BBQ at a certain time, or is everyone to eat separately and fend for themselves?
- Information about local points of interest (things to do, local landmarks, place to hire bikes etc.)
- Information on the facilities at the campsite
- Rules of the campsite
Ready, set, go!
Once you are satisfied that you have the above information, pleasefill in this form to submit the details to our team.
We'll double-check everything, and then send you instructions on how to create the event on the TentBox Community Facebook group.
Remember:
- This is only part of the work - you are now an official organiser of a TentBox Takeover!
- You are responsible for making sure people have a good time, and stay safe during the event
- Make sure to follow our principles and safeguarding advice
- If you need any support, contact the TentBox team via support@tentbox.com