Every so often we dip our toes into a series called Danny Recommends:, posts that tip you off to the stuff that I…you know. The recommendations might be products for use in your ministry, resources that will help you develop leaders around you, or just fun stuff that you need. Want. Whatever. I have a full list of recommended books and such over at the Reading List, but these posts will go into further detail. For other posts in the series, check out the link at the bottom.

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This is an updated version of a previous post.

I’ve told you before that when it comes to meeting new guests, there has been no single indicator of success greater than our First-Time Guest Tents. These tents are present at (a) all of our campuses (b) every weekend (c) outside the main entrance and (d) obnoxiously in the way.

They serve as the neutral zone between the familiarity of a guest’s car and the anxiety of what’s behind the doors of this strange new building. There are very few exceptions to the list of churches who could benefit from a tent.

But . . . how do you get started? What resources and vendors are out there? We’ve mixed and matched and added and subtracted over the years, and the following is our full list of items we use for our tents (I’ve provided the annotated breakdown below, plus a downloadable spreadsheet at the bottom of the post.)

But before we get there, a word on your two variables: cost and permanence. Your budget may not allow you to start with all of the items below. That’s okay. Start somewhere. As you create a guest-friendly experience, you might be surprised to find that the budget will follow.

If you are a mobile church, the resources below will be especially helpful for you (and therefore, probably the least expensive options). Having said that, our mobile and permanent options for tents are – for the most part – the exact same options. Every campus gets the same startup package.

Here’s what we use:

The tent itself

We use the XTF 100 model, four-sided print from KD Kanopy. Their products are surprisingly durable and will last for several years if you take care of them (i.e., don’t leave them outside all week).

Anchoring the tent

Tents are great. Wind gusts + tents, not so great. We require all of our campuses to use some type of anchoring system.

• For mobile campuses, we use these sandbags on the tent legs (don’t forget the sand).
• For most of our permanent campuses, we use sleeves drilled into the concrete, and anchors that twist in to lock the tent down each Sunday.

Tables and workstations

• Every tent gets three pub tables for guests to use while filling out information. We’re big fans of MityLite‘s products and use their 30″ round, 42″ tall scissor-leg model. 
• Each table is draped with a spandex cocktail cover from Georgia Expo.
• The heart / control center of the tent is our Husky Mobile Workbench, which houses First-Time Guest bags and other supplies. (You can see more details on the workbench in this post, and how we set it up in this post.)

First-time guest bag / gifts

One of the main things we utilize our tent for is to give our guests a gift and some information on their next step. This post goes into greater detail on what’s actually in the bag.

The techy stuff

We use iPads at all of our campuses to capture guest’s information:

• iPad. Typically we order the latest model or the immediately-previous generation, depending on price differences.
• CarrieCathy anti-theft security kiosk. Make sure you’re ordering for your size iPad
• Omoton Bluetooth keyboard.
• For charging and transport, we use the Pearington 12 device charging station (permanent campuses) and the Tech Tub2 (portable campuses).

Heating and cooling

When those days get hot or cold, you need to keep your volunteers and guests comfy. Head over to this post and scroll to “First-Time Guest Tent supplies” for our most up-to-date list.

Miscellaneous workstation supplies

We pre-load that Husky with everything a FTG volunteer team may need. Here’s the list:

• Brightroom storage trays
• Box cutter
• Memo pads
• Sharpie markers
• Sticky notes
• Paper towels
• Hand sanitizer
• Disinfecting wipes
• Electronics wipes
• All-purpose cleaner
• Scissors
• Tape dispenser / tape
• Rubber bumpers. (These affix to the edges of the workstation to keep it from dinging walls.)
  
• And just in case our iPads go down or the wifi goes wonky…
  • Info cards. (These match the info we ask for on the iPads, used just in case the iPads go down.)
  • Ink pens. (Summit branded)
  • Clipboards
  • Ink pen cup

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Get the full FTG Tent inventory list:

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See all posts in the Danny Recommends: series.

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Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want to know that the vendors listed / linked above did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so. I’m just a really satisfied fan who wants to let you know about helpful things. I only promote items that have benefitted me and that I believe will benefit you. So there.

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photo credit