we see over-the-top Pinterest pins from clients. When I meet with clients that have a grand vision, I ind it helps immensely if the budget is hashed out irst, as it will shape the scale of the design. " Like Smith, Welz is a big fan of dimmers that can set the mood at different stages of an event. " You'd be surprised at the number of rental companies that don't put dimmers on any of their lighting, " he says. " But backing down the brightness is key when it starts to get dark out. " Welz still favors the look of incandescent lights in spite of their greater draw on power. " In the tent world LED really is nice due to the little amount of power draw, but the look of an incandescent has still not been created in LED. " Looking ahead What might the future hold for tent lighting? Welz looks for technology that will allow tent lighting to be sleeker and less bulky. " The hardest thing with lighting design The most in a tent is that it has to look very clean with hidden mechanics, " he observes. " Battery-powered and wireless lighting options will continue to evolve and transform tent lighting. " Mulrey predicts that markets will expand as people continue to hold their events in tents. " COVID isn't over, and people like the idea of having fresh air around them when in large gatherings, " she says. Michelle Miron is a freelance writer based in Hugo, Minn. effective planners custom-design lighting to match the ambience they're trying to achieve. " InTentsMag.com 11http://www.weldmaster.com http://www.InTentsMag.com