According to a study by ResearchAndMarkets, the shipping containers house market is expected to reach $67.96 billion by 2026 through a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3%.
This growth highlights the popularity and potential of shipping containers for use in various ways.
Nevertheless, due to their limited size and shape, sometimes it’s hard to come up with innovative ideas that make use of the space available.
Despite these limitations, here are five ideas for a shipping container event space to enhance and elevate your event.
1. Fun Outdoor Space
Shipping containers provide fun and functional outdoor spaces for your event.
For instance, you can use it as a DJ booth, as was done in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. You can also use the shipping container as a warm and welcoming space where your guests can enjoy some drinks like RBC did during the Montréal en lumière Festival.
No matter how you decide to use your shipping container as a fun outdoor space, keep these tips in mind:
- Plan the layout effectively to avoid overcrowding and congestion.
- Include a seating area for your guests to sit while using the space. If you need more space, use more than one shipping container, and you can even cut off the sides to make building easier.
- Ensure proper ventilation and lighting to transform the atmosphere.
- Prioritize security by having all the necessary permits and following local regulations. Also, have more than one exit and fire extinguishers readily accessible.
- Use weather-resistant paints for the exterior and ensure that they match your brand or aesthetics.
2. Medical Station
Shipping containers can be portable, and you can modify them to fit any space you want. Thus, they provide a dedicated, accessible, and efficient medical station right within your event space.
Still, like any space, you have to consider the following factors before you can start using the shipping container as a medical station:
- Ensure you have trained and certified medical personnel on site at all times during the event.
- Prioritize comfort and privacy by adding comfortable seating areas and screening curtains.
- Enforce an occupancy limit. If you need more space, add more containers or stack them up.
- Maintain high levels of hygiene by regularly sanitizing the work areas and equipment. Also, ensure that all medical personnel and anyone else involved wear gloves and masks to maintain a high level of hygiene.
- Communicate the services offered at the medical station to avoid over-promising and under-delivering.
3. Mobile Marketplace
Shipping containers provide a versatile way for businesses and artisans to sell their products and services. With a shipping container, you can use the walls as a canvas to showcase your product or services, and you don’t have to keep taking them down like using a tent or canopy.
For example, during the Montréal complètement Cirque Festival, Air France used a shipping container as an advertising space for their “2014 France is in the Air” campaign. To attract more people, they added swings, and people could sit and swing while watching the circus characters nearby.
Here are some tips to maximize how you use shipping containers as a mobile marketplace for your business:
- Don’t leave the container doors plain; add murals and signage to reflect your brand or product.
- Check that each product is displayed in a way that it is visible from any corner of the container. This will help the customers to comfortably see all the products available without having to strain.
- Ensure that you have proper lighting and ventilation.
- Double check that you set up a reliable and convenient Point of Sale (POS). The POS should accept all the major cards like Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and the locally available merchants.
- Review whether or not you have industry-standard security measures like locks and security personnel at all hours.
4. Perimeter Around the Venue
If you don’t want to use a fence or plastic barriers in your event, you can use shipping containers as a perimeter around the venues. By using a shipping container, you enjoy these benefits:
| Aspect | Shipping Containers | Fencing and Plastic Barriers |
| Security | Enhanced security due to sturdy structure and lockability. | Easier to breach or dismantle. |
| Visual Appeal | Can be customized for branding and aesthetics. | Often generic or unsightly. |
| Durability | Withstands weather conditions and many external impacts. | May require frequent replacement. |
| Functionality | Multi-functional as it can serve as a medical station, fun outdoor space, or mobile marketplace. | Limited functionality as it primarily serves as a physical barrier. |
However, remember that since it is multifunctional, your secure storage shipping containers should be:
- Stacked up by an expert to ensure that they are firmly held together to avoid causing any accidents.
- Equipped with floodlights or other durable lighting to ensure that it covers the perimeter with improved visibility and security, especially at night.
- Marked with entry and exit points to avoid overcrowding and long queues.
- Prepared for safety by having all the personnel trained with the first aid needed in case of an emergency or incident.
- Compliant with the necessary local regulations to avoid legal issues.
Organize Your Event With Secure, Portable Shipping Containers
For all your events, you should prioritize security by using shipping containers from Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage. Steel is one of the most durable materials in the world, infinitely recyclable, and at Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage, we focus on delivering only the best shipping containers for your event.
We also focus on building long-term relationships with our customers by catering to diverse specific needs. Therefore we provide a wide range of mobile storage containers, portable offices, trailers, and even disaster shelters (STORMBOX).
In addition, we provide customized options such as painting, logos, and adding shelves to shipping containers.
Get a free quote for the shipping container space you need to enhance and personalize your event from Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage!