Pre-engineered commercial umbrellas- blending the scope of shade structures and conventional umbrellas

Here in the United States, need is generally a precursor for new and innovative products that seek to fulfill that need. One need in the US that has been steadily gaining attention over the last decade is the need to protect our skin from the sun’s harmful rays. This is being done through a huge array of products from shade structures, to hats and sunscreen. One such product that seeks to provide all-weather protection is a Skyspan Commercial Umbrella. Our commercial umbrellas have a seamlessly waterproof canopy that also blocks over 98% UV rays. Our products have been widely popular with dermatologists seeking to allow their customers to enjoy quality outdoor time without doing any harm to their skin.

Skyspan commercial umbrellas combine the greatest attributes of shade structures and commercial umbrellas to create a hybrid that fulfills a wide array of needs. Our umbrellas are very similar in shade structures in our wind ratings, engineering, sizes, and manufacturing capabilities. Our wind ratings of 75-95mph reflect those found in conventional shade structures. Our umbrellas are pre-engineered and can have engineered signed and stamped drawings reflecting the umbrellas loads and capabilities. Skyspan commercial umbrellas range in size from 6ft to 26ft, and are capable of linking together to span limitless distances. Our factory is actually shared by one of the premier shade structure companies in the United States: Superior Shade. Superior Shade and Skypan will often leverage off of one-another s experience to create truly awesome custom structures.

Skyspan commercial umbrellas also seek to find the greatest attributes in commercial umbrellas and incorporate those into our designs. Our frames are all cast aluminum rather than steel as seen in shade structures. This is done to allow for much cleaner, lighter frames that are capable of withstanding the effects of rust for decades, not years. All of our commercial umbrellas are retractable, allowing our customers the freedom to choose when and where they want their shade. Skyspan commercial umbrellas are fully waterproof, in line with regular commercial umbrellas, but quite contrasting to most shade structures which are only water resistant.

By choosing a Skyspan commercial umbrella, you’ll not only get the best protections from the wind, sun, and rain; but also have a beautiful structure which combines the best features in shade. If you’d like to be contacted by a Skyspan dealer in your area please check out our dealer locator or email us direct at our “contact” page.

Large Umbrellas for Commercial Applications

The previous habit of pairing a single umbrella with a single table or chair is quickly falling by the wayside as commercial more commonly relying on large umbrellas to cover multiple areas with shade and weather protection. Large umbrellas with spans of 10-20 feet are quickly gaining popularity because of their space efficiency, time/labor savings, and their durability.

A large umbrella can cover multiple tables, chairs, customers etc., with a single unobtrusive column; rather than having many small umbrellas covering an area, each with their own column. Having less space occupied creates a cleaner more open space that invites guests to take a break beneath the shade. Large umbrellas can often cover the same amount of space that would previously require four smaller umbrellas.

Another benefit to using large umbrellas is their ability to save time and money. Many commercial settings have an employee open every umbrella each morning and collapse them each evening. This requires more time with each umbrella. By saving space with a large umbrella, less units require opening and as a result employees will need less time to complete their rounds. This may not sound like significant savings, but even cutting 10 minutes a day could save hundreds of dollars each year.

Residential umbrellas typically use smaller frames that are considerably smaller and less durable than a commercial umbrella. Typically, commercial umbrellas are larger and durable than a typical residential umbrella. This comes with the need for a dependable and long lasting umbrella. Some large umbrellas, such as those from Skyspan Structures, not only boast considerable sizes but also have wind ratings of 75 mph winds. This not only allows for a large umbrella to provide a lot of shade but also stay open even during steady winds.

For a large commercial umbrella for your residential or commercial application, please contact us today!

Installation of the Month

Each month we will showcase the best Skyspan installation on Skyspan's Installation of the month webpage: http://www.skyspanstructures.com/contact-us/install-of-the-month/ This is our way of rewarding our dealers who go the extra mile when dealing with their customers. We love to display our installers ability to improve any setting with our beautiful commercial umbrella structures. If you'd like to be contacted by a dealer in your area for a Skyspan umbrella, please contact us at your convenience.

Check out our Weber Grill Logoed umbrellas

Check out the link below and watch the video at minute 2:11
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lobels-prime-meats-and-weber-grills-team-up-to-give-new-meadowlands-sports-fans-gourmet-tailgating-experience-101072109.html

Save Time with Skyspan

Many of Skyspan’s customers are drawn to our commercial umbrellas for two main reasons: first, a Skyspan umbrella combines the best attributes of a shade structure and a commercial umbrella; second, our commercial umbrellas can be installed in hours not days.

Unlike conventional shade structures; Skyspan umbrellas don’t require the tedious permitting that shade structures do. Although our umbrellas offer premium wind ratings and durability, they are after all, just an umbrella. Our customers love the freedom to install their Skyspan umbrella where and how they want to. Shade structures often take 4-6 weeks to produce, yet Skyspan umbrellas are manufactured in a less-than two week turnaround. We at Skyspan pride ourselves in our ability to manufacture such premium commercial umbrellas within such time frames. Shade structures use HDPE fabrics that provide great shade, but unfortunately are not 100% waterproof. Fortunately for our customers, we manufacture all of our umbrellas with premium PVDF fabrics suitable for all weather rain or shine.

The typical Skyspan installation involves bolting the umbrella structure down to an existing concrete slab. It literally takes minutes to do such installs. For example: in a recent install, our dealer installed an 18ft hexagon cantilevered umbrella and a sunset 13ft square umbrella in 45 minutes. We ship our umbrellas fully assembled and ready for use, versus Shade structures that require labor intensive installs that require costly footers, and several days.

The next time you are looking for shade at your location, consider Skyspan as a great alternative to conventional shade structures.

How to choose your commercial umbrella

In order to address the difficulty of choosing a top end commercial umbrella, I’ve put together the following informative points.

1. Need- address your need for the product
Why people love Skyspan umbrellas: durable & long lasting, 75 mph wind rated, great warranties, waterproof, customizable, variety of sizes for numerous applications, add-ons such as heaters and misters, and finally the look and feel of the product. Even residential customers love having the durability of a commercial umbrella in their home.

Winds:
Many of our customers in windy areas have had to leave their old umbrellas collapsed most of the time. Any customer using a cheap umbrella will easily be able to relate to this. One of my dealers who sells in Hawaii says that the trade winds make his job so much easier. “People in Hawaii are used to strong winds, most of the umbrellas are always closed. The resorts want an umbrella that can be opened whenever their customers want to be outside, not simply when the wind has died down.”

Inclement weather:
When in rainy areas, address the waterproof canopy and options for drop curtains. We like to discuss in depth with our customers, the ability to create seamlessly waterproofed area. Many restaurants depend on their outdoor seating areas to bring in revenue for their business, and these al fresco areas are virtually abandoned during inclement weather.

Heat/ Cold:
When selling to an area where temperatures got extremely hot during the summer months, we like to discuss how shade not only will cool the area about 20̊ but will also provide protection from the sun with the 100% UV protection our canopy offers. Options for add-ons such as misting, can cool the area underneath even more. For customers in cold areas heat panels can extend the season and allow for additional comfort. One of our most recognizable locations of install is the Water Bar, next to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. This location has approximately 10 umbrellas with heat panels that keep patrons warm even when cool winds are blowing in from the bay. Also, the customer has had lights that glow through the canopy at night and create a beautiful outdoor dining experience.

How we demonstrate the umbrella:
Once we began selling the product we quickly realized the need for demonstration. When you show someone a photo of a Skyspan umbrella, people think it looks good, but can’t fully appreciate its value. A huge majority of our successful sales come directly from on site demonstrations.
Consider the situation below:
Picture this beautiful residential home, where your customer is considering installing a Skyspan Umbrella. In this scene we have mounted a Sunset 18’ hexagon umbrella to a base plate with wheels for demonstration purposes. Rather than show the customer a picture from our brochure, you schedule an on-site visit. In this scenario the customer doesn’t have to visualize anything. All they must do is tell you where to put the umbrella and they can see for themselves EXACTLY how the umbrella will look on their property.

Demonstrations are hugely successful in gaining sales with the Skyspan umbrellas. As you gain more sales in your region the need for a demo umbrella becomes less important because you can direct new customers to areas of previous installation. Install sites and customer testimonies to the product will be another tool in your belt to help you sell more umbrella structures. Also as more locations pick up the umbrellas, it sets a benchmark of standard for other resorts, restaurants, cafes, pools, etc. to raise their standards to having quality commercial umbrellas.
If you’d like to have a Skyspan Structures dealer visit you soon please let us know at sales@skyspanstructures.com

2. Warranties

Emphasis on the warranties can make the difference between winning and losing a job. When I’m selling to an area with water nearby: water parks, docks, marinas, resorts, pools, Oceanside, lake side, river front, etc… I always emphasize the all aluminum frame, and stainless steel hardware. There is virtually nothing on this product to rust, and our 10 year anti-rust warranty is unmatched in the commercial umbrella market. We can mount our umbrellas right into the shallow end of a pool if the customer wants it, no problem. When resorts are sick of rust and corrosion that comes with being next to the ocean I tell them to switch to our product and never worry about it again.

3. Installing: how to maximize shade & minimize work
One of the most recurring obstacles we’ve seen so far in the umbrella sales to resort is the problem of resorts not wanting to drill into their existing decks. This is often because they don’t want to damage the tiles, don’t like holes in their concrete, don’t want to cut their existing deck, or several other reasons. Due to the obstacles of selling to resorts I wanted to put together a sales technique for quoting, specing, and installing at resort locations.
The picture to the below represents a great example of utilizing the Vista cantilever to avoid any work on existing deck areas. In this application the customer didn’t want any interference with his tiles. A huge majority of pool deck and other resort decks have gardens on the perimeter of the deck areas. Here the garden was dug up in one area to allow room for a footer to be poured. Two shrubs were removed and a 4’ square by 2’ deep hole was dug to pour the footer.

When doing a sales presentation I like to emphasize the potential to use these “garden areas” to avoid cutting concrete and to save installation costs. The above photo’s vista has a pivot base option as well. Should the client wish he can rotate the umbrella 180˚ to cover the deck area opposite the chairs. Or, they can swivel it 90˚ counter clockwise to collapse the umbrella without the closed canopy blocking any deck areas.

In this picture the customer didn’t want the base plate mounted into the deck. We overcame this obstacle by making a custom weighted base plate using (3) 30” sq x 1” thick steel plate, then surrounding it with a planter. This allows us to maintain the 75mph wind rating without piercing the deck. This is an ideal application for: roof tops, public walkways, temporary setups, waterproof membrane areas, and any setting where they don’t want to commit to mounting down to a slab or decking.

Skyspan Cabanas

Historically Skyspan has been well known for our umbrella structures. They fall in a wide variety of applications such as café umbrellas, pool umbrellas, cantilevered umbrellas, and custom umbrellas. In an effort to take the durability and look of our commercial umbrellas and make them more enclosed and private; Skyspan is developing a line of commercial and residential cabanas.

Skyspan Cabanas combine the beautiful, elegant look of a gorgeous cabana with Skyspan’s renowned wind-ratings and unsurpassed durability. Wind rated and tested at 85mph sustained winds, this is the strongest cabana on the market today.

Cabana Wind Test from Brent Derbecker on Vimeo.

Offering protection from any conditions with its 100% UV and waterproof canopy; our cabanas allow you to enjoy the outdoors year round. With its all aluminum frame and 10 year anti-rust warranty, this product is ideal for any waterside application. From poolside to Oceanside this structure will improve any setting with its dependability, functionality, and one of-a-kind look that sets it apart from any other cabana. With over 40 different color options for frames and canopies, the Skyspan

Cabana can be customized for any location. For more information on the Skyspan Cabana please call your Skyspan dealer today!