At Schlappi Awnings, they know for sure

'With awnings, hospitality industry gets more out of patio season'

"The patio season is already starting in a few months. That is hard to imagine now, with the current low temperatures, rain, occasional storms or snow. But before we know it, nice spring sunshine will be shining again!" 

Dennis Schoormans of Schlappi Marquees is not pursuing a career as a weatherman, but he dares to make that prediction. "I would suggest awning specialists to tip off the hospitality industry right now to check the awnings. How does it look? Does it need cleaning, is the fabric perhaps faded or even worn? Is everything still working properly and does the look still match the look of the business? These are questions that the awning specialist must now ask the hospitality entrepreneurs in his region. Because if it is not in order, now is the time to be of service to them before the patio season begins." 

Tip: reupholster!

Sustainability is a high priority at Schlappi Marquees. With his tip, Schoormans connects to that. "The fabric of an awning suffers the most from the Dutch weather. If the awning looks old and worn, it is because the fabric has become faded and dirty. Replacing the entire awning is then a common choice. But that is a shame, because the frame is usually still good for many years. It is sustainable to replace only the fabric. We call that reupholstering the awning. "The Schlappi dealer disassembles the awning or awnings, after which Schlappi provides them with the newly selected fabric and checks all moving parts right away. The dealer then neatly hangs the fresh-looking awning back on the facade! Because fewer materials are used, this is sustainable and saves the hospitality entrepreneur costs, while the dealer earns good money on the reupholstery! A win-win situation."

Awning with lighting

If the hospitality business really wants to achieve a new look, it is smart for the dealer to recommend a hospitality awning with lighting, Schoormans believes. "If the hospitality entrepreneur wants more atmosphere on the terrace, a new awning with lighting is the best advice!" He enthusiastically talks about the innovations Schlappi has developed in-house in recent years. "For several years now, we have been making awnings with integrated LED lighting. That's a real mood creator! The effect that hospitality businesses notice is that people stay longer on the terrace and thus use it more. That makes this mood creator a real revenue booster." 

"Not long ago, we added a lighting innovation to our range," Schoormans continues. "It's an illuminated flounce, which makes a catering establishment - or a store, for example - stand out. Anyone who wants to see how this works out in practice should just watch the video of Café de Slijterij via the QR code in our advertisement, elsewhere in this Z&R. Owner Michel Engel talks about his choice and the advice he received from his Schlappi dealer. I would say other dealers should take advantage of it! All our dealers can take advantage of the extra service and innovations that Schlappi the sun protection specialist has to offer." 

Visualization

More and more awning and fabric manufacturers are working with tools to visualize what an awning looks like on a facade. "To fully automate that for awnings is almost impossible," Schoormans believes. "Nevertheless, we can still provide visualizations. Our Select Dealers can provide a photo of the house or building where the awnings are to be installed. We then provide a picture of the building with a photorealistic representation of the awnings, including how they are expected to shadow the facade. It is, of course, a great help in sales when potential customers get a clear picture of what their facade will look like with awnings." 

Schlappi has also built up an extensive image bank with photos and videos of projects realized with Schlappi awnings. Dealers can make use of them, For example to illustrate their website or advertising material or to inspire end customers. 

Standard RAL colors without surcharge

Schlappi some time ago expanded the number of standard RAL colors for aluminum awnings that can be ordered at no extra charge by as many as six additional colors. The four existing colors RAL 9001, RAL 9010, υ RAL 9005 and anodized, have been supplemented by the colors RAL 1015, RAL 3005, RAL 5011, RAL 6009, RAL 7016 and RAL 7021. 

Painting

By imprinting an awning or awnings with a company or product logo and/or name, a catering establishment or store stands out more and becomes recognizable to passers-by even from a distance. Schlappi Marquees can provide printing of logo and/or texts on marquees from A to Z. "The painting is done in an authentic, traditional way by the regular advertising painter of Schlappi awnings," says Dennis Schoormans. "Schlappi Marquees takes care of this for its customers completely. The design of the painting is of course first submitted for approval so that the Schlappi dealer can consult with his end customer. The traditionally applied logos and texts are colorfast and therefore have a long service life."