About us
In the summer of 2011, Ed Wright and Jon Parr met with Bengt, owner of Tentipi, to agree a landmark partnership. This agreement appointed Ed and Jon as the official and exclusive sales distributors for Tentipi Event Tents across the USA, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. From this meeting, Nordic Tipi Limited was formed, alongside its subsidiary companies: Tentipi Event Tents Inc. in the USA and Tentipi Event Tents Pty Ltd in Australia.
At the time, Jon and his wife Sue were already established as the UK sales distributors for Tentipi Event Tents, while Ed and his wife Donna owned and managed one of the UK’s largest multi-award-winning Tentipi rental businesses. With over 30 years of combined industry knowledge and experience, Ed, Jon, and Donna were ideally positioned to provide expert sales support and trusted advice—whether to customers purchasing their first Event tent or to long-standing members of the Tentipi owners’ family.
In 2018, Jon retired from the business after many successful years, allowing Nordic Tipi to expand its remit to include sales and support across the UK and Ireland. Ed became Managing Director, Donna looks after logistics and finance, and Operations Director Chris Reeves now oversees all commercial and operational activity.
April 2015. Ed (second from right) completing his first training build with Under The Sky Rentals crew in Colorado.
Tentipi is a truly special company—not only because it is the world’s only genuine Nordic Event tent manufacturer, but because of the people behind it. I have been proud to be part of the Tentipi family for nearly 20 years, and it continues to be a privilege.
Ed Wright – MD, Nordic Tipi Limited
The Tentipi story began with founder Bengt Grahn in the village of Moskosel, Swedish Lapland in 1989.
As a keen outdoors man, whilst on camping trips, frustrated that he and his friends would have to spend evenings alone in their tents, he quite literally took matters in to his own hands.
Drawing on inspiration from the shelters traditionally used by the Sami people, aboriginal to northern Scandinavia, Bengt sat down at a sewing machine and made his first Nordic tipi.
People were impressed with his tent and he was soon asked to make more. At first he sold his tents through mail-order and was happy just to have an income to pay the rent. But soon his ambitions grew.
Following a request by a local Sami leader for a community event, Bengt made a much larger tent which went on to become the Stratus 72 model, formerly known as the Giant Hat tipi. It marked a turning point for Tentipi and the Nordic tipi event industry was born.
Roger Rimpi was an early Tentipi Event tent customer and member of the Sami community. He was asked to create a covered space for an event for 250 people, so improvised a way to connect multiple Stratus with their sides raised. The continual refinement of joining techniques, and an almost limitless number of possible configurations, is what sets the Stratus 72 apart from other temporary structures. It’s central to the Tentipi range.
Since founding the Nordic tipi event industry, we have gone on to sell tents all over the world. Our original designs can be seen at everything from beachside parties in Mauritius to sporting events in Sydney. From mountain events in the Rockies to summer weddings in the UK.
But no matter how much we’ve grown, our mission remains the same: to make the best Nordic tipis in the world and to treat our customers, staff and the environment with the greatest respect.
Bengt Grahn, Tentipi’s Founder, teaches himself to sew and began making Nordic tipis in Moskosel, Swedish
Lapland. They are inspired by the kåta, the temporary structure used by the semi–Nomadic indigenous Sami people from Northern Scandinavia
The first ‘Giant kåta’, the predecessor of the Cirrus 72 is introduced.
Bengt invents the “Giant Hat” Nordic tipi – predecessor of the Stratus 72 – when approached by a Sami community leader to make a tent that could provide cover for a trade stall, but have open sides to attract visitors. Patents for cross-pole concept and InTent Vent™ granted. Registered design of the “hat” shape granted.
Roger Rimpi, a member of the Sami community in Swedish Lapland, buys several “Giant Hats.” He is asked to create an event space for 250 guests and developed the first techniques to link multiple tents. This was a pivotal moment in the Tentipi story.
Furniture and Bamse Fireplaces introduced
Bengt settles on the name ‘Nordic tipis’ to describe the style of tents produced by Tentipi.
The ‘King Eagle’ – predecessor of the Cirrus 40 – is introduced.
Ski jumping world championship in Norway uses 34 Stratus 72s linked together in a single configuration – the largest set-up to date!
The entire Event Tent range is renamed!
Little Hat – Nimbus 16
King Eagle – Cirrus 40
Giant Kata – Cirrus 72
Giant Hat – Stratus 72
Tentipi commissioned a team of independent Structural Engineers to produce a full (750 page) set of Structural Calculations.
Cirrus 20 and 28 are added to the Event Tent range.
The Stratus 72 wall system upgraded and relaunched as Wallflex™
Sydney based warehouse opened in Australia.
The Tentipi Library was created. The SmartPitch™ method and new LinkFlex™ techniques were introduced.
A new warehouse was opened in the USA.
Tentipi supply tents to schools and hospitality businesses around the world to support with social distancing measures during the covid pandemic.
A new Nimbus was launched, the Nimbus 23.