The DCU Students’ Union marquee, situated in the mall on the Glasnevin campus, cost approximately €25,000 to rent for the four week period it was in place, according to DCUSU President Dylan Kehoe.
As the reconstruction on the Hub has commenced, DCUSU rented the marquee from David’s Marquee Hire to facilitate clubs and society events during the first four weeks of semester one.
The DCUSU budget has not been announced yet and therefore an exact figure is yet to be confirmed.
Kehoe told The College View, however, that “it was just under €20,000 to rent and then €1,500 per week. That figure hasn’t been finalised because we’re still negotiating on that. So you’re looking at approximately €25,000”.
The marquee was due to be removed at the end of Week 4, with use of the marquee ceasing on that Friday.
While the marquee set the SU back multiple thousands, Kehoe claimed that they did not make a loss. He stated that the SU “makes a massive loss on the venue”.
“To run a ball in the venue, it costs an extremely large amount of money, the haemorrhage is unbelievable,” he said.
“Obviously it costs a lot, but in the grand scheme of things and by next May, it will actually fit in perfectly”.
Legal Issues
The marquee was erected only for the first month of semester one as if the SU had rented it for a further period of time it would have changed from a “temporary structure” to a “permanent structure”.
“That’s when we have to get into the legalities of how much of a fire hazard it will be, which is the difference between a temporary and a permanent structure,” Kehoe said.
DCUSU Oktoberfest took place in NuBar and the marquee from October 10th to 12th. While Oktoberfest is an event centred around beer, the marquee did not have a licence for alcohol.
Kehoe noted that he was aware that this issue would be tough. “I worried it would hamper the event but I still wanted to get use out of the marquee,” he said.
DCUSU supplied security and insurance coverage for all events in the marquee.
The College View asked Kehoe if the SU would consider bringing the marquee back to campus. However, he stated that he had not. He stated that while it was good while it was there, he does not think it will return.
Hayley Halpin
Image credit: Zainab Boladale
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