AExcerpts from Corporate Entertainment Magazine, January 2002
The Do's and Don'ts of Renting Novelty Games
By W.C. Kirby

In a generation that thrives on interaction, novelties has become one of the largest growing segments of entertainment. While the boom really happened in the mid-nineties one little piece of equipment is really credited for setting the trend in motion.

The Gyro was first developed for NASA to train astronauts how to handle weightlessness. One manufacturer picked up on the commercial application in the 80s and started marketing it to potential distributors who in turn displayed it at campuses, festivals, corporate events and trade shows. The first generation machine was a simple circle contained in various other circles where the rider was strapped in a standing position and the operator gave the machine a spin. The force of the body propelled the rider amongst the other inner circles in various directions.

The success of the machine launched other variations including models that were more portable and less clumsy to travel and set-up. It was manufactured under different names with different quality levels. The machines can still be found today at various amusement parks and festivals.

The first recognized attraction to make its way to the forefront was the Velcro Wall (also manufactured as the Spider Web, Fly Trap and various other names). This giant attraction is comprised of an inflated runway with a giant inflated wall equipped with Velcro at the end. In this game, the participant wears a pair of cover-alls or a Velcro suit. The suit is brightly colored and complete with Velcro attachments. The player jumps on a bounce style floor which catapults him forward in the air to land on the wall where they become attached in whatever position they land.

The Velcro Wall experienced an uncanny amount of popularity in the early years of the novelty boom, simply because it was the market's first venture into action inflatables. But like any product with an entry level position, there became reasons for concern. First, when used unsupervised by individuals who had consumed alcohol, it resulted in possibly injury. People began trying to use the wall to perform tricks for which the system was not intended. It is not an attraction that should ever be used where alcohol consumption is present. The game should be monitored so that participants don't try acrobatics that are beyond good common sense.

The other problem is one that is universal with new products. Some companies developed knock-offs. These were cheaper models that often didn't have the support necessary for long term use. With these units, some buyers found that when participants hit the wall, it was not strong enough to support the impact and would bend backwards. Over the last ten years the inflatable market has literally exploded with creativity and choices. Not only do you have an assortment of mammoth colorful inflated attractions, but there are inflatables with interactive and competitive games, obstacle courses, laser tag arenas with electronic scoreboards, climbing walls, giant slides, sumo wrestling, bouncy boxing and basketball, racing, jousting games, volleyball and arenas that can be set up to handle a variety of attractions.

So where do you locate "Fun Equipment" and how do you make the right decision?

Only in rare cases will the company you rent from be the manufacturer of the goods. Some companies have a network. Then who are you really buying from? The agency YOU contracted with is responsible for your date. You probably will never know that it is not their equipment or their employees handling the event.

Some agencies you deal with have little or no inventory and only package for you things they can contract from their suppliers. There is nothing wrong with this if the company has a good reputation in the industry. There are large suppliers who do not sell to the public but only contract through agencies. Most of these have large inventories and are able to get new attractions faster and cheaper than independent resources. Since some new entries in the market can have a price tag as much as $250,000, this limits the amount of inventory a smaller agency can keep on hand. While a year later, the price on that new entry may have dropped $100,000 (the manufacturer builds in his tooling start-up cost when he initially begins production), the agency is not competitive if he isn't offering you the goods immediately. So even if he has his own inventory, he may get this item from a supplier.

There are companies who cater to the corporate market who will only sell and package items that they own. This is a quality control measure because any complaint can effect the company's reputation in the marketplace. By only packaging equipment that belongs to them, they know the condition of the attraction when it leaves their warehouse. They know if it's clean. They know if there were any problems or if anything is missing. Plus they know exactly who will be supervising the use of this equipment.

The biggest lesson you may ever learn about interactive equipment is never buy any novelty attraction based only on price.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!
Recently one company thought they were saving money when they contracted for an event $300 cheaper than a previous supplier. The company had pushed their buyer to be a careful shopper and be frugal with the budget. The buyer had obtained three prices from three sources and all were within $150 of each other for a package which contained six items. But in an effort to honor the company's wishes, the buyer scoped the internet and found a supplier that would save them $300. The deal was cut.

At 9AM, one hour before the events start, the equipment still had not arrived. At 10:10AM, a truck dragging a trailer with one blown tire made its way to the parking lot with two pieces of the equipment they had ordered. The driver, who had apparently not slept or shaved for at least a week and wreaked of alcohol explained that he had been subcontracted for two pieces of equipment for their show and had no idea who had the rest or where it was coming from. The driver then had his sixteen-year-old assistant begin dragging a Bungee Run and a Bouncy Boxing arena off the dilapidated trailer.

In horror, the company's buyer, exasperated, called the agency she had contracted with but only got an answering machine.

One of the two items, The Bungee Run was ready to go by 11:00 - one hour after the event was supposed to begin. The Bouncy Boxing arena had a bad blower and would not inflate. The supplier had not put any spare parts with the job, so the driver left the sixteen-year-old running the bungee run while he drove around town trying to rent the needed equipment.

Because the event was in a rural area, it took the driver two hours to locate the equipment in a nearby town and get back to the event. By that time, the Spider Web (Velcro Wall) had arrived. It was well into the afternoon before all three attractions were operable. The other three pieces never showed. The explanation was they were routed to the wrong town (with a similar name).

Now you might think this buyer had seen all the trouble she possibly could have seen. Wrong!

After the Velcro Wall had been set up next to the concessions and picnic tents, they soon discovered that this model was not manufactured with enough stability and durability to be free-standing. When participants sprung from the runway there was both vertical and lateral movement because the material used to construct the wall was not rigid enough to hold the air pressure required. As a result, the attraction had to be deflated and moved next to the bathrooms on the picnic grounds. This was the only structure with enough support to place the back of the wall. Unfortunately, it was a quarter mile away from the rest of the picnic.

By the end of the day, the buyer was a wreck and so was her picnic. She could tell that the Bungee Run had once been red because now it was a dingy pink. Just before 4PM one of the bungee cords broke (fortunately with no injury to any participant), so one side of this attraction was unavailable for the rest of the day.

The Bouncy Boxing arena was operable most of the day once it was up and available, but participants complained about how dirty the gloves appeared to be and some participants refused to put their hands inside of them.

After being set up twice, obviously the Velcro Wall suffered from being away from the game area. Some of the suits (they had four) had old Velcro and did not stick properly.

What options did this buyer have? Virtually none. She had prepaid 50% of the fee and she refused to pay the rest. Her picnic has suffered a devastating blow from the decision to save $300 and this year's catastrophe would probably damage the reputation of the picnic in the future. She could sue, but she would have to have the approval of the company and the cost of such action would probably be a lot greater and collecting from the agency would be dubious at best.

She ate it and learned her lesson. The supplier she had the previous year had arrived two hours early and was ready one hour prior to opening with all equipment in tact. The agency's equipment had been clean and in good shape and there were experienced people operating the attractions.

A Good Rule of Thumb

It's okay to shop for what you want but know something about the companies who are going to give you bids. There are a lot of companies who are veterans in the field. Why not ask for references and CHECK THEM.

Find out what kind of equipment they have and the condition it is in. Will they have spare parts shipped with the item you are requesting? It does little good to get a credit for a bad piece of equipment.

Find out if they own their own equipment and if not, how experienced are the people who will be providing the equipment for them.

Ask them for an arrival guarantee and an insurance certificate. You should be insured for a minimum of $2 million as part of your contract and if you need more, ask them to provide it.

Find out if your deal includes operators or are your employees expected to supervise the use of the equipment. If you are to provide supervision, will they provide trained instructors to show you how to supervise this use and teach safety instructions?

Know the restrictions and the requirements of each piece of equipment in case there is rain and the product must be set up indoors. Will it fit through your doors? Do you have ample electricity, air or water for the product to function properly? Do your ceilings meet the height requirements?

NEVER pay in advance to a supplier you don't know and haven't checked out. There is too much that can go wrong. Most agencies will accept a company purchase order. If the agency meets his/her end of the bargain, be prepared to pay them upon arrival unless prior arrangements have been made.

This is a service industry and the best thing you can get for your money is good service. There are thousands of horror stories like the one above, but the truth of the matter is that if you deal with someone who knows the corporate market, you will probably be okay. There are a number of privately run companies who specialize in this market and they want to give you more bang for your buck.

Quality organizations hold their reputations very close to their heart. They keep their equipment clean and in good operating condition and they establish a personal relationship with the buyer. You will be surprised how handy that relationship can be at times. (End of excerpts.)

Celebrations! is extremely proud of our nine year tradition of Diversity, Service & Safety. We truly are not happy 'til you are AMAZED. We can set the customer satisfaction bar higher than any competitor because we own and maintain all our own equipment.
We currently serve several national brokers specializing inflatables and casino equipment. We consistently deliver on our promise to be on time, on stage and on budget every time because we have developed a team of committed, experienced professionals. We seldom loose an event, when dealing with a previous customer. Your contact with any one of the Celebrations! team will be positive one, especially if you have a special request or problem.
Each team member is empowered to do what ever it takes to AMAZE you. You are the most important customer Celebrations! has. We sincerely appreciate and look forward to Celebrations! being your first choice for interactive entertainment!

Now, what can Celebrations! do for you?