I know what you’re thinking, “My event is free for my guests, how am I supposed to increase the value with no extra budget?!” Well increasing value of your event doesn’t mean you have to pay more for it. When we say to increase the value of your event, we are talking about the perceived value.
Every year, you go to some sort of an event; whether it’s a school carnival, company picnic, church event or something else. How many years in a row does that event have the same games, inflatables or activities? 9 times out of 10, events just go with the same thing they had last year because “it’s easier that way.” If you were to attend that event yearly, wouldn’t it get old? Would you be less interested or motivated to attend? Well unfortunately, that’s the number one way an event is perceived as losing its value.
The definition of value is “The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” Defining the word “value” in the in the entertainment world can be defined as “The regard that an event is worth while attending the first time and for future events to come based on its importance, worth and usefulness.” Now of course, that’s our definition, but if you think about it in context to your event, you’ll come to realize that there is truth in it. Keeping events, fresh, new and introducing new elements that attendees will want to continuously return for year after year is the key to increasing value of your event. Here are some ways to do it:
Do something different than the yearbefore: Having inflatables from year to year or having rides from year to year is fine, but don’t take the easy route by doing what’s comfortable and/or what’s been recently done, mix it up! At ACP Entertainment, we are constantly adding new inflatables, rides, games and activities to our lineup to make sure our inventory is as fresh and new as possible. We do this to make it easier for you to switch up your events line up every year and to make sure we have the newest and best attractions around.
Replace carnival games with a new experience: Carnival games have been around forever and are especially a staple at school carnivals and company picnics. Consider swapping the games and prizes for an inflatable, digital games or another take away item like spin art, flip books or a photo booth. Let’s face it, carnival game prizes are mostly trinkets that will be thrown away in a matter of days after the event anyways. Why not pay for a better experience instead of throw-away prizes?
Replace inflatables with a rides: Inflatables are great attractions at a reasonably low cost that also fill up a lot of space. However, inflatables are very common, they’re at events almost everywhere you go. But what’s not at every other event is rides. I’m not saying bring in a full carnival, but instead of having a bounce house and a slide, why not do one small carnival ride for nearly the same price? Adding rides to your event will most certainly increase perceived value to your guests.
White tents instead of coloredtents: Tents can often be association with two things; Weddings and the Circus. As you can imagine, colored/striped tents are often referred to or thought of as carnival/circus tents because that’s what the “Big Top” tents look like. Large white tents are often referred to as fancy wedding tents because those are where they are most commonly found. White tents may cost a little bit more in the end (not much though), but it’s so worth the perceived value of a fancier and more upscale event.
Non-traditional games and entertainment: Surprise your guests with something they would have never expected at an event of it’s type. Add stilt walkers, jugglers, arcade games or digital games-something new and different. If you think about it, who would expect to see arcade-style games at an outdoor company picnic? Or stilt walkers roaming a school carnival?
These ideas and tips are just a few ways that we can recommend to help increase the value of your event without spending much or any more than you already are. Put yourself in the shoes of your event attendees, ask others what they’d like to see and get creative! Just remember, mix up your event, keep it fresh and new every year and think outside the box. If you have questions or would like to get more ideas from our event planning experts, please give our staff a call at 616-826-8220. We’re ready and eager to help make your event the most Memorable Event ever!
Here at ACP Entertainment, we provide a variety of services and products for events ranging from a backyard party to large full-service corporate events. A staple of Summertime fun in our inventory is the bounce house. Sometimes called moonwalks or just the “bouncy thing,” most people have a fun childhood memory of soaring through the air to be greeted by a soft inflatable landing. We strive to not only provide these products but to make sure the safety of everybody involved is the top priority. The main issue embattling outdoor fun is the weather, so to make sure everybody has more fun, here are our guidelines.
Safety Is A Priority
Safety really is our number one goal when setting up any event at ACP. The main weather problems that we watch for before setting up a bounce house are rain and wind. While light sprinkling may be okay for an inflatable to run in, any substantial amount of rain will make the bouncer unsafe for any participant. When the inflatable is exposed to rainfall it will soak into the baffling (interior) of the unit and take many hours to dry out.
Due to these circumstances if rain occurs during the event all units will need to be shut down and covered until the rain passes. If rain occurs, or the event is canceled in anticipation of rain before any unit is set up, the event can be rescheduled within the next 90 days. At ACP, the job-site supervisor and managers are responsible for making the call of whether or not an inflatable should be setup and/or operated in preparation for inclement weather.
Wind is definitely harder than rain to predict before the day of the event. Generally, most of the inflatables ACP carries have maximum wind ratings of 15-25 mph. Once the wind speeds reaches the max for the specific unit, the inflatable must immediately be shut down until wind subsides.
Our Safety Measures
At ACP Entertainment we train every staff member on how to properly set up, run, and tear down all of our inflatable units. This includes knowing where a safe location for a setup is, how to properly anchor a unit, and knowing what weather conditions are safe to operate in.
When anchoring an inflatable ACP uses two methods, depending on the surface on which the unit is placed. Most outdoor events will have the inflatables be placed on grass, where three-foot long steel stakes are used on every corner of a bounce house. These stakes are driven in the ground a minimum of a foot and a half or more. When placed on a paved surface or indoors, units are anchored with sandbags. The number of sandbags used on an inflatable increases with the size of the inflatable and based on the manufacturers specifications. Inflatables can require anywhere from 360 pounds to 1500 pounds of weight (sand bags) per unit.
Our Proven Track Record
We’ve been supplying inflatables to create Memorable Events in West Michigan for the past decade with a safety-first record that we are proud of. The majority of weather-related accidents pertaining to bounce houses are the product of poor set-up procedures and a lack of supervision. At ACP Entertainment, our policies are put in place to create an environment in which fun can be had while staying safe.
If you are interested in renting one or multiple of our inflatable attractions, get in touch with us today and ask us how we put safety first!
We often get the question, “Why aren’t your prices published online?” In the internet age that we live in, products, information and shopping are available at our fingertips. With websites like Amazon, users can search and buy an item in under a minute and then have it shipped to them in 2 days-how times have changed! In the world of events, it isn’t quite that easy due to the variables of every event.
While we definitely have set base pricing, there are factors that can alter the pricing like whether staffing is required, how long the event is and where the event is located. If you’re calling for an event that is 3 hours away from our location, runs 6 hours and you need us to provide staff for all of the attractions, it is definitely going to be cheaper than an event that is 10 minutes away, 4 hours and are planning on providing volunteers.
Another factor and reason that we do not have pricing listed is every event is unique and we want to have the opportunity to help you pick out the best attractions and services for your event as possible. At ACP Entertainment, our event specialists book over 500 events a year and every one of those events is made customer for their specific event-there is no cookie cutter setup!
So how do you move forward with getting a quote and planning your event? Give our office a call at 616-826-8220 and speak to one of our event planners. They’re ready and excited to help you plan the most Memorable Event ever!
“What should I be looking for when choosing an entertainment provider? Isn’t it all the same?”
Our goal for every event that we have the pleasure of being a part of is to create lasting memories, but we also strive for a clean and safe environment. When choosing a company to provide entertainment services, it’s important to keep safety in mind because not all companies operate in the same fashion. Below are some great points to think about when choosing an entertainment provider:
Age: The age of an inflatable or ride is not only about looks, it’s about the structural integrity and cleanliness of the attraction. The older the attraction, the more wear and tear it has. At ACP Entertainment, we are constantly rotating our inventory to make sure we have the most relevant, cutting edge and safest attractions on the market. This also means we have something new for your event every year!
Safe Attractions: We often get asked why we do not have a bungee run, bubble balls or sumo suits. Our answer is quite simple-they’re just not safe. While every attraction has some sort of inherent risk, some attractions are more dangerous than others. Along with sumo suits and bungee runs, we also consider bubble soccer unsafe. Although these attractions may be wildly popular, there have been far to many injuries in the United States on these attractions that have led us to steer clear of them.
Cleanliness : At ACP Entertainment, we clean and sanitize our inflatables and rides before or after every event. The attractions will also occasionally be ‘deep cleaned,’ which means wiping the units down from top to bottom and vacuumed on the inside. Bottom line is we want the attractions to be clean for your event and for future events. Often, the attractions that have been in our inventory for multiple seasons will still look brand new!
Safe Operations: In the State of Michigan, inflatables and some smaller rides are not regulated, which means safety of these attractions are not enforced. At ACP Entertainment, we follow strict standards to ensure the safety of all guests at our events. This includes using stakes or sandbags to secure inflatables, using landing mats at the end of obstacle courses and orange cones to identify a tripping hazard (like a stake or sandbag)-just to name a few. These extra steps are often overlooked but are very important to the safety of your guests.
Insurance: Again, since the State of Michigan does not regulate inflatables and some smaller rides, that also means that you do not legally have to have insurance for some amusement attractions in Michigan. Is it necessary for the entertainment provider to have insurance? Absolutely-no questions asked. ACP Entertainment carries liability, inland marine, workmans comp and auto insurance and can provide your organization as a certificate holder for no additional charge.
If you have any additional questions about our policies and procedures, please do not hesitate to call! You can also find many answers in regards to our policies and procedures by Clicking Here. As the customer, we want you to be as informed as possible while planning your event.
In 2008 at the age of 15, I legally incorporated ACP Entertainment which provided inflatable, game and concession rentals for events. 10 years and over 3,600 events later, ACP Entertainment is now one of the largest entertainment companies in West Michigan.
While ACP still provides inflatables, games and concession machines for events, we now provide so much more variety to meet your entertainment needs. Full event planning, event management, casino parties, carnival rides and catering services are just a few of the many additions within our 10 years of operation and we’re not done yet.
10 years marks a decade of memorable events, valuable connections and invaluable experience. In our next 10 years, we will continue our dedication to bringing new and amazing attractions, services and entertainment to West Michigan along with providing exceptional service for all of our clients.
A decade of entertainment could not have been accomplished without you, our loyal customers. We appreciate your business from past events and cannot wait to continue our partnership together for future events.
