IAAPA Recap and the AIRCO Launch

IAAPA 2005 Product Highlights for the 2006 Season

By Michael Reigel ©2006    Backyard Bouncin'

IAAPA Product Highlights

For this special addition of the Advisor newsletter I'm going to deviate from the standard product spotlight. Instead, I'll briefly comment on a few companies and products that are worth checking out.

Inflatable Rides

It's no surprise that Cutting Edge Creations, has developed some of the biggest and coolest looking inflatables to date. Kongo Krazy has a T-Rex battling a giant gorilla. It comes in two sizes with the biggest being 56 feet tall! The Wild One is an obstacle course that really looks like a looping roller coaster. Cutting Edge's attention to detail is simply amazing!

If you were looking for the biggest IAAPA discounts, Ninja Jump and Moon-Walker Sales seemed to have the market cornered. Both companies had some incredible prices on a wide range of products. Each company had dual lane slides available for under $3400!

Games

Huffer Amusements gets my vote for the best small games. This year they raised the bar even higher with their spectacular designs. Be sure to check out the all new Radio Controlled Table Games, Battle Tank ($459), Crazy Cars ($459) and Speed Boat Race Day ($595).

For inflatable games, Games To Go unveiled a few new products that are sure to become popular rental items. Hooley Ball ($1695) is a small hoops games in which two players sit in video game rocking chairs as they make as many baskets as possible in 30 seconds. T-Ball ($1495) uses a steam of air to levitate a ball and players hit the ball into a printed baseball field backdrop. All balls are automatically returned to a basket at the base of the tee. The new InflataBar ($1695) is not a game but still deserves a mention. This inflatable bar with palm tree decor has a built in ice chest with drain tube and stainless steel speed racks to hold your booze.

Concessions

Paragon's new "The Cooler" Sno Cone machine, which looks like an igloo, brings a refreshing new look to the boring box design. It has built in wheels and a handle for easy transport. On sale for $449.25, it should be a quick return on your investment. Visit www.manufacturedfun.com.

If you've been thinking about adding Nachos to your inventory, check out the deals from Gehl's. At IAAPA they were offering a cheese dispensing machine, 2 cases of cheese and a chip dispenser rack, all for only $155 delivered. The bags of cheese have a one year shelf life and can remain in the dispenser for 5 days after opening.

Wrap up

There were many more deals to be had at IAAPA. If you were unable to attend, don't be afraid to ask your vendor to extend the specials to you. The worst thing they could do is say "No".

In the next issue of the Advisor we'll return to highlighting a product in more detail. If you have, or know of a product that you would like to see highlighted in the newsletter, send me an email.

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Get In On the Outdoor Movie Events with an Inflatable Screen

By Scottie Claiborne ©2006

Movies in the park, movies at church... outdoor movies are all the rage! Are you interested in adding outdoor movies to your rental inventory? It may not be as complicated as you think.

Sima’s new Outdoor Home Theater Kit features a full-sized, inflatable screen and a pair of outdoor speakers and it comes in 2 sizes. There's no blower, so there's no noise! The sealed air inflatable screen is easy to set up and to take down.

Features

• Durable inflatable screen – fold up for easy storage
• A pair of outdoor grade, full range loudspeakers

• Pump
• Screen Tie Downs

Two Sizes to Fit Your Needs

The Sima screens are available in two sizes, you can choose the one that makes the most sense for your customers. And to sweeten the deal, Bob Pennington from Sima has worked out a special deal on these screens for AIRCO readers: 20% off!

8ft XL Theater w/ 8 ft Frame w/ Airpump, 8" Outdoor powered speakers, 20' stereo audio cable, volume control box, soft carrying case: MSRP- $995.00

AIRCO Price: $796

12ft XL Theater w/ 12 ft Frame w/ Airpump, 10" Outdoor powered speakers, 20' stereo audio cable, volume control box, soft carrying case: MSRP- $1195.00

AIRCO Price: $956

These units are scheduled for shipment late March/Early April.

Projector Not Included

While there is not a projector included in this package, if you plan to work with churches and schools, they are likely to have a projector available. You may even be able to rent one from a local rental place or borrow from a friendly business until you determine how often you are likely to rent the screen and how many people need to rent the projector as well as the screen.

It's a trend that's growing. And just think... when it's not rented out, you can invite the neighbors over, pop some popcorn and enjoy the latest DVD's in your own backyard!

For more information, visit the Sima website. Ask for Bob Pennington when you place your order and be sure to mention you saw the article in the AIRCO Advisor to get your 20% discount!

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Impressions of IAAPA By First Timers

By Harold Fisher ©2005   The Moonwalk Guy

The Big Show

This was our fourth year in business but our first trip to Iappa. I have always been interested in going but I never put aside money to go, until this year. After talking to Mike (rent-fun) after last years event I decided I had to go! This is because he told me that the amount of money he saved more than covered his expenses.

I put enough aside this year that both my wife and myself went. We decided to keep our boys home (which was a very good decision on our part) because we go to several different trade shows around the year for different things. They always seem to run out of steam before we do. I do hope to take them in the future though; I know they would enjoy it.

First Impressions

We got to the show on Wednesday afternoon and to say it was overwhelming is an understatement. I attend many shows for firefighting and home improvements and this by far is the largest I have ever been to. It took us a day and a half to make it through the hall with inflatables.

Thursday night we sat down with the IAAPA map and made a strategy of what we wanted to see and when we where going to buy. Fortunately we ran into a great group of fellow AIRCOians ( Nora and Carl from Back Yard Bouncin NJ, Heidi Schulz the Mellon ball queen, Jim Scala from Bette's Bounces and Big Rent-Fun himself) We teamed up and beat up a couple of Manufacturers for good pricing on group buys. We never got through the other room completely.

The best part of the trip was the brainstorming and free flow of information from company to company. We even had the fortune to have lunch with a couple of gentlemen from the insurance industry. Talk about an education and it all happened by chance. Look for more on the insurance in upcoming issues of the Advisor.

Some tips for people who plan on attending IAAPA in the future:

• If you can get there a day in advance and stay one day pass the final day. This way you have enough time to take in all of the exhibitions.
• Leave the young children at home. There isn't much for them to do (they aren't allowed on the inflatables) and way too much walking for their little feet.
• Go there with a game plan. Write down who and what you want to see and who your going to buy from.
• Have a budget, it is very easy to go down there and spend a ton of money.
• Take backpacks- they serve two purposes:
  1) carry all of the papers you pick up from the vendors.
  2)They can carry the freebies you pick up from the vendors!
• Go there with an open mind it is amazing at what you can add on to your biz to generate more revenue.
• Finally wear comfortable shoes!

More First Timers Chime In

Spencer from Big Grins

As someone just out of my first season, IAAPA was very valuable. Where else can you see and play on the units you want to buy and get a great discount to boot? I could finally see the differences in quality between the manufacturers and realize what each maunfacturer was gifted at.

I thought the show was also great for ideas outside inflatables. I got better ideas for laser tag, games, concessions, mini-golf courses, etc. And if that wasn't enough, getting to play all the games free and stuff myself with Dippin' Dots really made the trip.

I will probably make this an annual trip, but just bring my wife next time!

Manny Tillman from Play Til

As I am just starting up, this was my first convention. It was great to see the variety of vendors and products in one place. There were two things that I really found helpful—meeting others in the business, i.e. the Airco gathering on Friday and seeing the variety of things that I can do to supplement the moonwalks for additional revenue in both the busy season and the winter months.

The Airco Meet & Greet provided an accelerated version of looking through the bulletin board. I can’t speak for everyone, but I listen a lot faster than I scan through the forum. Hearing about upcoming changes with insurance opportunities was huge for me. Learning that folks who started a year or two before are having success and sharing ideas is great. Getting feedback from 20 people on the better concession equipment gave me comfort, even when they did not agree on the “best”. I bought a popcorn machine and a snow cone machine as a result of going to IAAPA.

Out on the exhibit floor, I enjoyed seeing and touching the products in person. Seeing the difference between a Full Court Press and a mini one was much more valuable than looking at the pictures on a website or in a catalog. Seeing the price savings at the convention and learning more about the buying cycles makes the cheapskate in me very, very happy. I brought my kids on Friday and Saturday and they had a blast. They help me expand my perspective to keep both a youthful eye and a business view on my efforts. My wife did not attend the show, but after hearing about it, she was quite interested. We may become family regulars at future shows.

One of the reasons, I decided to go into this business was my belief that you should have fun at work. After attending IAAPA, I know that there is a lot more fun for me to have.

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AIRCO Information

What's AIRCO All About?

By Scottie Claiborne ©2006

AIRCO, the Association of Inflatable Rental Company Operators, has been brewing for a while. It's finally time to crank things up and get rolling, so this is your official overview!

What's AIRCO All About?

We do have a few goals:

• To promote safe and professional practices in the inflatable rental industry.
• To provide a neutral common ground for all members of the inflatable rental industry to communicate and share their knowledge.
• To promote awareness of inflatable safety to parents and event coordinators and assist them in selecting a professional rental company.
• To establish minimum standards of operation and start the process of self-regulation in order to head off potential over-regulation of our industry by federal, state and local governments.
• To provide independent rental companies with group benefits obtained through the strength of our numbers.
• To obtain and track industry data in order to gain a perspective on the size, growth, and health of the inflatable rental industry as well as tracking injuries and other incidents involving inflatable amusements.

Data Collection

How fast is the industry growing? How many incidents and accidents are there really? How big is the average company and how fast are they growing? These are questions that affect all of us in the industry- gauging the health, growth and risks of the industry as well as trends and future plans is not only interesting stuff, it should help up toward our next goal.

Affordable insurance.

With insurance rates climbing and limited underwriters, the average small business owner is getting squeezed! By banding together, we can assume the risk and put together our own policy, rewarding safe operators and excluding unsafe operators and equipment. It will take a large group to pull it off, but we think we can do it.

Promote Safe and Professional Practices

One of the benefits of AIRCO membership will be the ability to set your company apart from other companies in your area as a safe, professionally-run and operated company. With that in mind, we do have the following requirements for membership:

• You must carry liability insurance.
• You cannot rent non-commercial quality inflatables.
• You must deliver and install all inflatables- no customer pickups on items that must be staked or secured properly.
• You agree not to purchase knock-off characters or other copyright infringing items. If you have a few in your inventory now (sponge dude, spiderguy) we ask that you downplay them and remove them from your inventory as they wear out.
• You agree to have the customer sign a training and safety checklist at every unattended rental. You agree to retain this document and provide a copy to AIRCO in the event of a complaint or incident. (AIRCO will provide this form.)
• You agree to clean and maintain your inflatables regularly and generally provide good customer service.

You Don't Have to be a Member to Participate

One of our primary missions is to provide a community for everyone in the moonwalk rental business and we understand many companies may not qualify or may not want to formally join AIRCO. No problem! Everyone is still welcome to join in the discussions and continue to recieve the newsletter.

Why Join AIRCO?

Well, first of all, your first year's membership is free. What we ask in return for membership is your information- when you apply to be a member, we guide you through a detailed survey that must be filled out each year for membership renewal. It's anonymous- the information is not tied to your membership.

We may implement a small fee in future years to cover administrative costs, benefits and group marketing efforts, but we don't forsee the fee ever being more than a minimum cost.

Reason #2- Set your company apart in your market. You will be provided with the AIRCO logo that will link to a page that explains why it's a good idea to rent from an AIRCO member. As we roll out our national awareness campaign, you'll benefit from being part of a recognized group.

Reason #3- Gain group benefits. We are seriously working toward the self-insured plan and also looking at other group business benefits such as health insurance, office supply savings and other benefits that small businesses have trouble securing on their own. The more members, the lower the costs for all.

Reason #4- Help shape the organization from within! What concerns you most? Local regulation and inspections? Lack of affordable insurance? Want a trade show just for inflatables? Help us make things happen!

When Can You Start?

We are putting the final tests on the membership system and plan to have it up and running by the end of January, 2006. Watch this newsletter for a special membership opening announcement!

In the meantime, if you have questions, comments or suggestions, join us at the AIRCO Forum to discuss!

Hot Threads at the Forum

Interesting Discussions

Wrap Up

Whew, this issue has been a lot of work! I've been holding off on it until I had good progress on the AIRCO membership process and we are really, really close. I'm very excited about the upcoming launch and you'll hear more about it when we are 100% ready to go.

I have a GREAT surprise coming up as well, but I'm not quite ready to release the details. Once I get the membership project launched, I'll finalize the details of the next big thing and you'll be the first to know.

Welcome to all our new sponsors! Keep an eye on the AIRCO site and forum for additional sponsors over the next few weeks. The interest in advertising with AIRCO has taken hold and we are putting together a few campaigns each week. There are some fun ones getting ready to be added, so be sure to visit them when you see them.

It's late, I'm worn out, so I'm going to put this issue to bed then put myself to bed. I hope you enjoyed it!

As always, if you've got a great idea for an article, send it to us at scottieclaiborne@a-irco.org. We want to hear from you!

See you next month, or feel free to join us at the AIRCO moonwalk forum anytime, day or night. We'd love to hear from you!