AIRCO Launch

3...4...2...1... Blast Off! It's taken us a while to get here, but with the hard work of the team and some long nights at the computer, we are ready to launch AIRCO membership! Thanks to everyone, past and present, who has contributed to the direction and details of the organization. It's taken us a while to get going, but it will be worth it! See the article below for more details on how to join and what you should expect to receive.

In Today's Issue: Overview Feature: AIRCO Membership Launch Product Profile: Mindball Feature: Membership Launch Contest Feature: Board Member Overview Hot Threads at the Forum Wrap Up

Tuesday Chats at AIRCO! Want to hang out with the moonwalk renting crowd? Drop by the AIRCO chat room on Tuesday nights for a chat hosted by board member Chris Kinkade. Moonwalk rental companies and vendors are invited... if you are a vendor and would like to be a guest speaker, please contact Chris by email to get on the schedule. We'd love to hear about any specials or new introductions you may have coming out. If you have a sales-oriented topic to discuss, you MUST schedule it with Chris beforehand. You must be a forum member to chat, so if you haven't registered yet, please register at the AIRCO Forum. (You do not have to be an AIRCO member to join the AIRCO forum- it's available to anyone in the industry.) On Tuesday, just click the [Chat] link at the top of the screen to access the chat room! We'll see you there- 9PM EST, 8PM CST, 7PM MST, 6PM PST. You can drop in at any time! Now, its time to finish the articles so you can go register for AIRCO Membership! -Scottie Claiborne AIRCO Executive Director If you'd like to unsubscribe, please see the links at the bottom of the newsletter. We don't sell, rent, lease, or in any way give out your email address to anyone else and we only use it to deliver this newsletter.

AIRCO Membership Launch

By Scottie Claiborne ©2006   

Join AIRCO!

Are you ready to set yourself apart in your market as a safe, responsible rental company? AIRCO wants you to get the recognition and credibility you deserve!

How Much Does It Cost?

AIRCO is free to join for the first year. We may institute a small membership fee in future years to cover administrative costs and member benefits, but we promise it will be well worth it. Membership is renewed annually, so try us out for a year and see what you think!

What Will I Get When I Join?

Once your membership is approved (typically 1-3 days for review) you will receive your membership packet. Included in the packet are:

• Member Handbook:
  
  This document outlines the requirements for membership and general contact information.



• Customer Acknowledgement Form:
  
  This is a critical piece of your membership packet! Going forward, you must have the customer review and sign this form for every event, and keep it on file for 18 months.
  
  The form is a checklist where the customer acknowledges that they understand the operating procedures and safety rules. If there is ever an incident or a complaint, you will be asked to fax this document to the AIRCO office for verification.
  
  This document is also key to our future insurance plans and will help to determine responsibility should you ever find yourself in a dispute with a customer over an incident. This is a .pdf form that you can print out at your home or office.



• Membership Press Release:
  
  You'll receive a ready-to-mail press release announcing your acceptance into AIRCO to your local media. Fill in your company details, and mail it to local newspapers, radio stations, news periodicals and TV stations.
  
  Keep a list of your media contacts handy... we'll be asking you for those in the near future. We will be setting up a media database and every time we do a national press release, we will automatically send it to your local media with your details attached. You never know when you might be called to be interviewed for a news story!



• AIRCO Logos:
  
  It's time to let the world know you are an AIRCO member! We will send you print and web logos with guidelines for their proper use. You may use the AIRCO logo in your marketing materials, including on vehicles or uniforms as long as you follow the guidelines. Let everyone in your area know you are AIRCO-approved!



• Member Site Login:
  
  You will have access to special sections of the website reserved just for members. We are still building this area, but eventually this is where you will be able to update your media contacts, apply for health and life insurance, get discounts on business goods and view special limited-time offers from our sponsors.



• Subscription to Moonwalk Magazine:
  
  While this isn't actually in your membership packet, you will be automatically subscribed to Moonwalk Magazine, the official publication of AIRCO scheduled for launch in May 2006! With 6 issues a year, it will be packed with topical news and helpful hints to improve your business.

How to Join

Simply go to the AIRCO website and click the [Join Now!] link at the bottom of the left column.

You'll be asked to fill in your basic contact details, then taken to a detailed survey about your business, your plans for the future and your opinions on current issues regarding inflatables. This survey is not attached to your membership information. Your privacy is very important to us.

The aggregate information from this survey will help to give us an idea of where the industry is, where it is headed, and what types of benefits you need from AIRCO. We will offer future reports by region, showing the trends and changes in the industry.

This survey is also important for us to collect so that we have details for our insurance plan. Even if you don't plan to participate in the insurance, your data will help us get an overall feel for the issues facing the industry as a whole.

What Happens Then?

Your general details are forwarded to the membership committee for approval and once signed off, you'll receive your Member Orientation packet by email! If you haven't heard anything back in 5 business days, shoot us an email for a status report. It's possible there was an error and we didn't get your details.

Any Questions?

To answer specific questions you might have on the membership guidelines or terms of membership, please read : AIRCO Membership Guidelines and AIRCO Terms of Membership. You may even want to read over the AIRCO Mission Statement.

If you still have questions that haven't been answered here, drop by the forum and post them for us. Your questions are probably the same as many others, so posting them gives us the opportunity to answer everyone at once and save people some time.

Welcome Aboard!

We are excited that you are considering membership in AIRCO, and hope to count you among our members soon!

> Back to Top

Mindball- Are You in Control?

By Scottie Claiborne ©2006

Mindball is a unique game, one that fascinates people from all ages and backgrounds. Novelquest, maker of Mindball, participated in the WIRED Magazine’s NextFest in Chicago last year. Mindball was displayed at the Future of Entertainment Pavilion and was the most popular exhibit of the entire event! The booth was stormed for three straight days with people wanting to try Mindball or watch people play. Mindball is always a huge hit at corporate events, tradeshows, fund raisers, etc.

At the moment, there are only two companies in the rental industry who are renting Mindball- one in Michigan and one in Ohio.

What is Mindball?

Mindball is an experience product, a unique interactive game where two (or more) players control a ball with their brain waves. Each player wears a headband equipped with electrodes that act as biosensors to measure their brain's electrical activity. The player being most relaxed makes the ball roll over to the opponent’s goal, with his or her brain waves as only aid, and thereby wins the game.

Is everything to run the game included in a purchase?

Everything is included except the monitor (and chairs). The Mindball is equipped with a standard VGA output so a computer monitor, LCD display or a projector can be used to display the Alpha and Theta waves of the players (which are displayed in real time…).

Mindball dimensions:

Mindball is portable and easy to store:

It all fits in a transport case of 1’ x 3’2” x 5’2’’

Mindball Pricing

The standard Mindball unit costs USD $18,900 + shipping. The main reason for the high price tag is the fact that each unit is hand built in Sweden and many of Mindball’s parts are medical components.

But don't let that scare you... despite Mindball’s high price, the game apparatus can be quite profitable if rented out to the right customers.

Mindballs rent for $1,500 for the first day and $750 for each following days (for short term rentals) + shipping and we are doing very well.

Mindball is great for rentals because:

• The rules are very simple so participants can learn to play in about 15 seconds

• The game appeals to everyone… from 6-7 children up to seniors..
• Men can compete against women, mothers against their sons, grand fathers against their grand daughters, etc.
• The players’ backgrounds, level of education, physical capabilities do not influence performance
• Mindball can be played the opposite way ie the most excited person wins… which can be quite exciting.
• No chance of injury…
• Mindball fits well in different environments… from trade shows to schools to bars
• Mindball is exclusive… There are less than 10 in the entire United States and only 3 available for rental.

AIRCO Special!

Mention you read about Mindball in the AIRCO Advisor and receive free shipping!

To see how one company is renting it, see TJohnE Rents Mindball. For more details on Mindball, visit the Novelquest Website. You can also contact Patrick Laflamme Duval, Mindball sales representative.

> Back to Top

AIRCO Membership Drive Fun and Prizes!

By Scottie Claiborne ©2006

It's Time for Some Fun!

Just like the big conferences do, we've decided to make things a little more exciting!

Win a Million Dollars!

Win a Free Hamburger!

Win Games and Moonwalks!

The Prizes

• Cash Cube from Ninja Jump
• Turkey Trot Game from Huffer Amusements
• Tabletop Game from Partyzone Sales
• Not one but TWO 10x13 Indoor Bouncer/Ballpits with Koala Blowers from Magic Jump
• Free Lifetime Directory Listing from Moonwalk Rental Directory

My timing was bad and several people who have tentatively committed to prizes are at the ARA show this week, so I don't have details. I will announce the final prize list in next month's newsletter- you'll still have time to qualify.

If you are a manufacturer who'd like to donate a prize in exchange for the publicity, please contact me. We'd love to have you participate!

How to Win

Just join AIRCO as a member (not just the forum, although you should do that, too!) between Feb 1, 2006 and March 31, 2006. Prizes will be drawn on April 3, 2006. ALL approved AIRCO members will be entered into the drawing.

Restrictions, Rules and Legal Stuff

Winners must pay shipping and taxes. Winners will be given a certificate # to redeem their prize from the manufacturer.

> Back to Top

Meet the Board of Directors

By Scottie Claiborne ©2006

We couldn't have made it to the launch without the help and support of our tireless Board of Directors. These guys and gals have given freely from their busy schedules to help direct and organize the association, so you need to know who they are!

Heidi Schulz

Christopher Kinkade

Michael Reigel

Robert Whitsell

Harold Fisher

Click on each names above to read each person's bio. As a group, these guys have stuck with the association from the earliest rumblings of starting an organization to the final launch and I want to make sure all of them get the recognition they deserve. Without them, we wouldn't be here today!

Steering Team

Would you like to be a part of the steering team? We are looking for AIRCO members to help participate in the direction of AIRCO and help get some of our many projects underway. If you've got a little time and a lot of drive to help the industry, volunteer to be on a committee!

The Committees

You can see a description of each committee and what it's goals are in the Steering Committee Overview.

A quick rundown of the different areas:

• Safety and Equipment Committee- BAJ
• Research and Regulations Committee- Rent-Fun
• Industry Promotion and Marketing- Lifeotheparty
• Communications Committee- Scottie
• Membership and Vendor Relations Committee- The Moonwalk Guy
• Local Groups Committee- Kinkade Ent.

Hot Threads at the Forum

Interesting Discussions

Wrap Up

I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to finally be getting this AIRCO launch issue out. We've had a long road to get here, but things are moving fast now. I'm so excited about all the upcoming projects and the great response we've gotten from members and vendors alike. It's all coming together and it's time for you to be a part of it!

As I usually do, I have way too many projects on my plate. But for the next few months, AIRCO has my full attention as we get all the rough edges smoothed off and put together some great promotional programs for our members. I'm really excited about Moonwalk Magazine too... more details about that in the next issue!

Valentine's Day

Don't forget Tuesday is Valentine's Day! Be a hero this year and get her something without having to be reminded.

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!