If you are reading this blog, you are probably aware that Non Stop Kids Entertainment are the biggest children’s entertainment company in the UK. Because of this we speak to literally thousands of parents every month. We have got to a point now where we understand what parents want (and don’t want) when it comes to their child’s party.
Most of the time clients will exclusively book us to run their child’s party. We will come along and run and host the party - basically we will do everything (it’s why the package is called the Hassle Free package). Sometimes we will be booked to run the party but they will have something else there like a bouncy castle. However, sometimes people won’t book entertainment and instead will just have a bouncy castle for their child’s party.
Now don’t get us wrong - we LOVE bouncy castles! Kids love them and they are super fun. However, there is one MASSIVE problem with hiring a bouncy castle that you probably haven’t considered. It’s an issue that was highlighted to us in the office a long time ago. It’s an issue that we felt we had to highlight to our clients and customers so you are aware of the problem as well.
BOUNCY CASTLE HIRE IS A BAD IDEA FOR A KIDS PARTY
Now, as problems go this is a pretty big one. Imagine finding out 24 hours before your child’s party that the activity you had planned wasn’t going to happen. It would stress you out a bit, right? We had 35 phone calls once last June from parents desperately searching for entertainment at the last minute. Those parents sounded very, very stressed and it can be difficult trying to help others in poor moods.
How did this happen? It’s not because they hired an unprofessional company. It’s not because their bouncy castle person was ill. It was because of the weather. Confused? Allow us to explain.
From a health and safety point of view, a bouncy castle company cannot supply a bouncy castle if it’s going to be raining all day and the castle is being inflated outside. It’s not safe for the kids and would be a Heath and Safety hazard.
What Happens If The Suppliers Have to Cancel?
As parents started to realise it was going to rain all weekend, they recieved phone calls from their bouncy castle suppliers informing them that if the weather continues to be bad, they wouldn’t be able to supply the castle they had ordered. To be clear, this is not their fault, they were doing the right thing and ensuring no one would get hurt. However, it doesn’t make it any better for the parents that had booked their services.
Of course, this led to parents stressing out and desperately phoning around to try and arrange last minute entertainment packages. It’s why we had 35 last minute phone calls and even though we helped as many as we could, there were others that weren’t so lucky. You wouldn't believe how many more mistakes can easily be made when planning a child's party.
What Can You Do About This?
So the question is, what can you do about this? And the answer really is that if you just want a bouncy castle for your child’s party, there is very little you can do. You can hope that the weather will be decent and let’s be honest, if you are planning a party in the summer you should be fine. However, we do live in the UK and you cannot guarantee anything when it comes to weather.
Another option would be to hire a hall big enough to have the bouncy castle inside. This would solve the problem. However, a lot of people hire bouncy castles because they do want an outside party.
The other option would be to plan something else alongside the bouncy castle. Have a contingency plan. This could be something you are doing, for example, maybe something to do with arts and crafts or some party games. You could also hire an entertainer to perform alongside the bouncy castle. We frequently get booked to perform alongside bouncy castles. Having a bouncy castle doesn’t affect what we do, the kids can move between us and the bouncy castle. You could even hire us for just an hour and have the castle up for another hour. There are many reasons on why you should hire an entertainer for your child's party.
Long story short is you need to do something. You can’t just hope for the best, you need a back up option. That way if there is an issue, you won’t be stressed. We can promise you that if the 35 parents that called us on Friday could go back in time and organise something else they would have. We are not suggesting ditch the bouncy castle, just have a plan in case the worst happens. Believe it or not, this is just one of many reasons on problems with bouncy castles.
Thanks for reading our Blog. Have a nice day and pray it doesn't rain!
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