You have 0 items in your cart
So you are planning a party..awesome! Next is arranging the lights to create an amazing atmosphere. You start calling around and notice there can be a bit of a difference in price. So why are the prices different for what seems to be the same thing? Surely cheap is best it’s just a party right? In this article we will talk about the difference between lighting companies, things to watch out for, what the difference in service is etc so you can make an informed decision for your next party without getting stung!
There are a couple of areas we will address as there maybe a couple of different services or products you are looking to hire.
1. The first thing to be aware of is delivery, set up and pick up fees.
The one thing our business believes in is transparency so when we quote a cost for delivery and pick up it means we will deliver the goods to your house or venue, we will set the lights up for you, tape all cords and cables down and run through with you how everything works. We also cover picking up the lights the next day and packing everything down for you in the price we quote you for delivery, setup and pickup.
This will not be the case for every lighting company out there however. You may get quoted the same amount for delivery but it means just that – delivery. It will not include telling you how the lights operate, how to work them and does not include setting them up for you – and lets face it you are hiring lights from a professional company because you are not a lighting specialist so this is not optimal if you are not sure what you are doing or if this is the first time you have hired lights. The other pitfall you could come across is where lets say we may quote you $40.00 to deliver, set up and pick up the lights, another company may say yes its a $40 delivery fee..this is one way. Then they may charge the same for a pick up fee so just make sure you clearly understand all of the delivery fees and charges before you make your booking so you can safely budget for you party.
2. Clean, tested equipment.
This is a big deal. There is nothing worse than going to the effort of planning an elegant event to have filthy furniture turn up or have equipment dropped off that hasn’t been tested resulting in a failure to work on your special night! I will use LED glow furniture here as an example as its really trending right now..there are a few things to find out. a) Does the furniture already come clean? (trust me we have seen the bad side of this make sure you don’t have to clean it!) b) Is the furniture already charged or will the chargers be supplied for you to do this prior to the party? c) do you have to clean the furniture after the party? If you have to clean pre and post party and charge the equipment you may save a few dollars but you will have hours of effort on your hands so make sure you enquire about this when hiring furniture.
With regards to hiring lighting equipment such as disco or party lights make sure you find out if the lighting company tests everything prior to hiring it to you as you don’t want to be left responsible for lights that never worked and leaves you with a party without working lights!
3. Dont get sold to, get advice that will make your event amazing.
One thing that really separates the various lighting hire companies is whether they are selling to sell or whether they provide consultation and sound advice to make sure your party or event really is one to be remembered.
A good example here is if a client phones in and asks us to hire a Laser, we don’t just ask what colour they want and make the sale. We find out if the event is inside or out, if it’s in a venue can they have a smoke machine? Do they already have a lighting stand? These things matter as if you hire a laser without a smoke machine you will just get squiggly lines on the wall and floor and you wont see the beautiful beams of colour. If you use a smoke machine in a venue with smoke alarms and they go off, you will be paying a massive call out fee for the fire brigade!
Make sure whatever you are hiring the lighting company asks you the right questions, provides consultation and gives the right advice. At Lights To Party we would rather not sell something to you than have you hire something that just doesn’t meet your expectations and ruins your night.
All in all, hiring lighting equipment, furniture or sound equipment is like hiring any other service..you do get what you pay for. It doesn’t have to cost the earth but hopefully this article helped you to ask the right questions so you have the best possible event or party possible!
If you need some advice or have questions we are more than happy to help so reach out today!
