Browse through a variety of vendors in your area. See photos, videos and verified reviews from real clients. Select your favorites and share some details about the event. We'll send out your request to get the ball rolling. Review customized quotes and evaluate your options. Then talk with the vendors right here on GigMasters. Choose who best fits your event and book with us to receive the money-back GigMasters Guarantee.Led PodiumModish LoungeCrystal ThroneLounge RentalsWhite SwarovskiSwarovski CrystalTable LoungeThrone ChairsCrystal LedForwardBeautiful white Swarovski crystal throne chairs and crystal LED podium by Modish Lounge Rentals in Windsor, Ontario.Editor’s note: The party and event rental segment in the United States is expected to grow revenue by 4.2 percent in 2016 to reach $2.8 billion, according to the latest forecast from the American Rental Association (ARA). In Canada, the segment’s revenues are expected to grow 2.1 percent to $211.7 million in 2016.
Overall, the segment has shown very steady growth since 2010, after a small decline in 2009 due to the recession. To learn more about what is happening in this segment, Rental Management reached out to selected owners and managers of party and special event businesses to get their opinions on the outlook for 2016, the key trends and their business concerns as the industry moves forward. Those responding to our questions included John Bibbo Jr., CERP, president, Event Source, Cleveland, and ARA’s Party and Special Event Services Shared Interest Group chairman; Robert Copley, CERP, director of finance and facilities, Event Essentials, the event division of A to Z Rentals, Windsor, Wis.; Catherine DeBusk, CERP, vice president, Party People Rentals, Phoenix; Lindsey Ferguson, CERP, assistant general manager, Celebrations! Party Rentals and Tents, Roseville, Calif.; and Andrew Paquette, CERP, owner Bravo Rentals, Dorval, Quebec, Canada. An edited version of their answers follow.
What do you see as the outlook for the party and special event segment of the equipment rental industry and your company in 2016? John Bibbo Jr.: The outlook for the industry as a whole is very positive and seems to be significantly strong in many areas of the country. This year, 2016, is an election year and if you subscribe to the theory of how that impacts business, then things should continue to be good for the party and event segment of the industry. Robert Copley: From what we can tell, it’s going to be a good year. It’s been good for the past five years and our biggest growth has been on the corporate side. For us, as a company, it also has been our brand growth. Event Essentials is now separate from the general tool side of the business and we are now in Windsor, Wis. That’s been a huge advantage. The outlook is for a strong industry that is ever evolving. The special event industry keeps upping the bar. As long as you can keep up with the trends and stay informed, it will continue to grow and thrive.
Lindsey Ferguson: We believe that the industry will continue to grow, especially in the structure tent business. We have noticed an increase in corporate customers who are looking for the right vendor for their tenting needs. We also have seen an increase in the party rental side. As the economy continues to strengthen, more people are willing to increase their spending on events and weddings. Andrew Paquette: The outlook is great. Clients more than ever want to put their personal look and touch to events and party rentals always will fill that need. What do you see as the key trends for the segment in 2016? Bibbo: Metallics are massive. Natural wood colors and white-washing wood products show that the rustic trend still feels strong and continues to grow. This trend may be out on the coasts, but in middle America, it is strong and even growing in popularity. We are getting more requests for custom builds or designs. We do anticipate that growing. We hired a full-time designer and our anticipation was that we would get more of the larger jobs where the client has an idea or vision, but doesn’t know how to implement it.
For example, we built a gingerbread house. Off of that one build, it has gone out on rent three more times. We were not anticipating that. Others saw it at the event and booked it. The trend now is to do research and find out what the customer wants and needs. DeBusk: Specialty lighting has been and will continue to be a strong trend for the special event industry. We have been through the shabby chic look and I believe there will be a resurgence of the formal and glitzy. The rustic look still is very popular. Farm tables continue to be highly requested along with cross back chairs. We also see a lean toward more unique pieces of furniture, such as vendor carts for food service and metal tables for cocktails or seating. Lanterns have been largely requested and we recently purchased multiple styles and colors, which can be used as a centerpiece or as décor in other areas of an event. Paquette: Trends will be trends. To try to anticipate this with any level of accuracy is dangerously expensive, so we listen carefully to clients.
Today, we buy more than ever based on those requests. How do you think the party and special event segment has evolved over the last few years? Bibbo: The segment as a whole has made improvements from an operational standpoint with automation. Flight machines, burnishers, linen baggers and padded drum ironers are more prevalent in our industry today as they are automated pieces that help out with productions. Ferguson: Many of us have evolved into producing more custom events and this has helped us gain more clients within the production world. Most clients don’t realize what we’re able to create and once given the opportunity to work with them and show our abilities, our client base has grown. We have gone from simply renting a tent, tables and chairs to creating custom draped tents and building a unique arbor for a wedding ceremony. These are add-ons that the right client is willing to pay for and that has changed the way that we approach events. DeBusk: The party and special events industry has become the orchestrator of the symphony.
We have become electricians, lighting experts, media consultants, wedding planners/coordinators and design experts. We are the “go to” professionals that make the whole event come together. Paquette: We are using better selling techniques and offering greater services, like logistics and labor. This all requires more ongoing training for staff members and makes management multi-dimensional in dealing with labor, resources and time. What are your key business concerns today? Hiring employees that fit our high standards and expectations. Copley: Finding good help is one of the major issues we have because anything that is event-related, the labor you need is related. Another issue is how to make it so the business isn’t so seasonal. DeBusk: Our key concern is employees. It is hard to find quality people who know the industry and will take on all the responsibilities that come with the job. Ferguson: The main concern we are facing is over-regulation by the state and federal government.