School Inflatable Party Rentals and Student Safety

How to select the right inflatable vendor for your next event.

Planning an inflatable event for their students to enjoy as a special treat to reward them for academic achievement or perhaps to help them blow off steam after a testing period or at the end of the school year is something that many schools do as a fun incentive.

However, limited budgets are something that most schools have to contend with, so they're interested in getting the best value possible for their money. They may already know what inflatable games they want, and if the price is right, the next step is to contact a company and schedule the date. But have you also considered essential things like how the inflatable company will essential things like student safety? Here's what you should know before scheduling your next inflatable event for your students:

What to Ask Inflatable Rental Companies

To ensure that your students have a great time at your event, safety comes first. We ask these questions when we're vetting first-time vendors for our super parties and super splash parties. You'll want to ask the same questions before hiring an inflatable company to come to your school:

• How long have they been in business?
• Do they work with schools? And if so, how many schools do they work with per year? Ask them for 3 or 4 schools they've recently worked with that you can contact.
• Do they have insurance?
• Will they provide an attendant at your event? And if not, how accessible will they be if something malfunctions?
• Do they provide a list of rules for their inflatables?
• Do they require adults to supervise any inflatable before students are allowed on it?
• Do they have safety rules, and will they review them with your adult volunteers before students are allowed on the inflatables?
• Do they provide generators for outdoor events or extension cords that need to be run to the nearest building?
• How are the inflatables secured for either indoor or outdoor events?
• How will you need to pay? Do they require an upfront deposit?
• Do they have a bad weather policy for outdoor events? How will this affect any upfront financial obligations?
• How often do they clean the inflatables? Companies should re-inflate their inflatables and thoroughly clean them after every event.
• How often do they change out their inflatables? Most inflatables start to wear out after a couple of years.

What You Should Know about Inflatable Rental Companies

Some companies require you to pick up the inflatables. If so, thank them for their time and move on. Instead, you want to work with a company that will deliver and set everything up for you. It's worth paying a little more to have this done for you. Even if you have people available who might have a good idea of what to do, you will be assuming your own risk if something goes wrong. Don't cut corners. It's not worth it. You can learn a lot by going online and reviewing company websites first. Check out the selection of inflatable games they offer before you call. They're probably hired more for backyard birthday parties if they don't carry various inflatables. You'll want to stick to the larger companies for various reasons. Also, please read the fine print to ensure you agree with their terms and conditions.

Doing your homework will ensure your students a safe and enjoyable time at your school's inflatable party.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.