Should I have a party at home or some type of event facility?  There are benefits to having a party at home as well as renting some type of facility.  We are a party rental company that focuses on bounce houses so we are obviously a little biased. However I would like to be as fair as possible.

 

One of the best reasons to rent a bounce house or water slide is; it gets kids outdoors and help them become active.  With the increase of screen usage, kids are becoming less and less active. Their cell phones, tablets and video consoles are easily accessible. Many parents have decided to put televisions in their vehicles to keep the kids calm on longer road trips which also increases screen time and discourages physical activity.   All of these technological advances have led to less active children which leads to less active and unhealthy adults.   Jumping, sliding, and interacting with their family and friends is a great way to build lifetime bonds, have fun and remain active. Bounce houses are fun. Jumping around, sliding down inflatables into a pool is just sooo much fun!!

 

The next thing we will cover is price. The cost per person to rent a bounce house or infltable is typically much less when compared to having a party at a movie theater, Chuckie Cheese or some other children’s event center.   All of the places are extremely fun when you only have to pay for your children, not so much when you are footing the bill for 25 children.  You typically have to purchase all of your food and drink directly from the facility. For example a price estimate for many of these places range from $13 to $30 per child. The flexibility with your food choices is also an advantage with hosting a party. You can choose to cook your own food, grill, order pizza or have it catered. The beauty of this is, it’s your choice. There is no minimum spending requirement on food when you host the party yourself.  This lower cost typically allows children and parents to invite as many children as they like without having to increase their expenses.

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The final component is time.  Bounce house rentals are typically from 4 to 8 hours. This is much longer than the typical reservation time for an event at a facility.  When you have a location for 2 hours it can breeze by really quickly.  If one or two people show up late like they inevitably will, you sometimes feel like you wasted some of your money. If someone doesn’t show up to the party, in many cases you will not receive a refund for the child.  I have been to countless parties where kids have their fun ruined to cut the cake simply because they only have a two hour time window and time is running out.  They may be given the choice to stay in the facility but are awkwardly ushered out of the private area so that the next party can begin.  This isn’t the ideal way to end your party.

 

Since I said I would be fair I will list some of the pros for having an event at a facility.  The first benefit is you typically have a prepackaged party plan.   These companies have packages that you can choose from and the facility will handle the planning. Although you pay for this service it can be beneficial in alleviating some of the stress of planning an event.  These facilities are large and are used to working with kids. 

 

If you plan on having a small group of people you could potentially save money by choosing to have an event without booking a party package and simply visit one of these facilities with a small group of people. You aren’t obligated to book a party package and if you only plan on having 5 to 6 children the cost could potentially be less than renting a bounce house.

 

I recognize I list many more pros for booking a bounce party package than I do for having a party at a children’s facility. It’s because I believe what we have to offer is better.  We are experts and can help you plan your party so you can keep cost low while maximizing fun.  We rent concessions and have found that kids love seeing popcorn, cotton candy or snow cones get made in person. This is a better experience than simply handing them candy from a box or bag.  These things create memorable experiences. These are the types of things that your child’s friends will remember and talk about in school.   The oohhhs and awwws make it all worth it.

 

I started this business because I loved brining joy to children.  I can tell you 90% of the time we pick up a bounce house the parents have to tell the kids to get out. They are still jumping even after having the unit five to six hours.  They jump, eat, play, then jump again, run around jump again and then repeat the cycle. Children sometimes beg us to keep the bounce house inflatable for “just a little bit longer” this is what makes the job worth it. 

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If you have any questions or comments please feel to reach out to us. 

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Corey 

RVA Party Rentals