Avoiding the Event Planner’s Faux Paux:  A Simple Solution for Eliminating Boredom at your Next Community Event

If you’ve attended a community event, a fair, or a carnival anytime in the recent future, then you’ve seen them—huge, pillowy, inflatable rentals that act as fun magnets for kids of all ages.  The inflatable slides, inflatable bouncers, and inflatable obstacle courses are never empty, and usually have a line of kids outside, anxiously awaiting the fun inside.  In sharp contrast are the faces of the parents, often appearing bored and bothered as their child runs out the exit hatch of these inflatable rentals and back into the waiting line. For event planners, this is an ideal opportunity to create a positive experience for adults.

There’s no denying the facts; kids love gigantic inflatable obstacle courses, inflatable slides, inflatable games, and bouncers.  It’s also a fact that the parents of those kids quickly become bored while standing around waiting for their child to loop endlessly through the inflatable obstacle course line.  An event planner’s goal is to create an environment where no one is bored and everyone has something exciting to enjoy.  In order to prevent this event planning faux paux, design your event so that there are activity “clusters.”

Organize the event into activity clusters

Organize the layout so that there are in clusters of activities that appeal to all family members. The goal is to give parents something to do while the kids are having fun on the inflatable rentals, and to give kids something to do while the parents are shopping, browsing, and engaged in coversation.  Position vendor booths with items of interest to parents near the inflatable games so that adults can browse and shop without being out of eyesight range of their children.  These spots are prime real estate for vendors and worthy of premium space rental prices because of their location. 

Think back to the last event you attended… it’s likely that the inflatable rentals were positioned on the outskirts, far away from all of the things that attracted adults to the event in the first place.  Why not place some of these attractions close to the inflatable games?  Consider the event from your guest’s point of view.  When a family with children arrives, the kid’s eyes and consequently their minds, go straight to the inflatable rentals.  From that moment on, they are likely driving their parents batty, asking in nonstop 5 minute intervals to go play on them. 

In this all-too-common scene, it’s difficult for parents to enjoy themselves.  Adults would likely spend a lot more time and money inside of your event if they felt relaxed and were not pressured to hurry. Position these vendors and adult activities near the inflatable rentals, and suddenly adults have a limitless amount of time to browse and shop. 

Instead of placing all of the inflatable rentals in one area, position several inflatable games throughout the event.  Games like inflatable obstacle courses, inflatable bouncers, inflatable rock climbing, and sumo wrestling in inflatable sumo suits, make for a fun event and look inviting when they are spread throughout the grounds. 

Plan to have 6 to 8 booths around each inflatable activity.  When parents are ready to move along, the anticipation of the different inflatable games and activities ahead means kids have something to look forward to throughout the day.  Having inflatable rentals is a given to entertain kids, but positioning them in the right places mean that kids, parents, and vendors can have an enjoyable experience.