Getting Your Bouncy Castles Ready for the 2012 Season

March 30, 2012

With the weather finally taking a turn for the better and winter a long distant memory now is the perfect time to start thinking about getting your bouncy castle business ready for the busy summer season.

One of your main priorities at this time of year is to make sure that your stock is up and running and in healthy order. Subsequently you need to pull out all of your inflatables after their winter hibernation and start checking them for signs of damage or wear.

Assess you inflatables by looking for rips in the PVC, areas where the stitching may be coming loose or the telltale signs of damp. Damp is noticeable by its musty smell and if you do happen to find it on your bouncy castles then you should air them, typically outside on a bright sunny day so that they can dry properly.

If you find damage during your assessment you should get the bouncy castle repaired as soon as possible as if it is not in good working order then this will limit the number of bookings you are able to take. For smaller amounts of damage you may be able to carry out the repairs yourself using a patching kit, for larger tears or rips however you may want to seek professional assistance to ensure that the work is carried out properly.

Ensuring that your bouncy castles are all inspected is also an important consideration, particularly if you are a PIPA member and want to continue putting their tags on your equipment and advertising. Subsequently it can be wise to get a registered play inflatable inspector in to assess the safety of your equipment and give it its MOT.

With all of your stock ready for the season you may also want to consider any new items that could be added to your 2012 line up. For example, if you haven’t done so already you may want to consider adding an inflatable slide or an adult bouncy castle, just to offer your customers something different. Additionally you may want to consider sporting equipment like sumo suits or a bungee run, to make sure that your product offering stands out this year.

As well as new items and equipment you will also want to consider how you plan to market your offering this year. Traditional techniques such as local newspapers and posters are always worth using although this year you may want to take advantage of the internet or social media if you have not already done so.

Preparing now sets you in good stead for the coming season. By making sure your equipment is all in good working order and is tested and by planning just how you are going to advertise and entice new customers you stand the best chance of having a great season in 2012.


Start Thinking About Bouncy Castle Repairs Before Winter

October 11, 2011

As the bouncy castle season draws to a close and there is less call for outdoor parties due to the colder, wetter weather there are still many tasks which should be carried out before packing up and hibernating.
Whilst you may not want to shut down your operation completely, keeping some of your smaller, ‘indoor’ bouncy castles out just in case you secure some Christmas bookings, your larger items should be safely stored for winter. Before entering storage however, it can be wise to ensure all of your inflatables are in a good state of repair.

Repairing your bouncy castles before they enter storage means that once the new season rolls around you do not have to expend the effort and resources right at the start of the season when you have one hundred and one other things to manage.

Repairs can be handled in a number of ways:

If you only have a few minor tears and other pieces of damage you may want to use a repair kit. Typically when you buy a bouncy castle it will come with such a kit, containing PVC swatches, a hand needle and sometimes a tube of adhesive. If you haven’t got a kit, they can be bought separately from retailers.

If however your bouncy castles have sustained serious damage over the season, this is the ideal time to get them repaired. For more drastic repairs however it is best to get in the professionals to ensure that the repairs are carried out correctly and will not jeopardise the safety of the inflatable. Such bouncy castle repair services will normally require you to take inflatables to a workshop, where professionals can complete thorough and conscientious repairs.

Ensuring that your bouncy castles are properly repaired improves their chances of passing inspections and tests, which are fundamental to running a safe and successful bouncy castle hire company.


New Training Scheme with RPII – INPA/TIPE Announcement

June 28, 2011

As part of an ongoing commitment to safety within the inflatable play industry Air Inflatables are happy to endorse a new RPII training scheme focussed towards reducing accidents through improving supervisory behaviour throughout the industry.

The INPA and TIPE recently announced the new training scheme, stating that within the industry the majority of accidents and injuries occur, not due to the failure of equipment, but due to ineffective operational procedures for setting up and supervising inflatable play equipment.

The new scheme hopes to remedy this by creating an award for Operators/Supervisors of inflatable play equipment to ensure competency and reduce the number of accidents across the UK. In part, it is a response to the introduction of BS EN 14960:2006, the European Standard for Inflatable Play equipment which covers all aspects of inflatable manufacture and testing but also includes details and guidelines concerned with the operation of equipment and supervision.

The scheme is a result of INPA/TIPE approaching the Register of Play Inspectors International (who already train and examine inspectors) with the idea to create a training programme and award for operators and supervisors, essentially creating an industry safety standard. The syllabus for the course is currently being created and the RPII hopes to get the first course underway at the beginning of 2012. The course will be open to all owners, operators and supervisors of inflatable play equipment which includes bouncy castle hire companies, authorities, theme parks and other attractions.

The initiative is further evidence of the growing importance of recognised safety regulation within the inflatable play industry. Whilst offering the opportunity to gain accreditation in regards to the safe operation of equipment, the training scheme and award is also likely to become a de facto standard for all bouncy castle hire companies.


The Air Inflatables Summer Sale – 20% OFF

June 27, 2011

The Air Inflatables Summer Sale is here, giving you the chance to purchase inflatables of exceptional quality at a MASSIVE 20% DISCOUNT. As the weather gets warmer and bouncy castle hire companies reach peak season now is the perfect time to take advantage of our BIGGEST EVER SUMMER SALE and expand your product offering, helping you to make more money this season and beyond.

The Summer Sale offers 20% off the entire range for all UK customers. That’s a huge saving on all of the bouncy castles and sports units available on the Air Inflatables website, you can even choose from a variety of colourful, exciting and themes to give your customers the latest and greatest in the world of inflatable play.

The Summers Sale is your chance to improve your business, enhance your offering and take advantage of the peak season by being able to make more bookings and profits. The discount applies to all inflatables including our slides, fun runs, bouncy castles and obstacle courses; it also applies to our rodeo bull units and the ever-popular inflatable football shootout game.

So what are you waiting for? Take a look at the Air Inflatables range today and see how you can expand your business. Remember, this offer will only apply whilst current stocks last. Quick delivery or come and pick it up from our outlet in Bingham, Nottingham, it’s up to you. Just call 01949 831825 or 08456 800 275 today to take advantage of this excellent offer.


TIPE – The Inflatable Play Enterprise – Free subscription from Air Inflatables

June 2, 2011

TIPE (The Inflatable Play Enterprise) is a subscription service that whilst not being a trade association, promotes safe inflatable play across the UK. The service is specifically designed for those in the inflatables industry and has the aim of helping subscribers to operate profitable and successful businesses.

TIPE can be considered an important organisation to join, their work consists of working with official bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, Register of Play Inspectors International, PIPA Inflatable Play Inspection and the Inflatable Play Manufacturers Association to ensure subscribers are kept up to date with the latest developments in the industry, how any changes in legislature could affect businesses and also how businesses can ensure they are meeting statutory requirements.

INPA Magazine is responsible for the TIPE subscriptions service. INPA has been regularly reporting news from the inflatable industry for over 6 years and also organisations events such as the INPAS Trade Show, which welcomes exhibitors and guests from the industry and has now been running for the past 3 years.

TIPE also sets out to provide those hiring bouncy castles and play equipment with advice and guidance on what they should expect from hire companies; whilst offering the companies themselves advice on how to run a safe and profitable operation.

The cost of membership to TIPE is current £50.00 annually – but if you buy your bouncy castles from Air Inflatables, we can offer you a FREE subscription. Check out the Air Inflatables website for more details


Air Inflatables Ltd is Proud to Announce that ALL Units are now Made from UK PVC

May 17, 2010

Air Inflatables Ltd are proud to announce that all our units are now manufactured from Coating Applications industry leading, UK manufactured PVC.

As the Air Inflatables brand has now become synonymous with high quality inflatables and industry leading customer service, we decided to change our manufacturing from Chinese PVC (made to stringent UK specification) to PVC manufactured in the UK.

This new UK manufactured PVC will mean that our units have now become softer, lighter and more supple. This will make Air Inflatables units easier to roll and manoeuvre. Read the rest of this entry »


Double Stitching, Quadruple Stitching, PVC Reinforcing, PVC Slide Sheets, PVC Step Over Sheets ALL Standard.

March 23, 2010

At Air Inflatables we are often asked if we double stitch or quadruple stitch, the answer is YES!  However, we go one further and reinforce all our high load seams with PVC and webbing, this gives a very strong seam that will be long-lasting and help to promote a high return on investment.

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When is a Chinese Manufactured Unit not a Chinese Manufactured Unit?

March 15, 2010

The answer is simple, when it is made in China but being sold as manufactured in the UK! Air Inflatables have been conducting in depth research into this subject and this practice is rife across Europe. Read the rest of this entry »


Air Inflatables Announce Summer Open Day 8th July 2009

July 3, 2009

Air Inflatables are pleased to announce their Annual Summer Open Day. Air Inflatables will be showing and have for sale their whole range of bouncy castles and inflatables including exciting new themes and designs. air-inflatables

Read the rest of this entry »


Air Inflatables Book Prime Exhibition Floor Space at INPAS 2010

June 25, 2009

Air Inflatables lead the way in being the first bouncy castle company to book their space at the Inflated News INPAS Exhibition 16th – 17th March 2010.

Air Inflatables see INPAS as the launch platform for their exciting new range of bouncy castles and inflatables which are currently under development for launch at this show.

Managing Director, Paul Walkden, commented, “INPAS 2009 gave us a great start to the 2009 Season. It gave us a chance to speak with our new and current customers and for our customers to meet our Bouncy Castle Sales Team, and to see our high quality, low cost range of inflatables first hand.

We will have an exciting display of inflatables at the INPAS 2010 show with some great special offers planned and some exciting developments”.

At INPAS 2009 Air Inflatables with sister company Inflatable World Leisure stole the show with fantastic high quality products smothered in excellent eye-catching artwork.

We must all now wait and see what surprises Inflatable World and Air Inflatables Team can provide at INPAS 2010.


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