Five Things to Check, Replenish, and Replace During the Down Season

The 2022 rental and event season will soon be here. While it is still early in the down season, some party rental experts are getting a head start on their seasonal prep. Most party rental operators and event professionals know that the event season officially begins at the start of April. If you want to get a head start on your inventory prep and get ahead of your competition, these are the top five things to check, replenish, and replace during the down season.

1. Patch Rips and Holes with Repair Kits

It is a chilly early morning and the first day of going through your rental equipment inventory. You walk out to your back garage or arrive at your warehouse and begin to pull equipment out from storage areas. The units you pull out include water slides and a box that holds a bounce house combo. One of the first things to check is the vinyl of the inflatables. As you lay your rental equipment out and set up some inflatables, you may notice some tears and holes in some of the units.

A tropical themed inflatable water slide is perfect dry and wet combo bouncer for your inflatable water park

Mega Tropical Bounce House Combo

Inspecting inflatables for any rips in the vinyl early on is important because the holes are still small. Smaller tears and holes are easy to fix and patch, but the bigger holes in inflatables can be an issue. Glue and repair kits make patching up small holes a breeze. Adhesive glue, such as SX-69 vinyl cement glue, dries quickly when applied to a torn area, making repairs easy. There are many different patch kits to choose from depending on the style and type of inflatable or vinyl product.

For example, you own a Mega Tropical Combo, and there is a tear on the outside of the unit near the green marble base. To cover the tear without making it noticeable to clients, choose a vinyl swatch that matches the torn area of the unit. Regarding the marble on the tropical inflatable previously mentioned, we would suggest a green marble repair kit, which contains a vinyl patch and adhesive glue to apply to the matching base of the unit. By thoroughly inspecting and patching small holes in your inflatables now, you can free up time to deal with other essential tasks during the rental season later.

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2. Replacing the Tent Tops

A white 20' x 20' Frame Tent Replacement Top hovering over a blue background.

You laid out all of your inflatables and have thoroughly inspected them. Now it is time to set up the canopy pole tents and frame tents in your stock. When you set up the party tents, properly examine the tops for any debris, rips, scratches, or fading of the tent vinyl. If you start to find holes or scratches on your tent tops, it may be time to purchase a replaceable top.

Throughout the rental season, party tents are always on the move. From one event to the next, they are assembled at your clients' homes or businesses, left up for hours, and then taken down by your team the day after. Over time, party tents will wear out, and the color of their vinyl tent tops will fade. At Tent and Table, we have an assortment of replaceable tent tops in stock. Call your sales rep to see which size and style top you need.

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3. Chairs and Chair Tips

A section of white folding chairs standing up against a wall.

After dusting off and inspecting all of your inflatables and party tents, pull out those chairs neatly stacked on portable carts. Party rental operators know that having party chairs clean and in working condition before the start of the rental season is essential to keeping clients happy.

If you find that most of the plastic folding chairs in your inventory have worn out or are missing chair tips, it might be best to replenish your stock. Over the years, chair tips will often fall off, wear out, and begin to tear. Replacing chair tips will prevent your clients from sliding across or scratching the floors.

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4. Zoom into the Season

A yellow & black Inflatable blower connected to a blue inflatable unit. Before the first client of the season asks for a bounce house at their event, be sure to check, inspect, and run the inflatable blowers in your inventory to ensure that they are in working condition. Like most electronics, blowers will slow down over time. They may malfunction, and their fuses or fans can blow out. Take the time to clean and inspect your blowers for any potential debris blocking air intake grills or objects jammed in the inside fan.

Zoom 1.5 HP XLT Inflatable Bounce House Blower

Zoom 1.5 HP XLT Bounce House Blower

At Tent and Table, we have an assortment of inflatable blowers, replacement blower switches, fans, and blower supply chords in stock. If your blower does not turn on or the airflow is very low, consider replacing the old blower with a brand new one.

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5. The Importance of Heavy Duty Hand Dollies & Carts

One of the most important things to have in stock during any rental season is one or more working Hand Dollies and Multi-Mover Heavy Duty Dolly Carts. Hand Dollies and Multi-Mover Dolly Carts are life (and back) savers if you work in the party rental industry. Even the strongest party rental experts own and regularly use dollies and carts for event setups and tear-downs. These tools aid in the transport of heavy boxes and equipment, and they help prevent physical straining, injury, and risks.

Get a head start on your inventory prep and be ahead of the competition before the rental season arrives. Inspect and patch all of your inflatables and tent tops. Replenish your stock of chair tips, and replace your broken inflatable blowers and hand dollies with new ones, and voila! You are now prepared like a party rental pro.