Newsletter 50

Hi all,

Welcome to BIHA newsletter no. 50 ( issued 26 th Feb 2006 ) .

As many of you will know, the BIHA will be exhibiting at three inflatable trade shows in early March. ( Bracknell , Berks. and two in Telford ).

Contents:

1) Important diary events.

2) Second-hand items for sale.

3) Wanted to purchase.

4) BIHA seminar – Telford 8 th March “How to dramatically increase your hire profits using just the internet”.

5) Trade show in Bracknell , Berkshire (BIHA will also be exhibiting).

6) Competition!!! First prize – two brand new 1.5 Gibbons blowers.

7) 10 ways to reduce your business costs.

8) PIPA Challenge – Can anyone help!!!

9) Hints & tips.

10) Closing comments …

1) Important Diary Events

Email received from Bouncy Castle Sales.

www.bouncycastlesales.com are exhibiting an array of products, and we are even bringing them out on the road in the North, South and in the Midlands . So come and see these pre-season lines, we are happy to discuss our range of finance packages designed to help you start in the business, or to expand in the most cost effective way.

Saturday 4th March - Inflatable Exhibition in the North - AT BLACKBURN , LANCASHIRE - 11am-4pm

16 Inflatables on show including new designs of Bouncy Castles. Assault Course, Sumo Suits and Gladiators also on display.

Sunday 5th March - Inflatable Exhibition in the South - AT BRACKNELL SPORTS & LEISURE CENTRE, BERKSHIRE . 11am-4pm

16 Inflatables including new designs of Bouncy Castles. Assault Course, Sumo Suits and Gladiators also on display. The B.I.H.A. will have a stand at this exhibition where you can take out or renew membership.

Tuesday 7th & Wednesday 8th March - Factory Open Days in the Midlands - AT TELFORD , SHROPSHIRE 10am-4pm

If you weren't able to make our earlier exhibition in Telford you can come along to our Factory open Days and view a selection of units whilst having a coffee and a snack! Every B.I.H.A. member receives a free groundsheet when attending the Factory Open Day. Simply quote BIHA to receive your free groundsheet when visiting us and viewing our products.

We have information and details on our wide range of products and services including our Training Workshops and Training DVD which have proved a massive advantage to newcomers to the industry. www.bouncycastlesales.com are the only Inflatable Manufacturer who offers such training and support to people first starting out in this business.

If you need further details on any of the above exhibitions visit our Home Page at www.bouncycastlesales.com

If you want to attend any of the exhibitions or Factory Open Days all you need to do is telephone 01952 604004 or e-mail info@bouncycastlesales.com leaving your name and number of people attending.

2) Second-hand inflatables & Equipment for sale.

Please see below the latest second-hand inflatables being sold by BIHA members. If any member is interested in advertising their second-hand inflatables to over 1,800 BIHA members (completely free of charge), please email me at: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com (Don't forget to always include your town and county area, so that potential buyers can calculate how far they must travel to view your second-hand inflatable before they enquire). If you are looking at a second-hand unit, always check carefully the condition of the bed seams and also the stress points. If you are not sure what to look out for when assessing the condition of a second-hand inflatable - try and take someone with you who is experienced. (Please note that the BIHA cannot be held responsible for the quality of the second-hand inflatables advertised in this alert, so please be vigilant).

FOR SALE

We have decided to finish trading and are selling off our stock, I have listed everything we have and some brief details about the equipment, please feel free to contact us about any of the gear.

Rodeo bull / multi ride - Williams model in excellant working order, the inflatable bed is a 13 foot circle with a fencing style pattern around (galaxy inflatable). Included in the sale is two 1.5 blowers, a new sack barrow, some left over glittery cowboy hats (approx 50 of), approx 20 foot of fencing and stakes. The equipment is approximately 4 years old. This is an electrically operated bull not a hydraulic one, it has the busck and spin features which can be used at the same time. Looking for around £5000.00.

Sumo wrestling - 11 months old, excellant condition with no damage. Made by a company in leicestershire, not sure of the name. The mat is 12 foot square and is also in excellant condition. there are 2 adults and 2 childrens Suits, head protectors and neck braces. £1000.00

Generators - We bought these in December 2005, both are brand new one is still in its box the other has had petrol and oil put in to test it works but has never been used for anything else. When we bought these we were told they were a 7kva, unfortunaltely for us we were conned they are only 2.8kva each. Looking for around £400.00

We also have a renault master van for sale (the newer shape), we don't want to part with it until all the gear is sold, it is a 1998 (S) in excellant condition, it has 56000 miles on the clock. The tax expires in april and the mot isn't due until november. We are wanting around £2500.00

I have plenty of photos of the gear, if anyone would like them emailing please send your email address and I will send them as soon as I can.

email: funadmin@funtastic-entertainment.co.uk

Tel 01229 820718

Mobile 07888834068

Regards

Kate & Scotty

Funtastic Entertainment

www.funtastic-entertainment.co.uk

FOR SALE

1 x Tiny tots ball pond 8x11ft including fan and stakes only been hired out the once purchased June 2005, excellent condition £500 o.n.o

Please call Barry on 01262 608551 mob 07949247078

we live in Bridlington, East Yorkshire

FOR SALE

Complete Bouncy Castle Inflatable Hire Company For Sale Based In Bishops Stortford Herts But Could Be Relocated If Required.

Comprising Of The Following

3x. 12ftx15ft Bouncy Castles with a roof height of 12ft in the following colours.

1x. Red / Yellow / Blue

1x. Purple / Green / Mango

1xPurple / Silver / Cerise

3x. 12ftx15ft Bouncy Castles with a roof height of 9ft 6ins in the following colours.

1x. Baby Pink/Baby Blue/Cerise Pink

1x Royal Blue / Baby Blue / Silver

1x. Torquise / Purple / Mango

All the above units are 2 seasons old and have a full width front step for extra safety fitted shower covers and safety netting fitted from the top of the back wall to the roof of the castle to prevent children climbing over the back walls. They also have artwork on the side and back walls consisting of Stars, Streamers, Balloons and Music notes.

1x. 10ftx12ft Open Bouncy Castle with full width slopping front step and in the following colours Purple / Green / Red. The artwork on the side and back walls of this unit is Bubbles and Stars and this unit was new at the beginning of this season

All these Units have detachable themes which can be interchanged from one unit to another and instead of buying new castles to keep up with the latest themes you only have to buy new panels.You will never miss a hire and can keep your selection of bouncy castles completely up to date with all the latest themes.

There are 14 themes available to go with these castles and consist of the following Spiderman and Batman, Scooby Do and Scrapy Do, Harry Potter, Nemo with a blue background, Nemo with a Purple background, Tweenies, Winnie The Pooh and Tiger, Thomas The Tank Engine and Percy, Cinderella and The Prince, Snow White and Princess Rose, Bob The Builder and Wendy, Shrek, The Incredibles and Barbie all of which are extremely popular.

1x. 12ftx15ft Jungle Bouncer with fitted rain cover and tigers head on top with jungle artwork and a lion on the back wall this unit is aprox 4 seasons old and in very good condition

1x. 12ftx12ft Inflatable Dome based on the Incredibles and bought new at the beginning of this season and in the following colours Purple / Green / Mango with Incredibles pop up inside and large Captain Incredible figure on the top.

1x. 30ft Long x 10ft wide Pirate Ship Fun Run with bouncing area biff and bash pirates scramble net and slide.This unit is 2 seasons old.

1 set of adult Sumo Suits consisting of 2x Adult Suits 2x helmets and neck braces and 1x. 12ftx12ft sumo safety mat. These were bought new this season and are not yet a year old.

Selection Of Giant Games Consisting Of The Following

2 x Giant Connect Four 2 x Giant Genga

2 xGiant Snakes and Ladders

4 x Giant Twister 1 x Giant Ludo

1 x Giant Chess Set

2 x Limbo Bars 1 x Skittles

1 x Croquet Set

1 x Giant Dice 1 x Donald Duck children's striker with 300 punch ball balloons

All giant games are nearly new and some are unused and still boxed

Also include is the following

2 x 0.75 Blowers 8 x 1.5 Blowers 1 x Blower for Inflatable Dome Roof

1 x Honda Petrol Blower 17 x Safety Mats 10 x No Adult Signs

2 x Sack Barrows 7 x 25mtr Extension Leads with fitted safety plugs

2 x 25mtr Extension Reels 10 x Circuit Breakers 12 x Ground Sheets

8 x Sandbags Ground Stakes for each bouncy castle.

Also To Include

Website, Yellow Pages advert with time to change phone number to new owner,

Disclaimers and Terms and Conditions Documents.

All units can be viewed at www.jester-bounce.co.uk Please note Airbush Body Art is not included in this sale. We have been trading for 4 years and have built up a strong customer base which will include all onward bookings, contacts for shows fetes etc, all goodwill, help and advice as required.

This is a genuine sale and an ideal opportunity for someone to buy an up and running recognised company or for someone wishing to expand.

Company valued at £26,500.

Willing to accept offers in excess of £17,500.

For more information please telephone Malcolm or Debbie Murray on 01279 831559

Or e mail infojester@yahoo.co.uk

3) Wanted to purchase.

Western style scenery wanted.

I'm looking for 2 cart wheels & cactuses. I need them ASAP.If you can help please call 07840 900755 or email me info@1st4leisure.co.uk .

Regards

Steve

4) BIHA Seminar / workshop being held at the PERTEXA show – Telford , Shropshire . 8 th March 2006 .

At the Pertexa trade show in the International Centre – Telford , on the 8 th March, the BIHA will be holding a short seminar in the conference room. This seminar will be open to all, not just BIHA members.

The title will be: “How to dramatically increase your hire profits using just the internet” (This seminar will be geared towards the inflatable hire business, but the proven techniques mentioned, can apply to any business, organisation or practice. Most of the techniques mentioned are completely free to use.

I will be the speaker as it is a topic, I am very interested in and have a lot of experience in this area. I will also share some ways the BIHA has used the power of the internet to grow from a small group of 30 hire companies in 2001, to almost 2,000 today. I have also been on several internet marketing seminars over the last few years, and listened to many speakers who have become extremely successful from the internet.

This seminar will take place in the conference room at around 12 noon . (Straight after the AIMODS meeting). Please check exact times, when you arrive at the Telford International Center .

Subjects covered at this seminar will be:

a) How one little button on your website can automatically increase your hire bookings by 10% or more!

b) Why and how you must have a free newsletter to send to your customers and potential customers.

c) How to make sure your website is at the top of the search engines.

d) How to use Google to grow your hire business.

e) How to get other people to pass bookings to you using the internet.

f) Why you must develop a list of your customer's email address (This will become your most important business asset).

g) The incredible power of testimonials on your website.

h) How your customers can pay to book an inflatable from you using their credit / debit card, at virtually no cost to you.

i) How to improve your sales copy, so that more people book from your website.

j) And much, much more…..

5) Bouncy castle/inflatable trade show in Bracknell , Berkshire .

As mentioned above, on Sunday 5 th March 2006 , the Bouncy Castle Sales Company will be holding a trade show at the Bracknell Sports & Leisure Centre. Bracknell is the home town of the BIHA office, so we were pleased to get an invitation to be able to exhibit at this show.

If you can attend, it would be great to meet as many members as possible.

There will be some free garden games given away to members who come up with the best ideas, hints or tips, and also members who come up with the most interesting “real-life hire stories”.

6) Competition!!!

The BIHA team and myself look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, either at the Bracknell show, or the two Telford shows, or all three.

There will be some valuable prizes given away. Such as a two brand new Gibbons 1.5 blower, and various giant garden games. There will also be some freebies available to members such as coasters and key-rings left over from the LIW show.

To stand a chance of winning a brand new blower (worth nearly £200), all you have to do is email me a useful idea, hint or tip which could help to improve profits and/or safety. Alternatively, email me your real-life hire story (or hiring from hell) and you may win the blower.

There will be one blower given away at the Bracknell on the 5 th March and one blower given away immediately after the seminar at the Telford International centre on the 8 th March.

If there is no winner at the Bracknell show, then we will carry forward this prize to the Telford show.

Please note that the closing date for this competition is 8am on Sunday 5 th March.

These two blowers have been kindly donated by Bouncy Castle Sales Company in Telford .

Someone must win these blowers as I do NOT want to take them home!!

7) Ten ways to reduce your business costs.

1. Barter

If you have a business you should be bartering goods

and services with other businesses. You should try to

trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals

usually require little or no money.

2. Network

Try networking your business with other businesses.

You could trade leads or mailing lists. This will cut

down on your marketing and advertising costs. You

may also try bartering goods and services with them.

3. Wholesale/Bulk

You'll save money buying your business supplies in

bulk quantities. You could get a membership at a

wholesale warehouse or buy them through a mail

order wholesaler. Buy the supplies you are always

running out of.

4. Free Stuff

You should try visiting the thousands of freebie sites

on the internet before buying your business supplies.

You can find free software, graphics, backgrounds,

online business services etc.

5. Borrow/Rent

Have you ever purchased business equipment you

only needed for a small period of time? You could

have just borrowed the equipment from someone

else or rented the equipment from a hire shop.

6. Online/Offline Auctions

You can find lower prices on business supplies and

equipment at online and offline auctions. I'm not

saying all the time, but before you go pay retail for

these items try bidding on them first.

7. Plan Ahead

Make a list of business supplies or equipment you'll

need in the future. Keep an eye out for stores that

have big sales. Purchase the supplies when they go

on sale before you need them.

8. Used Stuff

If your business equipment and supplies don't need

to be new, buy them used. You can find used items

at yard and garage sales, used stores, used stuff

for sale message boards and newsgroups etc.

9. Negotiate

You should always try negotiate a lower price for

any business equipment or supplies. It doesn't hurt

to try. .

10. Search

You can always be searching for new suppliers for

your business supplies and equipment. Look for

suppliers with lower prices and better quality. Don't

just be satisfied with a few.

One question which should always be at the back of your mind whenever you buy anything big second-hand. You say to the seller, “Are you in a position to negotiate on the price? If they say yes. You then say to them “What is your absolute lowest price that you are prepared to accept?”. This line works well, and it cuts to the chase, when it comes to haggling. Remember this line, and it will serve you well!

8) PIPA Challenge – Can anyone help!!!

I recently received the following email…..if anyone can help, please could they email me at mark.jerram@ntlworld.com putting “PIPA” in the subject bar, thanks. I will then pass all emails onto Gary and also mention in the next newsletter if anyone has been able to help.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Mark

Nice to be talking to you again.

Its Gary here from Oxfordshire. Can you help me out please with some information if you would be so kind. I have brought a second-hand Giant Dome or Moon Walker as some call it.

I want to get it PIPA tag tested as it does not currently have one, the problem that I am having is because of its size 25ft x 27ft and 20ft high with only 1 exit, companies either won't do it because it is too big to get it in to their workshop, or they want £130.00 just to come to me, another £110.00 for the test, and another £7.50 for the disc.

The ones that I have spoken to say that it's very hard to get a test done on it as the people that will be using it will be more than 5 meters away from the exit. Ok I hear and understand what they are saying, so does that mean that I will never be able to get a PIPA tag done on my Giant Moon Walker. If so, where and will I have to drive around the Whole of England to get it done.

Can you help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kind regards

Gary

Oxfordshire

9) Hints & Tips.

Don't forget to top up your vans and cars with anti-freeze ASAP, as there is a weather front coming in from the Arctic , and temperatures are expected to plummet.

Many years ago, I knew someone who forgot to put anti-freeze in their vehicle during a bitterly cold spell and their engine cracked inside, as the water froze inside the engine. They needed a new engine as a result!!

If you are having problems with your wireless internet connection, see if it is clashing with your telephone wireless connection. I heard of someone who set up a wireless internet network, and try as they might, they could not get it to work. However, as soon as they disconnected their wireless telephone connection, their internet connection sprung into life. There must have been a clash of signals somewhere!

Don't forget to keep an eye on when your domain names expire. They are usually for one or two years. I know of at least one company which lost their domain name to another company because they forgot to renew it.

10) Closing comments.

Have a great week and I hope to meet as many of you as possible at the Bracknell and Telford inflatable trade shows.

Don't forget to email me your ideas, hints and tips, and real-life hire stories to: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com The best two will win a brand new 1.5 Gibbons Blower, which can be collected at the show in Bracknell on the Sun 5 th March, and another blower at the PERTEXA show at the International Centre, Telford, immediately after my seminar on the 8 th March.

If you email in a good idea or a real-life hire story, and it wins the top prize, but you are unable to attend either of the shows – you can either get a friend to collect the blower, or you will be awarded a WHSmith or Boots shopping voucher, and the blower will have to be given to someone else.

If you enter this free competion – please put “SHOW COMPETITION” as the subject of your email. The judges will be myself and the four other BIHA staff.

The BIHA will also be exhibiting at Telford Ice Rink on Wed 8 th March. (This is just across the road from the International Center )

During, my seminar (starting around 12 noon for around 20-30 minutes), the BIHA stand at both venues will be very short staffed. If anyone could help on the BIHA stand (just for about half an hour) then I would be very grateful, and I am sure a giant garden game could be reserved for you. If you are able to help – please could you email me at: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com Many thanks…….

If you are interested in attending the BIHA seminar - please could you email me back (putting “seminar” in the subject bar) just so that I have an approximate idea of numbers who will be attending. It is not a large room, and the seminar invitation is open to anyone in the industry, not just BIHA members.

All the best.

Thanks for reading.

Mark Jerram

Founder of the British Inflatable Hirers Association (BIHA)

http://www.biha.org.uk

http:// www.biha.org.uk/NA49db.htm (Recent newsletter)