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1) Q. What equipment do I need to set up a bouncy castle / inflatable hire company?

A. Below is a list of equipment which you will need to start a bouncy castle hire business:

1) Bouncy Castle, rain-cover, electric blower, and anchor stakes.

2) Ground sheet to protect underside of bouncer.

3) Electrical extension cable (25 - 30 meters long).

4) RCD circuit breaker. (safety cut-out device).

5) Safety mat to put at front of the castle.

6) Local street map of your town and its surrounding area.

7) Large A4 size desk diary for taking bookings (1 Page to a day).

8) Ledger book for recording takings and expenses etc.

9) Public Liability Insurance cover. We strongly recommend one million pounds as the minimum.

10) Safety instruction sheet and customer disclaimer form.

11) A sack trolley.

12) Sandbags.

13) Terms and conditions of hire forms including disclaimer (see www.biha.org.uk/free.htm )

2) Q. What is likely to be the cost of setting up a bouncy castle hire business?

A. All operators of inflatables should buy public liability insurance. This is not a legal requirement, but anyone operating without PL insurance would be extremely unwise. Premiums have come down quite substantially in the last year or so. For details of PL insurance companies – please see: www.bouncy-castle-insurance.co.uk If you have employees, or staff working on a casual basis, it is a legal requirement for you to have Employers Liability Insurance.

A. No, but it is a good idea to register with your local council. Also, it is advisable to get yourself police-checked (and also your staff). Once you have been police checked, you will find it easier to get work from your local council.

A. Yes. However, you need to be very very careful that you do not buy worn out equipment. Always check the bed seams and also the stitching around the re enforcements e.g. where the pillars meet the side walls, also check the condition of the safety step. It is a very good idea to take an experienced person with you when looking for second hand items

A. The best advertising mediums for your bouncy castle hire business is yellow pages, free advert in Thompsons Local, handing leaflets out to parents and their children at the parties you do, and putting a leaflet or business card on a community hall / nursery notice board. Another good way of advertising your business if for you to have a free advert on www.biha.org.uk and www.leisurescene.com the search engines such as google will be able to pick up on this. The very best form of advertising is referrals from happy customers. (they will act as your best unpaid sales people if you do a good job for them in the first place!).

A. Yes. All operators of bouncy castles and inflatable play equipment who hire to the public for reward come under the requirements of the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. For more details of this please look at the PIPA website. www.pipa.org.uk Also see: www.pipa.org.uk/publicBestPractice.pdf

A. Yes. Many hire company operators who work part time in inflatable hire business have a full time job during the day. E.g. Builders, firemen, roofers, ice-cream men, shift workers, forestry workers, shop-owners, lorry drivers etc. The great thing about a bouncy castle hire business is the fact that it can be operated on weekends. Many operators earn more money putting a few bouncy castles out at the weekend, then they do working 9 – 5 Monday to Friday. The amount of hours that one dedicates to the business is purely a matter of personal choice. Once the income starts to increase and bookings start happening during the week, many operators make the life changing decisions of quitting their full time job in order to run their bouncy castle hire business full time.

A. Yes. But it depends on the equipment being used, some equipment is only suitable for children e.g. 12ft by 12ft bouncy castles, whereas other equipment is much bigger and especially reinforced to take the extra adult weight.

A. As a golden rule, one person can set up a child’s bouncy castle (up to 12ft x 12ft). Anything bigger than this ideally needs 2 people. For very large inflatables, 3 people may be needed. Don’t forget the importance of always bending your knees when lifting a bouncy castle, to take the strain off your back as much as possible. Also, don’t forget that when bouncy castles are wet – they are much heavier – please take extra care when lifting wet inflatables.

A. This varies regionally and also depends on what your competitors are charging. As a very rough guide the hire price of a standard 12ft x 12ft bouncy castle will be in the region of Ł45 to Ł75 if hired out locally. If you have to travel beyond your local area then you are advised to charge a delivery fee of 30p - 50p per mile.

12) Q. Can an organisation like the BIHA offer any practical help in setting up a business?

A. Yes. As well as offering a wealth of information and resources to established hire companies, the BIHA also offer free information for people coming into the business for the first time. To view this free stuff please click on www.biha.org.uk/free.htm

13) Q. Is there someone I can call as for help or advice if I encounter any teething problems?

A. Yes. You can e-mail the BIHA direct at mark.jerram@ntlworld.com (the preferred method) or contact us direct on 01344 485389. If it is very urgent you can call us on mobile 07876 776517.

A. Yes. When you become a member you will get your hire company listed for free on various websites and also your inflatables will be listed by category. You should not only get extra business from the general public visiting these sites from google and other search engines, but you should also get referrals and bookings passed to you by your competitors who may not be able to fulfill a booking or may just be too busy!!

Also, as a BIHA member you will over time receive lots of free ideas, hints and tips to help you get more bookings for your inflatables.

A. The cost of membership to the BIHA is just Ł35 a year by standing order, or Ł2.99 per month by standing order.

A. Unfortunately, No. The reason for this is to keep our administration costs to a minimum so that we can concentrate more of our time and limited resources helping the membership – not chasing subscription payments!! (If you do not have standing order facilities and must pay by cheque then the annual fee is Ł60)

17) Q. I have telephoned the BIHA but I have not yet had a reply what should I do?

A. The fastest way of getting a reply from the BIHA is to send an email to: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com putting “BIHA urgent” in the subject bar. This will receive our immediate attention.

18) Q. I have emailed the BIHA but I have not yet received a reply what should I do?

A. The fastest way of getting a reply from the BIHA is to send an email to: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com putting “BIHA urgent” in the subject bar. This will receive our immediate attention.

19) Q. What is the industry message board and how do I access the industry message board?

Are you a member of the message board for people involved in the inflatable industry? If not, you could be missing out on the most topical and up-to-date discussions relating to the business. It is completely free to join and benefits include:-

Joining is simple and free, and you don’t have to be a member of any organisation or association to join.

To join, you will need a Microsoft .net passport; if you don’t already have one visit www.passport.net and follow the instructions (again it’s free).

Once you have a Microsoft .net passport, go the web site below and click on the “apply to join” button. Send the Managers a brief message using a valid email address, and once accepted, you will receive a welcome email letting you know you that are now a member:-

Need further information or need help joining? Email one of the message board Managers who will do their very best to help:-

A. Currently, there are two providers for Ł5M cover. Leisureinsure and the Rockford Group.

21) Q. One of my customers needs event insurance for a big event they are organizing, where can I buy it from?

A. Contact Leisureinsure at: 0870 7668391 They do a special package for single events.

A. If you go onto the BIHA website at www.biha.org.uk and see a logo that you like, right click on it with your mouse and then save it as a JPEG image on your hard drive or floppy drive. You can then give it to a printer who will be able to print the image onto your business cards, letterheads etc. Please note that only current paid-up members are permitted to copy the BIHA logo onto their business stationery and web-sites etc.

23) Q. I have lost my password to get into the “members only pages” on www.biha.org.uk , where can I get this password from?

A. If you are a current member (and up to date with your subscription fees) you are entitled to the password to get you into the “members only area” on www.biha.org.uk If you have lost this password – please email me at: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com putting “BIHA password reminder” in the subject bar.

24) Q. I have heard a lot about the PIPA scheme for the testing of inflatables. Is it law?

A. The new PIPA scheme for the testing of play inflatables is industry “best practice”. Currently, (2005) PIPA is NOT law. It is the only “industry specific” testing scheme which is recognized by the HSE. (Health & Safety Executive). The BIHA strongly recommend that all members get their play inflatables tested annually by a PIPA registered tester. Please look at: www.pipa.org.uk

25) Q. I would like to reserve a copy of the Inflated News magazine – how do I do this?

A. Inflated News magazine (www.inflatednews.co.uk) is a quarterly colour magazine produced exclusively for the inflatable hire industry in the

. It is NOT produced or published by the BIHA. The publisher is Peter Grand of the Grand Affairs Group based in Hertfordshire. If you would like a free copy please send an email to Peter at: editor@inflatednews.co.uk (Please note that this magazine is reserved for operators and manufacturers of inflatables and companies which have a commercial interest in the inflatable industry - It is also available to leisure centres and anyone interested in buying an inflatable.

26) Q. Are there any industry trade shows where I can speak to manufacturers, see their products and meet the BIHA.

A. The largest

industry trade show is Leisure Industry Week (LIW) held at the NEC – Birmingham in September. Please see: www.liw.co.uk

A. Anyone wishing to join the BIHA must have an existing inflatable hire business (or be seriously considering starting up a hire business).

A. To apply for membership to the BIHA, you firstly need to receive an information pack and also an application form and standing order mamndate.

To receive these forms – please email your name, address and post-code to: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com and an information pack and application form will be sent off to you by first class post.

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