When you’re planning a party larger than your average get-together with a few friends, the details regarding the place and its glassware, dinnerware and so on become hugely important all of a sudden. This is why party equipment rental services have become so popular in the past decade or so; as life becomes more complicated, people can’t afford to own (or store) everything required for a big party, but don’t want to lower their party standards nonetheless.

Party equipment rentals can provide a safe option for all those planning a special event with varying sizes, more or less formal, with a certain theme in mind and so on. This is all you need to know about this type of service, to know what to look for, what to expect, where to look and so on.

Things to consider before renting party equipment

A company which specializes in providing its customers with party equipment rental services is usually large enough to be able to provide for corporate events as well as small home events. These are the main types of equipment which you can rent from such a company (and note that sometimes this equipment is also for sale from the same source, if you want to keep it afterwards):

• Children’s parties equipment: from thematic decorations and props to funny paper hats and supplies for fun group games to be played by the kids;
• Hardware equipment for elegant parties: from flooring and decorating to artificial walls or screens, illuminated panels, bars and barware, special furniture (chairs and tables and so on);
• Table equipment for parties: platters, glassware, specialty China-ware, coffee and tea serving dishes, dinnerware, candlelight and flower arrangements, chair decorations and so on;
• Decoration party equipment rental: displays and stands for drinks or decoration bowls, balloons and confetti and so on, furniture and stair decoration for making the whole place attuned to the party theme and so on;
• Sound systems equipment rental: to bring on the bass in a way you couldn’t possibly do with your set of speakers attached to your home computer, and it even includes staging and microphone (if you party includes speeches or a live band);
• Outdoor party supplies: in a word, everything related to tents and outdoor decorations, perhaps even outdoor games and more.

Sometimes, a party equipment rental service can double up as an event organizer as well, should the customer opt for this extra service. Usually, large events (like corporate parties) tend to buy the whole package, allowing the party equipment company to organize the event in addition to providing the required props, so that they can watch over everything going well. Still, if you only need to rent the equipment, then there’s no point in buying the organization service as well. It’s also very possible if you already have an event planner to simply indicate to them where you’d like the party supplies and equipment to be rented out from.

For personal events and parties (like weddings), where every detail matters much more (from the color of the napkins to the engraved details on the silverware and the glitter pattern in the confetti), you will surely need to contract a party planning service and a party equipment rental in addition to it. Even though your planner may come up with their own recommendation, going through the offers yourself or suggesting your own party equipment rental service is definitely something to consider. It can give you a better control over the final result.

If you’d like to own the party-ware which you are renting, that is a well-covered option with most service providers. You can opt for both used and new party supplies, as both types can be found for sale or negotiated upon. Just talk to your party equipment rental supplier, after you have organized at least an even with them (as this client status can lead to better rates when buying equipment for yourself). Even if you don’t get a discount, but you will have tried the equipment before buying it anyway.

Best Party Equipment Rental Companies and Services:

• Party Rental LTD: they have a lot of staging and flooring options for rent, in addition to a wide variety of glassware, dinnerware, China, bars and barware, candlelight, and so on. Browse their list of locations for a city or area next to you.
• Party Rentals NYC and NJ: for the locations of New York and New Jersey, this is one of the best suppliers of party equipment you could find. You can also hire wait staff for your event from them.
• Atlanta’s Rental Place: for Atlanta GA locations, check out this Alpharetta-based supplier.
• Allstar Party Rental: based in Chicago IL, we like this family-owned party equipment rental service.
• One Stop Event Rentals Maine: a local Maine supplier for all sorts of events, the weddings organized with their help are especially dreamy.

Useful Party Equipment Tips

Before deciding for any company you might want to contract for their party equipment rental services, make sure everything is fair, especially if this is among your first times renting such equipment. First of all, ask to review a copy of the contract before actually signing it, and let your more experienced friends in the niche take a look at it too. Then, make sure you compare their prices to the rates charged by other reputable companies in the business, to see how they hold up. If anything seems dubiously priced, don’t be afraid to ask why the huge price difference is like that.

Also, make sure that you always ask for detailed instructions (printed) on how to use the equipment you want to rent, even if you have worked with something similar before and you think you already know the ropes. You never know when you might need it, and it would be a waste of money to rent the equipment with several days before the even just to play with it and make sure you know what every button does.

Conclusion: Party equipment rental services are a very useful way of developing your portfolio and servicing clients with fancier events than what your current equipment level allows you. This type of rental service is also a good idea if you’re the party owner yourself and you’d like to save up some money on the costs of organizing the event. Whatever the case, the market is very rich and friendly, and there are plenty of mutually advantageous deals to be worked out here.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.