This is an introduction to planning and executing a successful event. I will be picking one event type per edition. The first edition is on Furniture hire and rental.
So you think hiring furniture is easy? The short answer to this is yes it can be. There are however some easily made mistakes you need to take into account.
The fist of these is price; you really do need to shop around. Prices can vary supplier to supplier. The lowest price is however not always the best deal overall. As a general guideline, in London, you should be looking to pay around 90 pence - 1.20 for a standard folding chair. These are easily stack-able and therefore very easy to store 500 in a small space. A mid priced Banqueting / conference chair will set you back anything from 1.60 - 2.40. That 80 pence difference would normally be dependent on the amount that you intend to hire. Always negotiate with the supplier, you will never know until you try. One thing I have learned in my 30 odd years in this industry, everything is negotiable.
Always inquire about delivery and collection of your hire goods. It is no small thing collection 500 chairs and transporting them across London.
As a general rule you would be able to fit about 400 folding chairs into a large transit type van. The same sized van would only accommodate about 200 banqueting chairs. For this reason, delivery and collection prices can be substantial part of your order. In London a Transit van complete with driver costs over 700.00 per week to keep on the road. Each of these vehicles will only complete about 4 deliveries or collections a day. If you do the math that means each delivery actually costs the company 35.00. With that in mind anything below that figure and you have a good deal. On larger orders you can expect a 7.5 tonne lorry to turn up. A 7.5tonne vehicle generally would cost the company around 50.00 per delivery. You should now be getting an idea of what you will be paying for delivery. NEGOTIATE!
Always check with the Hire Company how long their standard rental is. You are most often offered only a minimal 24 hour rate while others will allow you 72 hours for the same fee. Always check that you will have enough time to set-up and dismantle you event without inuring extra fees.
The last thing you will need to know is how old is the furniture I am hiring? You need to know this as; there is nothing worse than dirty old event furniture. As a general rule anything over six months old will be sub standard.
So you think hiring furniture is easy? The short answer to this is yes it can be. There are however some easily made mistakes you need to take into account.
The fist of these is price; you really do need to shop around. Prices can vary supplier to supplier. The lowest price is however not always the best deal overall. As a general guideline, in London, you should be looking to pay around 90 pence - 1.20 for a standard folding chair. These are easily stack-able and therefore very easy to store 500 in a small space. A mid priced Banqueting / conference chair will set you back anything from 1.60 - 2.40. That 80 pence difference would normally be dependent on the amount that you intend to hire. Always negotiate with the supplier, you will never know until you try. One thing I have learned in my 30 odd years in this industry, everything is negotiable.
Always inquire about delivery and collection of your hire goods. It is no small thing collection 500 chairs and transporting them across London.
As a general rule you would be able to fit about 400 folding chairs into a large transit type van. The same sized van would only accommodate about 200 banqueting chairs. For this reason, delivery and collection prices can be substantial part of your order. In London a Transit van complete with driver costs over 700.00 per week to keep on the road. Each of these vehicles will only complete about 4 deliveries or collections a day. If you do the math that means each delivery actually costs the company 35.00. With that in mind anything below that figure and you have a good deal. On larger orders you can expect a 7.5 tonne lorry to turn up. A 7.5tonne vehicle generally would cost the company around 50.00 per delivery. You should now be getting an idea of what you will be paying for delivery. NEGOTIATE!
Always check with the Hire Company how long their standard rental is. You are most often offered only a minimal 24 hour rate while others will allow you 72 hours for the same fee. Always check that you will have enough time to set-up and dismantle you event without inuring extra fees.
The last thing you will need to know is how old is the furniture I am hiring? You need to know this as; there is nothing worse than dirty old event furniture. As a general rule anything over six months old will be sub standard.
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