4 Things You Haven’t Considered When Renting A Photo Booth

Photo booth companies are everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE! And it’s not a matter of if you should rent a photo booth, it’s a when, where, and how you should rent it. While most customers focus on the look or the price, here are 4 things you might not have considered when deciding to rent a photo booth.

#1. Space

Will the photo booth fit in your space? It seems like an obvious consideration, but it’s not just about the size of the photo booth; it’s about the additional elements that come with it. When renting a photo booth, you can expect additions such as prop tables, backdrops and people lined up or gathered around the photo booth. Those additional components themselves tend to take up as much, if not more, space than the photo booth itself. And if your guests have to squeeze to get in AND around your booth, it can be the perfect recipe for accidents and broken equipment. Safety first!

#2. Customized Packages

The great thing about photo booths is that they are customizable to the event. If you ask, most companies will customize their packages for you because we understand that every event is unique. Don’t ever look at a package as set in stone, unless the company says “we do not customize”. Typically, they’ll be flexible in order to meet your event needs. Some companies, like ours, will even let you rent the backdrop itself, no booth!

Although customizable, all photo booths are not created equal. They don’t have the same price and cannot be compared apples to apples. Photo Booth Company A may do prints and a memory in their package, while Photo Booth Company B may do prints and GIFs. Therefore, if you only look at price, you may be missing out on all of the other great features offered!

#3. Booth Attendants

Photo Booths are pretty easy to operate. You grab a prop, you pose, and voilà! A picture to commemorate the night! Sounds pretty easy, right? That is, until your grandma Sally, who still uses a flip phone, decides to take a photo.

Most photo booth companies will provide you with an attendant, not to hover over you like a hawk and make you feel uncomfortable, but to make sure things go smoothly. Photo Booths are like big computers, and if there is anything we’ve learned about them, it’s that they can (and do) crash on occasion. Having someone there to handle any hiccups is definitely a plus! Booth attendants keep the space organized because props can get thrown everywhere. They can also be there to assist grandma Sally, so she doesn’t hold up the line trying to search for the start button.

#4. Start Time/Rental Length

The million dollar question for renting a booth is usually, “How many hours do I need and when should we start?” While we photo booth professionals can give you suggestions, the true answer lies within you! There’s no formula to determine the perfect start time or rental length, but it’s always safe to have the booth run for the length of the event. The combination of “too early” and “too short” of a rental time can spell trouble.

If you don’t plan to have the booth run for the length of your event, you should consider the following:

• Sometimes guests trickle into an event or even a room for that matter, unless it’s a work related event.
• Most people need to warm up to a booth. Yes, you’ll always have guests who are die-hard “boothers” and you’ll know them because they’re lined up at the booth before it starts. But keep in mind that everyone else will want to do some mingling or eat and drink first before they’re ready to take a pic.
• How many guests do you plan to have? If you have 200 guests and a two-hour rental, well, you may have some guests still in line at the time the rental ends. Here at Photovation, we try to avoid that situation, and we usually don’t turn anyone away, but it can and does happen.
• Will the booth setup interfere with the event? There’s nothing more beautiful at a wedding reception than when the bride and groom raise their glasses to a tearful toast made by the best man. Wait…was it tearful? I couldn’t tell because the booth attendant just slammed a box of props on the table! Moral of the story: Be mindful of when your booth time will start so there are no unwanted interruptions.

Photo Booths are a great addition to any event. There are many things to consider when it comes to renting one, and these considerations can help make your event a blast! If you’re interested in renting a photo booth in the Atlanta area, please give us a call and we’ll gladly make your event a success!