LSS 2024 Review
Please note that for now I have grouped all pictures together. - It's very late and I do not have time to organise them, if I get time I will arrange them porperly.
This year’s show was pleasantly surprising - I was very pleased to have my doubts once again, squashed.
Last year could have been forgiven - The show traded hands and for the sake of the industry and actively wanting the last remaining UK trade show to survive I think people would have given it the benefit of the doubt. That turned out to be unnecessary and it delivered, passing people’s expectations (although admittedly I think most people had the bar fairly low).
This year, I got the sense from people I spoke to in the lead up to the show that there is no-such grace. If the show organiser messed this up, then it was curtains for the show and they would never go again. - If anything, I think this year put more pressure on the LSS to deliver than ever before.
People hear things and it causes you to doubt whether it will be any good. The manufacturer list for inflatables was looking like it could fit on the back of a stamp at one point, the original date was terrible and was late in telling people that it was changing - There was a fair few other little “secrets” flying about - All of which casted a bit of doubt as to whether it worth even turning up.
I’m really very pleased to share that in my opinion, all these doubts are put to bed. That isn’t to say that there isn’t room for improvement, but after two back-to-back shows and the latest one significantly improving on the last, I think they’ve earned some credibility and trust that they can deliver; I’m genuinely looking forward to the next one.
I appreciate that not everyone is going to have the same opinion as me, one of the terms being openly said amongst people was “The Airquee Show” - It’s hard to argue that Airquee didn’t dwarf the show, but I don’t think it detracted from other exhibitors, but rather it was just a bloody good, strong effort from them.
I was going to leave this for the Airquee part of the review, but despite them taking up two thirds (or possibly more), I don’t think it’s a bad thing and I think they was pretty classy about it…
They was actually offered the front entrance of the show as soon as you walk in. If that had happened you might have found it difficult to even find the rest of the exhibitors. However, they themselves insisted that they take the back section so that people have to walk through everyone else first, giving them the best opportunity to get foot-traffic.
Not only that, but they also gave a small manufacturer exhibit space that otherwise could not have attended. They’re a first time exhibitor and in truth direct competition for Airquee, but they paid for their space. They also got all their workwear from Daisy’s, another small family fun exhibitor.
You can’t blame Airquee for being the size they are and knock them for wanting to put on the best display they can. I think it’s unfair to portray them as some type of mega power that’s trampling on others, they are doing more than what they need to and certainly more than anyone else to support others. Plus, what if they didn’t? What if they came with 7 inflatables? In truth we need them and should probably be grateful.
My experience was over-whelmingly positive and well worthwhile going. I know some people whizzed round in two hours, but it genuinely took me two days when I had only planned one. I also feel like more people attended than ever before, it was actually busy on the first day until an hour or so before it closed.
I also thought that it was a nice touch having signage out on the road, because my sat-nav took me to the main entrance and I would definitely ended up lost without the sign-posts; I thought that was a nice touch.
On-site cafe was terrible. Nothing the show can do about that, but it was dreadful - Avoid.
Lighting was good, wheel-chair access, good layout that was tweaked to be better on the second day.
Parking was easy, zero issues with big vans and for anyone making purchases you could then drive into the grounds right up to the roller shutters and literally dump it in the back of the van. No massive trek wheeling heavy stuff all over the place.
The exhibitor list grew the closer to the show and despite not having absolutely everyone - There was some very interesting show stalls and some we haven’t seen before (or not for a long time). I still think you need to have better-bounce and AndyJ attend, I wish they’d commit and come.
You’ll find a little review and write-up of most exhibitors below. There may well be some that I missed, this isn’t meant to offend - They’ve either been over-looked or I didn’t get a chance to really look at their products. It is in no way a slight or intentional knock.
Bouncy Castle Sales
I have at some point used about 4/5 different email addresses to register for the show, so I am spammed daily in the lead up with what seems like 10,000 emails. Despite the reminders I never registered, so when I saw a roller shutter half open just before you get to the main entrance I ducked under and stealthed my way in (no small accomplishment for a giant) to be greeted by none other than Andy - The owner of Bouncy Castle Sales!
Andy’s two big tag-lines this year seemed to be “Buy brand new at second hand prices” and “Support British Manufactures”.
I mean, both of these things are true. Bouncy Castle Sales prices are at the same you’d see from the second hand market (especially with no VAT for a limited time) in many cases and it is important to support British manufacturers.
Realistically though, I do have to wonder just how “British” everything is. The material used - Is that made in Britain? The thread? The webbing? Even the sewing machines that they’re made on are likely from abroad.
I get the point though - Andy has British workers making the product and doing so in Britain. I think that is the essence of what is meant here and it’s pedantic to start nit-picking. I get the idea - Buying from him helps support a worker and keeps the money in the country.
I get it, but ultimately it’s about the product and that’s what I wanted to get an up-close look on. Can you really keep putting out units “at second hand prices” and they be any good?
Truthfully, there was one particular unit that was eye-brow raising and for the right reasons. He made a H-frame castle and put a slide on the front. This is a difficult thing to do and make it look good - Most of the time you have some weird-ass looking pillar going up the middle to sew into and it all looks dis-jointed and kinda odd-looking.
This one was beautiful and there’s a market for this style - People need low-height castles and h-frames but it’s hard to get a good looking one as it takes a lot of hours.
The Airquee open front slide is difficult to make. I’ve seen it replicated by China where they have extremely low labour costs and can put the hours in and I’ve also seen Vortex inflatables manage to achieve this as a one-off, but it’s a rare thing for anyone else to do because it’s complicated and dificult, requiring a lot of hours.
Bouncy Castle Sales did it and in my opinion did it better than anyone else I’ve seen try to do it the same way as Airquee. I almost want to say “Of all people, Pineapple managed to pull it off - Who would have thought it?!”, but that’s probably unfair - The thing is, Bouncy Castle Sales is capable of most things, but each unit is driven by the hours required to make it and cost driven. That’s his market and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s interesting to see that it isn’t due to a lack of skill, it’s literally boiling down to how much time he can afford to put into each unit.
I’m not sure if they have a new printer or laminator from last year, but the print looks blinding. Don’t tell Andy, but I tried taking some off on a unit (it was very out of the way and not in a noticeable area), but it was stuck on like shit on a shovel - I couldn’t do it despite trying. I used to be a printer for 15 years and for a couple of years produced print for other inflatable manufacturers, so I feel like it’s one area that I really can speak to with some legitimate credibility and I’m happy to state that every thing I saw at the show wasn’t going to have any issues - I would buy it confidently knowing it isn’t going to drop off, peel or rub off easily.
The castles where good value. I mean to say “value” and not “cheap”. People confuse these words far too often. The castles on show where well made, there wasn’t anything that made you say “Cor, that’s rough!”. I mean, I didn’t like the look of the basket-ball thing, but that’s a design rather than poorly made.
The designs are the way they are to be made quickly and with as least hours as possible put into them. Obviously with that mind-set they are not going to last forever, but there’s nothing wrong with what I saw. They wasn’t all wonky and stress points everywhere, they was pretty great. The a-frame castle for what it was was pretty damn good and I can see how Andy has been in business making castles for over 25 years.
This isn’t a “flex”, but I feel like my own hire company in large has out-grown this sort of market in some areas and personally, when I buy a castle I’m looking for things that are a bit more stand-out now, so I didn’t purchase any bouncy castles - However, anyone looking down their nose and not even looking at Bouncy Castle Sales is missing a trick - I have a nice range of inflatable games and for just £550 I managed to add two more to what I can offer.
Where else am I going to be able to purchase two inflatables for £550? They’re not high use with kids jumping all over them so I’m not at all concerned about the build quality, just how they look and whether they are fit for their intended purpose. A quick try of the games, check over to make sure they have enough anchors when it comes to testing time and my mind was made up within seconds.
True, I am not going to get an inflatable bag for them to go in - Hell, I didn’t even get cam-straps, he literally wrapped them up with rope, lol! But seriously, I got a short ten foot bowling lane and an air-juggler game for £550. They may hardly ever hire out on their own, but that isn’t my concern - I push an inflatable games package and they’re now part of that package where a customer receives ten inflatable games and it’s bumped that package price right up.
I don’t think it matters what size company you are, what type of customer you are taregtting or what your price point is - I believe there is something for everyone at BCS, you just have to have a little look.
Everyone should be bringing their best to the shows - What you see at the show you have to understand as being the most polished version, so whether or not this level is maintained on the orders is an unknown, but based on what was shown - This was a very strong exhibit and this opinion was shared amongst several other attendees that I spoke to.
Inflatable World Leisure
I completely took liberties with IWL at the show. I needed to get an IWL unit inspected at short notice and asked if they would do it for me at the show itself.
I never bought the unit from them directly, it was second hand and I have never made a purchase while the company has been owned by Matt Biggs.
Baring in mind the exhibit space cost and that I am not a big (or even regular) customer of theirs, Matt was kind enough to allow me to inflate a whopping big unit at his stand - Sadly, Granit (the PIPA inspector at IWL and resident expert) didn’t have all of his equipment with him, but he was kind enough to permit Peter Grand to assist in this.
Now, I didn’t realise just how long it was going to take - I thought it would be done much more quickly and the longer it went on the more I was becoming aware of how much of an imposition I was being. - Mind you, not once did Matt complain and he was extremely gracious.
We discovered that the unit is actually ten years old. I had no idea - I thought it was max 3 years. I genuinely can’t believe how good condition it is on (truth told it has been in storage for a very long time, but still!).
Naturally, with some idiot putting up a bouncy castle that was out of place in the middle of an exhibition - it drew some attention; There was quite a few big industry names all watching and taking a look with everyone agreeing at what a beauty it was and how unbelievable it was that it’s actually that old!
Despite being made ten years ago - The unit actually held up to current inspection requirements and I am very pleased to share that it passed - A testament to IWL.
They had a gladiator duel on display. This was very impressive and you could see it was visually stunning as well as well made, but it was only when Matt took the time to demo it that it really my heard turn the side and my chin stick out open mouthed - The podiums have zero support structure under it, there is no metal frame or solid foam going all the way to the bottom.
The podiums are foam sitting on-top of the bed itself, zipped up. Most other units like this need extra support or some way of making the thing not collapse under the weight of the user - I hate saying this because I am also a big guy, but Matt is on the plus side and when he stood on the podium it didn’t shift - It stayed in perfect position. This was no trick, I was expecting that the longer he stayed on it you would see it slowly start to gradually collapse and he would soon get off it before this happened - He stayed on it talking to me for about ten minutes and it didn’t budge.
IWL had a fun-run on display that was taken off a hire firm. There was a note on it explaining that the unit was ten years old and was currently in for it’s first ever repair (a slide slip sheet). The unit had been on over 1000 hires and generated more than £175,000 revenue.
That resonated with me. It’s almost as if IWL are the very polar opposite of the Bouncy Castle Sales mindset. The product comes first, the whole mindset is flipped - Instead of worrying about the cost of materials or thinking about the hours needed to make the unit or where hours could be reduced if performed a different way, they are looking at how can they improve the material, how can they spend more time on the unit making it better, what can be improved? The thought of the cost is always there, but it’s certainly not the first priority - I believe the philosophy from IWL is build the right product the right way, using the right materials and the value, the cost and the business will all sort itself out.
While completely being an imposition and taking the piss testing my unit at his exhibit I was able to spend some time talking with Matt - He showed me the difference in material he used - I took photos of this, but it’s one of the benefits of being at the show, you get to actually touch and feel the quality.
The example was hard hitting - The material he is using is miles away from the competition. I used to be a printer for many years and could tell the dereference in paper weight just by touching it or running my hand over it - It’s the same with the material, you can instantly feel the difference.
Before Matt took over IWL they was trialling changing the material. IWL have “god status” when it comes to quality, so some may be surprised (or even call me a liar) to hear that they actually switched to what is an inferior material before the sale of the company - Matt used to be one of IWL best customers, and one of the first changes he made was to bring back the very top quality PVC available on the market.
Matt seems to be dedicated and proud to be carrying on that torch and mantle of quality. Not just using it as a tag-line or riding on the value of the IWL brand, leveraging it while letting standards slip, but actually building upon the legacy and improving it further. He isn’t letting anything slip on his watch - Carefully protecting that reputation that he fully embodies - He is proud of it and he has every right to be, in a disposable world full of a throw-away generation, Matt is ignoring that and letting the product endure.
That isn’t to say he is resting on his laurels - Innovation is still seen here and I was very pleased to see a princess front slide castle with these big turrets protuding a few feet above, yet they was all actually capable of folding down into the unit itself. - Hard to describe, but imagine the spare inflate tube on a fun-run or slide that you can push into the unit itself and then cover over with a velcro flap - That was on all three of the turrets, making it lower height if needed for halls. - An adaption of their fun-run inflatable tube system.
They also had a balloon/snow-globe inflatable - We have seen many of these on the market recently, all imported, hardly any anchor points, made from plastic so thin you could rip by simply looking at it, many of them non-commercial grade - This was the best looking one and made to IWL standards. Perhaps not everyone first choice when you can order one from Temu and have the inevitable false advertised product arrive - But probably the right choice and a product that will satnd up.
IWL isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s a natural progression for many hires that last longer than their first few years - Eventuality you start to realise that some products you are not going to see a return on immediately, but if you’re around the long-haul then the return starts to stack up more and more in your favour year after year and perhaps some balance in your fleet is needed?
Leisure Activities
This was a Chinese based manufacturer exhibiting. I have very mixed opinions on this stand - While it was a lovely looking unit with a lot of attention to detail, hours and hours put into it with beautiful print quality and no scrimping on where it was used, it was a pretty lousy example to show-case.
I get that much like fashion shows you’re exhibiting what you’re capable of rather than what is functional - But this was the metaphorical version of Vera Wang show-casing a completely non-functional product with a cat-walk model unable to even walk wearing the shoes.
Harsh, but in my opinion a fair comment. There was side walls not sewn in, but held together with what looked like bungee cord? The front step was a slope and to top it off they proudly presented a huge photo of the manufacturer with his RPII inspector certification.
Maybe I am being too critical and bias, it was probably just them saying that they can make items to UK standard, but at the same time they was actually selling the unit to walk away with on the day - So I don’t feel too bad.
I do also have to add that I am not an inspector and in position to comment whether it meets the standard. I should really wind my neck in and stop commenting on what I am not certified/qualified to talk about, but some things through experience and being a hirer for many years you get to know obvious signs - Like rope being used in accessible areas to hold the walls together with gaps just the exact right size for someone’s head to poke through and strangle them.
Shame really as the wall height was brilliant and if it was compliant would have been a unique one-off to walk away with.
Retro Carnival Games
Where exactly have these guys been hiding? Seems like they are a hidden gem and the first time I have ever heard of them.
They offer classic fete and school fair games as well as new games that have that same retro feel.
The games aren’t inter-changeable with boards, but to their credit I don’t think you need to start trying to make them interchangeable at the price they’re selling them for - They had so many of the table top games for £175-£195 including all the bits you need for the game to work. They was functional and made using heavy, quality materials. It wasn’t all plastic crap, but substantial, free standing under it’s own weight and never going to blow over in the wind.
Honestly, you could spend the price of a bouncy castle with them and suddenly have a whole new section on your website that targets both corporate clients as well as school fetes.
It’s a small company and each one is hand-made. I have no idea how he is making a profit ont hem and I think he sold nearly everything he had and took orders to last him for weeks - Pretty sure he was blown away by the reception to them and was pleasantly surprised - I’m pleased for him.
There’s not too many companies offering things like this and most of them that are are asking for high prices - This guy is churning out high quality that is solid, rather than flimsy rubbish that will break and crack in the van for a fraction of the cost - If he starts making bouncy castles every other manufacturer is doomed.
Vivid Inflatables
The owner of Vivid Inflatables has been in the industry for longer most (certainly longer than me), they have a wealth of manufacturing experience and it shows - The build quality and model design are excellent. You’ve only got to look at the model itself and see the floating walls, central beam, seatbelt webbing, no pinching, twisting or stress points to see it’s a superiour design to budget end bouncy castles.
They had a small stand only really showing two castles - Both virtually the same model but slight differences with one being disco and both being built in different material - One in gloss and one in cape, presumably to show that they can provide in a range of different options.
For the price of the unit (especially with no VAT to pay) it’s hard to pick anyone else at the show for better value for money on a standard a-frame castle. You’re getting a higher end product for pretty much the same money as the budget end, it’s just great value.
I don’t think you’re going to see 3D designs and as you start going up the chain of slides, assault courses and activity bouncy castles the incredible value of the bouncy castles seems to start tipping the other way - But for standard castles, combos and certainly the larger 15x16 bouncy castles it’s difficult to ignore just how much bang for your buck you’re getting. I’m assuming the idea is to get people buying bouncy castles and then once you’re hooked on the quality you have no reason to go elsewhere.
P & J Entertainments
This year the stand was a bit more scaled back - There wasn’t the arcade machines and some of the buzz wires where missing the metal (which was on back-order), so it was really just a lot of buzz wire bases. I don’t think I saw the sweetie stands either.
It’s pretty easy to give them a pass though - The show organiser (Luke Russel) also owns P&J’s, so if it’s a choice between having everything absolutely perfect on his own stand, or the show over-all, I know he’s making the right decision.
That said, it might be worth asking Paul, John and Dave (if he’s well enough) to take charge of preparing the stand and taking the weight off. I miss Paul Quaif at the shows - He always had a very deep well of experience to draw from and still has extremely relevant advice for today's market that he freely shares.
Mind you, I had the pleasure of meeting Luke’s partner Jade and his children - All of whom were a delight.
I always talk about buzz wires and how they are something everyone should have, but never take my own advice. I decided this year I would rectify that and made a purchase for a table top one - Inspired by BCN’s branded version on their stand I opted for a company branded version and think it will serve me very well.
Seeing how well the buzz wire works as a draw even amongst industry members at the BCN stand, I think for anyone that exhibits at wedding fairs, does school fetes or events etc. You’d be served well by investing in one - They’re super low maintenance, don’t take up much room and yet a big draw. For the cost, it’s a life long product that will earn it’s keep easily.
Bouncy Castle Network
This is always such a tricky one to write about - I could almost copy-paste last year and it still be true, not because they haven’t moved on, but because the only constant at BCN, is change!
At this point, I like to go to the BCN stand just to speak with friends - I know everything I need to know about BCN; It’s the market leader for a reason, yet they’re still people and not robots.
While I used to be able to talk at length about all the features, how to set them up and even leverage them in ways they hadn’t intended, how to get the very best out of all the little add-ons etc. I can’t claim to be an expert in every area now and haven’t be able to say that for a few years… The rate of development, innovation and different areas of the tool you can use in different ways is too big for any one single individual to use and know everything about.
You can use it as a ticketing system, a route planner, satelite sites, inventory stock, e-commerce, mobile app, hall features, linking products and up-selling, automated texts, live tracking, PIPA integration and much more. At this point, it does more than I need it too and likely ever will need it too; It’s a scalable system that can cope with any size business, but it’s affordable whether you’re hiring out a few party tents or have 500+ units and 15 vans.
Quite honestly, I think this may have been the busiest I have seen their stand at any show with a constant queue of sign-ups.
What I was (selfishly) most pleased to hear directly from them was that they are re-focusing on the UK - Which isn’t all talk. They never went to IAAPA this year and while they are accepting customers abroad (I know they shifted focus for a while to the US market) they are firmly (for now at least) putting all their attention on the UK market - Which is reassuring because quite frankly I felt that focus was a little stretched trying to service both - Plus all the Americans flooding the groups was annoying “y’all” way too much, bro!
UK Inflatables
I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t a rebadged Vortex. I’m sure for legal reasons they probably can’t say this - I know they’ve moved premises, Vortex is gone, the old owner isn’t involved and it’s nothing to do with Liam - There is a separation there and they are two different companies. In reality though, they are the same designs, same models, same artwork and the same familiar faces so it was very good to see the remaining workers believe in the product and eachother enough to decide that they want to carry on working together making great equipment.
Last year under Vortex they may have slightly over-stretched on a few products - This year they didn’t have a single inflatable that looked a bit iffy, in fact they looked perfect and clearly made sure that they want to be known for great builds - Even the slide design that was a little off last time was improved upon and got right.
There wasn’t anything too new to see from them, but I think this is only a matter of time and you can’t blame them for wanting to make sure they showed their best builds and quality rather than risk something ground-breaking and it not being 100% ready.
Some of the units where hard to tell whether it was bouncycastles sales or UK inflatables. I think the layout of bouncy castle sales overlapped or weaved through UK inflatables so it was genuinely confusing - I may well have included some photos from each of them in the others photo section below (this is not intentional) - However from what I heard from Andy at bouncy castle sales the two companies are now working more closely and have a great relationship - Which can only be a good thing for both of them.
I still think their “nerf” shoot-out style games are the best on the market and the coconut shy was one of my more successful moves. I have several of their inflatables and they are standing the test of time and use - I wasn’t particularly in the market for more bouncy castles at the show, but that isn’t to say I wont be making orders from them in the future.
Game Works
This is another exhibitor I don’t have very much to talk about. I love the products, but for now they seem a little out of my league. - This is the top end of electronic games, the real high end stuff for big companies that want you to pack their foyer out because they have a key note speaker coming that costs £150k for an appearance.
Some of the equipment might be seen at a school tombola, but most of this is at least at the wedding market and higher - Going right up to the very top. Even the wooden retro games like plinko have LED’s and feel special - It’s really not “toss the ball in the bucket” level stuff, it’s more the type of thing you see in static arcade, only made mobile for the hire market.
Soft Play Planet
These guys are now a show regular - Nolonger the newcomer, they are thought of a regular. In an industry that turns over manufacturers more often than you change bed-sheets it’s encouraging to see someone succeed and become a main-stay. I don’t like ordering from companies that I might be worried about still being there in 6 months time, but these guys do not look to be going anywhere other than upwards!
I complained alittle about not having inflatable ball pools last year - I’m not sure if this was on purpose or part of the plan, but they had about 18 million of them. Their stand was bigger than ever and they filled it all with some very impressive designs and equally impressive build quality. - I would like to see slip sheets on the front of the ball-pools for the high wear area, but it’s a small complain and in truth I have Soft Play Planet ball pools that have not been adversely affected by this, which is a testament to the material they are using!
They had plenty of variety this year and my only disappointment was that I didn’t quite get the time to speak with Scott very much (which was my fault as I was busy, this isn’t a reflection of him at all).
They had a huge amount of stock and genuinely had show discounts and bargains - With over 3 extra large jumbo vans packed with equipment, you could walk away and take show stock - In fact it was encouraged and deals where there to be made!
For me, I think Soft Play Planet has secured the void that All-Shapes left. All-Shapes where considered by many to be the best quality build (although they did suffer print quality issues somewhere towards the end) and at this point looking at the consistency of what they are producing, I think you’ve got to consider them top pick in today’s market for soft play.
What I was most eager to look at was the new Dinosaur themed ball pool. This was genuinely an innovation and in a world where there’s so much “3D” being introduced to bouncy castles, this is a natural progression - But soft play planet got there first!
When I saw the photos online I was impressed, but I am always looking at any potential issues on any product. When I look at a castle or slide I’m looking at stress points and whether it will last, the material, the design of the model and whether it will add any potential safety issues etc. After the initial “wow”, I started worrying about what would happen when a child is on the ball pool and some little crap-bag jumps on-top of thing causing the mouth to close - Turning it into a coffin essentially.
I know it’s “supervision”, but realistically it’s going to happen and I was worried it would actually legit be a bit scary for the kid inside as well as the parent. Even if it didn’t happen due to another kid being a mischievous little scamp, there is always the real potential of a power failure on the fan, power-cut etc.
This is just one of the many reasons why I like going to the shows and seeing this stuff in person. I am glad that I never voiced any of those concerns because they are without merit and I would have looked stupid. - I managed to get upclose and spent some time looking at the unit and those worries are completely removed. SPP have made sure that the teeth of the unit do not really allow the unit to completely close up to make a perfect seal and even if it did, the nose of the dinosaur is a detachable sheet, so you can literally open it up from the top in case of a power failure like a lid. There’s no real risk and it’s pretty much an “escape hatch”.
I can’t wait to see more of these and think they’re going to be the future. I’m interested to see how a jungle one looks and how he gets a Unicorn one and all the other themes looking as slick.
They’re also priced high - Which is a good thing! You could literally get a castle from some people for the same price, but I’m always moaning about how cheap ball pools are to hire and having these should increase market price. I just hope that it isn’t copied and if it is copied that it isn’t a race to the bottom on prices - Lets keep this high!
Daizys Embroidery and Print
I was sad to hear that Stacey hasn’t been well recently and was unable to attend in person this year. I know she looks forward to the event and seeing people so I’m sorry for her, but she should be proud of Megan and her family for doing a great job!
I believe the business is actually Megan’s anyway - So it’s probably poor form for me to keep mentioning Stacey and putting in orders directly with Megan’s mum, but it’s one of the things I love about the company - I like to do business with people, not companies. When I place an order with Airquee, I don’t order with “Airquee” I order with my friend, “Ant”.
I know I’m annoying, I should be making orders through the website (especially how I hate it when people message my personal account or phone number to hire a single castle and I point them to the site - I’m a hypocrit!), but I literally wrote my last order down on a piece of paper, took a photo of it and sent it over facebook to Stacey.
They’re a super friendly family run business and you get more than just a transaction from them. I’m a very tall guy and one of the things I wanted to order last time wasn’t available in my size, so off went and worked out an alternative supplier and got it especially for me. If I walked into M&S and they didn’t have my collar size, then tough luck! Who else is going to source from a different supplier as a one-off just for you?
The product is great - I’ve got clothing from years ago that’s still just as good and I have been known to wear my fleece out and about just because it’s comfy, warm and my favourite fitting thing when I’m a bit cold.
I still have no idea whether they are low-priced or high-priced, I honestly do not bother going online to check and wouldn’t ever consider ordering from some googled workwear company - These last, the clothing is comfortable, the service is the best and the people are lovely.
Workwear makes you look the part. I think in the past companies needed a landline to make them look professional, that’s now debatable as attitudes change, but branded workwear is still a must-have if you want to look the part - Especially if you’re trying to tap into more lucrative markets or offering staffed services. Stop messing around and just send them an order.
Rodeo Sales
Kym was extremely generous with her time talking with me - Especially when it was clear that I wasn’t going to be spending money - A complete time-waster really. However, despite this, I feel like Rodeo Sales more than anyone build relationships; They know one day perhaps, I might finally make that leap to the type of market they help you cater for - If and when that happens, it’ll be Rodeo Sales that I go; You couldn’t really ask for anyone better positioned to help you.
The products are up-market - There’s no mistaking the quality. The cost is a second thought and the product comes first. Rather than just offer one fo the things you need to break into corporate hires they provide the full suite -It’s not just electronic games, they have a ready made full offering of inflatables, mechanicals, electronic games and classic table top games, buzz wires and more.
They’re a one-stop shop for stocking up and everything you need to become serious about entering and dominating that corporate event market.
Kym is a second generation hirer who and runs a hugely successful corporate hire company that range from ice-skating rinks to mechanicals, electronic games and sometimes on occasion, even inflatables!
If you want helping discussing how you can break into this market and how Rodeo sales can help you make this transition, you couldn’t really go wrong in talking to Kym or anyone from the RS team. You’re not just making a purchase, you’re also benefiting from their advice.
It’s weird to say, because Kym is so young, but she’s lived it her whole life - When talking with her it’s like speaking with Paul Quaif, Mike kerr or other industry members that perhaps are (forgive me for saying) in their twilight.
Little Big Shapes
First time exhibitor but not an over-night start-up - They have been around for a while now and I recognise the name.
This is the company that Airquee sponsored and I am so pleased that they decided to shine a torch on them.
I spent time talking to Kieran and who I am assuming is his lovely partner. They didn’t have an enormous stand, but they made good use of the space they had and filled it. - Quite the accomplishment really, considering he had no stock and two weeks notice to put on a show. If you look at the photos it’s pretty incredible to think he managed to do that in such a short space of time.
One thing that Kieran stressed to me was his commitment to lead times. If he gives you a date then he sticks to it - It was actually this very notion that made him start the company; Tired of the broken promises of other manufacturers for his hire side he decided that he was sick of manufactures constantly providing false lead times with laughable excuses after excuses and never being held to account - He promises that his word on lead times is his bond and you wont find yourself chasing him - A rather bold statement to hold yourself to account on.
The product itself was very good. Often the new soft play manufacturers can’t quite get the hang of shapes actually stacking or the split rectangles in two triangle shapes being able to form a rectangle without the top one sliding off the other - There was no such trouble here with that and it’s an achievement to do that being so new.
There wasn’t lots of baggy shapes that don’t quite fit the foam properly, it was all pretty tight, firm and straight - It wasn’t all 10 out of 10 on everything and there’s room for some slight improvement, but I do have remind myself that it was all made in two weeks - So you have to give some grace, especially as his hand was in a support brace at the time. I would make a purchase - It was very good, not perfect in all cases but more than good enough and was also pleased to see stackable shapes and other products rather than just standard soft plays sets and square ball pools only. - There is ability there and clearly a growing product range.
I was pleased to hear that they don’t touch copyright - Regardless of the past, I really do think the future is to move away from that.
The print itself was very nice - They do not print themselves but instead purchases this from a third-party. He has trialled several and is happy with the result, putting stock into his own hire fleet and road testing it before selling to others - It saves him the cost of the expensive set-up while also being able to hold them to account should he not be happy with it.
They admitted that many of the designs on display can be seen on other people’s stands - This is an industry problem where people need to keep up with designs and produce a range quickly, so everyone resorts to using royalty site like shutter-stock and they are all very similar.
Having said that, they have been developing their own custom range that is exclusive to them and was very proud of the digger set. He is continuing to expand and hopes to set them apart from others. - Not only that, but he has a designer and is always happy to create one-off sets just for that customer, he wont recycle the artwork for others to use after you’ve commissioned it for yourself. This is fairly unique - Most companies want to see ten sets sold off a single design minimum - If something is receiving industry attention and others ask for it, you see manufacturers go back on their commitment and either do it without asking you or pressure you to agree to let them run off sets for others - Little Big Shapes say this isn’t the case for them and customers can rest assured that their word means something.
They are well worth keeping an eye on and believe there is a bright future ahead.
Midland Leisure Sales
I feel bad having such little space dedicated to this exhibitor - The truth is I am including them more out of respect because I don’t want anyone to perceive it as a snub by not writing about them.
I wish I had more to say, but truthfully I didn’t have time to go through and look at great length and never had the opportunity to speak with them.
They offer great looking table top games with a very wide range - I think they’re versatile enough to cover a broad target audience and it was fantastic to see them supporting the show by exhibiting this year at the LSS.
PIPA
I didn’t spend much time on this stand - Not because I do not believe in testing and inspections, on the contrary - I actually fully took the piss and asked Peter Grand from ITATS and Granit from IWL to inspect a couple of units for me while at the show.
I generally only purchase units that come with a PIPA tag and then once a year I spend a couple of days with my local PIPA inspector who I have been using for 12 years and go through them all - The industry needs some regulation and I firmly believe that we are better off self-submitting to a HSE recognised body like PIPA or the RPII and demonstrating that we are responsible enough to have equipment inspected by a third-party.
I found myself in an unusual position of purchasing a unit that wasn’t currently inspected and planned to have it out on hire very shortly. I know some people don’t mind taking a risk and may have “let it go” until the annual inspection time comes round, but for me I do take that seriously and I wanted (needed) it to be inspected.
I was very grateful to Peter for giving up his time while enjoying the show to inspect the unit for me. I am very pleased to share that it passed, but even if it didn’t, I would at least know what needed altering and that it wasn’t right to put it out when I had planned.
I’ve been using the same inspector for 12 years and I am a big on loyalty - I wouldn’t ever change from Mike Lugar unless there was some very good reason so I wouldn’t make promises to Peter that “I’ll use you from now on”, but I did observe that while the unit was being inspected, Peter had just about every gadget, gizmo and calculations needed saved in templates.
I’m not saying that Granit wasn’t competent, far from it! Granit is an expert and well respected, but it does have to be said that Peter took the lead and was able to demonstrate in a practical way some methods of inspection and what appeared to me (as a lay person) to be mentoring.
I do hope that Luke (the show organiser) does consider following through with his idea of expanding the PIPA section so that people can do what I did and formalise it, so there is an area where this type of thing can be done. It would be useless to someone with lots of units, but newbies might be surprised to find their units fail for various reasons and someone ina jam (like myself) who has one or two things out of synch with everything else would benefit greatly.
Wibble Jelly Games
Yet another bigger stand this year (marginally, but still bigger!).
I love this stand - I have never made a purchase, but it’s one of my favourites and I am always drawn to it. I had the pleasure of Nick’s time for a short while and he was very patient with me.
The games are largely self contained flight cases with simple to learn, but difficult to master principals. Some of the games are more diverse and not just table-top flight cases, but they are all very portable and easy to set-up.
For the average hirer you’re not going to have to worry about tech support, they’re literally plug the power lead in and watch it turn on! For those that “don’t do computers”, this isn’t anything to be scared of - You just plug it in like a blower, but with much less effort of rolling it away.
The games are addictive and attractive - They can be played repeatedly, but it’s not like it takes forever to get through a game, so it’s not as if you need to worry about needing to set-up a room filled with 15 of them to accommodate a large guest amount (although obviously we all want as many out on hire as possible).
The build quality is good - There’s not much chance of it getting mashed up in the back of a van and even if the outside does get a it battered the inside is what is on show to customers and will remain perfect looking - One of the benefits of flight cases.
They’re also very affordable - When you have some of the electronic games being offered by others for thousands each, this is an affordable way to enter that market and see if it takes off.
Wibble Jelly Games for me is what I see as truly doing something you enjoy - Like a person that works at a fast-food restaurant always making the same thing, never having the chance to make something different or show their creativity finally opening their own restaurant.
I love the techy stuff, it resonates with me very deeply - I am drawn to it. I almost look for a reason to buy those games and get involved at a deeper level with the product itself - Maybe I can capture some of the hire market it is aimed at or maybe I can’t, but I think I would enjoy being part of the creation of the games themselves and call it a “win” just by seeing my product come to life - An achievement.
I don’t know who TF I think I am saying this to him, but I suggested that he opens up some community engagement in products. Sadly, I can’t see these games ever becoming a huge commercial success with massive global demand, the dragons are deffo going to be “out”, but despite that I think a lot of success (and enjoyment) could be had by launching a community/forums/portal where customers have access to build their own; Either hard-ware or software (or both).
If he opened up a library for the functions he already has, then it wouldn’t be a big jump for users to write their own software and have different games on the same device, or different options.
For example, one game was really cool, but you had to win by completing it within the time allocated - Which was a static 90 seconds. If you had access to program or could write a plug-in for it, then you could conceivably write different modes for the game - Press and hold a particular button and it switches it from count down mode to high-score, or records the quickest time as the time to beat, making it more competitive. That’s just one application, but if you opened up things I truly believe that not only would Wibble Jelly grow, but Nick would be pleasantly surprised with what people innovated.
Clearly Nick would need to protect himself and make sure he was monetising it - The core game, the components or whatever is purchased through Wibble Jelly Games rather than assisting his own demise by giving everything away - But if done sensibly I would sign-up and I am sure there are a few others that would find it interesting, too.
Euromatic
It’s extremely difficult to say anything about this exhibitor. They sell commercial grade soft play balls that are equally as good as Orakel, there’s no noticeable difference as far as I can tell.
They had a bigger colour range than I have ever seen - Which was lucky for me as I needed Orange and Black and they had plenty of stock to take away.
They always have show deals and it’s the most affordable way to buy balls. If you go to the show with a van and have the space it’s well worth stocking up as they’re only £70 a bag.
What I will add is that there are rumours floating about around soft play balls and what is and what is not acceptable. From what I understand the balls will need to be a certain size (as from what I knew was always the case anyway), but they will also need to be marked with a particular stamp (which again I thought was always the case) - Basically, it’s an effort to clamp down on the Argos type balls and rub out the non-commercial stuff.
I don’t believe it will affect myself at all, as I’ve always purchased these types - But from what little I heard, Euromatic balls are already at this standard, which is reassuring.
I think they’re missing a trick by not selling decent balls bags - I think they’d shift a tonne of them if they did - If nothing else but for the convenience of picking them up at the same time - I literally ordered bags from Ian Hobbs the next day.
Airquee
Much like Airquee’s approach of letting themselves be last, I thought I would save Airquee for the end; Kinda like the alcohol at the back of the shop!
You absolutely cannot have a review of the LSS without mentioning the mega mammoth that is Airquee. While all other exhibitors almost fit inside one hall collectively, Airquee had three! They took up somewhere between two third and three quarters of the whole show and it has to be said, they put ona bloody good show.
It’s inevitable that with so many products that there will be some good and some bad points - Overall they was overwhelmingly positive, it’s really only through sheer volume on display that you can pick holes - A victim of their own success; Not every single one can be a winner.
Lets start with some of the bad points.
Slip sheets - Many of the bigger slides had slip sheets that had seams running down the middle. This needs to be one piece and not sewn together - It wont last like that and I know it saves a lot of money in material, but it will just be annoying keep replacing them.
The fire truck assault course - The ladders on the side are going to be pulled down and cause repairs. Worst case you’ll end up strangling someone with them - They need to be on-top of the unit like the slide combi version - Functionality over looks when it comes to this. Also, the floating wheel at the rear and lack of mechanical looking print along the side let it down a little bit - Just changing the artwork would make it look a tonne better. The openings on those single piece fun-runs could do with being a bit larger too, I know it’s a kids unit but I think they need to be a bit bigger - Some kids are bigger.
The lego bricks on-top of the front slide combi - I know, I know it’s supervision - But we all know kids climb on-top of the slide while mum and dad are necking pints and guzzling prosecco. Those bricks on-top of the slide collapsed the whole thing down with such little force or pressure that any kid trying it is going to come rolling off very quickly. I get that at shows some units are under pressured because of space and how the tubes are bent for display purposes, but that one in particular could do with a re-think.
Price point selling - I know that £1,995 is soooo much more appealing to customers and it’s easier to sell when it comes to under £2k than when it’s £2,150. It’s this weird physiological barrier. However, a good example of this was the fun-run with 3D balloons all over the front. It looked absolutely amazing - It was visually stunning and I saw a lot of photos online of it. However, look at it side-ways and there was literally no print at all. I know you can’t invest in 3D all over the fun-run, but there was literally no print at all along the sides. If you looked at it side profile on it became very ordinary - For the sake of a little more cost it would have made it look exceptional with just some balloon and party print. Other fun-runs from Airquee have this. It’s a bit like a girl that looks great from behind, but then she turns around and you see her face and think twice about it.
That felt like a kick in the balls to Airquee, but I am largely nit-picking and it’s only because they had so so so much on display that there’s a few bad points. The good points far far out-weighed the bad points and they absolutely smashed it out the park…
Firstly, if you didn’t read the intro - Airquee was extremely classy about how they approached the show.
- lInstead of squeezing everyone else out and shoving their weight around, they actually sponsored a first time show exhibitors space.
- lThey insisted on being the last exhibitor and stayed at the rear, forcing everyone to walk through the other exhibitors first instead of trying to drown them out.
- lInstead of trying to gather up everyone else’s customers and poach them, they got behind the show and tried their best to bring their customers.
- lWhere possible, they made their own purchases from toher show exhibitors and other industry contacts - For example their stand, print and brochures as well as the workwear from Daisys.
Instead of choosing to be a bully, they look to be trying to nurture the industry where possible. They’re still a business of-course and they are going to put themselves first, but it doesn’t look like a short-term vision where they can’t see beyond the end of their nose - Where they can, they’re considering that what is good for the industry is a good for Airquee and I respect that a lot. I had a real fear that Airquee would drop the LSS and just exclusively do their own shows. That would be a terrible shame to lose something like the LSS, but to me they seem to almost be like the co-op - Yes they’re a huge company, but they’re fair trade.
The marble print - This looks like an American trend influence and I love it. Wouldn’t have it on a bed base as it will probably wear over time quite quickly, but it looks amazing and where used in low foot-traffic areas of the inflatable it’s very effective.
The 3D effects just keep becoming more and more impressive. The amount of polygons are impressive and I’d imagine the CAD files are just becoming larger and larger. For real though, some of those 3D structures that where previously reserved for only the very top big inflatables where you invested thousands for a huge event slide that would last a life-time at a fair are now becoming commonplace on standard castles.
One of the best value items of the whole show was the D-frame bouncers at the rear of the show. With the show discount it was something like £900 including VAT and the bed space is actually larger than regular castles because of the netted side walls. They will hire out for the same (if not more) than regular castles and the quick ROI on them is nuts.
AI artwork on them is beautiful. Don’t get me wrong - There are some that are a miss (the Gorilla was weird looking), but 95% of them looked incredible.
The see-through pillars on the under the sea theme with twirling whirly fish looked cool as hell. Definitely needed a zip to make it accessible and I’d imagine it will need regular cleaning and wiping in-case condensation ruins the panel, but as a proof of concept it was making people stop and look - a very unique selling point. Worked especially well with the under-the-sea theme, but I suppose it might be harder to make it work quite as effectively with other themes. Still cool though.
The 6 foot platform slide model change. Loved it. When next to the 5 foot platform slide it looked like a whopper while only being 1 foot larger in platform. The arch over the top made it stand out and it no-longer looks like a large toddler slide, but instead a very versatile slide that can be used for gardens very easily, but also slipped into smaller school fete packages. It makes it way more substantial looking. I made the mistake of getting a RUSH slide without an arch and despite it being the same slide platform as my first one, the second one is always second choice amongst customers - No matter how much I tell them it’s the same. This is a great purchase for most people and deffo something to purchase if you currently only do castles and want to offering more - It’s a gateway to start getting more for larger packages while still having it on hire by itself.
The dragon slide - Was incredible to see it flapping it’s wings. Not sure it would look as exceptional while outdoors because people may just believe the wings are moving due to the wind, but it doesn’t rely on this look absolutely stunning. If Airquee had nudged me I probably would have purchased it, I was on the edge. Not sure I would get the hire price I would need for it, but that’s possibly just me being cautious.
The leap of faith was brilliant. They got the model right first time round with this. The platform height was right for a slightly younger audience than other versions of this that I have seen (and own) and I think it makes it more accessible to younger ages. Despite the platform height being lower, the jump itself was still pretty good because the landing pad doesn’t need to be as deep, making the “leap” not too far off what others on the market have. It’s over-all smaller and not as heavy as others, plus they got it right with being single lane and putting netting around the top part where they leap so that they are forced to go the correct way and not try to jump from the side. - Genuinely would consider this as a second one for younger kids, although may change the theme from army to something else.
Modular assault course was excellent. Not something new to market, we’ve seen this before as far back (and probably further back still) to when IWL launched it at a trade show. However, it’s priced extremely well and I thought it was great value - When you consider how big it is and how many sections it’s probably pound for pound one of their best value products and you can add more (even the leap of faith - not that I would personally, I think that’s a bottle neck). The sections where well thought out - The barrel sections aren’t too challenging that it would deter people or make it just too difficult, but good fun and still challenging. There was some interesting “traps” or obstacles that I haven’t seen before and I thought it was well designed - The 10 foot platform slide at the end had a very steep climb and probably the toughest part, would be a shame for kids to get to the end and then not have enough gusto to finish, I’d probably consider asking for a 6-8 platform slide at the end which would feel more in-keeping with the age/ability of the rest of the assault course.
There was mini play-park for £1,200 that would see you return a profit very quickly - Not too tall and perfect for halls. Throw some soft play in there and it’s a big hire price with very little outlay in comparison. Light and easy to manage - Ideal for most hire companies. Like the model a lot.
Bowling alley game was class. I went with a cheap option elsewhere but you can’t really compare the two. My option was to bolster a games package as where this item stand on it’s own feet and doesn’t need to (but obviously could) be part of package.
I can’t go through every theme and model, there was just too much. I haven’t even spoke about the footdarts, other games, gladiator duel, but one of the most impressive looking 3D units was the front slide tank themed combo. Probably not for everyone, but I think too many people over-looked it and aren’t considering the draw children will have towards it - We’re ingrained to think of classic themes; Princess, hero, under the sea etc. But kids will love this and I know a guy at mini tanks uk that this suited almost too perfectly.
There was more to see at Airquee than I can write about (do have to mention that their bar in the middle of the exhibit was proper class and that alone made the LSS feel like it was elevated), but suffice to say they blew it out the park and did an amazing job.
Summary
A great show, improved on from last year with promise of becoming better again next year. I spoke with Luke and he’s planning on securing the venue again but adding another room/warehouse with the aim of attracting more rides, games and other attractions - This is well over-due, I’ve been hoping to see people exhibit cups & saucers and smaller juveniles for some time.
The idea is to also consider adding an area for people to bring a couple of units for inspection, some grabber games and electronics such as pop-corn and candy-floss vending.
Some of that seems achievable while others may be difficult to secure - But in reality the UK shows are always going to be small-scale by comparison to the huge Euro/America shows.
It’s a small industry - The truth is that the show is only going to be as good as you make and support it; If you have a contact that you think might be interested in attending and it widens the appeal, then consider supporting the show and making things happen!
There was a couple of manufacturers that I would really love to see attend, specifically Better-Bounce and AndyJ - Their absence is felt and I don’t understand why they aren’t coming. I get that floor space is expensive, then you have staff cost, hotel, food and drink… You need to sell everything at the show and take a bunch of orders to break even - Probably orders that you believe you would be getting anyway, so what’s the point? - But I think you need to view it as a branding exercise and also need to not lose your place in the market, perception is also important. Even if they only took a few units and a small stand, launched a new product or show their quality.
With that said, I also think there’s a place to see smaller manufacturers and would love to see pro-castles return along with the plethora of other smaller companies all over the country.
Definitely missed the food and drink vendors. A1 normally come and they was missed, but I would go further than that and like to see a few more. We had Italia last year with the pizza ovens which was cool, I think it would be ideal to have a whole bunch more food and drink exhibitors as most of us have at least some small part of our business made up from this.
Not really any reflection on the show itself, but more a conclusion drawn from how things are heading, what was seen and speaking with several people who I would call industry veterans and experts. In fact, I am pretty much stealing the words from one hirer… We’re heading back to where we was 10 years ago with Air Inflatables; Everyone has the exact same units and despite trying to sell on service, with so much similar equipment the difference in price will drive a lot of customers decisions on who to hire from.
It’s not quite the same as there are many more themes, models and variety available today than what Air Inflatables was offering, but it’s not entirely without some truth - Especially when you consider that most people are either with KBS or BCN for websites and we all look very similar.
In this situation, it’s important to try and be different from one another and it’s very important to hold firm on hire prices - The fear that was shared amongst several hirers was that with so much over-lap equipment, they predicted that it could possibly affect hire prices if people lose their nerve. We’ll see…
I also think that the rate of innovation, new models, themes, gimmicks, different style units, new material etc is increasing all the time. It has benefits, but over-all I think I’d like to consider the longer term implications - I don’t feel like I can ever have a fire break and pause for a year on purchases, I need to constantly offer more or the newest thing to stay competitive and relevant.
I get that you can never stand still and as a business (and a person, I suppose) you always need to grow and adapt, the hustle mind-set isn’t lost on me and it isn’t case of wanting to stop evolving, but the pace is becoming faster. It feels more and more that you absolutely must-have the new thing - If you want to elevate, you join the race, but there is no finish line and the prize is staying in business.
Admittedly that’s a little over dramatic, but for what little it is worth I would like to remind everyone that there’s always a place for the classic bouncy castle and sometimes it’s easy to get carried away trying to always be on the forefront - While tempting to be in a perceived constant state of exponential growth, we all need to consider our future, our savings and remaining sustainable - That brand new must have thing will be replaced with the new must-have thing next year and it’s ok to put something aside - Don’t over extend, you can’t build a house on a deck of cards.
That turned a little philosophical and deeper than I had planned, it’s also very arrogant for and patronising of me to assume anyone else’s position, so take it for what it’s worth - Which is probably nothing.
Thanks for reading!
Spencer Elliott
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