Leisure Supplies Show Review 2025
Introduction
This was the best show in at least the last 3 years in every measureable way.
Sometimes I write these reviews and try to be as gentle as I can be about the over-all show as well as the exhibitors. When I’ve got no other choice but to be brutally honest because something is stand-out obvious or misleading to people, then I call it out - But even then I do it in the mildest way possible and provide balance where I can - as I don’t like upsetting people and I genuinely want the shows to succeed; As well as the manufacturers that support it.
This year there’s no bad bits to hide or gloss over, there’s no exhibitor that showed poor products. Numbers where way up - It’s the most people I have seen at a show in a long time - But not just bigger numbers, different people - I can usually recognise most people and see regular faces, but this year had a tonne of people I couldn’t name and it looked like people came from further afield - There was different people walking around speaking in different european languages.
It felt like people where spending more money than ever - I saw manufactures trying to negotiate with customers asking them to wait until the end of the show to take the show display pieces away with them. I arrived 20 minutes late to the doors opening and someone had already bought £20k’s worth of bouncy castles purely on a whim and quick walk-around.
Innovation was there, too - There was new things to see. You had to look harder for it on some stands than others, but it was there.
There was a bunch of new inflatable games (which I love), new types of bouncy castles, cool new assault courses, lots of new artwork and styles, business coaching and mentoring services, new rodeo bulls and electronic games, new 3D ball pools, bargains and hidden gems to sniff out, new exhibitors, returning exhibitors and very nearly a punch-up in the carpark! Basically everything you could ask and hope for in a show.
I’ve written up a little bit about each manuafcturer below, but as always I may have over-looked some or not felt competent enough to write about them; If I have missed you out then it isn’t a dig, it’s purely a legitimate over-sight.
Rodeo Sales
I always tease myself by looking at Rodeo Sales - I repeat myself a lot, but for me they represent the epitome of where I would like to be shopping for the hire market - There’s some items you could buy that would suit a domestic garden hire company, but in large this is aimed at event hire, corporate work and high-end white shirt black tie stuff.
Kim is very welcoming and happy to talk to you - Not just an expert in the products she’s selling, but an expert in the market they’re aimed at as all; Providing guidance on how to enter that market and what it requires to succeed.
One day I will grow a pair and start being an actual customer instead of a tyre kicker - I *think* the entry point for myself is a high-striker - It’s vbersatile enough that I could hire it on the existing types of jobs I have, while also edging me over to the lucrative side of events.
I think the high-striker is a good idea for helping you to slowly move over, but it’s also a good produict in it’s own right; For a school that has limited electrical output it’s something that will deffinately attract a lot of attention and be popular, yet doesn’t take up a socket or overload the circuit/fuse/board - Just when they think they’re maxed out on how many units they can hire it’s an additional item to up that price.
They consistently expand on their existing range and I thought their new solo game was cool - Instead of the dual danger light it looks to be a solo version with the aim to beat your personal best.
The bigger news though was they now have a new control box for their rodeo bulls and mechanics that is 100% compatible with the GS Engineering mechanicals. It isn’t a universal control box that can do either (they still have their own for that, which looks superiour inas much as it has an automatic cut-off), but it works on all the GS mechanicals - A welcome solution for anyone that has the “old” GS bulls but needs a replacement rather than wanting to upgrade the entire solution to the Rodeo Sales version - I think it’s a bit of a lucky save for many people who would otherwise be lost.
Little Big Shapes
This was easily one of the best exhibits of the show. Kieran came to his first show two years ago as an exhibtor - His stand completely paid up for by Airquee as a gesture of kindness and in the spirit of giving a small company struggling a leg-up.
Since then, Kieran has almost become the underdog of the industry that everyone is rooting for and getting behind - Willing him to succeed.
He’s come back time and again and each time has improved his range and what he offers, but stands by his quality and his lead times - His word is good.
This was a big selling point for him - He made sure to tell people that he started because he believed no one in the industry ever kept to their word and he was fed up of being let down himself, so he figured he would try and do it himself, quickly realising talent he never knew he had!
It’s been a couple of years now and I took an early chance myself with Kieran - I haven’t bought tonnes, just a few softplay sets that I think comes to approx 6 orders, but each time he’s kept his word on dates and the product has been fantastic - He’s great value too, he’s not giving it away for free, but he’s not fleecing you either.
His exhibit was rammed full of products - Whatever space he has, he comes pouring it in and stacking it high, there wasn’t a square inch of available space and I couldn’t find a single piece that looked rushed or out of place, it was a very consistent finish on everything he had, which has been my experience, too.
It’s hard to innovate when it comes to soft play sets, but for anyone looking hard enough you will have noticed a distinct change and improvement in the artwork designs - He has moved from a static flat vector style to the rich, deeper and more detailed AI artwork.
This is a noticeable change in artistic style, but still very much child friendly and warm - They’re compelling themeses and it’s allowing Little Big Shapes to broaden their available ranges rapidly, something that was costing a lot of money in specialist one-off vector graphic designs and slowing things down on the artwork side - His range has exploded.
Personally I really would love to see Little Big Shapes offer some matching double tier inflatable ball pools. I don’t use the foam ones as they take up so much space, I much prefer the inflatable ones (I think customers see them as more substantial). That’s the thing about Kieran though, I’ve mentioned this a couple of times and his reply is always that he wont release a model that he isn’t happy with.
I respect this about Kieran, he’s a perfectionist and doesn’t want his name on something that isn’t right - But when he does release this, you know it will hold up against scrutiny.
Just as an eye-ball judgement - It looked like Little Big Shapes had incredible sales and made some new fans with their display.
Soft Play Planet
Scott had a large space this year and clearly planned to come and stun.
I felt for him because it was obvious that he had big ideas for the show, but he explained that due to staff changes and issues he wasn’t able to bring as much as what he had wanted and fill that space as much as planned.
Staff had let him down and he was doing most of it himself just to meet orders - In fact he was stuffing/maniuplating soft play for a customer on-site at the show; Showing his commitment to delivering; Not many would sacrifice their time at an exhibition stand just to meet a promise.
What was displayed looked lovely - Most of it had been exihibted previously, but it was very cool seeing the unicorn 3D ball pool and the 3D monster truck ball pool. Last year Scott came with a 3D dinosaur ball pool and I wasn’t sure how you could make a range of 3D ball pools that looked as good - But he’s pulling it off. More and more people are looking to have the very best looking, cool new next level equipment to stand out and these ball pools are deffinately a way to do that.
JB Inflatables
I think JB has tried so many times to enter the UK market and secure a larger slice, but for whatever reason you don’t really see many of their bouncy castles - I’ve never heard anyone say “My whole fleet is JB!”, wearing it like a badge of honour.
What you do see all the time though is there IPS system. No one else touches it - I’ve seen knock off versions, chinese ones and other people try to imitate them, but no one else comes close. Any serious hirer is sticking with the IPS and it’s a range that keeps on growing and beconming more versatile - They are applying it to more and more things.
The system used to be something that was placed on bouncy castles - They originally launched it with a tepid market response. There was people pushing it and begging to be resellers expecting it to be a massive game changing thing that swept the market by storm; That didn’t really happen and these days I can’t remember the last time I saw a standard bouncy castle with the system in place.
They stuck with it though and while it wasn’t the big bang, it’s secured it’s place as king in the industry. Their exhibit showed just what you can do with it and that really there are no limits - From a fad game that stuck on castle walls, to a diverse system that can be leveraged for arcade style games - Whack-a-mole, knock-out lights and even a proper batak frame.
There really are so many things you can do with it and it was interesting watching some of the “bigger boys” quietly walking off with boxes of the system and placing orders.
They are bringing a real arcade and modern digital feel to the exhibit and I hope that they keep making new games that focus around the IPS system; It feels like one of the few products you buy that actually increases in value and versatility over time, becoming more important to your company as it’s application and use just keeps growing.
Leisure Activities
I’m not sure why they had such a large area and just 5 inflatables, but the effort that went into these units was pretty awesome.
I was super annoyed with Jimmy Duffy who pipped me to the post on their shoot-out game. Calling it a shoot-out doesn’t really conjure the right mental image - It was shaped like an axe-throw game, but had a back panel with targets and a clever little nerf bullet capture and return trough.
There was a lot of detail in this, including a space to put the guns (like a shoe holder at a soft play center) and the 3D design made this stand out. The cost was insanely low with a show price of just £625 to walk away. I think if they came with a van full of these then every single one woul dhave gone, but it’s hard for an exhibitor outside of the UK to bring volume - They are truly present to showcase.
They did say they could ship me one, but I get super scared when it comes to port handling and import processes - I just wanted it there on the day to walk away with.
I was surprised to find out that the owner is actually the lady who was present - I always assumed it was the gentlemen as he is more the face of things.
The lady speaks English very well and for the first time it felt like you could actually have a deeper and more meaningful conversation with a Chinese manufacturer.
I was introduced to her by show organiser Luke Russell who explained that I had recently became an inspector and that she may want to ask some questions.
Sadly, most of what they was displaying would not meet the requirements of BSEN 14960 - However, she was receptive to advice on changes that where needed to the units being displayed. It’s clear that there’s a knowledge gap, but I also believe she’s willing to fill that and take efforts needed to make them compliant and enter the UK market with some force behind it.
Retro Carnival Games
I didn’t spend a lot of time looking at these this year and don’t have much to say other than they continue to provide high quality games that bridge the school PTA and higher end event market - They wouldn’t look out of place in either setting.
I noticed some new games this year and should have paid closer attention, but despite the two day event I just didn’t have time. I’m not really doing them the justice they deserve and annoyed with myself for not going over the new items.
I did notice that the prices haven’t moved at all from last year. I was absolutely positive that once they captured the market they would start upping their prices, but somehow they’re still pumping out quality crafted desktop games that come in under £200 each.
Wibble Jelly Games
Nick is a bit of a genius - I greatly admire his ability to make these digital games. He feels like a retired school teacher that has been allowed to now follow his hobby and passion. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I mean the type of teacher that genuinely cared about the subject and would give students interesting and practical lessons - I’m waffling, but what I really mean is that his passion is clear and evident; He cares more about the tinkering and the development than he does the selling - That part is just an annoying part of the “job” to help justify the work he clearly loves doing.
I was very sad to hear that Nick has suffered with some very serious poor health this year - Suffering from a minor heart attack that has slowed him down a little, but he has promised (well he didn’t promise, but if I say he did then it adds pressure) that he will be launching a brand new game at the next show that is set to be one of the greatest yet.
These flight case digital buzzer and press button games are portable, enjoyable, configurable and perfect for offering as add-ons for events or building a wholepackage around them as the centre of attention - The added bonus at this exhibit is the low price of the units. I don’t know whether it’s because he’s selling himself short or not, but for whatever reason these are serious competition for any other provider of similar product but a very noticebly smaller price tag.
P&J Entertainments
It wouldn’t be a show without P&J’s representation! While there isn’t much new I can share about the exhibit itself, I did spot a buzz wire that had a christmas tree on it.
I’m not sure I would buy an entire buzz unit just for Christmas, but you don’t need to… This fits the exact same unit and you just replace the metal bar, making it a very affordable way to increase your christmas offerings. Fully expecting to see more of these interchangeable bars styles for specific themes, they’re such a good idea!
Was cool seeing coin operated fruit machines, too. I think last time they took the arcade stand-up style retro arcade games, so this wasn’t a far leap from that. Whether it was just a hirer buying it on a whim for their own man-cave or to be hired out is another matter, but I will say that I have seen a rising market where people buy these types of machines (punch machines, vending machines and other coin op machines etc) and then approach local businesses with high foot traffic and put the machine in for free and work out a weekly profit share - For little effort and the right location you could consider this with the fruit machines.
Euromatic
My God - How can I write anything about soft play balls? Well as it turns out they actually also had some new products. Well, not quite new, but a different colours that we’ve never seen before.
You can’t just have multi-coloured for your ball pools any more - Primary colours are ok, but they now come in pastels and and pearlescents of all varying types for the first time ever.
Deals to be had on the day - Offers on those willing to pay on the day and walk away with the product!
Great product, never had one break and they’re safety stamped on each ball - Which Is reassuring!
Game Works
This is such a cool stand - There was basically a corner of exhibitors where you would find the people looking to spend the big bucks and serious event hirers - This is where you will find Game Works and exactly where I would love to be myself (maybe one day).
They bring high end electronic games as well as non-electronics. These games aren’t what you will find at a school fete - They’re not the PTA market at all; These are what you will find in a foyer when Coca-Cola want to launch a new product or when Amazon hold a seminar.
You see these products in viral videos online. They’re the sort of thing you spend a lot of money on, but if you’ve got the clientelle and the bookings for, you’ve made it into the next league.
There was one of those gold bars in a box with a small hole big eonugh to get your hand in, but you need fingertip grip strength like Brian Shaw or Eddie Hall to be able to pry it out. I have nomarket for this myself, but yet I was drawn to the exhibit and had to try it anyway - Despite knowing I was never going to buy it I had to give it a go, half expecting that I might be able to actually do it (I failed miserably) - But these games have genuine draw appeal.
I’m not really qualified to speak to most of them, they’re not my market and I don’t mind admitting that I would to be there - I’ve got a few photos below, but you can see there are some entry level games as well as their top-end stuff; I just think that it would be hard to dip a toe in here, you’d need to grab a few different items otherwise you’ll never break that market.
Next Level Growth Club
Another new exhibitor for this year, but a familiar and experienced pair of hands. Janette, supported by her partner Daniel have launched “Next Level Growth” - A very compelling club where they help mentor and coach members into growing their business with confidence.
They have the credentials to back this up - They run a large hire company and are experienced with events - They’re not just handing out a tip of the week, but have real resources available and hold workshops on marketing, processes and practical support.
There’s been a number of similar alliances, gurus and so-called experts over the years offer similar advice, but this seems to be the first with some genuine promise.
It wont be for everyone, but for those looking to expand and want some implementable support you could benefit from their experience - It was reassuring to see that even seasoned industry veteran Richard Wilkinson from the bouncy castle exchange was interested in signing up to become a member of https://nextlevelgrowthclub.co.uk/
Airquee
Airquee are setting the bar for how you do shows. They’re not bringing a little fold up table and treating it like a boot sale, they’re coming with digital signage, bar area and lounge and an army of sale reps - Yet still somehow very approachable.
They’re walking a fine line between keeping things personal and friendly, yet professional and still a corporate business. It’s a hard line to tread, but I think they’re pulling it off - They’ve got their son (who is now hench by the way, he’s grown about two foot and put on 30lbs of muscle in a year?!) running teas and coffees as a family business, but arriving with articulated lorries to fill up their “stand”.
I think sometimes we’re spoiled - If someone like Vivid Inflatables launched a new dual lane front slide combi then it would be drawing attention and turning heads; It would be their “big idea” and show-piece; People would be saying “Haven’t they done well?! That’s what the show is all about”, but when Airquee launch half a dozen new models (probably more) then it’s easy to become numb to it.
Airquee quietly launched one of the best new to market products of the year - Not only that, but they did so at a ridiculously low price and nestled it between other regular products that we had seen before. It was a hidden gem and one that was exposed by eagle eyed industry vetereran Phil Donovan within an instant of him arriving at the show.
I bought one of these myself and decided to call it a “Challenger Wall”; It’s not quite a “Warrior Wall” and it’s not a bungee run either, it’s somewhere between the both of them (without the need of a bungee rope/harness) and it’s own distinct challenge.
These are going to fly out - They’re insanely low cost for a new product that looks like it fits in with event equipment. I’m going to set the price high myself - It’s a new to market product and something that looks substantial, different and appealing to kids as well as adults.
This is one of the cool things about the show - We bumped into a local competitor who we really get on well with (two very nice people who I owe more favours than I care to admit) and they decided to buy one, too. We agreed on the spot to match eachothers price and go with £245 a hire. The unit costs less than £1,200 including VAT - I think it’s the best ROI on an “event inflatable” you’re ever likely to see, plus it’s a one-man roll and not even heavy. - It’s a great opportunity to set the market price high early on (especially if you are near me please, lol).
This wasn’t only the only new innovation they displayed - It was very cool to see their new double slide inflatables in person. I saw this launched a few weeks/months ago and liked the look of them then, but was blown away in person. The colorful party theme was a huge section of Airquee’s stand, but standing front of house in prime position was this new design. Easiest way for me to describe it is like a really big version of the “Midi” bouncy castles - The sort of TripleA multi-coloured bouncy castles that have the bish-bash inside, but much wider and then a slide attached at either end (forward facing).
They also had the above, but instead of the “midi” design, basically a really really wide front slide combi with a slide either end. One of the coolest looking ones split the themes, too - They had one half unicorn and one half dinosaur with their respective signature 3D style parts over the slides. It didn’t look shit, either - It’s hard to blend dinosaurs and unicorns from an artistic perspective, but it gradually blended in the middle and looked pretty amazing.
There was much more too - They showed their new dual lane front slide combi castles. These aren’t two separate slides, but instead it’s basically a front slide combi castle that’s a few foot wider to accommodate a much wider slide that’s seperated into two slides with a barrier running down the middle and two sets of steps on the inside next to each other. Essentially splitting the slide into two halves rather than two separate ones.
I’m not sure that all of these new models would fit into gardens, but that’s ok because they’re not all designed for garden hires and they had plenty for everyone.
The new “flump” design was pretty incredible to see in person. When the disco domes launched years ago people understood how much work was involved in the calculations and the sheer amount of seams and ties needed to create a dome with the perfect bumps - There was (and still is) a tonne of work that goes into them. These candy/flump/marshmellow units are an order of magnitude more complex. I’ve taken photos and put them below - I tried capurting the 3D texture effect that is created as describing it doesn’t do it justice - Imagine one of those annoying tube things that kids swirl round and they make an irritating noise, but now twist it like a screw and you are somewhere near the mental image of the turrets and walls of these. I have no idea how they are making them this perfect and at the price they are - They must employ robots.
I haven’t even mentioned the 3D monster truck slide - For anyone that was impressed with the dragon flapping it’s wings, it was similar in concept to this, but it had actual light up headlights and flapping bonnet - It looks like a popular kids cartoon where the truck is actually alive.
There was a wrap arounf gragon front slide castle - Not their usual style, kinda looked like the old AOQI version - People may remember or have seen a grey castle with a blue dragon wrapped round it? It’s a similar sort of thing to that - Looked pretty nice, but not sure who done it better if I am 100% honest, but at just £1,550 including VAT it was a bargain.
They had these weird looking slides - Not sure I am a a fan of them. They’re different, but they take up a whole bunch of room for a little platform. They had this huge run-off as well that almost invites kids to use it as a bounce area which I don’t think is a great idea. The slide walls are very high, but I just prefer a permanent cover over them. Intesting model, ut was propably the only new thing they launched that wasn’t my cup of tea.
An absolute maze of 3D castles, slides, helter skelters etc. It was laid out like a small town, with one “street” being all about inflatable games, then a cul-de-sac full of the party time multi-coloured stuff, a whole wall for new dual lane inflatables - It really was like a little village.
I could go on and on about all the different stuff Airquee had at the show, but you really do need to attend and see it in person - They have soooooo many models at the show and then they have a different artwork and design for each and every one on top of that - There’s endless variations of artwork for each model, new innovation and pretty much any thing you want with one exhibitor.
Oh yeah… Didi cars too, never seen so many purchased in my life. They had a show deal on which worked out £100 for 4 of them. Itw as like Black Friday or toilet paper wars during Covid, genuinely nearly caused a stampede.
BCN
BCN have always made their stands attractive - Pop-up kiosks and back-drops, but they’re now also bringing some of that international trade show grand style to the LSS with big back-lit displays - This isn’t limited to the stand either, they literally had matching blue coloured trainers and and clothing.
I like to spend time talking with BCN at every chance I get. I make no pretense that they’re not friends - They are. But it’s not like a friend who started doing websites and you recommend them because they’re your mate (regardless of wether they’re any good or not), I didn’t know them before and they became friends because of A) How good, decent, generous and kind they are as people B) How incredible their product is and the service that they provide.
Sometimes people moan because you can nolonger just DM a BCN developer on facebook and get some traction on an issue immediately at any given hour - But that kind of thing isn’t sustainable. I couldn’t run a business like that and neither can anyone else, not at scale anyway…
BCN are now bigger and I am pleased for their success both personally and professionaly. With a bigger market share intgernationally comes updates, development, more features, modern technologies, more responsive websites, better google rank and more support personal that have to be managed working off a ticketing system - But that’s all a good thing! You have a history of logs, documented cases and shared knowledge across the team - It’s not all just “saved in one persons head”.
But don’t let that misslead you into thinking that they’re nolonger passionate or care - After a very long first day of the show they got back to the same hotel I was staying at. They was sat down and having a drink, unwinding and then I came along and plonked myself down next to them, interupting and making myself a nuisance.
I happened to mention that I hadn’t updated my site to the latest basket system and asking was it something that I actually needed to do or could not bother?
They explained at length the benefits and it was a must! I said I would have a look at it and the two company owners took my phone off me, upgraded it while I finished my beer, got on the phone to support to check a few things and got me going by the time my cab arrived to go out for dinner. If that isn’t a personal touch then I don’t know what is.
Incidentally, I had an online booking come in on the drive over to for the dinner and they’ve not stopped coming in ever since - Maybe a coincidence, but it’s stuff like this that customers expect.
I was listening to the stories people shared with them at the stands and it’s success after success. There was one guy (I can’t share who), but he went from turning over £26k a year to £200k a year in just one year since he got his BCN site - Obviously there’s a lot of other factors involved, but he credits his BCN site as being scalable enough to roll with him and supporting him on that huge growth journey.
It’s just success story after success story when you listen in on what’s being said. People nolonger talk about how they need more work or struggling to get good prices, the conversations start becoming about how they would like new features or how they can use the system to better cope.
Inflatable World Leisure
IWL are known for being the rolls royce of inflatables - They cost a little more, but you’re getting a huge amount of value from a small amount of extra investment.
When you visit their stand you expect to see all the extras - It’s not like going to a budget manufacturer where they’ve put the smallest amount of artwork on or they’ve cut corners, this is where you see quality builds with no expense spared.
This year was no different in that regard, but yet it was the most different I have ever seen the IWL exhibit since they launched the first ever modular based assault course that has become the industry standard.
Matt still show cased classic and beautiful bouncy castles, elaborate details, artowrk inside and out all over the castle, but it’s clear to see from the last couple of shows that they are trying (and succeeding) on pushing different a new ideas, this year more than ever before.
IWL can’t compete with 200 machinists and bus loads of staff arriving for volume, but they do know their customers and they’re not just able to follow trends, but create them.
They showed that they’re capable or making their own 3D front slide combi. They didn’t have ten thousand of them, but the one they did have was exceptional and demonstrated why they are considered the best.
While others made their own penalty shootouts and football themes ahead of the expected increased interest during the world cup bang in the middle of next season, IWL made a brand new inflatable game - A penalty shoot out, but not? A chipping game where the idea is to chip the football and it lands on a sheet that has holes in it. I’m not describing it well, but it’s sort of similar to a basket ball game and a penalty shootout combined - Only different. There’s photos below.
This is the sort of thing where only having a genuinely creative mind and knowing what will work in the market and your customers will want puts you in front. I’d imagine that by the time the next show rolls round there will be variants of this sold by everyone else - It’s the nature of the industry, everyone will have their own spin on it and probably a cheaper one within 6 months - It’s where I feel sorry for Matt, because it takes a long time to come up with a good idea and implement, but ten minutes for someone to copy it.
They also exhibited a great a-frame bouncy castle that fits the BeeTee velcro panels. It’s a great hole in the market for this type of inflatable, because old BeeTee customers are looking for quality and some have a very large stock of velcro artwork that would be hard to move away from - This solution is ideal for them.
Not being one to waste an opportunity, IWL also demonstarted their optional side wall system - Where they had a disco set-up in the castle, but with netted side walls. They had a PVC “curtain” on the side (like the front of a disco dome where you can put the “door” down or roll it up) so that it stopped the light from coming in, but also acted as a shower cover for the sides if it was raining - People mention how IWL castles tend to be heavier, but with fully netted sides this was one of the lightest castles at the entire show (for it’s size).
They had more variety and different styles than I have ever seen the show before - Gloss 8 foot platform slide, hand painted or printed, snow globes, inflatable games, sports arena and really diverse items in completely different styles; They’re more flexible than you might think and able to pivot.
Some sad news was shared with me though - IWL are strongly considering not exhibiting anymore and this being their last show. With buying habits changing over the years and their product being a premium, they may well be shifting focus - Which would be a big loss to the industry on several different levels.
Bouncy Castle Sales
Bargains everywhere - You couldn’t move on the exhibit without tripping over something that made you look twice for a closer inspection.
Say what you want - Andy is one of the few people that comes to the shows each year with something different and treats it as an exhibit. No it’s not always a rolls royce, but he does come up with some clever ideas or new twists on existing designs.
He came with a hoopla game - Pretty basic idea, but he managed to make it look very different and much more appealing. The game is the same, but it’s visually striking and has a good square footage, rather than a tiny little half ball pool looking thing.
Considering there’s so many “biff-bash” on the bed of the hoopla, it’s really good value; I’d imagine it’s a far amount of material and work - For £350 (plus VAT) I am willing to bet that there’s at least the same amount of material as one of those double rib ball pools and probably 50% more effort in making it. Whatever - It’s a bargain and the sort of unit you can run off a small blower and might even hel get your foot in the door with the christmas fayres, but versatile enough to get you work all year round; Unlike a grotto that has a 3 month shelf life for most people.
I sometimes think people perceive Andy as this huge company that turns out hundreds of castles a week, but the reality is this guy is doing loft lagging over the weekend, making beds and sofas when castles are quiet and doing whatever he can to keep his guys employed and the company turning a profit.
He’s a decent bloke, too - I was looking at the Vivid inflateables stand and Andy was there, he walked me round his competitors castle and showing me what a good build it was, saying he thought it was pound for pound the best castles at the show; The the hell says that about their competitor?
Bargains though - You genuinely cannot beat his prices. They had a 10x12 bouncy castle, a ball pool and 9 piece soft play set for £749 (plus VAT). I mean how is that even possible? It even had the floating balloon thing in the turrets, something that 1 year ago was a brand new concept and carrying a premium price tag with across the industry and BCS have got it as part of a package? Plus it’s actually in pastel colours - Or if that’s not your thing have it printed? I genuinely don’t know how he’s pulling that off.
With these sorts of bargains and new ideas it wasn’t a wonder to see people literally walking away from his stand with arm fulls of purchases and big smiles all round. I don’t know why he took chairs to the show - He never once had a chance to sit down.
Gibbons Fans
Gibbons UK launch of their new blower was successful - They sold out of their brand new blowers in under two hours of the doors opening; Everyone else had to order.
It wasn’t as if they came empty handed, they was loaded up to the eyeballs with them and called on help from others to bring up stock for them - They just couldn’t bring enough to keep up with demand.
It was a UK launch, but in truth people had seen peaks of these new blowers for months - They was at IAAPA a few weeks ago in Barcelona and eagle eyed observers and industry geeks like myself may have spotted them when they exhibited in Orlando (it always pays to go through the photos carefully).
The fans are the easiest to perform maintenance on. They open up without the need for rivets, they’re extremely modular in design and super easy to clean out. The components are great quality and there’s no b-grade in these X-series.
I’ve had the biggest, most power version they provide on equipment that takes two 1.5hp regular blowers and it pissed it. The pressure reading was higher by itself on their top end most powerful one than it was on the two regular 1.5hp blowers.
They’re powerful - They’re the most powerful blower I have seen, but much like the other new blowers on the market - The proof will be in the longevity and reliability of them.
What I will say is they’re quieter than other fans. They’re not silent or anything, but they’re deffinately not as loud as anything else on the market.
There’s lots of little details in them that are on purpose but easy to over-look - The Cord is the exact correct length to wrap round the prong things at the front - Like a vacuum cleaner. They removed the switch as it’s the number one fault on all other fans. It’s light, it’s unbreakable, it’s stackable and it comes with a warranty to back it up.
Powerfans Direct LTD
A bold move take take a stand at the LSS while entering the market as a new comer, but it seemed to pay off!
Mark Wells (very much supported by his father-in-law Jimmy Duffy) came armed to the teeth with boxes and boxes of new fans, winning over many people with tempting special show offers; Making the regular 1.5hp fan one the cheapest at just £120 (no VAT) if you purchased a bundle. I’ve not seen brand new blowers at those prices for several years.
It was clear to see that people where impressed and it wasn’t just newbies buying them - I saw plenty of regular faces walking off with trolley loads.
It’s so difficult to tell if they will stand the test of time - How could anyone possibly know that?
Jimmy has a large hire company and he’s reassuring people that he has used these on his own fleet for 6 months without issue.
They’re light, stackable and it’s easy to distinguish between the different powered versions - Green and black for the standard 1.5hp and Black for the 2hp.
They’re a bit noisy, more noisy than I would like them to be - But it certainly didn’t deter people from bitig his hand off. I think they sold something like 200 of them on the first day? I could be slightly off or missheard, but they’re deffinately in the market place now!
Mark isn’t just selling fans though - They had lots of mats and even some imported inflatables. The inflatables came with inspection reports and you would have to be a blind man to not work out where they’re also coming from; CiCi. That’s a good thing though really -CiCi often exhibits herself and a lot of people have her units without even knowing it. - I have an 8 foot platform slide from CiCi that’s about 8 years old and I know they was getting in under one company or another before even that - CiCi is a certified inspector and is quite capable of building to UK standards.
Sadly they didn’t have enough space to exhibit them, but I was tempted enough and reassured enough knowing it was from CiCi to buy a 12 foot platform slide and very very nearly purchased the carnival bouncy castle, too.
Vivid Inflatables
Clive is clearly working very hard on the quality of these inflatables. I’m not going to lie, he actually looked tired - I’m guessing he was pulling some long hours to prepare for the show and exhibit such great builds.
Andy from Bouncy Castle Sales came over and was explaining and pointing out some attention to detail that he freely admitted he wouldn’t do himself -
Extra wall height when the rain cover is sewn in, making it technically unneccesay, but a whole lot better.
The turrets bigger than usual. This is an important point - Rolls of bouncy castle material are 150cm wide, so rather than creating a pattern that doesn’t care about this limiting factor, you design the castle based on making the most use out of the roll; That’s hard with turrets because they’re either going to be way too big or too thin, but Clive has done something clever to not compromise on quality or the integrity of the build and used a filler to exterd the circumference.
The walls sewn into the turrets and not a fillet - Same for the rain cover.
All webbed bed and step, central support beam and no weird wonky walls or weird pinched stress points.
What doesn’t add up is the price. These are quality builds and technically adult capable but he’s selling them for just £850. There was one that was a demo version going for £700!
Clive reluctantly admitted that he isn’t able to employ people to make these castles because he can’t afford to at these prices. I don’t know what’s happening - Because the model and the time going into them doesn’t justify the silly low prices.
I can’t really work out how the cost on this is as low as it is without the material being Aztec or something. I have no idea what the meterial is just FYI - I could be way off and he’s just working himself to the bone for tiny margins. He did say it was mainly Inflamat but the castles all seemed a little different.
Vivid are producing some incredible models at confounding prices - With IWL stepping back a little from bouncy castles and BeeTee gone I think more people will turn to Viviv with high expectations that they can clearly deliver on.
GM Imber
It’s so hard to write about an insurance broker. I can share that I do have cover with Bill for some things (in particular for inflateable inspectors indemnity) because they came just so recommended by just about every inspector I know and respect.
I will keep details very non-specific, but I was recently told about a situation first hand by someone who is beyond reproach for their safety, record keeping, training, documentation and going by the book. They sadly had an incident where a minor injury occurred and while everyone else tried wallking away from them - The one person who fought for their corner, had their back and made sure they was kept shielded was GM Imber.
It’s the type of situation you never want to be in, but also want to know when the shit hits the fan that your broker has your back and doesn’t melt or try to sell you down the river.
PIPA
PIPA was at the show again - It’s great to see a consistent presence from them. Craig is becoming a familiar face now and there was balance with a more experienced Peter Grand as well as the younger office staff girls.
In truth I never got to speak very much with them, but it’s fantastic to see them represented at the shows and drawing attention to safety matters and the importance of inspections and correct training.
Bounce Camp Inflatable Sales
Another new exhibitor to the show that came looking to make an impact!
I was very flattered to be given a small talk and introduction with the owner - James. He shared some pretty candid details about how he’s learning the hard way about entering the market and how tough it can be to come up with unique designs without treading on people’s toes; But he’s determined to carve out a piece of the action and bring some top quality inflatables to the market.
He was pretty frank about the apporach, too - He wanted to get his bouncy castles on the market and people taking a chance on him so that they’re talked about with some genuine reviews and feedback circulating - To this end he was pretty much selling them at the cost price just to get his foot in the door.
At what was one of the stand-out show bargains of the day was their plain pink h-frame turreted castle with marshmellow rounded tops - A classic design that reminded me of the Vortex version was being sold as a one off for (I believe) £600. I honestly couldn’t believe it - But with the stratedgy being to just get them on the market, into the field itself and people discussing them I think it will work - They’re deffinately going to start popping up now!
Conclusion
Worth saying again - Best show in at least the last 3 years.
If anyone is in doubt as to come to the shows, worried that they will look out of place, they’re not very good in social settings, don’t really know anyone and whether it’s worth going - Please take my word for it, you’ll be welcomed warmly.
There’s often little side social things happening, drinks with friends, evening meals and some natual friendships made. I hate it when people call things “a networking event”, that’s so disingenuous and forced - Real genuine relationships are made here. I am very socially awkward, but I think that’s true of quite a lot of bouncy castle people - Just bite the bullet and come along.
We need to support these shows - Once they are gone, it will never be the same again.
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