Budget photo booth hire – we get it! Celebration budgets are important and you’re looking for the best bang for your buck. How do you choose the best photo booth for your event while remaining within budget?
Let’s be real for a minute! Photo booths come in all shapes and sizes. It’s overwhelming with so many options and inclusions. It’s hard to decide what will be the best booth for you. Sometimes it can be tempting to ignore warning signs when a deal seems too good to be true. Unfortunately we see the flip side when things don’t turn out as expected. It’s very easy to make a business look professional on a website. We live in the time of stock images, stick video and AI. If you wanted to start your own “photo booth company” you could have your website and social media live by this afternoon!
Photo Booth Hire Industry Secrets!
Sadly we live in the real event world. The event industry and a businesses’ reputation are based solely on trust. Customers trust that the business is advertising a truthful offering and that the offering will be delivered as promised on the day. That is where the disconnect happens between what can be advertised online and the reality. Are you going to be delivered the dream or the reality when you make the decision to book budget photo booth hire?
We’ve taken many a frantic call from customers looking for a booth “tomorrow” after a last minute cancellation from a budget photo booth hire supplier. We have been quoted prices over the phone that we at In the Booth couldn’t drive out of our driveway for! There are so many aspects to consider when running an ethical business. Budget photo booth hire with a Marketplace listing for “$400 Photo Booth Deal!” is highly unlikely to come with insurance – or assurance.
It’s time to spill the tea on some photo booth industry secrets! When enquiring with budget photo booth hire services, here are some questions to ask that may give you some tell-tale answers:
Insurance Documents
Any reputable company should be able to provide you with an official invoice and Public Liability documentation upon request. If they are asking for “cash on the day” or are happy for an EFT transfer with no invoice provided, it’s time to ask more questions.
Professional & Prompt Communication
Private Gmail email addresses, no website and no answer to a phone call are not positive signs you are dealing with a reputable company. Moreover “Socials Only” businesses are often not true Australian businesses. Check out some of your local wedding and event planning groups on Facebook. You are guaranteed to come across brides panicking about not hearing back from their suppliers. This is very unprofessional behaviour and stress-inducing when you are planning an event. Taking days or weeks to reply because “they’ve been busy” is not a good enough excuse and is a sign of a poorly run business.
Ask Your Venue About Their Experiences
Ask your venue on their experiences with your chosen budget photo booth hire company. They may have further insight from past events. Your venue has seen it all! They will have experience with vendors that show up late or not at all and technical issues on the night. They will also have an opinion on their experience with the company’s staff and their professionalism.
Does Your Budget Photo Booth Hire Come with an Operator?
A tell-tale sign from cheap or “combined” services is if an operator is or isn’t included. A combined DJ and photo booth service should be providing you with two operators – one to DJ and one to attend to the photo booth. If they tell you one staff member is enough – well, they’re incorrect! DJ’ing is a full time job once the party time kicks in. In addition, the photo booth is going to fire up at the exact same time! This is why at In the Booth we only specialise in photo booth hire. Low cost suppliers are simply trying to add to their low profit margins by adding more services. Our attendants are kept busy from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave an event. Therefor they certainly wouldn’t have time to be providing an exceptional DJ service as well!
Will My Photo Booth Print?
This one is a biggie! Feedback we receive from new customers is that they used XYZ Company in the past who didn’t inform them their photo booth didn’t include prints. This is an easy sign of a budget photo booth hire company. Instant prints come at a cost! Every time that photo booth printer delivers some instant print magic to a guest, the operator incurs a cost. The easiest way to remove this cost is to not have a photo booth that prints – right? Wrong! Problem is, our customers and their guests absolutely ADORE instant prints. In addition tt’s a huge part of the photo booth magic. Make sure you ask your company clear questions regarding the style of booths they offer and steer clear of anything that is digital only.
Will a Guest Book be Included?
Another big one. Did you know guests books are an expensive inclusion? In the Booth’s price point has remained the same since 2009 which means we’ve been able to include more and more great items in our package. This has always (and will always!) include one of our gorgeous guest books. Make sure you ask your chosen company if one will be included. This is a common item that will get downplayed in their advertising due to the hard cost to the operator.
Off-Website Reviews
Finally, let’s talk reviews. What does off-website reviews mean? It means seeking out reviews that are not just listed on the company’s website. These reviews have been thoroughly vetted or in worst cases, fabricated by the operator. Look for reviews that can’t be easily edited or filtered by the operator. Check their Google Business listing, Facebook page, ABIA or Easy Weddings for legitimate reviews.
