Aren't All Photo Booths the Same? 7 Things to Look Out For When Hiring a Photo Booth!

So you're looking to hire a photo booth for your event... it could be for a wedding, birthday, engagement, xmas party or a corporate event. You'll find the Melbourne photo booth market (and generally most other major cities) are saturated with suppliers these days!

We know it's confusing trying to narrow down who to choose.

Many people seem think that one photo booth company is basically the same/equal to the other and the only thing that separates them is price........I mean all they do it take photos right?.......Wrong!!! and it couldn't be further from the truth.

Booth companies can fluctuate massively in a number of key areas, from experience, reliability and professionalism to quality of product & of course, pricing.

So I've decided to compiled a list of the 7 top things to look for when choosing a booth company for your event.

(1) Reliability - This is the biggest one! When you're booking a booth you want to be sure you actually get a booth!

Whilst one of the most important factors, its also the most often taken for granted. Sadly, we get 1-2 phone calls every single week, asking us to step in when the booth they hired is either not working, cancelled at the last minute or simply didn't show up! Just last week we had a call from a distressed Bride, the company she had hired for her wedding sent her an email two days before, saying "Hey really sorry but I have no staff available so need to cancel your booth hire!" Luckily we had one booth available and could help her out.

(2) Do your homework - Check Reviews Carefully.

I always recommend checking the review section of any company's Facebook page and Google Business accounts.

Reviews are such a good gauge of reliability and professionalism.

If the reviews are hidden that is a worrying sign. If the reviews are visible and boast hundreds of glowing reviews that can be a great sign!

However, be sure to quickly scan the profiles of those who have left the review, do they look legitimate? Or are they living in another country?

Are the reviews coming in a staggered timeline or have they all appeared at once?

Reviews can be purchased online, but purchased reviews can be quite easy to spot when you know the signs.

(3) Quality of Images.

One thing to be wary of when choosing a booth company is the quality of the images they are producing. All of our images shown on our website or across our social media platforms, are actual photos taken within the booth. Many companies don’t use their own photos for promotion they use misleading stock photos they have found online. Be sure to flick through their previous work to spot any difference in quality to those pictures being advertised.

(4) Professionalism and Experience.

Less than 10% of photo booth operators run their business full time. 90% of operators are running their business as a hobby. This is particularly tricky when you are r trying to plan an event quickly or during your own 9-5 business hours, and your photo booth supplier is tied up at the full time job, only returning calls on their lunch break or after hours.

(5) Printstrip design.

Wouldn't it be great to have a beautiful print strip to match your wedding stationary, or your birthday invitation?

Ask to see the print strip options available or the previous design work they have produced. We are proud to boast an amazing range of designs to choose from, more to be added very shortly..

(6) Is an attendant included?

Some people ask if we can lower our price for an unattended booth hire, no this is not something we ever offer or encourage. Our attendants are imperative to the success of each event. As the host you don't want to spend your time keeping an eye on the photo booth. Your attendant is there to help your guests, to encourage them to stick copies of their photos in the guestbook, to print off extra copies and to change the print media when required. They are not their to prevent the fun and silliness, they actually encourage it.

(7) What else is included? Some companies over a very low base price, that looks attractive (or alarming!) But upon further research, shows you need to add on extra for delivery, props, guestbook, custom design or an attendant. Our packages are all inclusive, so there isn't any extra costs. We include absolutely everything you need, right down to the glue and pens for the complimentary guest book.

You will notice that I haven't included price as a factor when choosing a booth, and obviously budget does come into play. However be very wary of companies charging a very low rate. Always remember this famous quote

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” – Benjamin Franklin