Lighting Rentals - Do you supplement?

Intels yes, lasers why? Most of the effective, nice looking lasers require a permit anyhow.

You're very right, but there are some packages (LASERs) available overseas that do not require a variance (for me) and are very nifty. Also I'm in Canada and as such have no variance restrictions like that..or so my municipal government overlords tell me. lol

--> ADJ Intells that would be rugged enough for rental use? How many in a "package"? A controller?


Hope the questions don't seem too basic!

Nobody else has an opinion on this subject?

Hey, Ya, I supplement whereever required. I have enough to do a decent show for most weddings, but may require a bit more for Teen dances, si I do rent.

I offer my services to local mobile dj's needing a extra kick in thier show. I usually am contracted by the dj service to provide everything from loadin and loadout. i do it all so the dj service has nothing to do with the lights.


i usually bring higher up intells and bigger lights to the shows.
and usually control them useing the show designer, or something small like that.

I personally don't own any of the higher end ligts likew the big scanner snd mocing yoke fuxtures. However I love wrking with them and I do offer them to my customers. I then rent them form a local dealer here in SD.

AMP

Overall, I don't like renting. I've had too many bad experiences. Fortunately, none with lights.

For example:
I had been using my 4Runner and my in-laws' Caravan to haul my gear around. Well, the van had a major mechanical problem so I banned the usage of that vehicle for hauling stuff. Besides, it was tearing up both vehicles' interiors. To resolve this, my wife and I decided we would rent UHaul trailers. Well, before each event, we have to scramble to find ANY trailer since UHaul doesn't really intend to honor any reservations of any sort, appearing to want to pull a bait and switch to get you into a truck, the last one barely ran. Reserved an enclosed trailer, ended up having to scrounge for an open trailer at another UHaul. We bought a trailer to resolve this issue. First one got stolen 7 days after purchase, 2 days before show. Got a new one, thank goodness. That one hasn't been stolen.

Wedding: Tux rentals: My shoes too small. Father requested 2 shirts, got one. Best Man's shirt too long. A few other issues that I forget, but a big one was the WRONG COLOR VESTS and WRONG STYLE.

When needing to rent sound equipment, places NEVER seem to want to give me the whole thing I reserved months ago.

My experiences with renting are disasters. I just refuse to rent anymore. If I need it, I buy it. If I don't see any need other than a one-off, forget it

My day job and my sound company are customer servicee oriented. I expect my vendors to be the same way. Period.

In regards to lighting, my customers have had no requests other than "yes", so I bring what I have and they seem to like it. I am planning expansions, which they damn well better like as well. I'm nearly done with my lighting rig, which is simple, but functional for my purposes. My customers appear to be happy. If they aren't, they don't have the nuts to say so anyways, they'd rather their mouth start writing checks their ass can't cash behind my back. Remember: the walls talk. I had an encounter with one such luzer. I confronted him and said that I heard he wasn't happy with the sound and the lights. I said that if it was so bad, why not discuss with me what you didn't like so I can improve. Well, his comments about audio were stupid, he's just a dumb-ass, but his comments about lighting, well, it took over a year before I could expand a little. Consider I still don't know squat about lights, I think I did OK, but hey, criticism helps me improve.

Complaining about the feedback. gee, there wasn't any. Guess he was too drunk.

If I need anything like another projector and/or screen I'll usually rent or borrow.

You can never have all the equipment all of the time.

How would you guys suggest getting your name out there for someone who can be rented from. I have a decent setup that some might pay me to use, but I wouldn't know where to begin to get my name and number out there to make a little extra side dough.

Kyle:

How to get your name out? Well, in my town there is a "free" entertainment magazine that is at all the clubs, video rental, restaurants, etc....It is all about the club scene locally with some other articles about new movie releases, lie theater, touring bands and other entertainment.

My rock band buys an add in it about every other month. These small "business card" sized adds cost $20/month. While we have not gotten a "cold call" from anyone wanting to book us specifically because of the ad, it does keep our name in front of the local clubs and we have been asked back a couple of times.

Perhaps your local community has a similar publication. If not, maybe a small ad in the local newspaper classified section. Along the same lines, there is a "regional" free classified weekly called Shop and Swap that is made of newsprint paper. The classified ads in this weekly are pretty cheap, the public can pick it up free an nearly any convenience store and grocery store.

Business cards posted at WalMart and college dorms and student unions.....

Offer a reward or finder's fee of $20 to anyone that refers a client that books a gig from you. Pay them AFTER you get paid.

Offer a "rebate" of 20% to anyone that books you twice in 90 days or 10% if they book you twice in six months. (Not applicable to special dates like holidays.)

Go to wedding planners, bridal shops, tux rental and party stores (party stores like Paper Warehouse) in your area and tell them about the "reward-finder's fee", but tell them that since they are "in the business" you will let them have $25 for any gig they get you.

Our town has a costume rental place that also rents some lighting gear. Make a deal with the owner for the "finder's fee".

Go to the local Moose, Elks, Eagles, American Legion, VFW, motels and tell them about your "rebate" and "finder's fee" and be sure to leave several cards at each. If your town has a "hall" or "room facility" that rents rooms for partys, take them some cards, etc.

Be sure that all these places know that they need to have the prospective client tell YOU who referred them (BY NAME). In fact, have the referral or resource person give them your card with their name on the back.

I gurantee that if you walk into the local Holiday Inn and give the bartender a $20, that every employee there will be trying to get you gigs at their meeting rooms and club.

If the money is given to one of the "hoof, horn and feather" organizations, make it a donation for their current "charity project" you can bet that all the members will remember who their friends are when it comes time for graduation or holiday parties. Be sure that this is done more formally with a letter attached thanking them.

BTW, all these finder's fees, etc. are tax deducts.

I hope that helps. So, what else did you want to know???

Nova-Light-Rentals: Yes, we rent extra equipment when needed.

I am in a rock band, not a DJ service. My band is strongly affiliated with the local Blues Festival committee. We rented quite a bit of equipment that we did not have in our inventory or available from the city government agency that sponsored the Festival. Among those items were some Par 64s, some sound system equipment, a canvas roof and truss system for the main stage, etc....to the tune of around $1500 for the 2 day event.

Probably not quite what you were looking for. But...if you are wanting other sources to rent YOUR equipment to, do not forget the local auditorium or live theater, music festivals, and arts and crafts fairs. (They always need PA and flood lights such as Par cans.)

Surely you can go on from there.

As for renting equipment for my bands events...not yet, but we did explore that option prior to buying some ADJ effects lights. (We have plenty of Par cans for the band.)

We have also done a couple of corporate events where they spent more on the production than they paid us. At one they had wireless remote TV cameras and projected the video feed onto big screen TVs on either side of the stage. Crowd shots, band shots and when the company execs started their speaches, they had their pictures on the two projection TV screens.

The light provider had several (10-15?) top of the line intelligent lights similar to the Auto Spot 150 and no less than 50 Par 64s. The show was as well produced as any big name concert would have been. And the contractors both admitted they had to sub rent some extra gear from another contractor in town...but in their cases it was because they were over booked.

That was a very nice gig for us.

Shoot, the perks cost the corporate sponsor more than our performance fee....they put us up in the nicest hotel in downtown Oklahoma City across the street from the venue....valet parking, meals and they paid us our standard fee.

The standard room rate at that hotel was more than my cut of the performance fee....and they gave each of us a private room....no sharing. Sweet.

Sorry for the long post....

Tony

wha.....
that's a sweet post.

Dilate

WOW! Very informative post. I am very greatful for the many people from the many different forums who have been giving me some great advice. I have been a memeber here for a while and I do a lot of reading not so much postins. I appreciate your first hand advice.

Kyle