Frequently Asked Questions
1. How far in advance should I call to reserve my Awesome Entertainment?
We say the sooner, the better! First come, first serve. While we have a large number of inflatables, carnival games, and many entertainers working with us; they are all popular and awesome. This makes our inventory go pretty fast. We do try to help everyone though, even last minute inquires.
2. How do I know what type of entertainment would best suit my event?
There are many things to consider when choosing the best kind of entertainment for your special event. You should determine the ages of the audience that will be in attendance, their personalities, the goal or purpose of the event and of course what you plan to spend. These things alone will often narrow the choices quite a bit.
3. What are the advantages of working with an entertainment company as opposed to doing it on my own?
There are many benefits to working with a professional entertainment company. They provide a wide array of entertainment options ranging from clowns, magicians, face painters, bounce house rentals, carnival game rental and much more. They also use a screening process that filters out the professional acts from the mediocre and amateur ones. You also benefit from their established relationships with all the major talent and the negotiating power that comes with it. They will handle all the contracts, riders, and other issues that can be quite time consuming when booking an entertainer. You can also benefit from a long term relationship with an entertainment company that understands your goals and can work with you on each event to make sure it is truly AWESOME.
4. What information do I need to have before contacting Awesome Family Entertainment?
To speed up the booking process, being prepared with the following information will help us to make your event totally Awesome.
The date of the event, location, approximate time when the entertainment starts, budget (you can get an estimate from our price list), an idea of the type of entertainment, approximate number of attendees; kids, teens and adults, and most of all, the ability to make a decision. Often times, events will call us looking for some ideas on entertainment and they are missing integral details pertaining to the event making it more difficult to price. We like to quote solid prices and we have no surprise fees if we have all the correct details.
5. What is the rental period for my party items?
The rental period is determined at the time of booking.
All our rentals are based on 3 hours and additional time can be purchased.
Set up and tear down is not counted towards your rental time.
Live entertainment acts vary please inquire within.
6. What is the process for reserving your Awesome Entertainment?
The process begins when you contact Awesome Family Entertainment, by calling us or by requesting a quote online.
We will then work with you to set up a tentative order in the system. Once we have reached the point where we are ready to move forward with the reservation we do ask for deposit.
This can be done in the form of Visa, Master Card, Check, Money Order. Paypal, or direct deposit. For corporate and school accounts, we can accept a P.O. Order with a signed agreement.
From this point, A.F.E will lock the order into our rental system and email or give you a verbal rental agreement over the phone.
Then as we approach the date for the event, our delivery department will call and set up times for delivery and pickup.
From there, all that is left is for everyone to have a fun and have an awesome party!
7. Do we have to have our items delivered?
We are a full service rental company and we like to make sure things are set up right and safely, so your event can be awesome! So yes, we deliver your items. Sometimes, we might make an except for far away location and long term rentals for certain items. Set up and tear down is not counted tour your rental time.
8. What do I need to provide for my rental?
The only thing you need to provide is some power, a location for the inflatable, and an appetite for fun! We will bring out the party items, blowers, stakes, extension cords. The blower motor will need to be located within 50 feet of a standard electrical outlet. An area that has been cleared of any debris or pet droppings will keep the setup process quick and efficient.
For rentals with a water option, we need access to a water spigot. We bring a water hose up to 50 feet.
Set up and tear down is not counted tour your rental time.
9. What do I need to provide for my live entertainment?
Each act varies, but a standard rule of thumb for the following acts:
Face painters: a table and 3 chairs
Caricature artist: a table and 3 chairs
Magicians: at least a 10 foot by 8 foot clear space, for larger acts inquire
Origami Demonstrations: a work station for all guests, table and a chair for the demo artist.
Hair braiders: a table and 3 chairs
Santa Claus: Milk, cookies and a sitting area for Santa
Costume Characters: a cd player, (upon request we can provide one, but it is a small boom box and not the best for large crowds) electric for our boom box, a clear space for dancing around.
10. What can I do to prepare for my rental items?
To make your delivery smoother and keep our team on time for deliveries a few things that you can do before hand that helps us keep an Awesome schedule and eases the stress for you.
1. Have your area mapped out for your items. Keep in mind, we need to be within 50 feet of electric access for inflatables and 15 feet for other rental items. Plus, your area needs to be mainly a flat surface, we do not set up in dirt, on gravel or sand.
2. We love pets, but please have any pets confined and have the set up area cleaned. Please remember that our inflatables are designed for humans and will be damaged by claws.
3. Have all access gates unlocked/open.
4. Locate all electric access points.
5. Turn off any sprinkler systems and alarms.
6. Be prepare to dedicate at least 2-5 minutes with our delivery team to sign the final rental agreement, go over safety rules and to pay any unpaid balances.
7. Notify us if we are setting up on concrete/black top, so that we can bring sandbags. Failure to do so may cause a delay in setting up, non refundable cancellation and/or additional charges.
11. Is there a deposit/prepayment required for my reservation?
For most reservations, yes, there is a prepayment, usually 50% to 75% However, if there are extensive circumstances, just ask if there are other options while talking with an AFE event planner. We value the opportunity to work with people and fit their needs!
12. Am I allowed to rent a bounce house or inflatable for use at a park?
Absolutely! All you need to do is make sure that you have permission from the park to use your desired location, and provide power. If the park does not have adequate power for one of our inflatables, you may need to look into using a generator. Please note, some parks may have restrictions on inflatables, so please check with the park.
13. What forms of payment do you accept?
Visa, Master Card, Check, Money Order. Paypal, Wire Transfer or Direct Deposit.
For corporate and school accounts, we do accept a P.O. with a sign agreement with prior arrangements.
From this point, A.F.E will lock the order into our rental system and email or give you a verbal rental agreement over the phone.
14. When is Payment due?
Deposits/Payments are due within three days after you have scheduled your event, unless otherwise noted with AFE. Events in less than 9 days, payment in full is due same day or by the following day for non-corporate/school accounts.
The final payment is due 9 days prior to the event if paying by check or credit card. If paying your balance in cash, the final payment is due the day of the event on arrival.
14. Do I get my deposit back?
We consider deposits as a prepayment, so your deposit is applied to the balance of your event.
16. Are bounce houses and other inflatable items safe?
Every item that A.F.E rents is clean, durable, and safe for ages and sizes! The only time one of our inflatable items could be unsafe is if no one is attending the inflatable and enforcing the rules that make sure there is no dangerous horseplay, or too many kids in the rented inflatable. There should always be an attendant with the rental items, and A.F.E can provide them for an additional fee.
17. How many kids fit into one bounce house at one time?
The number of kids allowed in a bounce house or any inflatable at one time differs depending on what inflatable rental item it is! The number should be posted on the front of the inflatable and listed on the rental agreement. If you are inquiring about a specific item, just call and ask your A.F.E. event planner.
18. What are the height and weight restrictions for a bounce house?
The size restrictions of the riders vary from bounce to bounce. The number should be posted on the front of the inflatable and listed on the rental agreement. If you are inquiring about a specific item, just call and ask your A.F.E. event planner.
19. Why does it say I need an attendant?
All of our rental items, especially inflatables, require that someone attend them while they are in use during the party rental period. This is to ensure the safety of all participants using the items, to make sure they are maintaining a safe level of enjoyment. An attendant is a must have for all of our items, and we do provide them for an additional fee.
20. Can I set up the inflatable myself?
Unfortunately, we cannot allow people who rent our inflatable to set them up due to the liability. We have to set up our items so that we ensure they are safe, and set up to the standard provided by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
21. Is there a fee if the rental equipment is damaged during my event?
If there is damage to our equipment prior, during or after an event, the person who rented the item is liable for such misfortune.
22. Do you charge a cleaning fee?
No! Although you do need to return the items in a clean condition. However, we do charge a nominal fee for any equipment returned to us that is excessively dirty.
23. Do you provide rentals or entertainment for weddings?
Yes we do! We are a full service party rental company for the Central Ohio area. We have many things people need for weddings.
24. What happens if there is bad weather on the day of my rental?
Our policy for poor weather is fair for all parties, and we will work with our valuable clients to make sure their party event is successful due to weather. The only weather that is truly bad for bounce houses is wind. We always ask our clients to be wary of increasing winds and deflate the inflatables if this happens. For rain, our bounces are very durable and are not harmed by it, so if there is a block of rain coming through near your event, the best option is to deflate the bounce house until the showers pass by, then re-inflate it and it will be good to go! Any residual water can be wiped away with a towel. If you feel the weather is going to be extremely poor, give one of the representatives a call to see what we can do for you!
For concession rentals and carnival games, they need to be covered up or preferable taken out of the rain.
For live entertainment, usually the act can be moved inside. Even if it is a crammed space, they still will be awesome giving the situation.
However, if your event date is approaching and you see that there is poor weather predicted, there are two usual options.
1. A complete cancelation and you have up to one year to apply any prepayments.
2. We can immediately reschedule the event due to the weather.
These options available to you as long as you inform us 24 hours before the delivery time that we provide you for your event and subjected to availability. We can work with you to avoid the poor weather conditions so no worries. Please note, all prepayments are non-refundable.
25. How much is a Bouncy House?
A bouncy house can range in price for a number of reasons. Our bounce houses are high quality and durable enough to withstand lots of jumping fun! Size is a big determination in the price of an inflatable rental. For example, a 13×13 is less than a 15×15, which are both less than a combination unit. A lot of the difference is size, but also, the special designs and work on the inside of the inflatable accounts for a lot of this price difference. Our interactive inflatables have a price difference as well because of all the intricate and detailed work done on the inside to make them inflatable in the right ways.
26. Where are you located?
We are located all around the city of Columbus. What does this mean? Our entertainers are spread out and our equipment is stored in facilities throughout Central Ohio to make things efficient. We keep our overhead low by not offering a walk in facility and conduct business over the phone, website, and email. This makes our prices usually the lowest for a full service entertainment rental company.
27. Why choose Awesome Family Entertainment?
For the past fifteen years, we have been offering a variety of family style and corporate entertainers for special functions around Central Ohio. You might have seen our entertainers at the Columbus Zoo, Capital Club, New Albany 4th of July Parade, KinderCare, JoyLand Preschool, Gahanna Park and Recs events and at countless parties for your friends and family.
Awesome Family Entertainment is more of an entertainment group verses an entertainment agency. Which means we work together to ensure your event is lively, fun and AWESOME.
28. Do you rent your costumes?
No, we do not rent our costumes. We send professional actors/actresses to play our party characters. Most people prefer this way since the actor/actress knows how to interact with your guests. Less of hassles of picking up a costume, cleaning it, and returning it.
29. How Do I contact A.F.E. Productions of Columbus?
Good question and a very important one! Well you are here on our website. Jump over to contact page and all our info is listed there and you can complete a quick quote request too.
But, here is the info just for fun:
Awesome Family Entertainment
614.224.9568
