Joe Valente has a big job handling big events. As general manager of DC Rental in Arlington, Va., he oversees a $13 million operation that serves some 6,500 events a year, including U.S. presidential inaugural balls, big-time sporting events and...

SPECIAL EVENTS MAGAZINE: When we interviewed Fred in 2002, we talked about how the party rental business was perceived by the investment community as a fragmented moneymaker with no clear-cut leaders. How would you describe it now...

YOUR event might have stunning decor, great entertainment and a dynamic speaker. But if the proper technical support isn't in place, attendees will miss out on the full effect of these elements, as you struggle with dim lighting, wimpy sound and...

TIP: Get array from it all...

WHEN it comes to the design of event environments, nothing packs the transformative punch of props. For events today, that transformation tends to take place when prop pieces are used to create evocative seating spaces...

TOO costly, too cumbersome — that's the opinion most event rental operators hold of bar-coding, the inventory management system that uses scanners to read an item's identifying labels printed with “bars,” or lines. This data is fed into various...

TIP: Go global...

TIP: Send a signal...

ELEGANT crystal, fine china, lavish linen — event rental is a high-touch business. But managing rental inventory has traditionally been a low-tech affair, due to the challenges of managing a vast array of products that move in different quantities...