The spooky economy has everyone scrambling to pull in revenue, and many rental operators are turning to discounting to hold on to business. According to the 2009 Event Rental Forecast, developed by Special Events Magazine, 13 percent of rental op...

It is probably safe to say everyone in the rental business has experienced a business situation that involved discounting. If our competitors do it, we rail about how destructive tactical discounting is and how it destroys value; we also wonder w...

To surcharge or not to surcharge? Ninety percent of event rental companies interviewed by Special Events say they boosted what they charge clients for delivery this summer in light of the skyrocketing cost of the fuel. Diesel fuel hit $4.76 gall...

Despite the tough economy, most event rental operators say they will not be discounting the price of their services, according to a recent online poll from Special Events. Just over half--51 percent--say that despite the bad news dominating the h...

“Hurricane Ike visited Houston on Saturday in the middle of the night, and oh, what a visitor he was!” says Jan Rocco, president of Party Props in Houston. Indeed, Hurricane Ike hit the coast of Texas on Sept. 13 and hit residents hard. When Ike ...

The price of a gallon of gasoline has dropped by almost 30 percent since July. Diesel fuel in the U.S. fell 18 cents to an average of $3.48 a gallon this week, down from an all-time high of $4.76 on July 14. With fuel prices dropping, are event r...

In the 1990s, Wheaton Party Rentals was a family business based just outside Washington. But the year 2000 brought big changes. The family sold the business and the business grew, expanding to Philadelphia, New Jersey and Virginia. Kelly Andres g...

It's the secret ingredient in appetizers, decor and guest lists--gasoline. If there's no gas, then the caterer can't deliver the food, the decor pieces sit on the loading dock, and guests can't get to the party. And a gas shortage is fraying temp...