WHEN an item takes up space but doesn't make a profit, what do you do? This simple question draws a range of responses from party rental pros — from selling it in cyberspace to depositing it in the dumpster...

L .A.'s Classic Party Rentals proved again that the big get bigger when it acquired the tent rental operations of Torrance, Calif.-based Aztec Tents & Events in November. Here, longtime Aztec president Chuck Miller looks at the future of...

Inflatable furniture has come a long way from your college dorm days. The Bubble Chair, available from London-based online retailer I Want One of Those, is created from five small and five large connected balls, which form a fanciful bubble-shaped...

TO make a special event a success, having the right performers onstage is important. But just as important, professional staging suppliers will tell you, is the staging you build to support those performers. The right staging not only adds drama...

Wedding invitations go high-tech thanks to Boca Raton, Fla.-based Elegant Invites, which creates custom CD-ROMs that couples can use as their main invitation or to supplement traditional paper invites. The multimedia disks, which play in any...

SO badly did Andy DiRaddo want to get into the sound scene 30 years ago, he was willing to make major sacrifices. The young upstart with a love of music — but, he admits, no musical talent — signed up for one of the only college-based programs in...

FROM the tallest party tent to the red carpet beneath guests' feet, it seems that virtually every event element requires a permit nowadays. To get some perspective on how to navigate the permit maze, this month's “Rental Essentials” offers a Q&A...