Our parties differ from the average party. A magician comes with quite a few boxes, but a juggler comes with very little. One major party company in London (who mentioned Sharks?) only come with a small backpack. We, however, just about manage to leave behind the kitchen sink. There’s the track, jeeps, PA system, table football, blowers, batteries… need we go on? Suffice to say we don’t turn up in just a Ford Fiesta! For that reason we need good access for either our van or trailers, plus we prefer not to have to move them once parked in the loading area (time!).
Important: If we can’t get our vehicle up to the door, it adds time. If the door is far away from the space where the party takes place, it adds time! So we do need to know in advance (preferably at booking) if the venue is not straightforward, because we make calculations about arrival and departure time based on reasonable access. Every metre counts!
Similarly, doorways should be at least 1m wide (so double doors are great). We can usually get through smaller doorways but this might mean dismantling the jeeps, and guess what? That adds time. We do allow a reasonable time for loading and unloading, but if the venue presents challenges that are above and beyond what’s reasonable, we may have to put a surcharge on (or be a little late in starting). A major challenge (which may be a step too far :) ) would definitely include a staircase for example! Of course, if we have already been to the venue we would usually know the layout.