Posts

Common Mistakes In Event Planning

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Event Planning Tips & Tricks To Help Your Event Run Smoothly

Being in the events industry is cut-throat and demanding. And as an event creator, you have to think smart and execute fast when it comes to just about every detail from the event planning down to the actual day of the event. It is also with the greatest significance to keep up with the latest trends and emerging technology to get you ahead in the business.

And while you have everything ironed out during the process of your planning, the odds are there will still be unforeseen hiccups along the way no matter how prepared you and your team are. It could be something as minor as the balloons being delivered late or perhaps something much bigger and worse like a technical issue with your lighting setup. We never know. These incidents are sometimes inevitable but when you work with people that are well-experienced and efficient in what they do, any hurdle can be rectified no matter how small or big.  

The Sound & Light Hire Company has been in the events industry for more than two decades and counting and have worked with top-tiered event organisers producing astounding events of all types across Surrey, Guildford and Berkshire. Our company is acknowledged in the industry for supplying a complete range of event equipment hire and not to mention our competitive rate of every package we offer that will surely be worth every penny.

If you are an event organiser yourself or someone who works in an events production team, keep reading and let us know if some of the things we will discuss are familiar or relatable. In this blog post, we have consolidated some common elements event planners tend to miss out on and how to utilise them to their full capacity in the future. 

Putting on duplicate and redundant event themes

One of the main responsibilities of an event creator is to come up with a creative theme that will match their client’s taste and style. Producing identical, repeated events is a common mistake most event organisers tend to commit without even realising it. While it may be convenient and safe to run recurring themes and set designs, your reputation as a creator will be at risk. You don’t want to be labelled as boring and monotonous, right? Every event you want your clients and their guests or attendees to have a unique experience. And this is a constant challenge for event organisers to add a touch of distinctive element that will set it apart from the rest of the events ever produced.

Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of ways to make every event exciting and special. You can change-up and mix different elements that will make each of it remarkable. You may opt for a convenient child care section for a wedding event, you may also have a celebrity appearance for a gala night, or work with an event production company that will take care of every aspect of the event space and utilise new technology to bring the event to life. 

That’s when The Sound & Light Hire Company comes in. Having us in your team can take off a huge burden on your end as we will bring in premium event equipment that will complete your entire setup. We have a wide array of lighting fixtures from LED uplighters, disco lighting effects, high-end intelligent DMX moving head fixtures among others https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/lighting-hire/. Keep in mind that lighting is an important element to create a certain mood and bring your theme to life. You may also entrust your PA System to us as we can gauge the type of sound system needed for your event taking into consideration the number of attendees and the size and shape of the venue location. We offer a complete range of party equipment and have highly-experienced sound and light engineers working for us. To get to know more about our credentials, check out https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/ for more details. 

Having a good set of AV Equipment are undervalued

Most event organizers who are not well-versed in the emerging technology may think that all types of AV equipment produce the same high-end quality they require for the event.  But good event organizers are well aware that they can never achieve their desired outcome if they resort to DIY or trust it in the venue’s in-house sound and visual system. A good quality AV system ensures your client that they deliver the message across their attendees and at the same time too, effectively stimulate the  attendees in any event whether in a birthday celebration, a wedding or a conference . The Sound & Light Hire Company offers a wide array of AV equipment from backline equipment hire packages, live mixing desks down to the basic microphones and amplifiers. 

Event production companies that specialize in AV equipment and services are extremely helpful on hybrid or live streaming events & The London based production company On Tour Events can provide the technical audio visual services required for your conference or streaming event.. 

Post-event meeting 

And lastly, following up on your clients and attendees after the event has taken place. Many event organizers usually discontinue communicating with their clients after the event has ended. They must realize that following up on their clients and holding a post-event meeting is essential in  the improvement of their services and knowing which part of it needs to be improved. This will serve as your survey. Ask questions that will help your company grow and improve on the future events. More so, this will keep a good working relationship with your clients and will potentially allow you to be rehired in the future. 

If you are a thriving event organizer, The Sound & Light Hire Company is your perfect partner in making your upcoming events a success! We are a full-service event production company that provides customizable and flexible packages that will suit every client’s requirements. Our in-house inventory is coming from different trusted brands in the industry that will surely deliver premium quality events. 

Feel free to contact us through The Sound & Light Hire Company and let’s make that dream event possible!

The Sound & Light Hire Company

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083 

+44 800 861 1136 

10 Hillspur Close

Guildford

Surrey AV

GU2 8HF

Choosing The Best Wedding Lighting Production Company & Why It Matters

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

There are tons of ways to light up your special day, from setting the mood, ambiance, tone, and telling your story towards the end. These varieties are essential elements in achieving that picture perfect moment and flattering event. There are a lot of wedding lighting advantages that you should know and why you should choose the best lighting production company that suits your taste and style. No matter what type of wedding you decide on, whether this is at the beach, a backyard setting, or indoors, your chosen event production company should be able to adjust and supply your desired theme and make sure they have years of experience in the business.  

The Sound & Light Hire Company is London, Surrey and Guildford’s most trusted sound and lighting hire company offering a full range of event equipment services that will surely meet your wedding requirements. 

We have listed down some reasons as to why a dependable and perfect lighting that will match your theme is essential and why you should choose a top-quality service lighting production company:

Lighting helps in setting the mood

Given that documenting your most special day is top priority, getting that vital touch for your wedding theme should also be written on top of your list! If you want a dramatic wedding scene, warmer tones may be used. If you want a bright yet cinematic mood, you can adjust up your lighting to your desired liking. But natural light alone won’t help you achieve and set up that ambiance. Adjusting these settings on the spot would still be possible with the help of a reliable team of technical lighting engineers.

 Note that some people may think that event lighting only matters on finished productions such as digital photos and videos. However, sometimes weddings get emotional or really bright and people’s emotions connect with what surrounds them and lighting surely brings out the desired mood and help touch people’s emotions. It makes a huge difference on the overall ambiance of your wedding. 

Lighting as a great story teller

Same-day-edits for wedding videos are common today. Your photographers and videographers would absolutely prefer on point lighting to capture the best moments. Lighting is a very crucial detail in taking good photos and videos. When you want your shot to speak and story-tell, lighting plays a subtle yet powerful role. Poor lighting can easily distract your audience by missing some important points and angles throughout your shots.

We take pride in the events we have produced over the years, not just on weddings  but on any type of event such as company conferences, music festivals, live streaming events and many more. Being in the business for more than 10 years now, The Sound & Light Hire Company is a trusted event equipment supplier with an in-house inventory of not just sound and lighting but acquires the latest white LED dance floor, AV projectors and even special effects equipment. Here are the detailed services we offer that will definitely add life to your next event https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/event-production-services/

Technicalities with Lighting

Different terms have been going around within the lighting industry which you may or may not have heard of. Terms for LED lights such as beam lights and wash lights are common in wedding lighting production. Both types have different stroke emissions which give off a whole different vibe separately. A beam light will be more like a straight column of light that might appear sharper, while a wash will have more spread and is more subtle. Even these tiniest details have major impact in setting the tone of the outcome. There may be no rule as to which is best to use because it all depends on the setting you wish to achieve. Another technical aspect worth considering is water proof lighting. This is really important for outdoor settings. Don’t hire a company that can’t provide you with waterproof lighting. Sudden weather changes cannot be avoided that is why it is best to be prepared rather than scrambling down to gather the equipment to avoid possible disaster during your event. 

Lastly, you may also consider your hired event production company’s RGB LED. LEDs use red, blue and green in order to mix to millions of different colors. RGB LEDs work fine to mix too many colors, but do not have a lot of control over hue. Today, RGBW works better compared to RGB LEDs. With the addition of white LEDs, it gives far more color control, and makes achieving brilliant pastels a viable option. The white LEDs also help to bridge the spectrum gap between colors, making a far larger variety of colors possible. 

Furthermore, if you wish to make your wedding a little extra than usual, The Sound & Light Hire Company also offers not just LED uplighting but laser lights as well. And to top it all off, we also stock top of the line DJ equipment for DJ’s from Pioneer CDJ’s, Allen & Heath Mixers to Mackie monitors that will definitely make your wedding more memorable.

Choosing the best lighting production company

A list of considerable facts should be put into mind in choosing the best lighting production company for your wedding. Choose a company that is flexible and can meet any client’s request. Make sure they offer a variety of high-operating equipment and up-to-date technology. Convenience should be considered as well. You would want to hire those who can pick up, deliver and set up for you in no time. Ensure that they offer a reasonable and satisfactory rate. With the above given technicalities, be mindful of the specifics included and be ready to choose the production team that would willingly adjust to your taste!

You can find all these top-tier lighting production qualities from London and Surrey’s most trusted sound and lighting hire company. Here, we provide complete lighting and sound packages best for weddings and any other occasion. All you need to do is put your worries aside because we got you covered! Call us today and let’s make your dream wedding come to life.

Virtual Event Planning & Event Production Hire Services

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Virtual Event Planning & Event Production Hire Services With The Sound & Light Hire Company (A short story)

Meet Jack… Jack works for a great company. Jack’s company values its employees, and the employees are able to work remotely. Jack reports to one of the C-Suite leaders in his company, and is asked to put together a virtual event for their team. They used to do this even in person, and want to do the event virtually, but not lose the energy and excitement, and they want to keep everyone engaged.

Jack needs to find a local audio visual hire company in or near Guildford

Jack starts to research how to put on the event, while maintaining participation, and keeping it fun. The problem is, he doesn’t know what platform to use, and doesn’t have access to a studio or the right equipment in order for the event to appear professional. Jack just wants the virtual event to be smooth, seamless, and engaging for his team. Jack needs to find a local audio visual hire company in or near Guildford, Surrey as that is where they are based.

After Jack does some research online & read reviews about some of the local lighting & speaker hire company in Surrey, he calls The Sound & Light Hire Company to produce a fun, engaging, and motivational event to help connect their team virtually. First, The Sound & Light Hire Company listens to what Jack wants to accomplish, and how they can help deliver the content and positive energy to his team. The Sound & Light Hire Company works with Jack to design and plan the event, making sure that Jack feels confident, his boss is on board, and no details have been missed. Once the virtual event is designed, Jack gives The Sound & Light Hire Company great feedback, and gives The Sound & Light Hire Company the go-ahead to proceed to the last step, producing the event. Based on what Jack & the company needs to hire they have the options of LED screens, custom built stage sets to just simple wireless LED uplighters to back the whole virtual event feel a little more special

The Sound & Light Hire Company helps Jack and his team go live

On the day of the event, The Sound & Light Hire Company helps Jack and his team go live to create a welcoming environment and an engaging atmosphere that carries on throughout the whole event in included a stage set with LED backdrop, a small PA speaker setup, some wireless LED uplighters & a large 5m wide x 3m LED video wall screen acting as a large TV screen at the back of the stage. Jack and his co-workers really enjoy the experience happening on their screen, and they love seeing their leaders and the The Sound & Light Hire Company moderator having a good time, sharing important information, and engaging with them through chat, poll, and other interactive ways. The chat is flooded with entertained employees, and they are all engaged. The participation rate is through the roof.

At the end of the virtual experience, Jack feels grateful for The Sound & Light Hire Company. He is thankful that his team feels more connected, even from home. Jack’s company raves about the virtual event, and tells their peers how easy The Sound & Light Hire Company made this experience for their team.

The Sound & Light Hire Company is a local lighting, staging & PA hire company based in Guildford

So if you’re like Jack, and you don’t know how to create an engaging virtual event for your company or your organization, give us a call. We’d love to help you and your team. The Sound & Light Hire Company is a local lighting, staging & PA hire company based in Guildford, Surrey. You can hire small & simple ipod party speakers to large outdoor festival stages or even indoor / outdoor LED screens for conference work. One you can be sure of tho is that The Sound & Light Hire Company delivers an amazing services at a cost effective price point.

The Sound & Light Hire Company

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083 

+44 800 861 1136 

10 Hillspur Close

Guildford

Surrey

GU2 8HF

If you’re looking to hire LED furniture for your party, then The Sound & Light Hire Company has the answer

Round LED Mobile Bar Hire
The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Do You want To Hire LED Furniture For Your Party? The Sound & Light Hire Company Can Help !

With 2021 shaping up to be a year to celebrate the mass vaccination of the world’s population, slowly but surely it looks like we can get back to celebrating the old-fashioned way! Parties will hopefully return. Weddings can once again resume with the number of guests that brides and grooms had always envisioned. And we can all generally get our lives back on track!

Given the awful year that was 2020, we can’t wait to start 2021 on the front foot, and we’ve already seen an uptick in bookings for spring and summer party season. A lot of people have used this as an opportunity to try out new themes and reinvent their annual celebrations.

We’ve already noticed through multiple orders placed so far for LED furniture hire in Surrey, that this trend is going to play a big part of those new celebration ideas, and we couldn’t be better positioned to help you out as an event planner.

So let’s use this space to shed a little more light on what we can offer you in terms of LED furniture, starting with LED mobile bar hire.

LED Mobile Bar Hire in Surrey, London, Hampshire

Of course one of the central focal points of any party is the bar! It’s where everyone heads at least a few times during the event to get refreshments of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. So why not make it unique?

Our LED-illuminated mobile bar options are a perfect fit for all types of parties, including wedding receptions. For a start, we can provide you with what many people would term a “traditional” straight bar shape. We can supply the bar in a length of up to 8m, and it’s just as sturdy as traditional structures, capable of standing up to the rigorous demands of serving drinks to guests for hours on end. Speaking of hours, the battery life runs to eight hours, long enough for even the most extravagant of parties!

But wait, there’s more! We can also supply an LED mobile bar in either a semi, a full circle design. We’ve found this to be a really popular choice for outdoor parties in marquees that have less space to play with. As with the traditional bar, these quirky units will keep going for eight to ten hours. You can also choose from several static colours to fit in with the overall theme of your party, or you can use the included remote control have the bar cycle through a range of eye-catching alternatives dynamically.

Of course, these bars don’t just look great; they’re practical too. They come complete with under-the-counter storage, and you could choose to add a real touch of class by hiring complementary LED ice buckets! If you’re hosting some VIP guests, these little extras are a must!

But of course, the bar, while prominent, is only one feature of a party. You’re going to need plenty more furniture to complete your requirements. Let’s make a start by giving your guests somewhere very cool to sit!

Round LED Mobile Bar Hire

Round LED Mobile Bar Hire

LED Cube Hire in London, Surrey, Hampshire

For many, the next place to visit after the bar is the dancefloor, drink in hand. But (despite your guests’ best efforts) energetic dancing in high heels and the finest dancing shoes is going to inevitably require some rest at some point. Enter your LED-lit seating options!

LED cube hire provides you with a funky seating option that will provide a talking point and help your party furniture to stand out. Don’t let their square shapes fool you; these are as comfortable as many other conventional seating options. They are topped with plush leather to ensure that your guests will be happy to sit on them for hours and chat the evening away.

Due to their smaller size, they boast improved battery performance too. These versatile cubes will last 10 hours, and once again, you have the option of several static or dynamic colour choices. Like our mobile LED-lit bar, these cube seats are just as happy indoors in a nightclub as they are at an outdoor garden party. The choice is yours!

Seating aside, there is still one crucial aspect of furniture that we haven’t yet tackled – tables. You need somewhere to put your drinks, of course! So let’s move on to LED poseur hire.

LED Poseur Hire in Surrey, London, Hampshire

Poseur tables have long been permanent fixtures in bars and nightclubs up and down the country. They offer a perfect focal point for small huddles of individuals who want to chat and have somewhere to place their drinks (and food if necessary). Their unique design also adds a touch of exclusivity and sophistication to your party, especially if you’re putting them in an unusual location such as your own home or a marquee.

But hiring LED-lit versions elevates them further still. Their bright colours make them an excellent addition to darker environments (such as at the edge of the dancefloor). Better yet, like our entire range of LED-lit furniture, they are battery-powered, so you don’t have the issue of having to run cables everywhere, potentially causing a trip hazard.

You can combine them with the LED cubes mentioned above, or you could decide to give them their own designated area at your venue. Perhaps the best feature of these tables is their versatility, they fit in anywhere, at pretty much any type of event!

But we aren’t done yet; there’s plenty more LED-lit furniture we can offer you here at the Sound & Light Hire Company!

Massive Range of London LED Furniture Hire Available

Whether you’ve booked a swanky hotel function room, or you’ve “escaped to the country” for a wedding on a country estate, we have a full suite of LED furniture that is guaranteed to impress your guests. The list of items we have on our inventory is pretty extensive. While we don’t have the space to get into the nitty-gritty details of every single item, here is just a snapshot of what we have in stock when it comes to LED furniture available for hire:

  • Mobile bars
  • Cubes
  • Poseur tables
  • Benches
  • Curved seating
  • Bubble chairs
  • Champagne buckets
  • Stools
  • Conventional tables
  • Dancefloors
  • And much, much more!

If you’ve attended an event before with LED-lit furniture and want to know if we can supply the same thing to your party, the answer will invariably be yes. In short, we have one of the biggest selections in the country, so you’d be foolish to go anywhere else!

But whether you are planning an event for yourself, or on behalf of another individual or company, you’re going to be thinking about one important factor – price. So let’s quickly address the elephant in the room!

LED Poseur Table Hire

LED Poseur Table Hire

The short answer is not as much as you might have thought! If you’ve got this far through this article and still think that hiring this type of unique and exclusive furniture is something that only corporate companies or wealthy individuals can afford, then you’re wrong!

Our LED furniture hire packages start at less than £25. Yes, you read that correctly! Not too shabby, right? Especially when you evaluate those hire costs on an hourly basis! For a few hundred pounds, you can create a pretty spectacular setup. For a few hundred more, you can hire a mobile LED bar that is really going to steal the show!

If you’re planning a ticketed event, then it’s these kinds of touches that can pay themselves back in spades when word travels around at how unique and exclusive your event felt. With tickets selling out fast for your next organised party, you can afford to push the boat out even further fo the next one!

Speaking of hiring budgets, you aren’t going to want to stop at LED furniture. You’re going to need a whole host of hired equipment, including sound equipment, lighting fixtures, and maybe even some special effects packages! So let’s take a moment to remind you what we have available for those of planning a big celebration in the near future!

Hire Everything You Need for Your Party from the Sound & Light Hire Company!

We have a range of party equipment hire packages that are perfect for parties of all descriptions. Whether you’re hosting a milestone birthday party or a wedding reception party, we’ve got a hire package that includes everything you need to have a great time.

Just take our platinum wedding party hire package as an example. We’ve bundled everything you could possibly need together to secure you huge savings over hiring the equipment from separate outfits.

On the sound side, we’ve included two d&b audiotechnik PA speakers, two subwoofers, and an amp. Those impressive pieces of kit are matched on the lighting side by 20 (yes, 20!) wireless LED uplighters, eight R17 beams and eight metres of truss podium upon which to rig them.

Still not impressed? Good, we’re nowhere near done yet! In addition to that industry-leading sound and lighting hire setup, we will supply you with a 16ft x 16ft white LED-starlit dancefloor, an 8m x 4m LED-starlit backdrop, and an LED DJ booth! Can we just remind you this is all part of one hire package that costs less than £1500!

If that somehow wasn’t enough, we have a range of special effects hire packages including bubble machines, lasers, confetti canons, and flame machines starting at just £25 per item hire.

The best part? We can send our expert engineers and technicians down to your venue to both set everything up and take everything away for you should you wish. They can stick around during the event too if you need help overseeing tasks such as mixing the sound for your live band/DJ or running special effects machines and dazzling light shows for your guests!

We really are your one-stop party equipment hire solution.

Call Us Today to Secure Your Equipment for Spring/Summer 2021

If 2020 was the year of cancellations and postponements, then 2021 is shaping up to be the year of celebration and pure relief. The spring and summer party season is already set to be the biggest of the century thus far, which means you need to act now or face disappointment. As much as we’d like to help everyone out with our equipment hire and support services, the truth of the matter is we are booking up fast due to phenomenal demand.

We are currently benefitting from a perfect storm of rearranged hire orders from last year meeting a surge in new bookings for parties celebrating set to coincide the end of COVID restrictions on the horizon. So if you know you’ve got a big celebration planned for the spring or summer of 2021, don’t delay!

We’ve got sound, lighting, special effects, and LED furniture hire slots left on most spring and summer weekends, but they are fast disappearing. So act now to get yours booked in before somebody else beats you to your preferred dates!

You can call us on 0800 861 1136 seven days a week during the hours listed below to discuss your requirements. We can’t wait to hear all about your party ideas!  

Hire a LED Light Up Cube

This light up LED Light Up Cube is part of our LED furniture hire stock

 

 

 

 

Popular Sound & Lighting Packages & Whats On Offer

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Discuss Our Most Popular Dry Hire Products Which Are Suitable For All Types Of Smaller Functions:

This may be useful for those looking to do something fun over the festive period all from the comfort of your own home!

So, it looks like Christmas parties and New Years Eve will be spent inside, at home, rather than going on a pub crawl or watching a pantomime performance over the festive period & we will all miss the outdoor Christmas light switch on’s !We normally would be out building our outdoor stages.

Well what can we say, most people stay at home with their loved ones for Christmas anyway, it is just the lead up where the parties will be put on hold this winter. Don’t fret! You can still have as much fun at home with your own party set up rather than spending lots of money elsewhere then trying to get home late into the evening.

The most popular speakers we do are:

Our popular EV active 12” speakers on stands which work perfectly for house parties & smaller gatherings of up to 70 people. We call it our ‘small ipod system’ don’t be fooled by the name it doesn’t just connect to an ipod or come compact in size. This system is 2 x speakers on stands and we provide a cable which will connect to anything with a headphone output. This system is absolutely perfect for letting your hair down in your own 4 walls and dancing the night away. The speakers are not huge but a decent size, they fit easily into any car as with most our customers they prefer the option of collecting this themselves rather than opting for a delivery service, as this is such an easy thing to set up.

If you are after something with a little bit of extra punch then add a subwoofer to give the ultimate bass experience. The sub is a 12” active sub so no external amplification has to be added it is prebuilt inside. This goes for the top speakers as well. That is another reason why these systems are so popular, they are so easy to set up and low hassle, no fiddly connection of amplifiers which can be quite daunting when you are a novice at setting up anything audio related.

MEDIUM IPOD Speaker Hire Package

MEDIUM IPOD Speaker Hire Package

The 2 x top speakers with a sub we call our ‘medium ipod system’. 

Of course, you can add 2 subs to the top speakers to make it an even distribution of bass. You may think that this is all going to cost an arm and a leg but on the contrary, the small system is £45, medium is £75 and finally the large ipod system is £90.

Any of the above set ups we would suggest for use at home that is why these systems are the perfect solution for all the in-house party festivities which will be going on this winter.

When you turn up at our unit we set the system up for you to run through how it works and to show you it in working order before you take it away. This gives complete confidence and reassurance that you will be perfectly competent when you get the speakers the other end to set up!

Most customers are after the full shebang and require lighting in addition to the sound requirements to really enhance that party vibe. Not a problem we have lots of disco lighting products in stock, again they are the perfect accompaniment to the speaker systems mentioned above.

Our sound to light activated disco lights are sent out in pairs, and we provide a lighting t bar stand for them to hang from as well. They are the Equinox Revolution lighting effect, which are so easy to use and noticeably light in weight indeed. The lights just require a standard power plug in the back, turn your music up loud and away they go they do their own thing. You don’t require any lighting desk or a special assistant to press play, stop etc. they are just a plug and play solution for your house party. They offer different colours and patterns thrown out from the lighting fixture, which remains static but the patterns move.

Perhaps you are having a marquee in the garden or hiring a hall in the New Year for a birthday celebration

And are just after some form of moving light to give a party atmosphere, well these lights are perfect for exactly that. If you would prefer to not hang them on the lighting t bar stand then that is absolutely fine they have a bracket on the top so they can sit on that and adjusted in the direction you want the light to shine. It is advised though to use the stand as this gives a much better spread of light across your party room.

Special Effects Hire Surrey

Special Effects Hire Surrey

Another great enhancer of the light is one of our smoke machines. These smoke machines are so effective and so easy to operate. It is just a case of pressing a button to start then pressing another to stop it with the controller. Should the controller not be with it then you will need to manually hold the ‘go’ button then release to stop. The smoke fills up a room really quickly and doesn’t use that much fluid at all. We guarantee you will not use all the fluid that is provided with the smoke machine for your party. Yes, that is right the smoke fluid is also provided as well at no extra cost!

Don’t get this smoke machine mixed up with dry ice/ low lying fog effect that is something different which remains low to the ground without rising whereas the smoke machine rises and fills up a room, depending on how much you want to fill it up of course! We do also stock the low-lying fog machine, but we will discuss that product another time, as the blog is really about all the popular hire items we get requests for that are easy to use. We do get asked a lot will the smoke machine set off my smoke alarm. Well the truthful answer is possibly yes! If you are using the smoke machine in the same room as your smoke alarm or close proximity, then yes it will do. It is best to use it in spurts and away from the smoke alarms.

Thinking ahead to New Years Eve at home, why not try our 30mw green lasers? These are just the most fun solution to a party at home. Add these to the disco lighting set up and a smoke machine and you really do have your own club experience in your living room! They offer green beams of light which are sound to light activated making them an automatic laser system which means they are incredibly easy to use, just plug and play the same as the disco lights. We do suggest using the smoke machine alongside the lasers to really get the most from the lasers, it is quite impressive how much more impactful the lasers are in amongst the midst of the smoke.

Something we decided to invest in earlier this year which is something we were asked for a lot is a battery powered speaker system. This is a great choice for more compact party areas especially in the home environment or outside where no power is nearby. The Bose Pro1 system is a battery powered high impact speaker with clear sounding audio, lightweight and versatile usability. It can connect to your phone/ laptop through a cable we would provide but it also has Bluetooth capability which is another popular request from our customers. Just connect your Bluetooth and play your music from a distance- this is suitable for garden or marquee parties. This speaker we would recommend using for up to around 50 people as a rough guideline. It has a battery life of up to 12 hours of use, so this gives you plenty of time to dance the night away!

This takes us onto another battery powered product we stock

That again is high in demand for all types of events, our wireless LED up lighters. These are a fail-safe solution to adding subtle or vibrant ambient lighting to any venue environment. They can be placed up against dull walls, in marquees, against buildings or outside against trees. We do always advise the more up lighters used the better as the greater the lighting result and as a general rule of thumb one light every 2 meters. The battery life on these lights are between 8-10 hours and the colour can be set to your choice or have the colours fade from one to another via the in built colour reel.

A lot of people hiring disco lighting also enquire about these wireless up lighters which are normally placed at the opposite side of the room to the disco lights, one end becomes the dance area the other is a more chill out area but still adds to the party atmosphere. Not only can these be used for house parties & garden parties they are very popular for weddings, product launches and Christmas productions. We can provide some charging cables for you if you would like, especially for those people hiring for longer than a 1 day rental, they will come in quite handy.

Another battery powered item we do is our LED furniture range. The smaller items are fine for dry hire, whereby the customer collects from us, the larger items though would require delivery and collection an additional service we offer within Surrey, Hampshire & Berkshire. We have LED cubes which come with a black padded top for extra comfort and can also be used as a small table, the top can be lifted off so these make great versatile units.

Our LED poseur tables are either rectangular or circular, these alongside the cubes are great for garden parties where some additional seating/ tables are required or just used as another form of lighting- they are very cool products.

For larger gatherings we do LED curved benches and an LED curved bar. If you are after more bespoke LED furniture such as a straight LED bar just let us know and we can help with this as well.

Being based in Guildford, Surrey we are in a great location for people looking to hire locally within Hampshire and Surrey towns.

We are also closely linked to London as we are just off the main road which leads to the motorway so you can get to south London within 45 mins (on a good day!) If you are not convinced about having to collect, set up and then return after your event that is not a problem we do offer a delivery service.

One of our team would be happy to set up the equipment for you and return at an agreed time the following day to collect. You don’t even have to pack it away they will take it apart for you as part of the service. We do try and advise people to collect themselves for smaller hires as this keeps it extremely cost efficient for you, but the option is there for you to decide. This is based on our availability of course!

As mentioned, this article was focusing on the hire items which are used everyday and our most popular products people ask for. We do cater for all types of events so if you are having a larger outdoor production, festival, wedding or product launch in the New Year once the current Covid restrictions are lifted, please do contact us and we would be more than happy to assist you with your staging, LED video screen, sound and lighting requirements.

https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk

/https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083

The Sound & Light Hire Company reflects over the past 12 years of serving as a production company in Surrey, Hampshire & London areas.

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Well where do we being! I suppose from the start is a good place….

The last 12 years have gone past so quickly, and we have grown as a company in so many ways since we first started. Things have changed hugely within the events industry, the most significant change being the current pandemic situation we are all experiencing.

It all began back in 2008 when we decided to make a go of offering some sound services to club promoters and event organisers within the Berkshire and Hampshire areas. Reading was a popular town for us as we knew several up and comping promoters who were keen to start their career in the same industry. As young people we grew up around music and have a great passion for it and the acoustic spectrum, so we were keen to delve into this as a career.

The first few events we offered our services free of charge to just get our name out there as a starting point for the business venture. The events we were involved with back then were late night raves so the hours we worked were extremely long for not much profit! It didn’t matter too much though as we were so keen to make it work we kept pushing through. We used too supply an Opus sound system (Opus CS750 & CS1200 with SB218 & HB415 & even the Opus Audio SB221) which was extremely heavy to load in /out of the van and get into venues. At the time this sound system was just what the promoters had asked for, a lot of bottom end and a lot of noise came out!

Once we had conquered Reading’s busy nightlife, we found we were getting a lot of requests for London areas as well, so we were slowly branching out. The hours were the same, long and tiresome at unsociable times of the evening/morning dealing with a lot of inebriated individuals!

Whilst we maintained supplying club/ bar and pub venues, we also wanted to expand being able to offer some form of lighting as well. It took a while to save up enough funding to then stock some basic disco lighting to accompany the sound, but we got there eventually, and it worked well for what it was intended for.

In order for us to try and break into the wedding and private party sector we decided,

It would be a good idea to offer a DJ mobile disco service for Hampshire, Surrey and London areas. After a couple of gigs, we utilized our small car to transport the equipment, obviously the current bulky Opus system did not. This meant we had to re-invest in a different PA system.

In fact, the very first mobile disco gig we got we had to use a van to transport the top speakers and subs to a pub in Surrey. Arriving there we were greeted with a steep staircase into the venue which held about 100 people! The PA system we had brought would have done a mini festival; it was quite funny looking back.

Needless to say, the client was absolutely gobsmacked and over the moon by the undercharged PA system we rocked up with. Luckily it just managed to fit, and I say luckily as it took 3 of us to get it up the stairs! We didn’t have that long to set it up either but the guys were pros at this by now after the club events so that wasn’t too much of an issue.

I believe we supplied them with some sound to light activated disco lighting effects on a lighting t bar stand. A more appropriate set up for the room it was being held in.

Going back to our choice of PA for this type of service, we knew then we had to invest in a more suitable system for smaller parties so we had a pair of Mackie SRM speakers on stands which seemed a more sensible option for mobile discos. Back then there was no downloadable music to your phone / laptop we had to supply a mixing console and download music in advance of each party onto a CD using different software applications around at the time which took absolutely ages! We would spend hours and hours just waiting for songs to download onto CDs.

We used to advertise our services in the local paper and Yellow Pages, social media was extremely new at that point, it sounds very old fashioned now, but this is how businesses put themselves out there back then. I think we only just managed to land a considerably basic mobile disco website on the internet.

The majority of enquiries we used to get through were for weddings, and with this the requirements were becoming slightly more variable than just a couple of disco lights and couple of speakers.

We then invested in some more speakers and subs for additional bass sound,

As well as a professional wired microphone to attach to our compact CD mix unit for speeches and announcements. As mentioned before we couldn’t use a laptop with downloaded music already on there, so we would transport cases of CDs all labelled with a variety of genres of music to adhere to all ages of party goers for each event.

We decided to try and get our own speakers made for the larger events as we weren’t completely satisfied with the current speaker’s sound they produced. The project took a few months but eventually when they were ready, we took them on a few club events which turned out to be highly successful! We still had our large PA system for the club events but the demand for the mobile DJ service was becoming more and more so we really needed some more smaller speakers with subs to suit that type of function. EV ZLX active speakers were suggested to us, and we were impressed with the sound quality as well as them being robust units we decided to invest in these.

Suddenly our inventory was growing and we could now cater for club events for 400-500 people as well as run mobile disco parties for 70-200 people. I should mention at this point that all the equipment was stored inside our house which was fun and games when mixing this with everyday family life.

Once we had done a few mobile disco events word got around that we were a company to rely on so more and more enquiries came in for private functions, birthdays, Christening celebrations and corporate functions. We had never not turned up for an event and the equipment we used to supply for the parties was of a very reasonable quality which made a huge impact to how the night would go, the sound and lighting had to be adequate enough to create a real party atmosphere, which I believe it did.

Now we had smaller PA systems, lighting and the larger PA, we wanted some other type of product to offer people, so we started to supply smoke machines and lasers as extras. These became really popular especially for younger people- birthday parties or Halloween events.

The club / bar events we supplied PA for also requested lasers and laser shows became a popular option for certain promoters we worked with. We thought about just becoming a laser hire company but decided against that as our passion was more for the sound then special effects.

New Years Eve parties were a big thing, we would have large PA systems out for club hires and smaller sound & lighting packages out for mobile discos but this would be our limit for supplying any services as we didn’t have a huge hire stock inventory just enough to cover 2 different scaled events at the same time.

The time had come to change up the PA again as more time passed,

We became friendly with different people within the industry who demonstrated other brands of speakers to us such as OHM and RCF. We have stocked both brands and during that time we had to make a very big decision on whether we continue to store equipment at our home premises or try and rent a unit nearby. Not only did we have to make this decision we also were becoming inundated with enquires for disco services, so we then had another conversation about the direction we saw the business going. With this in mind we decided to take the plunge and rent a warehouse unit and with that start offering a hire service where not only can we deliver and setup the equipment but people were able to hire the equipment from us to take away.

It started small we only had a few sets of speakers and lighting effects. In time the club/ bar events we used to supply equipment for had subsided and the hire enquiries had become more and more.

We started to slow down offering mobile disco services and concentrate on the hire/ rental side of the business.

It was a good thing we did as our stock grew to multiple sets of speakers, subs, sound to light disco lighting effects, smoke machines, moving head lighting effects, wireless battery powered up lighters and LED tourcans. All these items were and still are easy to set up once taken home, so the essential party pack was something people loved and love to hire from us.

Being set up in Guildford we were in a prime location between Surrey, Hampshire and London,

And people were happy to travel to us. For those slightly further away or limited to transporting the equipment back for their party, we offered a delivery service at a very reasonable rate, just charging fuel at cost. A couple of unit changes over the years, we are still located in Guildford and happy to still offer the same hire service for dry hire or delivery.

To appeal to other types of events and those after a supplier who will deliver and setup for birthday, corporate and wedding functions we went on to stock white LED dance floors, backdrops, LED furniture, AV equipment and more. This broadening out allowed us to cover all party & events.

Finally, we moved over to the popular and versatile brand of d&b Audiotechnik sound which until this day remains our favourite, reliable PA system. We use this for all our outdoor events, as well as indoor events for events/ parties where a very slick coherent sound is required.

The next thing on the ever-growing list was staging…

It became apparent that a lot of people enquiring for outdoor productions required some sort of staging as well as sound and lighting. We wanted to be the company people could rely on as supplying everything in house without adding on hidden charges for hiring in equipment from 3rd parties. So that is what we did, started to supply outdoor covered stages.

We were thrilled with our 10m x 8m covered outdoor stage so shortly after this we invested in a 6m x 4m covered stage. The smaller stage is incredibly popular for all types of events such as Christmas light switch ons, school fetes/ productions, small festivals and weddings.

Lastly and the most recent addition to our hire stock just before the horrendous pandemic hit our industry, we are able to supply outdoor and indoor LED video screens. The cinema experience is currently one of the more popular choices for event organisers at this moment in time so we are very lucky to be stockists of LED video screen offering this to customers looking to put on a socially distanced functions.

Now we are a production company, going from small supplier of PA hire for clubs, mobile DJ services, dry hire party equipment rental to a production hire company. All this being run as a small family business after all these years. We are proud to still be running and are trying to press on forward through this difficult time for the events industry but are confident summer of 2021 will be one to remember. Here is to another 12 years!

Contact The Sound & Light Hire Company on the details below:

https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083

The Sound & Light Hire Company Talks Christmas Parties & Event Production

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Normally at this time of year The Sound & Light Hire Company is busy planning Christmas parties…

Corporate Christmas dos, light switch ons and we would be talking to brides finalizing their winter weddings. This year however will be slightly different for a lot of us! This article will explain how you can still put on an event, plan a party and enjoy Christmas.

This year we have seen an increase in the demand for outdoor covered mobile stages. As all events are basically taking place outside due to Covid regulations, The Sound & Light Hire Company have been busy talking to local councils and event promoters about supplying outdoor stages for Christmas fairs, fetes, and light switch ons. Let us discuss a couple of the most popular packages that event organisers/ companies hire when they are looking for an outdoor stage package.

We will start with our 6m x 4m arce’d roof festival stage which is the perfect size stage for local fetes, fairs and Christmas town productions. We won’t go over all the technical details about this stage but some of the key points about this stage and why this seems to be the more popular choice is the low hire cost point. To give you an example to hire this stage in the Surrey/ Hampshire area for a day would be £1200. That cost includes the crew to build and de rig after the event, as well as the transportation cost. Not only does this come in at a very reasonable price point it is also very quick to set up ideal for those who have limited restrictions on set up time/ get out times.

We can set this stage at the standard height of 1.5ft but we can raise it on higher legs if this is preferred to 1m. We have noticed that during the Covid time more people are opting for a higher stage height due to the audience being more spread out for distancing reasons.

The 6m stage will comfortably hold a 6-8 piece band and at Christmas it is common for councils to organise performances from rock choirs where you can have a large group of people performing. We suggest 10-20 people on the stage at one given time as the limitation is roughly between 18-20 people. However, with the current regulations in place we would recommend halving that so people can distance from one another.

Most event companies / planners come to us for the sound and stage lighting as well. This is because we stock a vast range of sound systems, lighting and special effects all in house. We can put together packages of all different sizes enabling us to meet the most basic or more demanding of technical requirements. Not only do we cover the production side we offer LED video screen as well which we will come onto further into this blog.

For those putting on slightly bigger outdoor Christmas show that have more live music or bigger bands or perhaps they just require more space on stage to run the event in line with current Covid regulations our 8x6m covered stage will comfortably hold up to 30 people giving you that extra needed room. To give an example of the price point for this stage you would be looking at £2000 which covers the crew costs and transportation within Surrey & Hampshire areas. Again, most people opt for an all-inclusive package which caters for stage, sound and lighting. Not only do we supply this, but we provide a professional technician to remain onsite throughout the event to ensure it runs without a hiccup. What Is quite common with this stage is adding on LED outdoor screen and this year more than ever promoters and local councils are all looking to hire some form of outdoor digital signage. Promoting things like local events, Christmas performances and local awareness messages about current restrictions and lockdowns.

Continuing This Topic of Outdoor LED Screen

We can supply screens either side of your stage ground supported or flown, or we can supply one large screen at the back of your stage. We have some newly released renders on our Instagram page to show this, as well as our previous jobs displaying the stages setup.

Perhaps you are after one big outdoor LED screen to watch Christmas films on for example or outdoor winter wonderland cinema nights, we stock a vast amount of LED video wall and with a competitive price point of just £75 per square meter we are one of the leading screen hire companies in the Surrey, Hampshire, London and Berkshire areas.

We would say the more popular choice of hire item during the Covid crisis which has turned into a newfound form of entertainment for people is hiring the LED video screens for outdoor films to become a cinema experience. This can be achieved with ease as people can remain in their cars and we can tune the sound to their car radio, enabling them to stay comfortably seated inside. This has worked well over the last few months and we foresee this will continue to be popular over Christmas into the New Year.

Moving onto lighting, what lighting do we have on offer this Christmas and what lighting packages do we recommend getting you through this Christmas without having to spend lots of money?

An old-time favourite are our LED wireless up lighters, why are they popular and why do we still recommend using them after all these years? Well they are battery operated which makes them handy units to dot around and spread some festive light. The battery life lasts between 8-10 hours having said that though if they are left in really cold environments this drains the battery quicker which many people don’t know so a little tip there for you! We ensure they are fully charged before they are sent out on hire so don’t worry about that. The fact they are wireless means no messy looking cables, so not only is this great if you don’t have access to power but also if you are trying to keep it looking slick you don’t have to worry about reels of cables around the room/ marquee.

We can provide you with covers for them so they can be placed outside safely without worrying about them getting wet/ damp as the covers are IP rated.

So perhaps uplighters aren’t your thing and you are planning on a small intimate gathering at home we have more vibrant lighting suitable for disco lighting. Packages start from £20 and can turn any home into a dance floor! They can be hung form lighting t bars which we provide and just plug into the mains, extremely easy to use and just do the job. Sending out lots of colours and patterns for a great festive party atmosphere. We stock a vast range of different lighting options so if you have more bespoke lighting requirements with a custom light set up in mind then no problem we can help with that. This article is not covering everything we stock/ offer it is just to give you an idea of popular hire choices over the festive season.

What better piece of equipment to hire at Christmas with or without Covid, is our snow machine. This highly professional machine will enable you to spray fake snow in your garden, over your house, on your stairs or in the lounge! These machines are cheap to run and amazingly effective at covering a small area which is what we have found customers want. With this machine you can project your fake snow up to 15-20m away. Whenever you hire a snow machine, we suggest raising above head height which adds to the effect with the spectacular falling foam but please make sure this is put in a secure safe place, the last thing we want is for any accidents to occur. We must also note that although the snow fluid is not hazardous it should not be sprayed into peoples face or rubbed in people’s eyes as it will sting it can also potentially stain hard surfaces and carpet so an outdoor grassed area with adult supervision is recommended.

One Big Announcement

Is the fact that we are moving our forever popular speaker hire packages to wireless battery powered PA systems. One of out latest additions is our Bose Pro1 battery powered portable speaker. This wireless speaker will give you clear thunderous, powerful sound at your house party or outdoor event in a small slick package. Weighing only a few kilos the performance from this Bose powered speaker system is nothing but exceptional. Stream your favourite music from your iPhone/ laptop or iPad or plug in directly to the back of the speaker and for £65 you will get up to 12 hours of music. It also has the ability to connect to your device via Bluetooth which is definitely a plus point for those not wanting any cabling whatsoever.

We would suggest this speaker to cover a party of up to about 50 people, so if you are having a larger gathering or want that extra punch of bass don’t worry we still have our popular systems which include top speakers and subs requiring power.

All these systems are super easy to use, do it yourself set up packages which give you great sound at a very reasonable hire price.

Recently we have not been delivering as much due to the demand being much less, but we are still able to offer delivery should this be something you really require, within the Surrey & Hampshire areas.

Another firm favourite at Christmas is our large white LED light up sparkly dance floor. This twinkling dance floor is suitable for all size parties as we can offer this in several sizes from compact intimate spaces for your house party to a large 20ft x 20ft dance floor in a marquee. Please ensure the flooring we lay the dance floor onto is flat and level, this is important to keep the panels safely firmly together! White is definitely a colour of choice for the Christmas season, but we can also offer this in black if this is preferred!

What goes well with the dance floor at Christmas time? A low-level fog effect! Add this low-lying fog effect to your Christmas party to really enhance the Christmas vibe, like you are dancing on the clouds without a care in the world.

To sum up on everything we have discussed in this blog, we have all had to adapt and make changes to our lives during this dire time, but don’t let it stop you having fun especially at Christmas time. Whether you attend any outdoor events that are put on by local councils or you are making sure you stay at home, The Sound & Light Hire Company really do  have sound, lighting, special effects, and production equipment to suit all eventualities so give us a call to see all the deals we have to offer.

So what are you waiting for? Call us on 0800 8611136 or send us an email to tell us all about your plans, we can’t wait to help you turn them into a reality!

Contact The Sound & Light Hire Company on the details below:

https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083

The Sound & Light Hire Company Gear Up for “COVID” Halloween

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Like many events this year, Halloween is going to be very different. Traditional trick-or-treating might be off the menu, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a ghoulish celebration to add a bit of cheer to – let’s face it – one of the most miserable years in recent memory.

No matter how you decide to set up your party, since it’ll be so different from previous versions, it’s fair to say that it’ll live long in the memory. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to host a Halloween party this year with the twist of COVID-19 thrown in there.

How to Construct Your Halloween Party?

Given current restrictions, it goes without saying that the party might be a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean it has to be any less fun. There are absolutely LOADS of ways you can have a great party without having large crowds gathering at your home. If you’re wondering how, we’re glad you asked, as we’ve got more than a few ideas for you.

Firstly, it’s more than likely that you’re going to need the help of video conferencing software so you can call up your friends. Most of us have gotten pretty used to Zoom or Microsoft Teams these days, whether it’s for a weekly quiz night or work purposes. So it makes sense to incorporate it into your party.

You could do awards for best-dressed and pump up the music for your virtual attendees to bop along to. If you really want to get into the spirit, you could take it in turns to tell virtual ghost stories to each other!

If you’re taking your party out into the back garden, you could decorate your lawn or garden area with tombstones and other spooky props for your little ones to navigate and collect prizes and treats along the way. Creating this setup would be an excellent alternative way to celebrate Halloween as a family if you happen to live in a location that is currently severely affected by the virus, and face-to-face events are not a possibility.

If you’re more chilled as a family about Halloween this year, why not get stuck into a Halloween movie marathon? It’s not like there aren’t many spooky films to choose from. Of course, there are the synonymous Halloween movies to make your way through (there are soon to be 13 to choose from!), or you could go for something a little more child-friendly with Goosebumps or the dozens of Simpsons Halloween specials.

Whichever idea you choose; you’re probably going to need to hire some equipment to help these celebrations go as smoothly as possible. Fortunately, here at the Sound & Light Hire Company, we’ve got you more than covered!

Halloween Party Equipment Hire Hampshire 

We have an enormous range of sound and lighting hire services that will help you turn your home and garden into a dark and chilling location for the night. Let’s start with speaker hire.

Speaker Hire Berkshire

We have a wide range of hire packages that will suit your home. If you’re planning on hosting a part or fully-virtual Halloween, why not soundtrack it with the best tunes for everyone to sing along at their respective homes? We have several PA speaker hire packages that will give you ample power for your guests. All you have to do is plug in your phone, and away you go!

Alternatively, if you want to take the music outside into your garden to soundtrack your spooky activities, you may be better suited to hiring one of our battery-powered speakers. Even though they run on batteries, they’ll outlast your party, with up to eight hours of playback on 75% volume.

Hire Special FX Equipment London

Speaking of which, whether you are going to town on decorating your home or you do indeed set up a Halloween-themed obstacle course in the garden for your kids, then it makes sense to hire special effects equipment to really make the experience as immersive as possible for them.

What better way to make your garden and fake tombstones (if you’ve got them) as spooky as possible than by hiring a smoke machine to recreate the effect of the fog rolling in on an eerie graveyard? You’re not going to do much better for realism than that!

Similarly, you could invest in a whole host of related equipment to create whichever ghostly effects will suit your specific activities. As part of our lighting hire packages, you can select a UV light to make everything bright and white glow in the dark. Perfect for those ever-popular skeleton outfits!

Again for outside or inside, you might want to hire a bubble machine. They are always a popular choice for children’s’ birthday parties, and they are just as well-suited to becoming part of your haunted house. If you really want to impress your guests (and their children), we can supply the machine with UV bubble fluid. When you combine the bubbles with the UV light hire package mentioned above, you can enjoy massive glow-in-the-dark bubbles. Trust us when we say that they look VERY cool!

Halloween Lighting Hire Surrey

There’s another lighting fixture we’ve not mentioned yet that is also perfect for Halloween – lasers! By hiring a laser machine, you can light up your back garden or indeed your dark and spooky house with the piercing lights of the laser. They are brilliant if you’re hosting a Halloween inspired disco (think Thriller!), or, combined with the smoke machine, they can totally transform your outdoor space into a Halloween inspired adventure playground. The choice is yours!

Another excellent choice for lighting up your terrifying back garden, are wireless LED uplighters. These battery-powered lights don’t need to be plugged in, saving you any worries about getting power to them, and removing the chance of young ones (or more likely the “older” ones!) of your party tripping over cables running between each light.

You could have them in various shades of Halloween orange and use them to denote a walkway through a spooky tour of your “haunted” garden, or use them as a beacon of safety/rendezvous point if kids get lost in the smoke and lasers!

Hire a Projector and Screen for Your Surrey, London, or Hampshire Halloween Party

Halloween isn’t the same as any old night; it’s a unique occasion that only comes round once a year, which means it’s only right that you mark it appropriately. While you could just watch a few spooky movies on your TV, why not make it extra memorable by hiring a projector and screen package?

You can all get dressed up, partake in a number of the activities suggested above (as well as some more traditional ones such as apple bobbing) before settling down to watch a creepy, scary film? With a projector and screen, you can recreate the feeling of going to the cinema from the comfort of your own home. You could even make it a four-dimensional experience by combining the film with special effects such as fog or bubbles.

Alternatively, you could take the whole experience outside (if you wrap up warm first!). This would work particularly well if you’ve already planned plenty of outdoor activities. You could also hook up the speakers to the laptop you’re playing the film on to provide the full outdoor cinema effect. We can even offer a pop-up tent to shelter under, should you need it.

How The Sound & Light Company Are Gearing Up for a Safe Halloween

Of course, it would be remiss of us not to address the elephant in the room, COVID-19. As some of you will already be aware, we’ve introduced sweeping changes to our hiring, delivery, and collection protocols to ensure that none of our devices can accidentally become a vector of the disease.

All of our staff members use hand sanitiser several times during a shift. If you order our delivery and set up service, our team will arrive complete with the recommended PPE for both your safety and our own. Then there’s the equipment too. We thoroughly disinfect everything that comes back into the warehouse, and we do so again before it goes back out on hire.

We are acutely aware that while we could all do with blowing off some steam at this moment in time, safety always has to come first. After a great deal of hard work, and after careful liaison with industry bodies and local government associations, we’ve pioneered a set of working protocols that maintain COVID-secure standards for events. As those guidelines are fluid, we will regularly update our methodologies and retrain employees where appropriate.

Choose The Sound & Light Hire Company for This Year’s Halloween Celebrations

This year has unprecedented in so many ways, but just because the virus has robbed so much from us this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun. This is especially the case for your children, many of whom could do with something to look forward to at this moment in time.

So why should you choose us?

Well, we have one of the biggest inventories of sound and lighting equipment for hire in the country, never mind Surrey or London. What that means for you is that we can cope with the demands place on us for a one-night celebration taking place up and down the country. We have thousands of devices in our warehouse, stocked up and ready to go.

We’re flexible too, we can offer you both a dry-hire option, or we can come to your house to deliver the equipment and set it up for you. Regardless of the which option you choose, our friendly team will also be on hand to provide you with any on-the-spot training you might require.

Finally, we offer everything you could possibly need when it comes to sound, lighting, special effects, and any other Halloween party equipment. There’s no need for you to approach several different event equipment hire companies to organise just one party. You can just pick up the phone to us, and we’ll sort everything you need in return for one easy-to-understand and straightforward price.

If you need us to, we can even help you in the planning and design of your little get-together. Having been in the industry for over two decades, it’s fair to say we’ve got a pretty good idea of what makes a good party!

So what are you waiting for? Call us on 0800 8611136 or send us an email to tell us all about your plans, we can’t wait to help you turn them into a reality!

Contact The Sound & Light Hire Company on the details below:

https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083

The Sound & Light Hire Company Remains Positive Whiling Investing in The Future

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Well, there’s no doubt about it, 2020 has been an unprecedented year in all manner of ways. The events industry has had to rally together to keep moving forward through what has been an incredibly tough and challenging period.

Here at The Sound & Light Hire Company,:

we’ve been rapidly adapting to the situation with each twist and turn of government guidelines, providing our outstanding service throughout, and developing a wide range of new equipment hire services. We would just like to reiterate that we are going nowhere (contrary to some malicious reports) and are, in fact, using this period this invest more money into equipment that is going to prove more pivotal moving forward.

So let’s start by taking stock of the events industry as it stands, state why we remain optimistic that the sector will recover, and talk about those investments into the future in a little more detail.

COVID-19’s Impact on the Event Service and Equipment Hire Industry

There’s no point in trying to dress the impact of COVID up as anything other than disastrous for the events industry as a whole. The ban of large gatherings of people effectively put an end to the festival season before it had even begun. Weddings, birthday parties, and almost all forms of collective celebrations were put on hold, as were events such as conferences, exhibitions, sports events, and live music concerts.

To put some figures on the impacts of those events being cancelled, arts and cultural events contribute £5.6 billion to the economy, festivals, fairs and shows produce £6.0 billion, music events rake in £17.6 billion, and sporting events add a further £9.6 billion. Of the million-plus jobs that depend on a thriving events industry, up to 600,000 could be lost without further support from the government. Those figures don’t even take into account the economic impact of the cancellation of private celebrations such as weddings or birthday parties.

However, the picture may not be as gloomy as it may seem, and we’ve been busy helping clients make alternative arrangements to ensure that they’re planned events could still go ahead, albeit it outside and a reduced number of attendees. What’s more, even though continental Europe is experiencing a second wave, the events industry has already demonstrated that events can go ahead even if the virus is here to stay.

There’s another reason to be positive, too. We are at the onset of rapid testing.

Advances in Testing Capabilities Give Cause for Optimism 

Another reason behind our upbeat outlook is due to the rapid advance of testing technology and availability. Already, some tests exist that can determine the COVID status with a high degree of accuracy within 15-minutes. While they cannot, at this moment, be used as the sole method for screening individuals prior to entering a venue, large public events, or sporting events, they are a very much a start along the right path.

With the government attempting to pull off Operation Moonshot – a plan to test the whole UK population once a week by the end of next spring – further rapid testing at venues for parties, celebrations, and public events will provide an additional layer of biosecurity. With individuals knowing their COVID status on at least a weekly basis, the behaviours we’ve all avoided for so long such as being in close proximity to others can safely return, and we can begin to restore some form of normality in the wait for a viable vaccine.

As stated, these tests exist today. Now it’s merely a case of waiting for these rapid tests to reach the manufacturing capacity of several million per day. Once available on that scale, fans can return to music concerts, weddings can be restored to their former glory, and birthday parties can do away with limits on the number of guests in attendance.

So how are we preparing and investing for the future here at The Sound & Light hire Company? Well, we’re glad you asked.

The Sound & Light Hire Company Invests in the Future 

As you can imagine, we’ve been planning for the future with our equipment hire services. We’ve made significant strides to adapt to the current situation, and will be launching several new products for 2021. But let’s start with the expansion of existing hire services we already offer.

Indoor and Outdoor LED Screens 

LED screens and outdoor LED screens, in particular, are going to be hugely important going into 2021 and beyond with events increasingly being held outdoors. Outdoor cinemas, garden parties, movie nights, music festivals, and many more events will all benefit from the presence of LED video walls and screens.

We’ve started by expanding the number of LED HD TV screens we stock, before going all out on our range of LED video walls. Moving forwards, we can build outdoor LED screens from 2m x 1m right up to an enormous 8m x 6m! Screens this size would be absolutely perfect to hire for a drive-in cinema event or music festival.

We also have two options available concerning pixel pitch our indoor LED screens & outdoor LED screens both have a pixel pitch of 3.9mm. The our SmaRT#Tech screens offer a much crisper picture high-definition picture, especially for lower cap events where your attendees won’t be too far from the screen. By contrast, for larger events with viewers set to be positioned further away, 3.9mm pixel pitch video panels will just look even better ! And our LED screen hire prices offer a more cost-effective solution to any other outdoor LED screen system.

Embracing the Future of Gaming

Moving on to totally new equipment that we’ve never made available for hire before, will shortly have in stock two VR gaming PCs complete with HTC Vine Pro headsets. This otherworldly experience would be a great addition to any social occasion.

Imagine playing with your friends in a completely immersive game, with every movement you make reflected in what you see in front of you. The would also make an excellent focal point for birthday celebrations, as you laugh along at older family members getting to grips with the technology for the first time!

Towable Power Generators

As mentioned, even with enhanced testing in place, outdoor events are still going to be very much the order of the day for the majority of 2021, barring a minor miracle. That’s why we’ve invested in towable generators. From now on, any clients booking staging hire with us will have the option to for us to look after their power requirements too.

In fact, that offer is extended to all outdoor events requiring a power supply. By hiring one or a couple of generators with us, you needn’t worry about getting power to your outdoor speaker hirestage hireLED video wall hire, or lighting hire equipment.

New Wireless Lighting Options

Sticking with the theme of outdoor events, wireless, battery-powered lighting is going to play a pivotal role in many public and private events over the course of the next 12 months. We’re busy constructing a totally wireless lighting package that builds on our existing wireless LED uplighter hire options. These battery-powered options will be great for celebrations and events whereby power is not available, and a generator is not cost-effective.

Extending the Range of Battery-Powered Sound Options

On a similar note, we’ve invested heavily in increasing the number of battery-powered speakers for hire. These speakers have been popular since the onset of the pandemic, and we expect they’ll continue to be favoured well into next year and beyond. They are great pieces of kit and will comfortably last for 7-8 hours of playback at 75% volume.

We’re also crafting a completely wireless lighting and sound hire package, for those events held in more extensive gardens, fields, and other similar settings that may play host to an event over the next couple of years.

The Event Industry is Certainly Down, But By No Means Out 

As we’ve stated, here at The Sound & Light Hire Company, we’re going nowhere. We know that this period has been challenging, regardless of industry. The events sector has been no different. Actually, we would argue that it’s very much been at the sharp end, considering the economic hardship caused by the cancellations of so many events, festivals, weddings, parties, and other celebrations.

However, we’re not ones to sit still. We’ve changed the way we operate, implemented all of the necessary additional health & safety protocols, and, as laid out above, we’ve invested heavily into our inventory to provide a broad spectrum of equipment hire options that cover almost every base.

Don’t forget we can provide all manner of event services too. Our event production teams have already designed, directed, and overseen some of the first-ever socially-distanced events with massive success. We can take care of everything, from setting up and mixing the sound for the live band you’ve booked, to rigging lighting fixtures to trusses and choreographing a dazzling lighting show for your wedding celebration. We can do it all.

Why Choose the Sound & Light Company for Your Equipment Hire Needs? 

2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, so it’s only right that once we’ve got to grips with it as a society, you’ll want to celebrate and enjoy events and parties just as you did before lockdown was even a word. Here at The Sound & Light Hire Company, we are in the perfect position to help you out.

Whether you need to hire a small PA speaker system for your kid’s birthday party, or you need us to handle the entire event production of an extravagant wedding, we are just as committed to excellence in either arena. We have one of the biggest inventories in the whole country when it comes to sound and lighting equipment.

Better still, if you’re hiring from us, you’re receiving brand names that are widely regarded as the best in the business, we never, EVER, cheap out on equipment, even for small equipment hire packages. We’ve never had a piece of equipment let us down, which we think you’ll agree is incredible after being in business for over a decade.

Then there’s our friendly team. We are here, seven days a week giving on the spot training to dry-hire customers, mixing live music acts in front of thousands of fans as well as delivering and setting up equipment all over Surrey, London, and surrounding areas. We never stopped and have gone the extra mile this year to ensure our customers have hosted successful events.

So if you’ve got a corporate event lined up at a central London hotel, or you’ve got a wedding booked in the Surrey countryside, we can supply everything you could ever need. Just give us a call any day of the week on 0800 8611136 to have a chat with us. We can’t wait to hear what you’ve got planned!

Contact The Sound & Light Hire Company on the details below:

https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083

The Sound & Light Hire Company Supplying Sound, Lighting & Stage for Birthday Party in Surrey

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Things have been so busy here and the Sound & Light Hire Company that we haven’t had time to tell you about a celebration we supplied equipment and event services to back in March. We were tasked to provide the sound, lighting, and stage for a joint 30th and 60th birthday celebration of a mother and daughter.

So without further ado, let’s tell you all about it!

Surrey Event Company Designs and Delivers Ultimate Birthday Party 

As mentioned above, we were contacted by a private client concerning a joint birthday celebration at Surrey venue whereby we are the preferred supplier for all manner of event production services, namely sound, lighting, and stage hire. After being passed on their details by the venue, we immediately got in touch with the individual client to set up an initial chat and a site visit.

We arrived on-site and got to work straight away on securing the exclusive use of one of the “wings” of this prestigious venue, which our generous venue partner kindly offered without any quibbles. By doing so, we gained the freedom of the entire space so that we could work on setting up (and disassembling) equipment unencumbered by the presence of other guests. In case you were wondering what we mean, the venue in question offers hotel accommodation as part of their multifaceted operations.

The premise for this birthday celebration was simple but elegant. Much like the singer Sam Sparro, this party was going to be dominated by a “Black and Gold” theme. One we’d worked out the finer details of the brief with the client, it was time to go away on work on creating a completely bespoke proposal for the client.

Our in-house design team got to work straight away and provided the client with a 3D render of the venue to visualise how our technical equipment and design choices would look when in place. She was thrilled with what she saw and gave us the go-ahead to get to work organising the logistical and technical aspects of pulling it off.

Surrey Stage Hire For Joint Birthday Party

Once the morning of the party rolled around, it was time for the hard work to start! We started by setting up the drapes which were to be hung up around the perimeter of the grand hall. We used lightweight black and gold clothes, unsurprisingly, to match the theme given to us by the client. We then completed the overall look of the venue by placing LED-lit furniture, such as cubes and poseur tables strategically across the grand dining hall, ready to be turned on and set to gold colour once the guests began to arrive.

While the brief included all aspects of event production, our primary emphasis was on the sound, lighting, and indeed the stage elements of this party. Our primary focus after making those nice preparatory touches to the venue was to get to work constructing the stage.

In terms of the stage we provided, the client opted for our suggestion of a 6m x 4m stage hire package, which had been tweaked to include 1m legs to elevate the booked live band well above the ground. Our bandstand-style stage comes complete with handrails, steps, and the legs mentioned above. Our stage crew had certainly eaten their Weetabix on this particular morning as they managed to erect the stage in under an hour, even though there were added customisations required to accommodate the additional height of the stage.

Once the stage was nearing completion, the focus then turned to erecting the truss structures upon which the lighting fixtures would be rigged.

Event Company in Surrey Provides Lighting Hire for Birthday Party 

As touched on, the next stage was setting up all of the lighting equipment for the evening’s entertainment. Once we have erected a stage-based truss, we started adding the lights. What we supplied was an iteration of our live band lighting hire package, with a few extras. We started with eight Showtec M800 Tour PAR cans to wash the stage in a range of colours, but then we also added a couple of moving head fixtures, and Equinox Revolution disco lights, a couple of lasers, and a smoke machine to help bring the best out of the lighting equipment.

As mentioned, the live band were going to be followed by a DJ, so we needed to have lighting equipment capable of showing off both set of entertainers. There are nuanced differences between the two, with DJs having a strong preference for lasers over more traditional stage lighting options. Since we had all angles covered, there were certainly no complaints from either entertainment act!

Dotted around the rest of the venue, we supplied wireless LED uplighters to set the mood and ambience for the evening. In case you hadn’t already guessed, the colour for these uplighters was a suave shade of gold, very much in keeping with the theme! We ran these from the outdoor entrance of the wing of the venue sectioned off for us, right through the foyer, and into the grand hall where the main festivities were taking place.

Finally, we set up a variety of pin spots around the room to beam sharp beams of gold light against the back drapes and black table dressings.

While the lighting technicians were busy setting up all of these fixtures, our sound engineers were working just as hard setting up all of the sound requirements for the live band and DJ.

Sound & Light Hire Company Provide Sound Equipment Hire for Surrey Party

While the stage and lights were crucial, there wouldn’t have been much of an event without us providing top-of-the-range sound equipment for hire. Concerning the sound requirements, they actually started outside of the main hall.

As highlighted above, there was an entrance foyer where the birthday guests arrived, checked in their coats and accessories, and grabbed a glass of bubbly before making their way into the grand hall. The client requested that we had some form of sound equipment in there along with the uplighters to get guests in the party spirit! “No problem!” we replied.

We set up a couple of EV ZLX 12P active PA speakers that played a phone-based playlist chosen by the event host. The client said the small but very powerful speakers helped to get guests in the foyer in the right mood for the evening and helped to invoke the spirit of the planned festivities. The desired effect was achieved with the help of the golden glow coming from the ensemble uplighter lighting arrangement.

Next, as you might not be surprised to learn, our focus was very much turned to the stage. Again, we had to cater for two distinct types of act, a live band and a DJ, which required a hybrid approach to the sound.

Initially, our attention was paid to the requirements of the live band. We set up a range of state-of-the-art kit, including an arrangement of d&b Audiotechnik Q1 Midtop speakers, Qsub bass speakers, and D12 power amps. This premium sound arrangement ensured that the band had crystal clear vocals and booming, immersive bass for the audience to enjoy.

We also supplied the following supporting sound gear:

  • Speaker stands
  • Mackie Pro FX12 Live Band Mixing Desk
  • Shure SM58 Microphones
  • Shure Drum Kit Mic
  • K&M Microphone Stands
  • Proel D2 DI boxes
  • All the power & signal cables
  • 3.5mm aux cable for laptop/phone playback while the band took a break

Waiting in the wings, we also had our team on standby on the evening itself to reconfigure the existing sound setup to better accommodate the DJ and integrate his personal equipment. Amazingly, he hadn’t yet worked with d&d audiotechnik speakers on any of his gigs. Let’s just say he’s now very much a convert and understands why we place so much faith in this industry-leading brand!

On-Site Event Services Support

The time for the evening’s proceedings came, our on-site team took over to ensure everything ran smoothly on the night. We had one of the team on the lighting desk to choreograph some dazzling lighting displays both for when guests arrived, during the live band performances, and he handled the DJ set too.

On the sound side, we once again had one of our experienced engineers on the mixing desk, overseeing the initial soundcheck, and then subsequently handling all of the mixing during the live band’s performance itself.

Both employees were also on hand to answer any questions, and our sound guy helped fix an issue with speakers the initial foyer reception when they stopped playing. As it turned out, it was nothing to do with the speakers. Rather, someone had pulled the cable loose from the phone that was connected to the speakers, stopping the playback. It was merely a two-second fix, but that’s what our team are there for!

Excellent Feedback for Sound & Lighting Plus Staging Hire in Surrey

While we are a business that operates to make a profit, there’s nothing better than receiving excellent feedback from a client. In this instance, it’s fair to say our client was pretty gushing in her compliments. Given that we received this text on the same night as the party, it’s fair to assume a few wines had been consumed!

Either way, our client sent us a text after arriving back from the party. She said:

“Can you pass on my thanks to everyone at the Sound & Light Hire Company who made this birthday one that I’ll cherish for the rest of my days. From the moment I walked into the venue, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The drapes worked exactly as envisioned. The lighting was just as dramatic as promised, and, well, what can I say about the entertainment show you produced for us? Superb!”

We actually met the client (who was one of those celebrating a birthday) the following morning, as we finished up the deconstruction process. While she won’t mind us saying she was a little worse for wear (we have her permission, promise!), she was no less grateful for the hard work we had put in to make it a success. To be fair, some of us were pretty tired too (it was a late finish), but her praise really put the icing on the cake.

Use the Sound & Light Hire Company to Plan, Design, and Oversee Your Event Production

Here at the Sound & Light Hire Company, we are a Surrey event company that can easily take care of all technical production aspects for your event. Whether it’s a birthday party or a wedding, we can provide the sound, lighting, stage, and all kinds of other event production elements such as furniture and LED video screens.

If you want to enjoy the ease of working with just one Surrey-based company for all of your event production needs, then don’t hesitate to contact us on 0800 8611136. We can walk you through the entire process and offer a range of options suitable for your specific occasion. Crucially, we can also provide the on-site support you may require to ensure everything goes off without a hitch.

Even if you need advice, just give us a call. We’ll here ready and waiting to help your event become a rip-roaring success!

Come and get in touch about your next event, we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Contact The Sound & Light Hire Company on the details below:

https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=177697462353676083