Like any other industry, the quality of suppliers varies from the good through the bad to the plain ugly. The cream of the professional operators will supply high quality,
attractive items that are well maintained, have been cleaned prior to your event and are staffed by uniformed attendants. This last point by the way is actually a health and
safety requirement, if the staff from your supplier are not in uniform they are ignoring health and safety regulations, which ponders the question what else are they
ignoring?
As a minimum any competent funfair operator will supply the following items as part of his safety documentation;
Event risk assessment
Event Fire Assessment
Individual attraction risk assessment
Individual attraction fire assessment
Event method statement
Individual attraction method statement
Individual attraction safety and testing certificates
Public liability insurance documents
Written health and safety policy
Most of these items are actually legal requirements for service providers, so if any of them are missing, ask for them, if they are still not supplied then find another
operator, in todays culture of 'No win, no fee' legal action it just isn't worth taking the risk of using the cowboys out there. Especially when quite often they are not much
cheaper than the professional fairground companies. Also examine the insurance documents carefully, the amount insured varies from £1 million upto £10 million,
many local authorities require a minimum of £5 million so ensure your chosen supplier meets this.
If you choose a member of the main funfair trade union, the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, you will automatically be dealing with an operator that has a minimum £10
million insurance and also has to have all of their attractions meet minimum testing and safety standards. There are many excellent operators who are not members of
this organisation, who are still excellent at what they do, but they only have to meet lower standards so it depends on how much peace of mind you require.
The really top notch operators will add to this list of documentation with a written environmental policy and quite possibly an ethical purchasing policy. Sustainability in
events, and things such as Fairtrade are rapidly gaining acceptance in the business world as a whole, so it would be worth asking any company you were thinking of
using if they supported either initiative.
You should ask for supplier or testimonials from previous clients, and also for images of the attractions they intend to supply to your event. If either are not forthcoming
then again treat it with suspicion, competent suppliers are not afraid to supply details of previous jobs they have undertaken. A typical example would be a ride such as the
dodgems, in the U.K. most dodgem rides average around 16 cars. Some suppliers quote a much lower price than everyone else, and then supply a ride with perhaps 8 cars
on, you pays your money you takes your choice.
Just like in every other business the price is not the only criteria you should use, some companies will supply waste bins and a clean up service as part of their package,
others will leave a litter strewn site behind them meaning you will have to spend extra having it cleaned up. Saving a couple of hundred pounds on your event is not much
use, if one of your guests ends up in hospital having tripped over an unsecured cable some sloppy operator has installed without using cable management techniques
because he wanted to save a couple of quid.
All in all if you use a bit of common sense, and take your time selecting your supplier just like you would with any other company you were thinking of using you should
end up with a memorable, fun and above all safe event.
Showing posts with label funfair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funfair. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Brief History Of The Fairground Industry
Fairs in this country have a long and ancient history, deeply rooted in tradition.
The word fair is derived from the Latin ‘feria’, meaning a holiday and at one time the Romans were credited with the introduction of fairs.
It is now generally accepted that their origins are from pagan customs of the people who first settled this land; their seasonal gatherings held for the purposes of both trade and festivity, contained within them the essential elements of the fair.
The Romans did much to promote fairs by improving trade and communications throughout the country.
During the centuries following the departure of the Romans, many fairs and other festivals were incorporated into the calendar of the growing Christian Church.
Charters granted by the sovereign gave the fair legal status and an increasing importance in the economic life of the nation.
Merchants and traders from Europe, the Middle East and beyond were drawn to the great chartered fairs of the Middle Ages bringing with them a wealth of goods.
The sheer number of these fairs, no fewer than 4860 were chartered between the years 1200 and 1400, drew not only merchant but entertainers as well: jugglers, musicians and tumblers - the ancestors of today’s showmen.
The Black Death of 1348-49 brought about a new kind of fair.
In order to stem the rise in wages caused by the shortage of workers, Edward III introduced the Statute of Labourers.
This compelled all able bodied men to present themselves annually for hire at a stated wage.
These gathering or hiring fairs were held mainly around Michealmas, the end of the agricultural year.
By the early eighteenth century the trading aspects of the charter fairs had waned and most fairs consisted almost entirely of amusements, acrobats, illusionists and theatrical companies all plied their trade on fairgrounds.
Around this time the first fairground rides began to appear, small crudely constructed out of wood and propelled by gangs of boys.
In 1868, Frederick Savage, a successful agricultural engineer from Kings Lynn, devised a method of driving rides by steam.
His invention, a steam engine mounted in the centre of the ride was to transform the fairground industry.
Freed from the limitations of muscle power, rides could be made larger, more capacious and more heavily ornamented.
The showman’s demand for novelty was matched by the ingenuity of Savage and other engineers.
In the wake of the steam revolution an amazing variety of new designs and rides appeared.
These rides were the forerunners of today’s amazing thrill rides, over time innovations such as electric lighting, electric motors, hydraulics etc. allowed rides to evolve into the amazing devices that are seen today at any local fairground.
The word fair is derived from the Latin ‘feria’, meaning a holiday and at one time the Romans were credited with the introduction of fairs.
It is now generally accepted that their origins are from pagan customs of the people who first settled this land; their seasonal gatherings held for the purposes of both trade and festivity, contained within them the essential elements of the fair.
The Romans did much to promote fairs by improving trade and communications throughout the country.
During the centuries following the departure of the Romans, many fairs and other festivals were incorporated into the calendar of the growing Christian Church.
Charters granted by the sovereign gave the fair legal status and an increasing importance in the economic life of the nation.
Merchants and traders from Europe, the Middle East and beyond were drawn to the great chartered fairs of the Middle Ages bringing with them a wealth of goods.
The sheer number of these fairs, no fewer than 4860 were chartered between the years 1200 and 1400, drew not only merchant but entertainers as well: jugglers, musicians and tumblers - the ancestors of today’s showmen.
The Black Death of 1348-49 brought about a new kind of fair.
In order to stem the rise in wages caused by the shortage of workers, Edward III introduced the Statute of Labourers.
This compelled all able bodied men to present themselves annually for hire at a stated wage.
These gathering or hiring fairs were held mainly around Michealmas, the end of the agricultural year.
By the early eighteenth century the trading aspects of the charter fairs had waned and most fairs consisted almost entirely of amusements, acrobats, illusionists and theatrical companies all plied their trade on fairgrounds.
Around this time the first fairground rides began to appear, small crudely constructed out of wood and propelled by gangs of boys.
In 1868, Frederick Savage, a successful agricultural engineer from Kings Lynn, devised a method of driving rides by steam.
His invention, a steam engine mounted in the centre of the ride was to transform the fairground industry.
Freed from the limitations of muscle power, rides could be made larger, more capacious and more heavily ornamented.
The showman’s demand for novelty was matched by the ingenuity of Savage and other engineers.
In the wake of the steam revolution an amazing variety of new designs and rides appeared.
These rides were the forerunners of today’s amazing thrill rides, over time innovations such as electric lighting, electric motors, hydraulics etc. allowed rides to evolve into the amazing devices that are seen today at any local fairground.
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