Fund Raising!!! We got to talking about different events/activities that would work to raise funds for their garden. Here are a few, maybe some of them would work for you.

Karaoke night: Recently the Alpha Xi Delta sorority from nearby UNC Asheville used our karaoke equipment to raise money for Autism Speaks at The Hop Ice Cream Parlor… They charged $3/person and $5/group, and were very successful in just a couple of hours. This is something that can be scaled to fit any size group and is not weather dependent, karaoke can be inside or outside. Creative idea ladies, thanks for the  inspiration.

Sumo Night: Sumo Suits are hilarious and make for a great spectator sport! Contestants face off inside a round circle on the mat, and they try to “wrestle” each other out of the circle. Add a lively referee and you have the makings of a great time. Contestants can be charged as individuals or as groups.

Outdoor movie nights: Find a good film to suit your event or cause and show it under the stars on an inflatable movie screen. Have people bring blankets or chairs and spread out on the lawn for a nice relaxing evening of films. Take donations (charging for movies requires the purchasing of rights, which can be quite costly) and sell popcorn and drinks.

Cookout/Party: Organize a cookout where you sell burgers and hot dogs. Add a couple inflatable bouncers and sell tickets for playtime. You can even put up a PitchBurst and have kids and adults buy tickets for the chance to pop a water balloon over someone’s head (make sure lots of people want to soak the person under the balloon)!

These are just a few of the ideas we are going to use over the summer to raise money for the garden. We would love to hear your favorite ways to raise funds for your organization.

Outdoor Movie Nights: I promise, its really fun. It can be a movie or sporting event. It can be on a sheet on the side of a house, or on our big inflatable movie screen. It can be a horror movie or the Superbowl. It’s just fun. I’ve watched movies in our friends’ backyard, and we’ve watched the Superbowl outside at our favorite bar,the Bywater on Riverside Drive. It makes viewing more social! And its awesome!

Memories: Its hard to plan an exciting birthday or anniversary party for grandparents, but we had a family recently that created a slideshow of old pictures and showed them at their parents 60th anniversary party. Some of the pictures were of the couple, but most were just family pictures than spanned the 60 years they had been together. The grandparents said it was one of the best gifts they had ever received, and everyone loves a trip down memory lane.

Parties: We definitely have had a few different customers use projectors to play video games. People can use them inside or outside, and it creates an awesome atmosphere for gaming. However, my favorite party application has been using the projector and having an all request “YouTube Party.” We all know those old funny songs that we used to get down to as kids. Pick a person to run the laptop, and everyone at the party can request their favorite dance songs and watch the videos. Think MTV Jams circa 1990.

Weddings: We had a bride a few weeks ago surprise her husband with a photo slide show of pictures of the two of them. They had been dating since college, and the guests absolutely loved seeing pictures of the kids when they were younger… the groom was totally surprised, and it was an easy and thoughtful gift that everyone enjoyed.

So when you are planning a party or wedding, don’t rely on inviting only the friends who bring along buckets of laughs and a light-hearted attitude.  Remember that you can help everyone reach their “fun potential” by making it easy for your guests to play their way to an upbeat attitude.  That could involve something organized like a a ping-pong tournament bracket and prizes for the competitors.  This would be a good idea if you have some guests who might not ordinarily branch out and interact with party-goers that they aren’t familiar with.  Or the party host could play “sneaky matchmaker” and pair up a couple of eligible singles in a doubles foosball tournament.  It’s a great way to trick folks into getting close to each other, without being as blatant as busting out the Twister mat.

We all know that games are a great ice-breaker, don’t let the high price tag of owning traditional table games stop you from reaping the benefits.  Another benefit of renting games is that you get to bring folks to a setting that is already familiar.  The bright lights and loud sounds of a game room can actually inhibit some folks, and not everyone is comfortable with the bar setting that often accompanies table games like pool and foosball.  By having a gathering at the house or neighborhood park, you can avoid the food and drink price-gouging that happens when you venture out into the scary world of commerce.

If you need a reminder of what games can do for social functions, watch a group of kids that just met and see how quickly they find a way to interact and compete.  Luckily, when it comes to adults the interactions rarely result in tears and time-out.  What you can expect is for the ice to be broken, laughs to be had, and your party to quickly loosen up.  The coolest part is… you don’t have to make a huge investment to have premium table games at a party, you can affordably rent them from Rental Me This for the weekend, sit back, and reap the benefits!

Spring is my favorite season in Asheville, and a busy time for the business as people start planning summer parties and festivals. So, in the spirit of summer, we are taking a look at one of our favorite products for summer: the Inflatable Tropical Slip & Slide.

What is not to love about a Slip and Slide? Last summer it traveled to an awesome Burnsville farm for a birthday party. Most of the kids were around 8 years old, and while they could not muster up the strength to make it all the way down the slide into the pool, the were able to run half-way down and then slide. They played all afternoon… Talk about a Happy Birthday!

But the Slip & Slide is as much fun for adults as it is for children. That’s right: For all you adults out there who think you are way to old to be taking a running dive onto the hard ground, there is a solution: 30′ of inflatable softness for your sliding pleasure. We set it up at a parking lot party we had last fall, and there were more adults in line than kids. Kids at heart, we love it!

And while this may not be in the true adventure spirit… I know that I plan on having it blown up at my house numerous times this summer, and all I plan on doing is sitting under the tropical palm trees, relaxing, and having a cold beverage. I may be in downtown Asheville, but I will be in the Caribbean at heart.

We would love for you to share some of your fun summer pictures and videos! E-mail or Post them to our Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/gXmucH

Hello and welcome to the new Rental Me This blog. This blog was created just for you, our valued customers and friends. We want this blog to be a place where you can find fun entertainment and useful information. We understand that there is a lot of material out there on the Internet. So, we want to thank you for joining us.

We hope that you will find this blog to be a place for your stories, not just ours. So, if you have a fun story that you would like to share, send us your video link and/or story on Facebook. You can connect with us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/gXmucH.

Our goal in this blog is to provide you with the following:

1. Unique and fun wedding ideas
2. Crazy stories and video testimonials
3. Creative ways to spice up your next party
4. Fun contests and give-aways

Our Story

Now, we would like to share our story of why we opened Rental Me This. We came up with the idea after trying unsuccessfully to find somewhere in the area that rented out fun party games. This is something that we wanted desperately for our wedding festivities. However, Asheville just didn’t offer the items we were looking for.

We opened the store with the goal of providing Asheville with a family-owned rental store by providing items typically used during parties and events. Then, we added inventory from one of our favorite ways to spend time with friends: floating our very own French Broad River. Now, we have fun creating fun and unique party experiences with you, our friends and customers.

Our inventory now covers a number of rental items such as:

1. Wedding and Party Rentals
2. Table Games like Ping Pong and Pool
3. Video and Audio Equipment
4. Camping and Water Rentals

Company Story

http://bit.ly/h1ntZw

If you haven’t, be sure to check our short Rental Me This company video and give us some feedback. We want to hear from you. We want to share in your stories.