Dry Hire Guide
Increased access to numerous social media design catalogue platforms has also increased general appetite for enhanced event experiences. We are here for this.
The SID team are often told how lucky we are to have such glamorous jobs. And we are. Our team comprises of professionals from various disciplines who are passionate about all things design, décor and delivering jaw dropping event aesthetics in palpitating detail. Many have been involved in organising large events with thousands of guests, so this is home base for us. Preceding the glitzy end result are a number of unseen moving parts that must be carefully managed to deliver our beautiful variety of hireware to the high standard we offer. We consider every detail. From the selection of hireware, sourcing, storage and packaging for transportation, ease of use on site etc. How do these details work for us, how would they work for the client? We aim to deliver every order in a condition fit for generous celebrants and their esteemed guests. It's an arduous process but one we love. Like the proverbial birthing pain, the excitement of successfully delivering breath taking displays that keep guests and celebrants revisiting photos of the day long after the event is naturally amnesia inducing. And the financial reward? A hire business is unlike retail where profit margins are easier to calculate at the point of sale. It’s a longer-term investment that must be carefully managed to get returns. It is truly a labour of love but we are here for the long term. And while here we aim to keep it fun. Fun for us, (at least tolerable for our long-suffering families), fun for our clients. As creatives, that is a key motivation. We’ve put together our hire guide for you offering glimpses of how we work behind the scenes. We hope it is helpful, we hope it smooths our journey with you through the highs and lows of creating spectacular events. --- Overview of our services and charges At Style In Detail, our key offering is a basic Dry Hire Service suited to clients looking to only hire items. This would be private clients self-managing their event or event professionals sourcing hireware to fulfil their contracts. Generally, our charges factor in what you pay to use each item per day (hire rates), the use of our time, expertise and consumables. Dry hire (self-service) means the client does not require our input/time beyond the minimum required to quote, process payments, deliver, collect hire items and close out the booking. This is why the standard bill for this service is limited to Day Hire Rates plus directly associated charges such as the cost of delivery/collection. It reflects the expectation of minimal engagement with clients allowing for a quick turnaround.
We offer the flexibility of Optional Add On Services to suit individual needs. All Add On Services require further use of our time and facilities and are chargeable. These include telephone consultations, multiple invoice amendments, all forms of design/styling support, set up/ pack down assistance, bespoke sourcing and any other services required that are not reflected on your standard Dry Hire bill. Sample requests for viewings or photoshoots, venue mock-ups are charged as a Dry Hire service. At our showroom, we offer 45minute Venue Design Studio sessions (inhouse or virtually) for clients keen to have a visual experience of hireware that helps fine tune their vision for venue decoration. Naturally every client looks to get the best deal possible. We are confident that our charges are reasonable for the high quality of hire ware we provide. Which is why we do not offer any form of credit and our charges are fixed. The Dry Hire Service is attractive but not suitable for all clients. It works out cost saving only for clients with the capacity to put in the extra work to research, plan, organise, design, style and conveniently handle and hand back hire ware from delivery to pick up. Extra pairs of helping hands are always inevitable. Key challenges Our biggest resource drain has consistently been unpaid time and expertise we put toward supporting Dry Hire clients who are less prepared for these challenges than they initially anticipated. A request anticipated by clients to take ‘only 5minutes’ often morphs into a series of phone calls, emails or meetings with other service providers to clarify how the client’s enquiry integrates with other arrangements. On numerous occasions we’ve helped draw full blown diagrams to map out placements, calculate quantities and sizing. Moving items from various locations for what clients anticipate should be quick mock-ups requires the same level of stock management and operating costs as a regular hire. A quick turnaround is essential when transporting items to/from multiple venues. As little as this ‘5minutes’ for unpaid support could make the difference between bypassing traffic issues or encountering severe delays which would compromise the rest of our delivery schedule. Of course, with the best laid plans, the potential for curve balls within the event industry is significant. Which is why we have contingencies in place underpinned by our Hire Agreement to ensure we manage the dynamics of the industry proactively not reactively. Where additional support is required, one or more of our Add On services would best selected. Our processes reflect available resources and the overall intent to deliver enhanced client experiences. This is only possible where clients’ expectations are aligned with our Terms of Hire. Which is why we request that prospective clients familiarise with these terms before confirming bookings to make sure it suits their purposes and purses. We appreciate that our inability to meet expectations for open ended unpaid or underpaid support might create angst. However disproportionate use of our time impacts our ability to engage efficiently with others who are willing to pay or have paid for similar services. Misuse of our hire ware by individuals dismissive of our terms of use puts pressure on our ability to provide continuity of use to others who would use the same items responsibly.
This also often necessitates price increases and the general withdrawal of complimentary services. Most of our clients book hire ware and services months or years in advance. We take seriously our legal and moral responsibility to operate in a manner that uniformly protects the interest of all who trust us with their vision of their special day even if we are occasionally unable to meet individual demands that present conflicting interests. Booking Dry Hire To make the most of the cost savings offered by our Dry Hire Service, you would have confirmed your venue, date, quantities and sizes (of cutlery, linen, tables, vases etc) before contacting us. Our website provides as much detail as needed to help you design with each hire item. You only need to forward your final choice of items with your completed enquiry form. Our admin staff are engaged to provide you with an initial quote. If satisfactory they’ll provide you with an invoice with details of how to pay your deposit and the due date for the final payment. Your booking is passed on to the warehousing team for processing on receipt of full payment as scheduled. The admin team are unable to help with design consultations, mockups, styling ideas etc. If you require these or any additional services, your invoice would be updated with applicable charges and your enquiry passed on to the relevant member of our team who would contact you on receipt of payment. Understandably numbers can change during the planning process. Our stock is extensive but not infinite and bookings are confirmed on a first come first served basis. To guarantee availability, we recommend booking hire ware for the maximum number of guests you anticipate. Also do note that to minimise losses on reserved items and cover our admin time, charges are applied for invoice amendments and restocking reserved items. We do not offer refunds for bookings amended or cancelled up to six weeks before the event. Managing multiple event contractors We strongly advise that you discuss your intention to use external hire ware with your venue prior to placing your booking. Venues offer a standard décor package and most are happy for clients to bring in additional décor etc to suit their style. A variety of beautiful décor designs showcases the versatility of venues so it’s a plus for them. Venues also have differing policies regarding how they handle external hire ware. In our experience, venues at the higher end of the rates spectrum tend to have the capacity to manage hire ware fluidly but staff schedules and staff availability are always key considerations. As with every other business, work scopes of their hourly paid staff must be predefined. Please note, any charges levied to us by venues are passed on to clients. It is beyond the remit of our Dry Hire Service to clarify policies with individual venues or negotiate arrangements on behalf of clients. We fulfil our Dry Hire contracts on the basis that clients manage interfaces and make arrangements that are aligned with our Hire Agreement. Delivery and Collection
Our Dry Hire includes a standard door to door multi drop service only. This means your hire ware will be delivered and collected between 10a.m and 5p.m as part of a scheduled run for multiple clients. The day rate paid indicates you require items for use on the day of your event only. Charges apply for additional days used. For your convenience, we deliver hire ware on the eve of events and collect the day after the event. This is only to allow for checks, set up and pack down. Unless otherwise stated, we allow for up to 15mins turnaround at each stop. Drop off/ pick up would be at the same most accessible entry point at your venue within sight and easy distance of our vehicle. Unscheduled tasks requested at this point would be carried out at the discretion of the delivery team and in all cases the additional time and labour would be charged back to the client. These include requests to porter items further into the venue, or retrieve items from non-entry points, through stairs, lifts, split delivery to multiple points in the venue, help with set up or pack down, counting on site, searching for hire ware etc. The transport team for each run is selected based on an assessment of their ability to handle specific hire ware, the load weight and to complete the tasks paid for by the client within the allocated time slot. It is possible that the team may be unable to acquiesce to an unscheduled request. Aborted deliveries or collections incur fresh re-run charges at revised rates. We aim to prevent disruptions to our schedule that would inconvenience other clients. We recommend that clients formally confirm and contract us for any additional site work required in advance of our arrival to avoid disappointment. It is always cheaper to book in advance. The logistics required to accommodate impromptu work can be disruptive and is more resource intensive which means your bill would increase significantly beyond standard charges. As an upgrade to our standard service, we offer a.m or p.m delivery for an additional charge. With sufficient notice, we can also offer a dedicated service for delivery at your specified time. This costs significantly more. Parking charges are passed on to the client. Managing hireware When considering Dry Hire it is also important to note that hireware may need to be stored, packed off tables and counted, repacked into containers provided in a transport safe manner or stacked and left at the same point as drop off for collection within our collection window. Hired items are delivered with care instructions and adequate packaging for ease of use and safe transport. It is the responsibility of the client to familiarise and ensure other suppliers, family or friends handling the hire ware are familiar with the care instructions, that all items are used within capacity and safely repacked as delivered to prevent billable damage. Celebrants wishing to save costs by Dry Hiring should consider that they, friends or family may be unable to manage these while the event is ongoing and may well be too tired after the event. If working with a stylist or planner, please verify that their service includes
returning to your venue after your event to count, pack and prepare your hire ware for collection from 10a.m the day after your event. It is often assumed that other service providers on site would be disposed to help for ‘5mins’. All providers prefer to be paid for tasks undertaken and are often busy packing down their own kit, managing their own staff or may need to rush off to the next event. Please check that any tasks requested as favours are completed prior to our arrival. These would otherwise count as chargeable additional tasks if completed by our team on arrival. Booking our Pack Down Service in advance prevents incurring significant additional costs. Staff wellbeing We take our staff wellbeing very seriously. Our ethos is that there is nothing we do that cannot be done safely. At the end of each day supporting memorable occasions for others, we aim to return to our own families physically or mentally uncompromised. This is why we try to work in an organised manner taking only as much work as is manageable. We encourage clients to confirm bookings in advance to allow sufficient time to conveniently handle their booking. Last minute bookings may require additional labour and incur additional charges. Our work involves repetitive physical exertion. To manage this, each task is assessed and the workload distributed between a suitable number of staff. We would not undertake work where the client requests less staff than we consider safe. We have a limited number of staff processing multiple enquiries daily. We anticipate a Dry Hire enquiry would proceed to confirmation with no more than a couple of quotes and invoices required. This is often the case. On other occasions particularly with individuals keen to make more savings than we can offer, the team have been confronted with verbal aggression, covert and overt threats of reputational damage or business impact, unreasonable persistence etc. Though relatively small in numbers these situations are time consuming, resource draining with the most visible negative impact. We take a zero-tolerance stance to these behaviours. To preserve our wellbeing and focus our resources on serving our wider pool of clients, we do withdraw from any further engagements where clear communications become impossible and as a minimum would likely terminate contracts already in place. Our commitment to our clients as always is to deliver our high standards to the level of service paid for. We are always delighted to work with clients to make their day their way within the remit of their budget. Industry partners Industry clients source from us with high expectations that our hireware would help fulfil their own contracts to high standards. We assume these partners: caterers, venues, stylists, planners, decorators etc share our commitment to creating spectacular, memorable events. More experienced professionals intuitively appreciate the amount of background work required to deliver the expected standard.
Our standard Dry Hire Service is ideally suited to these clients and charges also apply for Optional Add On Services requested such as showroom visits, mock ups, photoshoots etc. Our hire ware are not disposable single use items and the logistics of replacing items can be cumbersome. For industry partners who repeat hire for multiple events, there is a higher expectation that they would manage hire ware in a manner that allows for same items to be available and remain in optimal condition when required for their subsequent events. The best laid plans do go wrong even with the most experienced and organised client. Accidents happen, things go missing. We always recommend that event professionals familiarise themselves with our Terms of Hire which set out how we aim to resolve these situations in a prompt and fair manner. Negligence and repeated non-conformance issues are treated differently. With small profit margins to be made over extended periods, it is more prudent to reject engagements with a proven high risk of loss or damage and where the demand on our time and resources relative to compensation makes contractual engagements unviable. Security deposit We take security deposits on all bookings to cover some of the cost of any loss, damage or uninvoiced services required. Our aim is to return this up to 14days post collection of hireware. The refund processing occasionally exceeds this timescale when there is a pending issue to be resolved with the client. If items are lost or damaged, we allow 7 working days from notification for clients to return missing items or check damaged items in person. In all cases we require clients to provide written confirmation of the bank details to which their refund would be applied. In many cases clients are unresponsive to our request for their bank details because they don’t realise we are unable to refund without this, they may be unavailable immediately after their event or our request might have ended up in their junk mailbox. Where there has been a significant time lag between the event and clients pursuing their refund, the booking would have been moved off our active list. We ask to forward the booking invoice within an email titled REFUND REQUEST. A common issue has been with details provided by new brides mismatched with their current/updated bank details. We would contact the client again to re-send the correct details. Refunds are only processed when our bank matches the details. Going forward, we request that clients provide their refund details in advance along with final payments made before their event.
--- This is a quick Dry Hire guide.
Please refer to our Hire Agreement for full details of your binding contract.
