The Guide To Restarting Your Photobooth Business Post-Pandemic

Hey, you photobooth pro! Are you starting to get more bookings? Or finally, nearing the first event of the year for you? Whatever it might be, we were in that boat too! That's why we took a moment to share the steps we took to prepare for our upcoming events. 

We were so excited to dust off our photobooths, fire em’ up, until we realized all the check-ins we had to do to get our systems up to speed.

This blog will cover tips on:

• County Health Regulations
• Software and License Updates
• Inventory Management
• Booking & Billing
• Client Communications
• Prepping For Events
• Networking

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Get Fluent in County Health Regulations & Prep Your Staff

Things have changed so quickly that sometimes it's hard (or even exhausting) to keep up with local health regulations. When it comes to events returning safely in your area, take a minute to see the latest CDC mandates & recommendations. 

Does your contract cover COVID? If not, we highly recommend purchasing our ready-to-use contract that protects you from any COVID stress.

If you have an office with staff, be sure to check our blog post about COVID and offices. 

Check-In:

• Has insurance changed? 
• Is your staff ready, vaccinated, and practicing safe social distancing?
• What regulations is your local area implementing?
• What are the event and venue rules per state?

To-do List:

• Contact your insurance provider and get updates
• Read up on your county health guidelines
• Communicate and train your attendants accordingly
• Bonus points: check in with your clients and see what their event and venue needs are for their COVID protocols
  

Software & License Updates - Super Important

Whether you have one photobooth or twelve, ensuring that your operating system is in tip-top shape is necessary! The first step is, turning everything on and seeing what needs to be updated to its latest version from your computer to the software.

We recommend dedicating 1-2 days for this, depending on how many photobooths are in your supply. Some software updates might take hours to install, and if you have multiple booths, this time will add up!

In addition, device drivers need to be updated as well and some batteries might need tweaking or even replacing. You do the math! Technology is time-consuming, so addressing these sooner rather than later is essential.

To-do List:

• Load your software
• Check your license dates
• Update accordingly
• Update your operating system, drivers and etc
• Bonus points: make a spreadsheet of all your software license dates and cost so you know when your renewal dates and costs are
  
  

Backdrops & Props

You might have left off in March of 2020 with some items that needed repair or attention - that’s only natural! Or maybe you can use a few new backdrops to spice up your collection? Maybe even needed to clean out some props? We highly recommend using this restart as a sort of “spring cleaning”. Lists and spreadsheets are your friends in situations like these. Take note of what backdrops and props need to be cleaned out!

Dedicate maybe half a day to look at all of your backdrops, see if anything needs to be cleaned, and give them a thorough steaming to work out all of those year-long fold marks. Also, take a minute to look at all of your props. Maybe consider retiring some of the old ones...

To-do List:

• Take out all your props
• Dust and wipe down clean
• Take out all your backdrops
• Clean and steam accordingly
• Go shopping at Giggle & Riot Manufacturing Co.
• Bonus points: take photos of your backdrops to refresh your website photos, send a newsletter out or update your social media

Inventory Management

It’s time to dust out the cobwebs! After a year, you might need new media, ink and paper should have been stored in a cool and dry space. So were yours? Maybe you had a backdrop stand that was out of shape or maybe you need some new tools? Or a new box of gaffer’s tape! Pay particular attention to all the details. Take note of what needs to be added to your inventory! 

Dedicate another half a day to look at all media and tools. This is very important! Don’t get caught at an event without proper supplies so check your supply boxes.

Check your media & backstocks. How does your paper and ink supply look? Make sure that your media is in tip-top shape! Be prepared and order enough media for all your upcoming events, don’t get caught doing it last minute. It’s best to load up all at once so that you’re not scrambling at the last minute for supplies as your bookings begin to ramp up.

To-do List:

• Take out all your media
• Check your media condition
• Set up and clean your backdrop stands
• Bonus points: realign your printer and run a printer status update

Booking & Billing

If you haven’t already done so, cross-reference your cancellations & reschedules to make sure your calendar is DIALED in. Have your clients moved their event to a new venue? Has the schedule or timing changed? This is bound to happen even without a pandemic, so it’s always good to check in. Also, we recommend you double check taxes in your service areas and see who still owes you payment for your services! 

Prices change, the cost of running your business fluctuates, that’s just how it goes! If you feel it's appropriate to review your prices, do it! Don’t just give discounts if your expenses have gone up because of COVID. 

To-do List:

• Double-check your CRM 
• Double-check your calendar
• Line up attendants for your events
• Clean up your Quickbooks
• Bonus points: Update your contracts so that you are prepared for any other pandemic fallouts
  
  

Client Communications

Many of our clients have downsized their wedding or changed the theme entirely, which is expected! It’s great to hop on a call with your clients, see if they want to make any changes to their booking or maybe even add on something new to their package. It’s great to check in on their needs, event design, or even just see what updates they’ve made to their plans. Talking with clients on the phone is one of the best ways to add a personal touch to your services. 

Another great thing to do is refresh existing relationships with vendors, coordinators, venues, or party professionals that have used your services before. You know the power of a hello - so spread that joy and check in on fellow event pros to check-in. You just might get new bookings & opportunities from doing so! 

Lastly, don’t be afraid to upsell your services to existing bookings or new clients. Remind people that they’ve waited so long for the return of the events, and it's worth it to go all out for their event attendees! Encourage them to invest in something special, because they’re special!

To-do List:

• Update your client event information on your CRM
• Email all of your outstanding clients and check in on their events
• Call your client’s event coordinators so that you can get the update on all their event details
• Bonus points: Set up Zoom or in-person meetings with vendors to say hi!
  
  

Prepping for Events

I’m sure your event prep is looking slightly different because ours sure is. We’re not only on new frontiers with staffing and employee training, but implementing new protocols for sanitizing. We also have introduced new products into or mix - such as UV wand sanitizers and antimicrobial iPad covers that do the cleaning for us! And of course, wipes, masks & hand sanitizer comes with our event packs. We highly recommend a covid-event packing list to give your employees to make sure they aren’t missing anything. 

To get the nitty-gritty on how to get resume photobooth events safely check out this blog post. 

To-do List:

• Purchase wipes, masks, and sanitizers for your events
• Plan what your prop sanitizing details are
• Bonus points: Pack a COVID supply box for your events
  
  

Networking & Marketing

Tell your local area that you’re back in business! It’s also highly recommended to share your covid protocols and company updates via newsletter, social media, or even blog! That way your followers are reminded of your business and hopefully prompted to book your services. 

It’s also great to check in with fellow photoboothers in your area that can offer some creative motivation or venting. Talk things out! Collaborate! You never know what could happen when you prioritize community over competition.

This is also a perfect opportunity to forge new relationships with venues in your area. Give them a follow on social media & even reach out to venues that you've worked at in the past. If you already have a working relationship, be sure to schedule site visits or phone/video meetings to check in.

People love taking time to chat and catch up, and that’s one of the perks of the events industry! Building and strengthening your network can lead to so many more opportunities.

To-do List:

• Say hi to your local boothers, email or call new ones with an introduction
• Say hi to old friends, it’s always good to see what the local landscape is now like
• Work on a social media schedule, build relationships using your social media
• Bonus points: Update or include a COVID policy info portion on your website