KidZone Party Rentals
Local Event Rental Company Specializes in Fun
Writer / Renee Larr
Photography Provided
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the way we all live our day-to-day lives. Childrens birthday parties and other large events were cancelled, and with this came a decline in business for KidZone Party Rentals.
Were a large-event rental company, says Nathan Suddarth, chief entertainment officer. We provide several different activities, inflatables, water slides, arcade games and many more attractions for corporate events, birthday parties, schools and church events.
Suddarth recently moved the business from Noblesville to Westfield just before the pandemic.
We relocated to Westfield to have a larger location, and to be closer to U.S. 31 and State Road 32, Suddarth says. We moved in June of 2018. Then COVID came along and everything changed.
Business dropped dramatically for KidZone with cancellations of large events.
It was very difficult for us, Suddarth says. Our 2020 projected income was down 76% overall. We were affected tremendously by the lack of corporate events, school events and church events. However, our backyard party season was very busy with graduations, small weddings and birthday parties. Even those events didnt change the fact that we were down.
With the business relying on large events, Suddarth couldnt do much to pivot.
We just tried to hang on, Suddarth says. I pivoted and started a few other businesses that arent related to party rentals. Essentially, we were shut down.
Suddarth was hopeful that 2021 would be better and it absolutely was.
Were starting to get some large orders for spring and for summer, which is positive, he says. I started to see a trend thats picking up, and I think we will have a much better year than our best year of 2019. People are excited to get together with family and friends to celebrate life and friendships.
Along with outdoor activities like water slides, KidZone offers inside activities as well.
If you think of a big school carnival or company picnic, thats what we are really good at, Suddarth says. We have entertainers like balloon twisters, face painters, airbrush tattoo artists and caricature artists. Those can all be inside or outside, along with so many of our inflatables and games.
Cleaning has become a bigger priority than ever for the business.
Were using amazing products that disinfect and clean to post pandemic standards, Suddarth says. Its a nanotechnology that continues to kill germs and viruses. It continues to kill on contact. We spray everything down with it and we feel all our products are very safe for use.
KidZone added new attractions during 2020 that didnt get much use through the previous year.
We added a dual-lane axe-throwing trailer, Suddarth says. Instead of you going to the axe-throwing facility, we can bring it to you. You can just throw the axes at a target or play games. Its a great addition. The other new attraction is a spinning vortex tunnel. Its a 24 trailer you walk through that throws off your equilibrium. It makes you feel like youre walking sideways. We also added 15 new bounce houses and water slides in 2021 to our inventory.
Suddarth and his staff are ready for day-to-day event life to come alive this season. We are staffed up with nearly 40 employees to provide some of the best events in the Midwest. We have so many high school and college kids ready to work, earn money and provide an experience for our clients. My staff and I are hungry to work. Were ready for an amazing 2022.
For more information on KidZone Party Rentals, call 317-777-2404 or visit kidzonepartyrentals.com.
