Some 650 exhibitors participated in the American Rental Association’s annual convention and trade show this year (Atlanta Congress Center, Feb. 21-14). But only Apple Industries displayed photo booths.
“The ARA has been holding The Rental Show for 60 years but this was Apple’s first time to exhibit,” said Apple CEO Allen Weisberg. “It’s a natural venue for us because the rental industry and photo booths have been ‘going steady’ for over a decade. At this year’s 60th anniversary ARA show, rentals and photo booths officially ‘got married’ – with a few hundred visitors to our booth as witnesses!”
From now on, said Weisberg, the leading companies that rent party supplies from tents to fountains, tables and chairs, specialty lighting, inflatables and the rest will be adding Face Place Photo Booths to their portfolios.
Apple displayed two “Face Place” machines at The Rental Show, suitable for parties and rentals. First was the portable edition of Face Place Photo2Go. This collapsable 400 lb. unit features a dolly system with built-in wheels, enabling a single individual to tilt the machine on its side and roll it off the truck into any location. When open for use, the unit stands 63” L x 30.5” W x 74” H. When configured for transport, it’s just 44” long (same width and height) so it fits through any doorway.
Also on display at The Rental Show was Face Place Photo Studio, a compact transportable unit that consists of three standalone modular components (touchscreen interface; storage/vending base; and photo backdrop wall) that break down into three portable cases. When set up for use, these components are housed inside a small pipe-and-drape enclosure, also highly portable.
Photo2Go and the portable Photo Studio both feature Apple’s famous Green Screen technology for 3D, “put you in the picture” photo images; touchscreen navigation; the Mitsubishi Dye-Submlimation Printing System; and Apple’s own Smile 2.0 operating system. Smile 2.0 supports a sophisticated array of software applications ranging from custom borders and backgrounds (which are constantly updated via automatic download) to social media connectivity and integration; and remote monitoring, programming and diagnostics. With both units, delivery of photos to the customer’s Facebook, Twitter, and email accounts is provided as an upsell in addition to the standard vend choices (4×6 photos, 6×9 photos and photo strips – all in black & white or in color).
“Attendees come to The Rental Show from all over the world, but most of them recognize and respect the Face Place brand,” said Apple COO Scott Avery. “Those attendees who were just learning about photo booths quickly saw why Face Place is the best option for event rentals. Face Place stands for advanced technology, ease of portability, durable construction, and ongoing customer support in both marketing and technical matters. That’s why we’re number one!”