Ryan Burger - Publisher of Mobile Beat Magazine and industry member for 20+ years. Disc Jockey Service owner for nearly 30 years.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

I got my first photo booth system from Open Air Photo as they were an early exhibitor at the Mobile Beat Las Vegas DJ Show and I saw immense possibilities in this for my own company. I have since purchased several more Open air units and one from Kingdom photo Booth that we sell as an up-sell from the standard booth because of it’s additional functionality and finish.

How did you get your start in the photo booth business?

We purchased two booths and started marketing them along site our DJ service as a nice up-sell.

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

It’s a definite change in pace from being the DJ at the event and I enjoy the shorter schedule and the high profitability of them.

What separates your company from your competition?

This is tough area to explain because there isn’t a lot of separation now that Photo booths are all over our market. We offer two different booth systems, one more basic and portable and another more detailed.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Without a doubt research the booth types and softwares and consider them a package deal whether they come together from the booth manufacturer or they are sold separately.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business?

Competition no doubt about it but also a wide variety of experiences for the client.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

While I’m not involved in that part of the business as much as I used to be, I still find it fun. As to a challenge related to the business it’s differentiation of our company from all the others, a thing that customers can;t know until they have experienced it, and often it's too late if they chose poorly.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

Extra features like Green screen, video experiences, etc.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

Don’t do enough of these myself to have such.

What strategies and mediums have you found to be most effective in promoting your photo booth?

Bridal fairs and the web.

Jim Baxter - Colorado Sound and Light - Manufacturer of Photo Booths plus Event

Production in Colorado

CSNL’s “AFUNPHOTOBOOTH” delivers the best of many worlds. It’s compact, modular design makes it easy to transport in any passenger vehicle. No need for Vans, Trucks, or Trailers. Constructed in the US with high quality materials, finished in black carpet, and includes a slip cover to keep it looking new. Setup is fast and easy with only two components to set up and plug in.

Inside of your CSNL Photo Booth, everything is managed by a Lenovo Laptop, Canon Camera, and Breeze System software. This leading software is packed with features like green screen, email capture, and more. The CSNL 4 button wireless remote system will make the operator’s job easy allowing remote control of the functions at the event. The optional Hiti printer cuts your strips, and is available in two different road cases for portability and protection.

As with every CSNL product, the photo booth comes with our unmatched service, support, and knowledge. We feel that we offer the best value in photo booths. Our price in competitive, and the operating cost is minimal for the end user. We are here to answer your questions, too! Tech support is just a phone call away.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

In 2009, we started to see the photo booths at trade shows. We knew it would be a hot trend in this industry.

How did you get your start in the photo booth business?

A customer kept asking if we would build him one. He knew our reputation for building “DJ Friendly” products. We had to test that prototype, so we added it to our event services. That prototype is still in use today.

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

Everyone is so happy to get their picture taken, everyone walks away smiling!

What separates your company from your competition?

We use green screen at every event, it really adds an element of fun. We use different background images throughout the event to keep people coming back.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Clients are not as set on seeing an enclosed booth, they often welcome the versatility of an open style setup. Also, the number of companies offering photo booths, and the reduction in rates as a result.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

The market is flooded with photo booths now. Competing with the $200 coupon websites Offers. (For $200, I saw a wedding client get a guy in a t-shirt, carrying a mac book and a sheet, with a half empty inkjet printer!)

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

Technology will keep the industry changing. Social Media integration and Guest-

Interactive software will likely be the way to stay profitable.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

I was hired for a large charity event, and the client wanted two booths to handle the volume of guests. A competitor was hired for the second booth. We were set up right next each other. Because I had a green screen and could fit lots of people in front. everyone passed his booth, and came to mine. Poor guy was bored to tears all night…

What strategies and mediums have you found to be most effective in promoting your photo booths? Least effective?

Still the most effective way for us to sell the service, is by packaging it with our other event services. We offer the DJ, Photo booth, and Uplighting, from a common source. Our client appreciate the fact that they only have vendor to coordinate all three services.

Brian Henry - QUALITY DJS - Ottawa ON Canada Voted Ottawa’s Favourite Company for 2013 by the Best Ottawa Business Awards

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

Last year

How did you get your start in photo booth business?

We started by renting booths from other suppliers until we bought our own booth

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

The interaction with the guests

What separates your company from your competition?

The quality of the equipment and booth and the overall fun experience our booths offer with our photo booth hostess

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Invest in a good quality booth. There are already a lot of cheap booths. Stand out by offering a quality booth.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

Educating clients on the quality of our booth versus others that are available at lower prices and lesser quality. Example: Our photos print in 8 seconds or less while some competitors offer printing on site but it takes 30 seconds and the print is not the same quality.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

Giving more away - longer hours for the same price and more photos

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

Naked photos when people didn’t think anybody is around - and not realizing all photos are stored on the photo booth hard drive.

What strategies and mediums have you found to be most effective in promoting your photo booths? Least effective?

Word of mouth is always the best and least effective is print advertising

FacePlace Photo Booths

Are Face Place Photo Booths a good fit for event planners?

If you are an event planner looking for a photo booth look no further! On top of our most popular Deluxe and Sapphire models, Face Place Photo also features two booths perfect for event planners looking specifically to rent photo booths. The Photo2Go easily folds up to almost half its size and in one step can easily be toted around by a single person! For those event planners focusing on wedding photo booth rentals, the Face Place Photo Wedding Booth is exactly what you are looking for providing beautiful custom upholstered panels and trim with a custom -made silver cushioned seat and built-in features especially designed for weddings.

Why are Face Place photo booths so popular at weddings and other events?

Photo booths are back on the rise! Having a photo booth at your wedding has become one of the hottest trends over the past few years, and for good reason! Photo booths allow you to step away with a few friends or loved ones behind the curtain to capture memories that will last forever. People love the opportunity to snap a bunch of silly or romantic photos and events like weddings and birthday parties provide the perfect audience! On top of that, our Face Place Wedding Booth is so popular because it has special custom settings available for the bride and groom including a mosaic photo, video recordings, and the ability to same all photos from the night onto one neat CD.

Why Face Place Photo Booths?

Our booths continue to be most technically advanced photo booths in the world. From the internals of our booths, to their sturdy yet stylish cabinets to our best-in-industry software, we provide photo booths that are designed to meet the needs of our customers. We are always innovating and it shows in our products and software; Face Place Photo Booths are the only photo booth on the market capable of instantly sharing pictures to Facebook and Twitter INSTANTLY from inside the booth!

Mojo Photo Booth

The world’s only patented, commercial-grade, portable photo booth for sale on the market. Mojo Photo Booth is proud to celebrate 6 years of providing service excellence in photo booths for sale to the event servicing industry.

Mojo Photo Booth is a true American company featuring the only U.S. Patented portable photo booth for sale anywhere. Our system was specifically designed and engineered for its lightweight, portable dimensions and heavy duty commercial-grade construction. Mojo Photo Booth has always been manufactured and operated with pride in the Midwest. 

Our focus is in helping enthusiastic people and entrepreneurs who are eager in becoming self- employed. We pride ourselves in bringing you the only patented, commercial-grade, portable photo booth for sale on the market that offers a true turn-key business with “one-person portability”.

Clete Schroeder - Limelight Photo Booth - iClick Mini

The iClick Mini is a multifunctional photo booth kiosk which offers photo, video, slow motion video and GIF animation in one ultra sleek portable unit. The modern award winning design combines high resolution photos and HD quality videos making it the ideal choice for those expanding their business or just starting out.

The iClick Mini can easily be branded for corporate events and with our social media photo and video sharing software, Pixposure, you’ll be able to reach new clients virally through social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

The iClick Mini offers an easy one person setup and breaks down into one flight ready ATA travel case for local or out of town events. 

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

2010

How did you get your start in the photo booth business?

I was a professional wedding photographer who started doing photo booths as an add-on for wedding clients.

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

The smiles… I love seeing the enjoyment my booth gives people. It’s similar to the joy I received while being a wedding photographer and capturing the emotional moments between the bridge and groom on their wedding day.

What separates your company from your competition?

First, you can’t have an exceptional photo booth without great staff. We have friendly, inviting and fun staff members who bring fabulous energy to each gig. Pair that with unique, stylish photo booths and you have a successful business.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

GO BIG or go home.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

The number or people interested in starting a photo booth business.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

Constantly evolving into something better.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

We hear there is a lot of interest in slow motion video booths right now.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

We have done a photo booth for dogs before, so… that’s pretty unusual.

Rob Savickis

Photo booth Book Author

My name is Rob Savickis and a rep for EZ Photobooths.

I started out as a DJ in 1987 and in the next ten years slowly grew the company into approximately a half million dollar a year operation.

Since 1997, I have been selling the DJ Companion Book, collapsible limbo sticks, and a variety of different items at DJ trade shows throughout the United States and Canada.

Mostly due to conflicts with my ex-wife with whom I was a partner, I left the company I founded in 2003 to go work in a casino. She kept the company running for 7 more years but wound it down in 2010.

In 2011, I decided to get back into the DJ business and after a short stint on my own was offered a full-time position as Operations Manager of one of Ontario Canada’s largest DJ and photo booth operations.

In January 2014, I once again opened a retail store for DJS in Hamilton Ontario Canada as well as a photo booth and party planning outlet. I also released a new book START YOUR OWN PHOTO BOOTH BUSINESS at the 2014 Mobile Beat DJ Show.

In my quest to have a good photo booth supplier in my store, I spent a lot of time researching the many great photo booths there are out there to support the growing photo booth market and found lots of variance in the offerings by the various manufacturers. I suggest you do your research and find out what works best for you.

Ken Moss - Kingdom Photo Booth

Kingdom Photo Booth is the largest manufacturer of special event photo booths in the country, now with almost 1,000 customers in 13 countries and all 50 of the United States. Our incredible growth and leadership position within the industry really comes down to one thing: putting the needs of our clients above our own and success will follow. We go beyond saying that we care about your success, we actually do. The overwhelming majority of Kingdom clients own multiple booths because of the amazing experience they have with our company, both before and after they purchase from Kingdom.

Kingdom pioneered the Photo booth rental industry in 2005 when most people had never heard of renting a booth for a party. In talking to thousands of brides, Suite 16s, and Mitzvah Mommies, we quickly learned what the rental client wanted and designed our booths around their desires. Clients want quality, they want beauty, reliability and a genuine booth experienced in arcades, malls and at the beach. They also want the latest tech toys and social media options.

Kingdom Photo Booths operate our own exclusive software that always leads the industry. We were the first Photo Booth in the world that offered video messaging, email, Facebook uploads, custom design templates, and so much more. Just this past year we became the only Photo Booth in the world that comes with its own exclusive companion iPad application where all the pictures can wirelessly jump to an iPad and guests can digitally edit the pictures and upload them to Facebook, Twitter, tumbler, Flickr, email them, or request reprints back from the booth. Kingdom is constantly developing new software and our customers get free software upgrades forever, so Kingdom operators always have a significant advantage over their competition. With free upgrades and free tech support forever and a rock solid booth that works, our clients can focus on growing their business knowing that Kingdom is behind them all the way.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

We built the arcade for Cal Ripken when he built his first Little League stadium. At the end of the first season we had a commercial Photo Booth leftover and didn’t know what to do with it and someone suggested we rented out to them for a party. I thought it was a silly idea at the time, little did I know it would alter my career for the next 10 years.

What separates your company from your competition?

I love the fact that we are in a business based upon making people laugh and smile. We have the unique privilege of knowing clients take our equipment places that help folks celebrate some of the high point milestones of their lives.

What separates your company from your competition?

We humble believe that we offer a superior product that excites the rental customer and service that exceeds the expectations of our clients. We have a full-time staff of 12 people that are devoted to servicing our clients, which is unmatched in the industry.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Buying a photo booth will not make you money unless you know how you are going to acquire your customer base. First, draft a business plan on how you’re going to sell your services. Then buy the best possible equipment you can afford and make sure there’s a real company that stands behind it. Set your expectations high and make sure they offer marketing materials, coaching and training materials.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

Since we offer four different models of photo booths, we know that the trend is moving from the classic arcade style Photo Booth to a more open booth environment. Most people do not like cheesy looking pipe and drape rigs, they either want a totally open set- up or a classic booth but the trend is definitely towards open style.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

I love working with the owners of our photo booths and most of them work very hard to run their businesses professionally. The biggest challenge we face is when our clients hire part-time help and send them out with a booth and proved them with no training who then call us in a panic.Of course we are happy to help them and we have live, English speaking tech support Monday through Saturday from 9 AM until midnight East Coast time.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

Social media is everything. One of Kingdom’s trademarks is “King of the Social Photo Booth Jungle”. It’s the reason we spent $30,000 to develop our amazing iPad application that all of our clients enjoy for free. If you aren’t offering a social media experience with Your Photo Booth, you are already at a disadvantage behind your competition.

Stephen Lynch - Atlanta Photo Booth / Extreme Event Design

As one of the first of the portable event booth manufacturers, we helped to shape the current photo market by pushing the envelope to make photo booths more accessible to companies of all sizes. When we started, there were only maybe one or two other companies making event photo booths, and we were often dismissed as a passing fad or “flash in the pan”, but look at us now! Atlanta Photo booth has the largest user base of any of the photo units currently on the market. This is largely due to the relatively low cost of the equipment, the lack of proprietary media of software, and the scalability and upgrade-ability of our equipment. Whereas most companies sell a final product, we sell tools with an upgrade path, as well as longevity. We are the only manufacturer currently offering a unit that can be user repaired. Our company’s philosophy has always been to offer a quality product at a decent price so that the customer can use the tools to make money. Lots of money! Because we have so many customers, we can sustain our business, and ensure that in another 7 years we will still be here. Our customer support is legendary. It’s a simple fact that all photo booth units can do the same thing for them cost part. The main factor becomes the presentation of the product to the customer. We understand that the customer doesn’t care about anything other than whether it looks good, and whether it works reliably! There’s always a new gimmick, but we tend to hold our course and continue with our original with our original goal of not staying the Industry Standard, but assuring that companies of all sizes can afford to utilize our industry standard equipment.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

My interest in photo booths began in the late 90’s when I acquired several “dip and dunk” style mechanical photo booths from a storage facility auction. I was hooked!

How did you get your start in the photo booth business?

When I started investigating the possibility of outfitting older photo booths with digital equipment, there was neither software available to do so, not anyone else doing it. I met the author of a revolutionary to do so, not anyone else doing it. I met the author of a revolutionary software program that automated picture taking with a canon camera, and the rest is history. I was involved in the original development of the software, and shared my ideas online via several forums. Several photo booth companies got their start using Ideas and methodologies that I developed and posted online. I originally had no intention of selling photo booths. As others in my industry saw my products, they would ask me to build them one. My wife actually was the one who got the whole Atlanta Photo booth thing rolling. She was frustrated that I was posting ideas online that others were taking and selling. She booked me a booth at an industry trade show, and bought me a plane ticket. I really didn’t think anyone would be interested in my little product. When I came home with over 50 orders, I realized that maybe I was on to something. :)

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

Photo booths sell themselves. They make people happy. People like happy. They also make a lot of money. Making people happy while making money is a winner!

What separates your company from your competition?

Our presentation is far nicer than most of our competition. We also are fully committed to what we do. There are hundreds of individuals selling some photo unit or another. They come and go on a weekly basis. These are usually people trying to offset the cost of their own unit by selling things to other people. We are 8 years deep into the professional manufacturing side. We have a brick and mortar facility where Extreme Event Design and Atlanta Photo Booth cut, mill, weld, solder, draft every one of our products ourselves. No one has the longevity that we do. We also came up with a good deal of the technical innovations other employ these days, so who better to deal with when something goes wrong? Our products are professionally finished, perfectly manufactured, and technically sound.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Do no under any circumstances get sucked into anything involving a franchise fee, proprietary media or recurring expenses, or any input from a third party. Photo booths are simple you do not need anyone’s help. Allowing anyone access to your pocketbook beyond the point of purchase is simply but “Stupid… Stupid… Stupid!” Don’t be a sucker! No matter what they say, it’s always a better deal for them than for you!

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

The market has become muddied by the many amateur booth builders with nice websites selling products they can not afford to properly support. I recommend anyone looking to buy a booth give me a call to check our the people they’re looking at dealing with. You want to buy from someone who has intentions, and infrastructure in place to support you in the future. Unlike most other companies, I will actually tell someone if I think another company’s product is quality. I’m in it to sell my products and make money, but on the flip side, the photo booth community has been so good to us for so long, there’s more to this whole thing than “how much money can I bilk everyone for”. I’ve actually helped company make a sale only to find that person returned a year later to buy one from me. It’s a good Karma. I’m no B.S. that type of business comes back to bite ya!

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

Educating potential customers as to what is an actual money maker, and what is just another gimmick that really won’t have any effect on your bottom line. People call me asking about the strangest features. We cannot chase down every new “must have” feature and implement it or we’d not be able to keep up with normal production. I always try to let customers know that when you first see a new idea, you’re going to overpay for it. Wait a few months and see if it sticks. If it does, there will always be 4 more options available at the time. Social Media apps are a great example of this. Early adopters overpaid for inferior products, many of which are not even being actively developed. These days, there are even free apps that are more full featured.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

It’s hard to say. What the end user wants is very different than what the person buying the photo booth wants. I find the most customers want to take photos and have fun. Photo Booths are here to stay, and while there will always be subtle variation on the main theme, I don’t see any game changing things on the immediate horizon.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

I do remote support with my customers, so when they buy a unti, we schedule a time to get together online, I take over their booth and train them on their actual unit. Often this happens at night. I’ve learned to let customers know that the camera will turn on and that I will be able to see them, Even after the warning, I’ve had customers remote with me naked. Let’s just leave it at that!

What strategies and mediums have you found to be most effective in promoting your photo booths? Leave effective?

Get people in the booth. People are vain. They love photos of themselves. Every opportunity to put customers in the booth is a sales opportunity. Don’t buy into these optimization companies, online marketers, or companies offering “Turkey Websites” they’re almost always a little value to you and a huge profit maker for the company taking your money. Be smart. Like every other service based business you can start, there are always the companies that ride on the coattails of the industry, leeching on to your business ready to suck your bank account dry. If they’re contacting you, and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Though I try to stay out of my customer’s business, I see so many just throwing money away month after month. It makes me mad, but it’s not my place to say anything. Be smart! your  business will not explode in 2 months, it takes time and effort. Nothing will get your more business than beating the streets and making sure everyone you encounter knows you have a photo booth.

Scott Cavanagh - Innovative Photo

Innovative FOTO has been recognized international leader in photo booth manufacturing since 1995 and is currently the largest manufacturer of professional, commercial-grade photo booths in North America. Back in 2005, we started receiving rental inquiries from customers all over the country who had used one of our thousands of coin-operated photo booths found in mall, and we quickly realized a great market opportunity was at hand. So, we began designing booths exclusively for the rental industry so that this traditional and timeless entertainment experience could be enjoyed at family events, school functions, corporate events, and gathering of all kinds. In 2007, we launched the “Eventure” Portable Photo Booth - the first commercially available portable photo booth. Since then, we’ve added new models and have continually improved our products with new features such as our “VIP” Technology which combines video messaging, web-access for both photo viewing and video playback, Facebook sharing right from your webpage, and the richest social media integration available, including Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter.

APPEARANCE and SUPPORT MATTERS:

Whether you’re an establisher rental service, event location, mobile DJ, photographer, or an entrepreneur looking for a great source of revenue, you’ll find that Innovative FOTO has the perfect, professional, commercial-grade photo booth for your business and demanding clientele. Because of their appeal and interactive nature, photo booths naturally become the center of attention at events where they’re provided. So, the successful company needs an attractive, professional-looking photo booth that will shine in the spotlight and enhance each elegant event - and not detract from it with an ugly, homemade appearance. In addition, professional operators realize the importance of ongoing service and support - and, Innovative FOTO has the industry-leading support program in place to keep you up and running!

One year full manufacturer’s warranty, Fully-staffed call center available seven days a week, Free lifetime support and software upgrades, Experienced customer service and technical support representatives, On-site engineering and R&D staff to ensure ongoing compatibility with new hardware, In-house graphic artists and creative service team, Online support forum and web-based training program, Webstore for secure, 24/7 ordering of media and supplies.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:

To be successful, you’ll also need an engaging experience and unique printed outputs that will set your company apart from the competition. In this area, Innovative FOTO delivers like no other company. Since the photo booth market had growth tremendously over the past few years, we encourage all potential customers to do their research. The purchase of a photo booth is a significant business investment with many factors to consider, including:

• Entertainment Value
• Visual Appeal
• Manufacturing Quality
• Advanced Technology (Video, Facebook integration, etc.)
• Customer Service/Technical Support offered

When you consider these factors, we’re confident you’ll agree that Innovative FOTO offers the best overall value in the professional photo booth market. We deliver a traditional, entertaining experience using visually-appealing, performance-engineered components. All booths include a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty and a complete training, customer service, and technical support program.

Thank you for your interest in our company - we look forward to serving all of your photo booth needs.

Paul Culos - LA Photo Party / Photo Party Station

The Photo Party Station is a super sleek alternative to a photo booth. A touch screen mounted in a slick housing makes for an awesome photo booth experience open to the entire party. And it only occupies 1 square foot. With uploads to upload to social media sites, create animated GIFs, instantly print, green screen live preview, andrecord video, this is a great solution for any tight spaces. Use your party as the background or green screen.

The Photo Party Station is equipped with our custom built Photo Booth Upload software, built with input from hundreds of photo booth owners, and comes fully loaded with:

NEW! Animated GIFs - Create multi-frame photo animations with green screen backgrounds, custom logos, and instant uploading to Facebook, Twitter, and Email.

Green Screen - Load up to 8 custom backgrounds and let the guest select their own environment! and with our “Smart Placement Technology,” every photo is picture perfect.

Photo Filters - Just like Instagram, our software allows the guest to add a photo filter to their photo filter to their photo using the touchscreen interface.

Page Designers - Design your page layouts from within our software. You can place as many photos as you want on your final layout and position then using intuitive drag and drop tools.

Social Media - Photo Party Station integrates with Photo Party Upload to allow instant uploading to Email, Facebook, and Twitter from the booth’s touchscreen and/or/ wirelessly from your iPads. Additional features include: Data Capture, Facebook “Like” Buttons, Facebook Fan Page Uploading, Surveys, Graphic Overlays, Personalized Branding.

Video - Pre-loading a video or text questions that guests reply to and post instantly on social media sites. You have the option to attach a “promo-video” to the uploaded video reply that will be included on all posts.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

I stumbled upon the idea for The Photo Booth Without The Booth 7 years ago.

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

The creative process of making custom solutions for our clients.

What separates your company from your competition?

WE develop our own hardware, software, and graphic concepts.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Be creative. Do something different than what already exists.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

Social media integration.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

Keeping things new and fresh. It is a fun and exciting challenge.

What do you think the coming trends arein the photo booth business?

More video concepts being integrated into photo booth software.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

We made a custom solution so that people could get brain scans done at an event then upload them instantly to social media. 

Rey Borja - Boothify

We always prioritize our customers’ needs. That is why we do not only provide good quality products but the most affordable ones in the market. We always find ways to cater to their needs and minimizing their worries and obstacles. MONEY is an inevitable obstacle when setting up a business. That is why other than providing the most affordable photo booth systems, we also provide FINANCING, RENT A BOOTH Accommodation and DIY Photo Booth Systems. These are great LOW COST Photo booth ideas especially for new photo booth entrepreneurs out there whose greatest problem is MONEY.

And yet, we do not stop from designing and producing new photo booth systems. We also provide TECH SUPPORT to our customers. Again, CUSTOMER FIRST. From our experience, we still bump into lots of problems along the way especially for a growing business (even the mature ones). We experience problems on our software, camera equipment, business marketing and publicity, and of course template that goes with every occasion. With that, we develop a 24/7 tech support for our customers who have technical problems. We also share our ideas to our customer on how to improve their business and how to promote their business to gain publicity and bookings. Other than that, we realized the demand of templates. We saw that other businesses sells their templates so we decided to offer our templates to our customers for FREE and we also offer customized template.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

Our first interest began in 2017 when the growing demand for custom portable Photo booth was barely reaching its trends. We saw the need for a convenient, easy to use portable Photo booth system that would go with every events’ needs. A photo booth that would cater convenience to the owner and provide fun-feel for his customers. A memorabilia for the people to take with them. Something that will relive their enchanting moments that they had from the event.

How did you get your start in the photo booth business?

In 2003, we manufactured our very first photo station for a company Picture Marketing. We continue to make more for them and thus has spread out through the entire United States region. We began to see our photo station in our local malls during Christmas. In the main center of the mall, you will find till this day the same photo station which is utilized to take pictures of kids on Santa’s lap. Since then, we have been asked to design different style and shapes of photo stations or as it is called now portable photo booths. From there, we did not stop from producing photo booths but we also provide continuous support to our customers and dealer through coming up with new photo booth ideas and designs, tech support and consultancy.

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

I love the concept of providing a long lasting memories for the event. To know that the event does not end on the night the music stop. To be able to take a picture that is simply catered to that specific event and to remember the celebrants special day. A big event must not be left without something to remind us of the good memories we had on the event. A great souvenir and a memorabilia for an unforgettable event is a CAPTURED memory------PHOTOS. We love the various feedback we get from our customers---- how they had a great time with our sessions and that they were able to keep the memory through the photos we take. How they are able to relive the most precious moment in their entire lives through the photos.

What separates your company from your competition?

We don’t really look at our competitors as direct competitors. Boothify focuses on our customers needs to enhance the nature of their rental business. A lot of our competitors not only sells the booth, but also competes with their clients, therefore the focus on their company as a manufacturer is divided. We truly feel that every business has a specialty which ultimately makes your business special. Instead, we focus on catering our customers’ needs than worrying on our competition and consider our supposed competition as challenging for us to excel more. With that, we are able to garner loyal customers who frequently come back to us and purchase more products. Through our dedicated customers service, we are able to attract more new potential customers. By prioritizing on producing good quality photo booth systems, our customers can trust our products. From there, we let our customers do the talking for us.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Most of the time, people make irrational decisions and not just on personal matters but business as well. My advice to someone entering the Photo booth business is to make sure that they are absolutely sure about the business. They don’t necessary have to be a DJ or photographer to be successful in the business, but rather passionate and dedicated to the industry. They should also make sure that the equipment they purchased are good quality and that the owner is able to provide a good customer service. A customer trusts you and your service will not think twice of booking a reservation with you more than once and would not hesitate on referring you to his/her friends.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

I have seen a rapid growth within the Photo booth market within the last couple of years. ATA Photo booth are seen more than your average classy and fancy booth. A lot has to do with the DJ market infiltrating the Photo booth industry. Thus, a more familiar took of Photo booth such as road cases are commonly utilized.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

Manufacturing a portable Photo booth to specifically catered to our customers demand has always been a challenge.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

Personally, I believe that sooner than later, events are going to demand something more personal. For instance, on a wedding, they may want the bride and the grooms pictures on the Photo booth or on corporate events such as Pepsi or Farmers insurance, they may want their logo on the Photo booth. Easy to do if you can afford many Photo booths for each brand. What if you can’t afford that many? This is why we created the branding booth. The branding booth is the future of the Photo booth rental business.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

I think the most unusual experience for us is when we manufactured a branding Photo booth for a movie called “Horny Ghost”. We all assumed it was adult, only to find out that it was an actual film out on theater.

Oliver Vasilopoulos - Photo Box Interactive 

The Photo Box Interactive V3 is the lightest full sized complete Photo Solution in the industry. Starting with its elegant and contemporary all aluminum construction, the V3 is perfect blend of form and function. The tough and resilient coated exterior finish is built to look good for many years of  use. The attention to detail doesn’t stop on the outside, it boasts a clean and simple interior layout as well.

The V3 is a portable powerhouse that can be easily transported in a midsize car or small SUV. Its compact and modular design required only one person for an easy setup that takes less than 10 minutes. The entire booth including your printer, props, curtains and bench all fit on one medium sized cart or dolly.

The Photo Box is powered by a robust business class computer, and features a Canon DSLR camera for high resolution quality photos. Another great feature is our built in dimmable, high output LED lighting source for constant even light regardless of your surroundings. The center of attention in the front of the V3 is in our massive 21.5” fully customizable touch screen interface that allows your guests to preview their images in high definition. All this is tied together with the top industry standard photo booth software solutions available. Best of all you save money by selecting the printer of your choice as there is no proprietary media purchase required when you buy your photo booth from us. 

These are just a few of the Key advantages as to why you should choose Photo Box Interactive as you next photo booth company. Your customers demand the best and so should you.

When did your interest in photo booths first begin?

From DJing weddings and seeing the trend in popularity start about 2008. There is nothing like the added level of fun that people have when they are in a photo booth.

How did you get your start in the photo booth business?

The demand in clients asking it, this was a service that we offered pushed us to build our own booths instead of giving the business away to other companies.

What do you enjoy the most about the photo booth business?

The smiles and the laughter captured on film Creating an atmosphere of fun.

What separates your company from your competition?

Attention to detail, impeccable customer service and value to the money.

What advice would you give to someone just entering the photo booth business?

Do it for the right reasons. Have the mindset that you have to make a difference and provide a service that allows people to have fun and cut loose.

It takes a lot of hard work and patience, and persistence to get and keep customers.

What significant changes have you seen in the photo booth business recently?

There a lot of people starting photo booth businesses, so it’s more competitive now than its ever been. The good and bad news is that many of them are homemade and not very attractive, so it makes the pros look even better.

What is the most challenging aspect of your business?

Getting Customers and then keeping them. Part of this involves educating customers to make good choices, and creating the value proposition that makes them want to do business with you and to not shop solely based on price.

What do you think the coming trends are in the photo booth business?

Smaller booths, & more creative designs. The popular demands from guests center around the social media tie in to upload instantly and the hashtag printing options.

Tell a story. What is the funniest or most unusual incident you have experienced in your business dealings?

Guests at most events tend to get a bit intoxicated and sometimes do things they wouldn’t normally do. Aside from the spontaneous wardrobe malfunctions which are always an eye opener, we at times have received phone calls from people who realize the pics get posted online. Of course in good taste we ever post the racy or provocation photos. We recently received one of these calls from a panic stricken gentleman that stated he took some pics in the booth of him and a beautiful woman kissing and making our being very touchy feely with one another. He asked me to take the pics down, I said well they were pretty innocent it was just the two of you and nothing was exposed, but yes I can take them down if you like, to which he replied it’s not that the photos are explicit, it's the if my wife sees me with my girlfriend, I am going to be in big trouble.

True story.

What strategies and mediums have you found to be most effective in promoting your photo booths? Least effective?

Word of Mouth, doing a great job at every event and getting leads and business from each event. Print ads and mailers don’t seem to work much these days. Everything is computer and email based now.