Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

Booking Procedure

1. Contact us for a quotation
We will happily email you a no obligation quotation. Please remember to include:
Type of equipment/service you require:
Event date(s):
Event times (start/end):
Event location (including postcode):
Your contact details (name/address/phone):

2. Once you tell us that you wish proceed with the booking, we will send you a VAT invoice which confirms everything in writing.

3. You pay a £50 deposit to secure the booking within 7 days of the invoice, or settle the full amount if your event is within the next 30 days.

4. The remaining balance (less the £50 already paid) needs to be paid no later than 30 days before the event date.

That’s it. We’ll see you on the day!

The above is intended to offer a short overview of our booking procedure. Please read the full terms and conditions displayed on this website.

Payment Methods

Credit/Debit Card – Your invoice allows you to pay by all major credit/debit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
The amount you wish to pay by card can be edited. So for example, if you just wish to pay your £50 deposit you can edit the grand total to make a part payment.

Online Banking/BACS – Our account details are shown on your invoice. You can use these details to make a payment using your internet banking service or BACS. Please include your booking reference number or invoice number so we know who the payment is from.

PayPal – You can send us payment via PayPal, our username is info@globalhire.com
Please include your booking reference number or invoice number so we know who the payment is from.

Cheques –Our postal address is shown on your invoice. Make cheques out to “Globalhire.com” and write your booking reference or invoice number on the reverse so we know who the payment is from.

Bank – You can make a deposit at any branch of NatWest Bank. Our account details are shown on your invoice. Please tell them your booking reference number or invoice number so we know who the payment is from.

Delivery

We deliver, set-up and collect all rentals for you. Operating 24 hours a day.

All of our deliveries are carried out by our own technicians and not by couriers.
This ensures the maximum possible care and protection for our equipment and a worry free service for our customers.

Delivery is free for all orders over £150.00 within our local area of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and London.

We cover the whole of the UK and often get asked to travel abroad, so for events outside of our free delivery area we would be more than happy to give you a quotation. Just let us know the postcode.

Some of our equipment can be pretty heavy, if your venue has stairs, elevators or anything other than flat/ramped ground floor access then we need to know in advance. Similarly, as much information about any parking or loading restrictions at the venue is always welcomed.

We’ve had to float deliveries down rivers on barges, lift them via cranes and fly them to the other side of the world. This is all fine by us – as long as we know in advance!

We always endeavour to meet deadlines and stated delivery times as requested/booked.  We cannot however be held liable for any losses or other costs incurred due to either late or early delivery of goods or services due to circumstances beyond our control such as traffic delays. You will normally have the mobile number of the driver on the day, so that you can be kept updated.

Liability Insurance and Safety Testing

All bookings with globalhire are covered by £10 million Public Liability Insurance. Our equipment is regularly PAT tested and certified. Both of these documents are becoming increasingly important for venues who can only allow correctly insured and tested suppliers to operate at their venues, or risk voiding their own insurance.

We can supply copies of our PLI and PAT certificates upon request, just ask.

Insurance for your event or wedding

Whilst we have our own Public Liability Insurance of £10 million, we always strongly advise all event organisers and those planning a wedding to consider taking out insurance themselves.

An event or wedding is likely to be one of the most expensive endeavours you make and should be insured accordingly. There are many reputable insurance companies available online such as:
www.events-insurance.co.uk and
www.johnlewis-insurance.com/homepage/wedding-insurance.html

[Listing here implies no endorsement on behalf of globalhire, we merely offer these links as a helpful example]
Charity Policy

We love getting involved with charity events so please email us for a quotation and we will see what we can do for your individual event. We have vast experience of supplying sound equipment hire, lighting equipment hire, staging, projections etc etc alongside our award winning discos and DJ’s for events such as charity balls, parties, concerts, fundraisers, auctions, outdoor attractions and all manner of innovative projects that we’ve worked on over the years.

Can I get a charity discount?  Due to the large amount of charity events that we are asked to supply each year, we do now operate on a selected “charity of the year” basis, to whom we will either make a cash donation or offer our services to at heavily discounted rates, often free of charge.

Another way to receive a discount on our services is to book via one of our resident venues where we are the “in-house” supplier, this allows you to receive preferential pricing for bookings made via the venue events team.

We can supply a VAT invoice for our services which allows the charity to reclaim a further 20% saving.
Hopefully you’ll agree that our fees are amongst the most reasonable anyway, and we do understand that when it comes to charity fundraising, every little helps!

Our current and previously supported “charity of the year” include:

Multiple Sclerosis Trust
Cancer Research UK
SHINE (formally ASBAH)
Keech Hospice Care
The Princes Trust
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity
Breast Cancer Care
(Reg Charity 1088353)
(Reg Charity 1089464)
(Reg Charity 249338)
(Reg Charity 1035089)
(Reg Charity 1079675)
(Reg Charity 1160024)
(Reg Charity 1017658)

Equipment Hire FAQs

Equipment Hire – How long will it take to set-up?

Naturally this depends on the amount of equipment in question and how close we can park the delivery vehicle to unload. With poor access to the setup location it can often take longer to move the equipment into the building than it does to actually set-up the equipment once it is in position!

For setting up sound and lighting equipment hire there really is no fixed time period we can suggest, as one event might require a single spotlight taking a few minutes and the next event could be a full 18 hour day rigging sound and lighting equipment. We will discuss timings with you during the planning stage.

Please remember to also allow time for packing away at the end of the day. Typically this takes 50% less time than setup, but again depends on how close we can get the collection vehicle.

Equipment Hire – Operation

We are always happy to give you a demonstration on using any of our equipment. Once our technician has setup for you, he will gladly run you through its main features and operation, spending some time making sure you are comfortable using the equipment. Please don’t worry about this being too technical, most of our equipment is designed to be very simple and user friendly to operate and we are always here to help. If you can comfortably operate an iPad or a home hi-fi then you’ll be fine!

As an additional service for equipment hire bookings, our technicians are also available to stay on-site with you and supervise the equipment throughout your event. Just ask us for a quotation which would be based on the number of hours and technicians required.

Equipment Hire – Can I have a discount?

Often the answer is YES!

We have an ongoing multi-day offer whereby you can pay for three days equipment hire and get the following (or preceding) two days for FREE. For example: book Mon, Tues, Weds and get Thurs & Fri for free. Or book Fri, Sat, Sun and get Thurs & Mon FREE, for a weekend event this allows you an extra clear day to setup and an extra clear day to pack down at no extra cost.

For Presentation Equipment Hire we offer a “Complete Conference Package” which offers a combined saving of 20% off the individual hire prices. The package includes a lectern, an 8×4 stage, a PA system and microphones.

Equipment Hire – Security Deposit

For all new customers who do not hold a credit account with us, we reserve the right to ask for a security deposit equal to the total replacement value of the equipment being supplied. This needs to be paid by credit card authorisation and will be refunded in full upon safe return of the equipment.

You will also need to provide photo I.D. (either your passport or driving license) along with proof of address which matches your invoice address (recent utility bill etc.)

Equipment Hire – Power Requirements

All of our equipment runs on standard single phase 240v 13A UK Mains power outlets. As a bare minimum we require two wall socket outlets within five meters of the equipment setup location. We always carry our own extension cables and protective cable covers.

If the event is being run from a generator then we need to know this at the time of booking.

The generator needs to be super-silenced type, of at least 11.5kva in size (ideally 20kva upwards) with power conditioning and a regulated supply, suitable for supplying sensitive electronic equipment. These are usually road-towable types the same size as a family car. We have come across far too many events over the years where insufficient generator power has been booked and the event has been ruined, not to mention the equipment damage. Thankfully there are now lots of reputable event generator hire companies who specialize in this type of generator hire who can advise you further.

Equipment Hire – Cables

We include all the necessary power, audio and DMX control cables with all rentals. All we ask is that there is a (safe and tested!) power supply within five meters of the setup location. See the Power Requirements FAQ on this page.

Discos FAQs

Planning your disco

In the build up to the big day you will have use of our online music requests service to let your DJ know about any special music requests you would like played such as a traditional first dance or perhaps a father and daughter dance at weddings. This gives us a feel for your preferred taste in music, upon which your DJ will expand and elaborate to create a suitable mix of music.

We are always available by phone or email to answer your questions and offer advice.

For your peace of mind, all of our discos are covered by £10 million public liability insurance and PAT safety testing. Both of which are required by venues when booking a mobile disco service.

Thanks to the sound and lighting hire side of our business, we have access to much larger stocks of backup equipment than any typical mobile disco could dream of. Having our own team of professional DJs also means there is personnel backup too.

What happens on the big day itself?

We will liaise with your venue and your other suppliers such as any musicians, florists and photographers you may have booked, in order to get everything looking perfect.

Platinum Disco Packages normally require a morning setup as it takes us approximately three hours to carefully install the disco, the dance floor, the PA system and the up-lighting around the room.

Gold Disco Packages are often also available for morning setup when our schedule allows, these take approximately two hours to setup.

Silver Disco Packages are generally setup in the evening, one hour before the disco is due to begin.
In the evening, we start things off gently with suitable background music allowing you and your guests to relax and chat. Many of your guests may not have seen each other for a long time so we are understanding of this and initially keep the volume levels lower, gradually moving into the disco.

Your DJ is more than happy to make any announcements throughout the evening as required. For weddings this would typically involve the cake cutting and traditional first dances. What we won’t do is waffle away on the microphone all night! We blend in your pre-arranged song choices, and always welcome further song requests from your guests on the night. Building the tempo and seamlessly mixing the music as the night progresses. All of our DJ’s have decades of experience gained at bars and nightclubs as well as weddings and private events. This means we have a huge variety of music from across the last six decades, right up to the latest releases.

Discos – Can I help choose the music?

Yes, of course you can. We always welcome your input and suggestions (requests). Please see the dedicated Music Requests page on this website for full info.

Discos – What will my DJ wear?

We often get asked this question. The simple answer is that our DJs will dress appropriately for the occasion.

This typically means shirt and trousers and/or a suit jacket where appropriate depending on the event. If you have a specific requirement please do mention this at the time of booking.

Whilst delivering and setting up the equipment, our DJs and technicians will often wear jeans/shorts and a polo shirt, then change into their evening clothes once set-up is completed. For other more casual events trousers and a branded polo shirt can often be suitable throughout. Again, we always aim to dress suitably for each event.

Discos – Set-up time

This depends on how close we can park our delivery vehicle to the set-up location and whether access is simple – i.e. no stairs, lifts etc.

As a guideline, where we can get direct access from our vehicle straight into the room, we always like to allow a minimum of a one hour for our smaller Silver Disco Packages.

The standard Gold Disco Package takes around two hours to set-up and the larger Platinum Disco Package approximately three hours to set-up.

Please remember to also allow time for packing away at the end of the day. Typically this takes 50% less time than setup, but again depends on how close we can get the collection vehicle.

Discos – Power Requirements

All of our equipment runs on standard single phase 240v 13A UK Mains power outlets. As a bare minimum we require two wall socket outlets within five meters of the equipment setup location. We always carry our own extension cables and protective cable covers.

If the event is being run from a generator then we need to know this at the time of booking.

The generator needs to be super-silenced type, of at least 11.5kva in size (ideally 20kva upwards) with power conditioning and a regulated supply, suitable for supplying sensitive electronic equipment. These are usually road-towable types the same size as a family car. We have come across far too many events over the years where insufficient generator power has been booked and the event has been ruined, not to mention the equipment damage. Thankfully there are now lots of reputable event generator hire companies who specialize in this type of generator hire who can advise you further

Discos – Space Requirements

As we perform at so many different types of venues we have become skilled at fitting our equipment into all manner of weird and wonderful spaces! However the standard dimensions below should give you an idea of the typical space requirements. As you would imagine, the smaller Silver Disco Package is more suited to fitting into corners discreetly whereas the standard Gold Disco Package makes more of an impression, almost filling one side of the dance floor area.

Silver Disco Package floor space approximately: 3m (10ft) wide by 2m (6ft) deep.

Gold Disco Package floor space approximately: 5m (16ft) wide by 3m (10ft) deep.

Platinum Disco Package includes the Gold Disco above and adds the Starlight LED Dance Floor in either 12ft x 12ft, 14ft x 14ft or 16ft x 16ft (dance floor size allocated on availability and suitability for the individual venue).

Contact Us

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Not readable? Change text. captcha txt
0