Event rental operators from around the country — including Jennifer Rodriguez, CERP, general manager, Marianne’s Rentals for Special Events, Oklahoma City — shared ideas and strategies during a panel discussion of the American Rental Association’s (ARA) “The Future of Event Rental” webinar July 28.
Rodriguez, who also serves as ARA of Oklahoma secretary, felt it was important to have rental operators from different parts of the county and varied business sizes take part. “I think it always is important to provide ARA members a variety of perspectives. Those of us in ‘mid-America’ are unique in that we are usually a little behind the trends that are happening on either coast. We have our own set of unique circumstances that might not apply to those on the coasts, and it is important to have a voice on that. I was honored to take part and provide that Oklahoma voice,” she says.
The panelists discussed a number of topics, including how they are dealing with the influx of business post-pandemic, especially with the current labor situation. For Rodriguez it has been a challenge.
“While our July was a calm month, we have had a solid run since April of 2021. It has been insanity. For 2022, we hit record monthly revenue seven months in a row. The only exception was June. It beat our 2019 number, but it was not the highest June on record. This never happens. You might have a couple months that are high and then it kind of balances as events move around and dates change. It made everyone tired,” she says.
As far as the labor front, she had about 80 employees over the summer months, including high schoolers who helped out. “We want to be hiring so we can take on more jobs. We are still hiring for all departments. I would like to have closer to 90 year-round, which is a big goal, so that when we have turnover, we are in the 80-person range and not 60. That really makes a huge difference. That would allow me to capture the growth that is available right now that we can’t manage because we don’t have the people,” she says.
Rodriguez has learned that too much growth in a short period of time burns people out. “I like the 6 percent to 10 percent growth rate. That is a good healthy push every year. When you get into the 12 or 20 percent, you just want to quit. It is too much. It is crazy. In 2008, we had 12 percent growth rate and we all wanted to die. It was too much. Taking on too much business for what you are capable of taking is almost as detrimental as not enough business. We saw that in 2020 when there was no business, and now in 2022 there is an extreme amount of business and I have the same problems: I don’t have enough staff. I can’t get supplies. So, you have to manage your growth. You have to pull the reins back. That is what we all talked about: knowing when to say no, not taking every job,” she says.
Choosing which jobs to take and which to turn down appeared to be a common thread among all the panelists.
“For us it is more the availability date. We are a first-come, first-served business. If a customer planned way in advance and got their stuff in, they should have top choice as compared with the person who called two days ago. People who plan ahead and are organized should be guaranteed their products. I shouldn’t come in with another job that might jeopardize whether their job gets set up. We look at the dates. With our software, when you write an order, it has you list every truck stop on the ticket and when that truck is scheduled. Our calendar syncs with our software, so we know with a click of the button whether we are at capacity for that day. That has saved us this year. Any salesperson can look and see if that day is closed and see if there is another day available,” Rodriguez says.
Her team members go through a process before actually closing a day. “I might have a delivery but not a pickup for 10 days. Either the items will sit on a customer’s porch for a while or they can bring it back. It offers people choices, but you can’t have equipment out forever because you couldn’t rent it to an existing order that is scheduled. So, there is that, too, which is part of a Rubik’s Cube. The first thing we will do is say no tenting on a particular day, then the next level is ‘anytime only,’ which means you can’t pick your time, you can’t pick a priority stop or any late nights. It is whenever the truck gets there, you have to be happy with it. Then after that it is just closed. It allows Mary Smith to get her delivery of her tables and chairs for her bridal shower if she is willing to take it in a flexible window. It allows us to take care of some of that business, but not everything,” she says.
Rodriguez made sure she voiced a lesson that was initially learned during the worst of the pandemic — and one she admits she is still learning. “I learned that there is no one coming to help you. When that clicked in my brain, it was like, ‘Oh my, I have to shut the door, sit down and figure it out. I am on my own and need to figure this out. While that was scary, it was empowering, too. The good thing is that it is my solution — I am deciding what it is I want it to be,” she says.
To help figure it out, she spent time with her frontline team members to better understand the pain points. “Most owners have done everyone’s job in some kind of capacity, but they don’t do it every day, all day. Those people who are your dedicated staff who do it every day and care about the end product are the ones you need to hear from. We spent time going to the warehouse, talking to people there and at the-will call door. If it can be changed, we changed it,” she says.
She learned a lot from the other panelists — Dan Hooks, CERP, president, Party Reflections, Charlotte, N.C., and ARA board chair; Jeff Crotto, CERP, president, All About Events – Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla., and a member of the ARA Event Rental Advocacy Work Group; and Robin Denny, CERP, director of sales, CORT Party Rental, Everett, Wash. Three points that really stood out to her were to place minimum orders for distances that are far away, starting a second shift and making sure that each truck has a set amount of rentals per day.
“I heard about the minimum orders before, but the panel discussion really drove it home. Reigniting the second shift also was a great idea. We had that in 2019, but then ended it during the pandemic. And the amount of rentals a truck needs to have per day was important. We are looking to implement all three,” she says.
Rodriguez hopes other event rental operators who watched the webinar feel empowered to make changes to their own operations. “We all have to shake it up and make it work for our businesses. I know that what worked for us in 2019 no longer works. I remember saying to someone during COVID that I felt like I had a 35-year-old startup company. Nothing worked. My data became irrelevant. My processes and systems changed. In 2022, I have seen some routine come back and some processes and systems we can lay back down that make sense, but we still need to shake it up and see what works for us. I think this webinar showed that we all have to do that no matter what size operation we are or where we are located,” she says.