Nostalgia for the ‘90s is huge these days, and not just with Millennials. Who can blame us? It was a fun, trendy decade (with most of said trends promptly dying that decade as well)! It only makes sense to capitalise on that fun with a ‘90s-inspired, printed inflatable arch!
The Yarra Valley Racing Club contacted our team at Inflatable Anything about constructing a themed arch for their late-December meeting, centred around the ever-important holiday of Festivus, which started in the household of Seinfeld show writer Dan O’Keefe. Other racing clubs in the area had planned events to celebrate the traditional yuletide festivities, but the client really wanted to stand out from the crowd and play up the fun aspect to draw in media attention and more members.
Who would even want to pass on an awesome opportunity like this? We were delighted to help them put their own spin on the pop culture phenomenon!
For the Rest of Us
In case the audience is not familiar, the Seinfeld episode featuring Festivus is called “The Strike,” in which the characters choose to forego the glitz, glam, and gross over-commercialism of Christmas, instead celebrating the alternative holiday created by George Costanza’s father Frank on December 23rd.
The club’s Festivus for the Rest of Us Day at Yarra Glen Track was to include popular Seinfeld-inspired events, such as the Feats of Strength-in this case including sumo wrestling and a mechanical bull ride-, Airing of Grievances for a prize, a Soup Nazi, the customary nondescript and non-distracting Festivus pole, and a DJ spinning classic ‘90s jams.
For our part, we were tasked with crafting a printed inflatable arch that not only advertised the fun yet forlorn anti-Christmas Christmas event, but also played up the nostalgia factor for the witty, comedic genius that is this show about nothing.
The Letter
The driving force behind choosing this ace, made-up holiday is the love the club’s chief executive has for the 9-season sitcom. Because of this, the client already had a good idea of what artwork they wanted on the printed inflatable arch, which stood at a whopping 2.5 meters high and 3 meters wide. Our expertise was needed to make sure the artwork fit nicely on the legs of the printed inflatable arch and maintained a nice polished look for the publicity this event was sure to receive.
The top of the arch was to be printed in the style of Seinfeld’s logo, with the legs in white and covered in images and quotes that related back to the nearly cult-status TV show.
What’s the Deal with Construction?!
We have many years of experience bringing ideas to life overall, but we are especially adept at constructing arches. As per usual, we here at Inflatable Anything used sewn polyester for this printed inflatable arch. The material retains its shape very well, which is the biggest reason we utilise it for this kind of structure; no puckering or stretching, just a solid, durable arch that can last up to a decade if well-maintained. This quality also makes it portable and reusable, which is exactly what most of our clients do. Polyester is also UV resistant and perfect for any outdoor event.
Again, this Festivus-themed Christmas meeting of the racing club was a fairly big deal. The popularity for the show plus the nostalgia for the ‘90s all but guaranteed extensive media coverage, so every aspect of this event absolutely had to look good including the printed inflatable arch. With our experience and commitment to customer satisfaction, we were more than happy to deliver!
The fibers in polyester material are very close to each other, which accounts for many of the above listed qualities. However, it also makes the fabric very easy to print on, and the finished product very vibrant, which is exactly what the client sought out for their meeting.
The Finale
Typically, building and testing our inflatables plus shipping takes between 2 and 3 weeks after everything is finalised. We were contacted about this project in November, which gave us quite a tight deadline, and yet we pulled it off with fantastic results and time to spare!
In fact, the club’s Festivus for the Rest of Us Day was such a smashing success that it is now an annual tradition for the Victoria organisation, and the printed inflatable arch we created for them continues to greet attendees every year.
We take great pride in doing our part to make an event meaningful and memorable. Contact our experts, yada, yada. We love a challenge!
