Most bat mitzvah booth plans get built for the wrong crowd. The adults take one group shot and go back to their table. The 80 teenagers use the booth all night, and they want the file on their phone in ten seconds. Plan for them first.
Why teen guests use a booth differently
Teens shoot in packs. Six show up, do three takes, and want the file before they walk away. A printer only booth makes them wait while the line builds.
That does not mean skip prints. It means deciding who they are for. Prints are for the parents, the grandparents and the sign-in board. Digital is for the kids.
Ten ideas worth stealing
- Run a sign-in board instead of a guest book. The Open Air Photo Booth prints 2x6 strips. Print two per session, one for the guest and one for the board.:
- Let her choose the 360 song. One song choice is included, and her track pulls the first riders on.:
- Put the 360 booth at the edge of the dance floor. It needs about 12x12 feet of clear floor, so hold that space early.:
- Cut the prop table in half. Teens skip foam hats and oversized glasses. Sunglasses and a couple of signs get used more than anything else.:
- Use text delivery where the booth offers it. The Digital Photo Booth and the 360 Video Booth share by QR or text, and a text lands without anyone scanning a code in a dark room. The Open Air Photo Booth is QR only.:
- If you want GIFs and boomerangs, book the Digital Photo Booth. That is the one that makes them, and a loop gets reposted more than a still frame.:
- Design one wide group shot. Tell the attendant to fit eight to ten kids in frame.:
- Split the night by audience. Family and formal shots early, teen chaos later.:
- Stand up the Vogue Magazine Box before cocktail hour. The shortest package is four hours at $1200, so it covers cocktail hour and the rest of the night. Four to five magazine lines about her, plus her name and date, give the adults something to read.:
- Put the theme on the photo overlay, not only on the backdrop. In a dark ballroom the backdrop reads as one color, but the overlay rides on everything that leaves.:
Timing around the program
The booth competes with the program and it loses. Nobody lines up during candle lighting, the hora or the toasts. Build the hours around that. For a party running 7 to 11, a booth from 8 to 11 gets far more use than one from 7 to 10.
Keeping the line moving
A group session on an open air booth runs about a minute with posing, so figure 30 to 40 groups an hour. A 360 ride is 20 to 30 seconds plus loading, so figure 40 to 60 riders an hour. Three hours of 360 is 120 to 180 rides. Getting 80 teenagers on twice takes 160 of those, which only works at the fast end with no dead time, and the hora and the toasts guarantee dead time. Plan on one ride each, or add a second booth.
Ask the venue
- Where is the nearest outlet, and is the band or DJ on it?:
- Can you hold a 12x12 foot clear area near the dance floor?:
- Do you require a certificate of insurance, and by what date?:
- When does load in start, and is there an elevator?:
- Is ceiling height an issue? The Vogue box wants about 9 feet.:
Two honest notes
We do not run a mirror booth, a Glambot camera arm or green screen. If a planner pitched one of those, that is a different vendor. The Vogue Magazine Box does not include an attendant either. Guests shoot on their own phones, and it is an add-on.
The pairing that usually works is the 360 Video Booth beside the dance floor and an Open Air Photo Booth near the adult tables for the sign-in board. In a tight room, the Digital Photo Booth has the smallest footprint and does GIFs and boomerangs. Buy the hours for the back half of the night.