Julius, based in Sydney, has spent more than 50 years working in audio visual hire. “I started Graftons Sound and Lighting in Sydney 50+ years ago,” he shared, and his experience eventually led him to purchase Sydney PA Hire, a business first established in 2010.
The company provides audio visual hire for weddings, schools, community groups, corporate events, and everything in between. Before using Booqable, the business ran on Rental Point, but it didn’t give Julius the control he needed as demand grew.
Julius and his team spent too much time answering availability questions and updating bookings manually. As the rental website generated more inquiries, keeping everything aligned became harder. Switching to Booqable’s WordPress plugin, inventory management tools, and mobile app gave the business a way to bring decades of experience into a fully digital system.
A long career, a new chapter
Julius’ new chapter with Sydney PA Hire built on his long-standing industry knowledge. The business attracts a wide range of customers: “Corporates, Schools, Events, Community, Weddings.” These clients need everything from microphones to full PA systems and with Booqable, inventory updates automatically across every booking.
“It works very well for us,” Julius explained. Customers browse the rental website, click into a product card, choose dates from the calendar, and pay online. The system reserves items instantly, removing the double bookings that used to happen when everything was checked manually. For a small team of four handling deliveries only, having bookings, payments, and inventory in one place has become essential.
Looking ahead, Julius has bold plans. When asked where he sees the company in five years, he said, “500% larger!” With online bookings growing and the calendar becoming more predictable, the business feels ready for the next stage. Inventory, orders, and customer details all live in a single platform, giving the team the clarity they need for long-term growth.
Using the Booqable WordPress plugin
The WordPress plugin became important once the team realised how much time was being lost answering availability questions over the phone. Customers often contacted them just to check if a date was free, slowing down the day. Julius needed availability displayed clearly online, and he needed it to work with the rental website he had been running since 2010.
“We use WordPress for our website host, and have embedded Booqable’s online booking components through the WordPress plugin onto our page for the product cards and date picker,” he said. Customers can now see availability instantly, choose their dates, and proceed to check out to instantly reserve their products.
Julius also added custom checkout fields to gather important event details such as number of guests, whether power is available, and whether the event is indoors or outdoors. For their team, this setup achieves three important things:
-
Reduces the number of calls asking about availability.
-
Shows accurate product calendars that update in real time.
-
Collects event information during checkout so preparation is easier.
The benefit is immediate. Customers get answers without waiting, and the team avoids the small errors that used to appear when everything required manual checking.
Using the Booqable mobile app
The mobile app became essential because event hire work never happens in one place. Deliveries involve tight schedules, multiple vehicles, and different staff members heading to different venues. Before the app, the team relied on printed notes or laptop access, which wasn’t practical on busy weekends.
Now the team uses the app for every booking. Each staff member can see all bookings assigned to the day, including exact products, addresses, and customer notes. When delivering gear for weddings, corporate presentations, or community events, everyone has the same live information. If a customer calls with a change or an update, the order is edited instantly and every vehicle sees the same details.
For an AV company, this is crucial. Items must be checked out when leaving the warehouse, confirmed on arrival, and checked back in at the end of the night. The mobile app lets the team do this directly on site, so nothing gets lost and no one needs to guess which items went to which venue.
The app achieves three things for them:
-
Gives every team member real-time booking details across multiple vehicles.
-
Makes checking equipment in and out easy at each location.
-
Keeps delivery plans accurate when customers request changes on the day.
The result is that event days run far more smoothly, and the team always works from the same information. The app gives them exactly what they need, right when they need it.
Building a better workday
Sydney PA Hire’s move to Booqable helped a long-established audio visual rental business fully embrace online bookings. With a modern rental website, an integrated date picker, accurate calendars, and a mobile app built for busy delivery days, the team can focus on customer service instead of hours of admin.
As Julius put it, customer feedback has been “solid”, and the business is better positioned for the growth he expects in the years ahead.
