Inflatable arches

Inflatable arches as start and advertising arches

Inflatable arches are inflatable arches that you span across a start area, a finish line or an entrance and that stand up within minutes with an electric blower. They are light, they fit folded into a carry bag or cart, and they need no crane, no scaffolding and no heavy structure. That is precisely why they have become the standard at events where the equipment arrives in a van and the build happens on the morning itself.

They are used by organisers of running, cycling and mountain bike races, by local authorities at a city festival or a cycling event, by sports clubs and youth movements, and by companies that want a route or stand area to be recognisable from a distance. For sponsors the arch is often the most photographed element of the day: everything that crosses the finish line comes through literally under their logo.

Where you use them

• Start and finish arch at running, cycling and triathlon events
• Entrance marker for a site, festival area or Christmas market
• Sponsor arch halfway along a route or at a climb or passing point

Versions

Arches come in various spans, from a narrow pedestrian passage to a wide arch that fits over the width of a road. The shape varies: a classic rounded arch, a rectangular gateway with a flat top beam that gives more printable area, or an asymmetrical shape. Printing is applied all round, and many organisers deliberately choose a neutral base arch with interchangeable sponsor banners around it, so the arch lasts for years while the sponsor names move on.

Materials and technique

The fabrics are built from strong PVC-coated cloth with reinforced seams and anchoring points at the feet. Printing is applied directly to the fabric with UV-resistant ink. At every foot there are loops or eyelets for ground pegs, sandbags or weights. The blower is a light electric fan that runs off a standard socket or a generator.

Setting up, wind and anchoring

An inflatable arch is a large wind-catching surface on two supports. That makes anchoring the most important point on this whole page. Anchoring is done with ground pegs in grass or soil, and with sufficiently heavy weights or water tanks on hard surfacing. Pull the guy lines away at an angle rather than straight down, so they genuinely take up crosswind.

Every arch has a wind limit above which it has to come down. Agree in advance who takes that decision and who can deflate the arch. Deflating an arch takes less than a minute and is always the right call in case of doubt. As organiser you are liable for damage or injury caused by an arch that goes over, and that happens faster than people think once a gust hits it side-on.

When an inflatable is not the best choice

If the arch stands in the same place for weeks, on a windy open plain, or if lighting and technical kit have to hang in it, a fixed structure or a framed advertising gantry is the wiser option. For a permanent passage with traffic underneath, an inflatable arch is not the right solution either. The most common mistake is anchoring too lightly because there was no wind during the build.

What determines the price?

The price depends on the span and the height, the shape of the arch, the fabric quality, the printed area and the number of colours, the inflation technique chosen, and the anchoring set supplied. The run counts too: several identical arches for different locations work out differently from a single one. Interchangeable sponsor banners, a bespoke transport bag, delivery and installation may come on top. Give us the clear width you want and the surface, and we will put a proposal together.

Developing your arch

Send us your logo, the width you want and the place where it will stand. We will draw up a proposal and make sure the anchoring matches your site. Get in touch for a quotation.