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Frequently Asked Questions:
- I haven't time to read your whole
web site. What are the basics?
- What happens if it rains on
the day of my outdoor event?
- Are you insured and what is covered?
- How much space do you need
for a Sumo Experience event?
- How many people can a Sumo Experience
event cater for?
- How long does a Sumo Experience event run for?
- How long does it take to get the suits on?
- How early should I book?
- Did I hear right? You do fire-breathing too!?
- Can I drink and Sumo?
- I could hire the suits myself, so what are the extras you offer?
- What is not covered in a Sumo
Experience event?
- What are the future plans for
Sumo Experience?
 Q. I haven't time to read
your whole web site. Can you just tell me the basics?
A. OK, this is the quick corporate tour of the essentials:
- Service - for
the distinctive of what we offer see Welcome.
- Space -
for how much room is needed see FAQ.
- Conditions - for who can and can't Sumo see
Safety.
- Costs -
for fees and extras see Rates.
- Booking - for our
email, phone, etc.
see Contact
Q. What happens if it rains
on the day of my outdoor event?
A. You have a choice:
- You can go ahead with the event. The suits
won't be damaged by a little rain. It will just be a bit slippery.
- You can cancel. You will either loose your
deposit, or you can reuse your deposit to re-book.
Of course the real belt-and-braces approach is to reserve an appropriate indoors venue as a fall back, but depending on the nature of your event this is not always possible.
Q. Are you insured and what is covered?
A. We have Public Liability Insurance to the
tune of £5,000,000.
This is standard Public Liability Insurance for the 'inflatables industry' to cover you against injury. But the gray men at the insurance company have included a mix of sensible and killjoy conditions that grows annually. The current highlights are:
- The equipment cannot be used at the same licensed venue for more than eight consecutive days and only for four periods in year and never in nightclubs
- Male and Female adults (16 up) must not compete against each other
- Children (under 16) can only compete against others of a similar age and size
- The competition ring cannot be used on concrete, car park or similar.
Q. How much space do you need
for a Sumo Experience event?
A. The crash mat is 12 feet by 12 feet and an
additional boarder is required for spills, spectators and waiting contestants.
This means that a clear flat area of at least 22 feet by 22 feet (6.7 meters by 6.7 meters) is
required. This is an important safety requirement as despite the thick padding of the suits a fall against a wall or pillar would be dangerous.
 Q. How many people can a Sumo
Experience event cater for?
A. This will depend on the people involved. Sumo
Experience runs a single "dohyo" (Sumo arena) so only two
people can wrestle at any given time. Watching
can be as entertaining as joining in. There is no particular limit to
the number of reserved onlookers, and the headcount of "I'll-just-give-it-one-go"
people can also be quite high. For team building events where full participation is the aim, the ideal target number is 12. So anything between about 8 and 14 works well..
Q. How long does a Sumo Experience event run for?
A. For a team building event we have found that 90 minutes is the ideal length for the Sumo bit although this is customisable to your requirments. The Sumo-Station always proves very popular at Fun days and Fairs and for this very reason we cannot serve for any more than two hours at these events. Your event may well be a four hour stretch but picking up combatants from the crash mat for that length of time would just be too much for the back of your "Gyoji" (Sumo referee)!
Q. How long does it take to get the suits on?
A. Putting on a sumo fat-suit is just like pulling in a big heavy vest, then all that is needed is the neck brace and helmet (both Velcro fastened) Take a look at this movie clip and you'll see that it takes as little as 15 seconds to get a suit off one combatant and another 15 to get it onto the next. So to swap out one pair for the next is about a minute; leaving more time for posing and fighting!
Q. How early should I book?
A. We could say 'as early as possible' but that's not the answer you're looking for. Two months ahead would be a good policy. But never assume that you've left it too late. We have taken a booking at 20 hours notice before now and are looking to better that.
Q. Did I hear right? You do fire-breathing too!
A. That's right, for an additional charge your Gyoji (referee) will perform a brief fire-breathing display at the end of your event. But let's be clear about this; its fire-breathing, not fire-eating (that would be dangerous). OK, its not really Japanese but its a trick that Martin picked up during his days as a rock singer (at open-air concerts you need to be seen from the back!) Unfortunately due to the sensitivity of modern fire-detection equipment this can only be arranged it the venue allows or at out-door events (weather permitting).
Q. Can I drink and Sumo?
A. No. Or at least not at the same time. The
Sumo must come first as there are safety and public liability issues.
Please read the safety page carefully
for further details.
Q. I could hire the suits myself, so what are the extras you offer?
A. Good question. You can hire similar equipment from other companies who will drop it on your lawn like they would a bouncy castle. Sumo Experience is so much more than a hire company. With us you get:
- the `Gyoji' - the host and master of ceremonies, referee and purveyor of fun
- the ceremony - the `gyoji` comes in full regalia, kimono and hat.
- participation - with the traditions of salt throwing, parading and stomping as well as wearing your souvenir team bandana
- keeping the score - on a large whiteboard
- sound effects - from a gong, japanese mood music and a megaphone (if needed!)
- mood - with a few blasts from the smoke machine (venue permitting) and (optional) fire breathing display
- safety - the supervision for safe fun and self-service first aid if by chance you do get battle scared!
Q. What is not covered in a Sumo Experience event?
A. This clearly can't be an exhaustive list,
but the obvious ones to state are:
- the venue (that is over to you to book or host)
- food and drink
- rain cover (events under the sky are subject to whatever falls
out of the sky)
- prizes (currently the only prizes are a sense of triumph and possible
smugness depending on your nature!)
- transport of guests to or from the event
 Q. What are the future plans for Sumo Experience?
A. There are constant improvements and lots of plans. Since inception we have introduced a
Japanese-style bandana for every guest to wear and take away as a Sumo Experience memento, a large gong to accent the ceremonials, a sound track for mood and a smoke machine for where the venue allows. There is also now a
feedback page where our clients can let
us know how we scored against their expectations. Also a safety assessment document has been compiled and will be
reviewed at least quarterly (copies available via the safety page). We eventually plan to produce a promotional DVD that can be used
as introduction to a Sumo Experience event but will also instruct on safety issues. Much of the footage that we are likely to use is already available on the movies page. We have already trialed projection of real sumo footage onto venue walls. Beyond that we have plans to add lighting as the scale of our operations enable. Watch this space!
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