Buyers Guide: Best Selling Inflatable Arches for Sports Events

Of all the branding materials used for sporting events, inflatables stand out for their ease of use, esthetic appeal, and accessible costs. One particular inflatable renowned for its versatility for any sporting event is the inflatable finish line arch.

You can use it for charity fundraising sports, business marketing games, community recreational fun, or school events. The best part is that you can feature an inflatable arch for any sport: racing, cycling, hockey, basketball, football, soccer, you name it.

Be that as it may, the usefulness of an inflatable arch depends on its quality. It’s essential to invest in an arch that raises the profile of your event but won’t give out on the day itself.

Today, we’ll give you a run-down of what to look for when buying an inflatable arch for your sports event.

Fabric vs. Vinyl vs. PVC: Which Material Is the Best?

Polyester and PVC Arches

Choosing the right material determines how long your inflatable arch will last before it succumbs to wear and tear or the print fades.

Vinyl arches are cheaper to buy. They also look glossy and elegant when new, but the material is thin and unreliable. As you inflate and deflate your arch, the expansion and contraction cause the seams to weaken and start to leak.

Your arch will no longer inflate properly or will start losing air, making it impossible to reuse.

Fabric-only arches are more durable, but only if you use a thick, tightly woven material such as 400 or more deniers of nylon or polyester.

However, they aren't water or fireproof.

The best choice for inflatable arches is a fabric layered with a PVC coating.

PVC is a polymerized and upgraded form of vinyl that improves your arch to make it:

Waterproof
Fire retardant
Mold and mildew proof
Stretch, tear, and scratch-resistant

Permanent or Replaceable Signs: Which Is Better?

Rectangle Arch With Replaceable Signage

If you’ll only use your arch for one purpose, permanent signage will work for you. The printing process embeds the graphics and message into the material, so you’ll have a permanent, smooth, and seamless look.

Replaceable signage lets you reuse your inflatable arch for different events by replacing or changing your branding or messaging. You can change out sponsors, names, or event themes by one of the following methods:

Sticking some banners on the top tubes or side legs using Velcro
Hanging banners from the D-rings or webbed loops
Wrapping a banner around the tubes. Note the inside of the wrap-around banner should have some Velcro to prevent it from sliding down

Expert tip: Ensure that the Velcro is stitched firmly to the arch because a self-adhesive one has a higher risk of falling.

photo-snippet-inflatable-arches-for-sports-events

Rectangle, Circular, or Angled: Which Shape Is the Best?

Inflatable arches come in three main shapes, as shown in the table below:

Angled Arch	Curved Arch	Rectangular Arch
Acute angles on corners Look like they have shoulders	Continuous circular shape Looks like a rainbow	Right-angled corners Looks like an upside-down doorway

The rectangle is the simplest of arch designs because it requires less work to put together.

Despite the notable differences, all MVP Visuals arches are pre-engineered with specific dimensions so that they'll be stable and proportional no matter the size, whether it's 15 ft. wide or 50 ft. wide.

To ensure maximum stability, put ropes through the D-rings, pull them tightly, and then firmly anchor them to the ground using stakes. You can also use large gallon drums full of sand or water. Ensure you also place weights or sandbags inside the legs.

Constant or Sealed Air Inflatable Arches: Which is Best?

Selecting the best blower for your arch is challenging because you need to consider the type and size of the arch plus the type, energy, and power specs of the blower.

Thankfully, MVP Visuals spares you all this stress by providing you with the most appropriate blower for the size and type of arch you purchase. The only choice you’re left with is choosing between constant and sealed air inflatable arches.

Constant air inflatables depend on either an external or internal blower and a power source to continuously supply air to the arch. On the other hand, sealed air inflatables rely on an external blower to pump them and are sealed once the arch is fully inflated.

Internal vs. External Blower

The two types of inflatables differ in several other ways as illustrated in the table below.

Sealed Air Inflatables	Constant Air Inflatables
Highly portable because they are disconnected from the pump Affected by temperature changes Very durable because they are made using heavy duty material, like PVC or vinyl Large sealed air inflatables may require several people and expert knowledge to inflate correctly Don’t require after inflation	Cumbersome to carry around Adjust to weather and environmental changes More susceptible to tears and punctures Very flexible hence can be used to create inflatables of all shapes and sizes Significantly easy to set up Need a constant power source when in use

Enhance Your Sporting Event With an Inflatable Arch

Large Angled Inflatable Arch

Turn to MVP Visuals for your sporting event arches. Our fully customized inflatable arches come in all three standard shapes—angled, rectangular, and curved. If you have something else in mind, we’re happy to bring your imagination to life with a custom shape arch and design.

Our standard sizes start from 15 to 50 feet wide. We can also make it smaller or bigger for you; simply tell us what you need.

All our arches come with a blower and anchoring accessories.

We offer the following material options:

Material	Description	Our Warranty
420 Denier	Thinnest Most economical	Three years
600 Denier	Sturdy and thick Higher quality and affordable	Five Years
PVC Tarpaulin	Heavy-duty Ultra-sturdy	Lifetime

If you want to handle the design yourself, we’ll send you our artwork template so you can show us exactly where you want everything to be. We also have a team of Art and Display Coordinators ready to help you with the design process at no extra charge.

Once you approve the proof, we start working on your project. We do heat transfer printing, then hand-stitch the arch pieces together before inflating it to see if everything works perfectly.

Watch this video to see more of our process.