Golden Ball Globe Hire
Drop guests into 5,000 colourful balls and challenge them to find the single golden ball against the clock. Pair with retailer prizes to turn footfall into measurable engagement.
Typical season: All year
One of six themed variants — view our full giant snow globe range to compare themes, seasons and event uses.

What is the Golden Ball Globe?
The Golden Ball Globe is a 3.5-metre walk-in snow globe you step inside, dressed as a complete themed scene and branded to your marketing message. GlobeHire delivers, installs, crews and de-rigs it, typically for all year.
The Golden Ball Globe is a game, not just a photo op. The globe is filled with around 5,000 colourful balls and one golden ball, and guests are given a timed challenge to find it.
Because entry can be earned — a receipt, a scan, a sign-up or a loyalty action — it converts footfall into data and measurable engagement while still delivering the crowd and the content.
How does the Golden Ball Globe work on the day?
Our crew install and dress the globe before you open, then groups enter for a short timed slot, throw the medium toward the internal fan themselves and take their photos. One group roughly every three minutes is the realistic ceiling — around 20 groups an hour.
- 1Crew install the globe, fill it with the ball pit media and set up the timing and reward point.
- 2Guests qualify for a turn through your chosen mechanic — spend, scan, sign-up or ticket.
- 3Each participant enters for a timed search, typically 30–60 seconds.
- 4Finding the golden ball triggers your prize; near-misses receive a runner-up reward.
- 5Balls are reset between turns by our host or your steward, keeping the queue moving.
Who is the Golden Ball Globe for?
It suits any team that needs a reason for people to visit, stay longer and share the visit — most often retail destinations, venues and attractions, and brands or agencies running all year campaigns.
- ❄Shopping centres running spend-and-win or receipt-capture campaigns
- ❄Retail and FMCG brands needing data capture with an entertainment payoff
- ❄Sponsors wanting a branded, measurable activation rather than passive display
- ❄Corporate events, staff incentives and exhibition stands seeking dwell time
What can you expect from a hire?
Every booking includes delivery, install, themed dressing, crewed operation, de-rig, a site-specific risk assessment and method statement, and £10 million public liability cover.
Engagement
Timed turns of 30–60 seconds keep throughput high and queues visible
Measurement
Every turn can be tied to a receipt, scan, sign-up or ticket
Throughput
Around 30–50 individual turns per hour with a host on the reset
Compliance
£10m public liability cover with RAMS supplied before install
How can the Golden Ball Globe be branded?
The exterior wrap, base skirt and the backdrop inside the globe are all dressed to your marketing message or brand guidelines, so every photo taken inside carries your campaign back out with it.
- ❄Ball colours selected to match your brand palette
- ❄Exterior wrap, base skirt and internal backdrop printed to your campaign artwork
- ❄Prize board, leaderboard and countdown signage branded to the sponsor
- ❄Mechanic wording and terms tailored to your promotion
Artwork is the one element with a real lead time, so agree the design early. See the guide to branded globe activations for how other teams have used the surround.
What options and add-ons are available?
The core hire covers the globe, stage, themed props, media and crew. Hosts, performers, photo backdrops, share prompts, queue management, branded artwork and additional props can be added, and additional props can also be hired at a cost.
- ❄Host or compère to run the game, timing and reward hand-out
- ❄Digital leaderboard, timing clock or countdown screen
- ❄Data-capture tablets for sign-ups and prize-draw entry
- ❄Additional prize-display props hired at extra cost — plinths, podiums and branded prize cabinets
- ❄Custom-branded globe wrap and base skirt printed to your artwork or brand guidelines
- ❄Branded backdrop panels inside the globe for photo-ready campaign messaging
- ❄Additional themed props hired at extra cost — oversized figures, seating, signage, planting and set dressing
- ❄Costumed character performer or host to greet guests and manage the queue
- ❄Branded backdrops, share prompts and photo-friendly lighting so guests take and share their own mobile-phone shots
- ❄Queue-management barriers, matting, branded stanchions and directional signage
How much does Golden Ball Globe hire cost, and what affects the price?
We quote every booking individually rather than publishing a fixed rate, because the same globe costs very different amounts to run for one day in a mall than for five weeks outdoors. Longer bookings are quoted at a reduced daily rate.
Length of hire
One-day activations carry the same delivery, install and de-rig as a five-week run, so longer bookings are quoted at a lower daily rate.
Indoor or outdoor
All six variants run indoors or outdoors, subject to site and weather conditions. Outdoor sites add 200 kg of ballast and on-site anemometer readings against a 24 mph (38 km/h) maximum operating wind speed, and need a client-arranged generator where there is no mains supply; indoor malls are usually simpler but have out-of-hours load-in windows.
Opening hours and crew
Crew is costed against your opening hours. Extended evening or multi-session days need a second crew member.
Theming and branding
Standard themed dressing is included. Bespoke artwork, custom backdrops and additional props are quoted on top.
Location and access
We cover the whole of Great Britain. Distance, congestion or clean-air charges and difficult load-in routes affect logistics costs.
Add-ons
Hosts, performers, photo backdrops, share prompts, queue management and extra props are each priced individually so you only pay for what you use.
Send your dates, venue type and opening hours and you'll have a tailored quote — including theming options and the safety paperwork your venue needs — within 48 hours.
What should you check before booking, and what mistakes should you avoid?
Three things decide whether an activation runs smoothly: a 5.5m × 5.5m operational area for the 3.5m globe, two standard 13A sockets, and a load-in route at least 0.85m wide. Confirm those before you commit to dates.
- ❄A 5.5m × 5.5m operational area with 4m clear height for the 3.5m × 3.5m × 3.5m globe, plus a separate queueing area sized to your expected footfall.
- ❄Two standard 13A sockets — 1.8 kVA / 8.0A. Where no suitable mains supply exists, the client arranges a safe generator solution.
- ❄A load-in route the kit can be trolleyed along, with a minimum clear width of 0.85m — tell us about stairs, lift access, restricted doorways, uneven surfaces, obstructions or a long push from the unloading point.
- ❄Two GlobeHire operational staff are supplied as standard; additional staffing can be arranged for break cover, extended hours or split shifts.
- ❄Access: entry is not step-free — approximately two conventional steps and a threshold lip of around four inches. Raise specific accessibility requirements with us before booking.
- ❄Realistic throughput: about one group every three minutes at the fastest, so roughly 20 groups per hour. Don't promise more.
- ❄Sign-off from the venue's health and safety team — send them our RAMS early rather than the week before.
- ❄Artwork deadlines. Branded wraps are the most common cause of a rushed build, so lock the design in first.
- ❄Staffing at your end for queue marshalling at peak times if you're not adding our hosts.
Our risk assessments and method statements are available to download, so your venue's health and safety team can review them before you sign anything.
What questions do customers ask about the Golden Ball Globe?
These are the questions we're asked most often before a booking is confirmed.
Who supplies the prizes?
Typically the venue, retailers or sponsor supply the prizes so the value sits with your campaign. We can advise on tiering so there is always a runner-up reward.
What does the Golden Ball Globe cost?
Hire starts from £1,395 plus VAT, the same starting figure as the rest of the range. The final price varies with what you want the game to achieve — prizes, branding and marketing elements are additional — so treat any guideline figure as a starting point and call 0330 043 6185 for an accurate price for your campaign.
Is it suitable for adults as well as children?
Yes. It works well as an all-ages mechanic, and adult turns tend to generate the strongest social content.
How does the Golden Ball Globe compare with the rest of the range?
The globe, footprint, crew and safety paperwork are identical across the range — what changes is the season it's dressed for, the medium inside and the story the scene tells. Pick the theme that matches when you need footfall.
| Globe | Season | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Globe | November – early January | Most popular |
| Easter Globe | March – April | Mar – Apr |
| Halloween Globe | Late September – early November | Oct |
| Summer Globe | June – August | Jun – Aug |
| Golden Ball Globe (this globe) | All year | Game mechanic |
| Cash Grabber Globe | All year | Prize draw |
Planning a campaign around Golden Ball Globe?
Tell us your dates, space and objectives and we'll come back with a tailored quote, theming options and the safety paperwork your venue needs.
