What stays the same
The 5.5m x 5.5m operational area, the session cycle of roughly one group every three minutes, the crewed operating model and the snow medium.
Around 20 groups an hour is the ceiling in either setting, and the medium is the same dry eco snow made from vegetable starch derived from potato and turnip — swept and reused, with no liquid and no residue.
Ground and ballast
Indoors, a level floor is usually all that is needed. Outdoors, the surface dictates the ballast plan.
Paving, tarmac and hardstanding are straightforward. Grass and other soft ground are workable but change how the globe is secured and where ballast sits — the detail our outdoor park method statement covers.
- ❄For outdoor installations we normally operate with 200 kg of ballast, distributed appropriately beneath and throughout the staged framework
- ❄Soft or uneven ground is discussed in advance, because it changes how the framework is set and where ballast sits
Power
Indoors there is normally a fixed supply. Outdoors it is either a site feed or a stable generator, with matted and signed cable runs.
Either way the blower runs continuously while the globe stands, so the feed has to be dependable for the whole of operating hours rather than switched between shifts.
Weather and operating certainty
Indoors, weather is irrelevant. Outdoors, wind — not rain — governs whether the globe operates.
The crew monitors conditions and closes and reopens against the method statement thresholds. For any published programme, that possibility belongs in your visitor copy, and our bad weather and outdoor bookings policy explains how the decision is made.
- ❄The attraction does not operate above 24 mph (38 km/h), and the operator may suspend earlier where conditions warrant it
- ❄An anemometer is used on site before opening and through the day; any lower limit in the manufacturer's documentation takes precedence
- ❄Light rain and drizzle do not necessarily stop operation; in torrential rain we pause, and may deflate and protect the globe until it is safe to reinstall
- ❄Heavy snowfall may mean suspension or cancellation, and every decision rests on conditions on site and safe operation
- ❄UK summer heat has not historically been an operational problem for us, though high temperatures can soften and stretch PVC, so conditions are assessed as we go
Audience and atmosphere
Indoor sites convert existing footfall; outdoor sites recruit passing footfall and photograph well after dark.
A mall concourse borrows an audience that has already arrived. A public-space or park pitch has to earn attention, but it does so at a scale a mall cannot, and lit at dusk it is the strongest version of the attraction visually.
Paperwork differences
The RAMS pack is setting-specific: generic, indoor shopping centre, outdoor public space and outdoor park.
Outdoor public sites usually involve a wider approval chain than an indoor venue, so allow more time between sending paperwork and holding dates.
Which globes suit which setting
All six variants — Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Summer, Golden Ball and Cash Grabber — can be operated indoors or outdoors, subject to suitable site and weather conditions.
Where it is practical, we generally prefer indoors: a controlled environment gives more predictable presentation and operating conditions, and the appearance and tension of PVC varies with temperature.
Outdoor suitability does not mean operation continues regardless of the weather. Our 24 mph (38 km/h) maximum operating wind speed, the rain position and the heavy-snow position all still apply, whichever variant is on site.