The Vision
In the year 2002 a Sydney inventor came
to the realisation that the age-old tradition of bell ringing
or “ringing of the bells” at a wedding ceremony
was becoming redundant due to the fact that only a handful
of churches in Sydney had a bell tower with multiple bells.
The idea of a mobile cathedral bell unit was born.
Over the
next two years, with many a trial and error, a working model
was developed. With more and more Australians getting married
in a variety of different venues the mobile unit has shown
its versatility by being able to add tradition to ceremonies
in myriad places. Churches, hotels, beaches, wineries, golf
courses etc, are all venues now able to have cathedral wedding
bells at any wedding.
If you thought that the unit was strictly
for weddings consider the 100’s of other uses that
bells offer. Xmas carols, store openings fetes special events
etc. The more the bells are seen by the public the more work
it self generates. People seem to be naturally drawn to the
sound of the bells. It certainly doesn’t take long
to build up a crowd. The bell unit is so unique that people
who see the unit are seeing it for the very first time anywhere
in the world. It is a promoter’s dream.
In 2006 the
inventor successfully obtained an international patent and
sought potential Australian investors/buyers who would be
able to expand the business into a model that could be replicated
world-wide. Mobile Wedding Bells P/L won the rights to the
invention and intellectual property and, as the new licensor,
has embarked on a responsible strategy to enlist suitable
licensees in Australia.
Our Vision
To see these magnificent bells become an
essential part of the aura, sound and ambience of every wedding!
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FAQ
Why a Licence Agreement and not a franchise?
When you become a Licensee with Mobile Wedding Bells P/L
you have a licence to use the name and the intellectual copyright and you
have the protection of the Australian Patent and the full assistance of the
team.
Some investors will prefer the perceived protection of a
franchise. But, as with all things, you pay for what you get…it’s a matter
of what you want.
Will I have the right to run my business how I want?
Licence…YES
Franchise…NO
Will I have to pay ongoing levies and royalties?
Licence ……NO
Franchise…YES
Am I required to operate within a territory?
Licence……NO
Franchise…YES (usually)
Can I charge what the market will bear for my service?
Licence……YES
Franchise …YES, legally (but in practical terms NO)
Can another business be sold in the area I operate in?
Licence……YES
Franchise…YES
Would I have first right of refusal on another business?
Licence……YES
Franchise …NO (not normally)
Am I free to relocate my business anywhere?
Licence……YES
Franchise …NO
There are obvious advantages with either a Licence or a
Franchise. Let’s have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of
both and which would suit you better.
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A Franchise Agreement should give you the backing of a national organisation.
If you are happy with the way it is run then you should be as successful
as others Franchisees. A Licence Agreement has the same advantages but
the national organization, although it is there to assist you, cannot
dictate to you how or where you can operate, or what you can charge for
your services. There is every reason to believe that your own entrepreneurial
efforts under a Licence agreement could exceed that of a franchise. The
Franchise is more regimented in a communal sense.
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Applicable levies of a Franchise that you must pay, such as advertising/promotion etc, will benefit the organization as a whole and you as an individual Franchisee. Levies and charges of a Licence are non existent. The Licensor will not take a percentage of your hard-earned profits to spend in areas that may not suit you.
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If you have had little or no business experience, a Franchise could be more preferable to you, as your business is basically controlled by the Franchisor and success is presumed to follow. But not necessarily so. You must still put in the effort to run your business responsibly and economically. If you have business acumen, and you know how to run your own business without (sometimes unwelcome) interference, then you will be far better suited with a Licence Agreement. If you possess an entrepreneurial flare then a Licence will of course be far more attractive. You will have the freedom to explore new and innovative markets for your product. You will be able to autonomously conduct advertising and promotion etc that you can tailor to your area and in a manner you wish to operate. Put in the necessary effort and the profits are all yours. Not dissipated with advertising budgets, levies and charges etc that benefit a Franchise as a whole.
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For all intents and purposes there are few differences
between a Franchise and a Licence. A Franchisor has an economic responsibility
to do all possible to ensure you are successful, because what you do
will affect all other Franchisees and the value of the Franchisor’s business as a whole. A Licensor also has an economic responsibility to ensure you (and therefore him) maximize profit. The Licensor will certainly suffer economic loss if you don’t make a profit. The Licensor’s value of his Licenses would be diminished markedly if you do not make a profit. So the compulsion is there to ensure profit is made whether it’s an economic or moral obligation. Profitability is the cornerstone of all business. This will never change. Franchise or Licence; it can lose money. It can make money. No matter which way it works, it comes back to you. Sit on your bum all day and you will lose money. To put it in a nutshell, the Licensor cannot wipe your bum for you…but the Franchisor will make sure you have some paper.
Am I offered a territory or zone?
With a Franchise you may be offered a territory or be refused
access to a certain area. There will certainly be strict rules. If you do
not abide by those rules you can have your Franchise resumed forcibly. You
will need to tow the line and play the company game for the benefit of all.
With a Mobile Wedding Bells Licence, you are free to trade
wherever you wish. Upon agreement for you to become a Mobile Wedding Bells
licensee we will also negotiate a desired zone with you. The zone is not
exclusive but it will have a first right of refusal clause attached. With
a Mobile Wedding Bells Licence it is impossible to account for an exclusive
territory. Let’s take weddings for example. Most guests at weddings
come from all over Australia. Word of mouth and further bookings as a result
of attending a wedding may need to be filled anywhere. Couples decide to
marry in all sorts of places. You can attend a booking wherever it is economic
for you to do so. If it is not economic then you can refer the booking to
another Licensee. He will do the same for you. If you wish to relocate for
a holiday, make it a working holiday…take the unit with you. There
is nothing to prevent a Licensee opting to take only one booking a week,
thus his “territory” could not possibly be serviced properly.
Clients will call asking for bookings and we could not satisfy the demand…simply
because of a territory. You will have the economic choice of deciding how
big you want your territory to be. You have all of Australia as your Territory
and you can do what you wish with it… bearing in mind that most of
Australia will be uneconomic to service. Attempting to attend even some of
the 140,000 weddings per year in Australia is impossible anyway.
You may decide that your core business is not weddings…it
may be sporting events, or store openings or any of a thousand functions.
Each time your unit is on display it creates more business whether it be
in your area or not. Each time a unit other than yours is on display it directs
business your way.
We have done our market research and have a definitive plan
for the roll-out of the bell units across Australia. We wish to geographically
cover the country. We always reserve the right to re-visit areas that already
have bells with the view to place further units in those areas however this
would only be done after consultation with the existing licensee(s) and with
the licensee exercising his “first right of refusal” clause.
The market will decide how many bells are needed in particular areas.
Brand recognition by the public will obviously make every licensee more successful.
Our company ethos is that we will always act in the best interest of our licensees
which in turn will be in the best interest of the Mobile Wedding Bells name.
Is my investment in the bell unit safe from copycats?
Yes, Mobile Wedding Bells owns the intellectual property
and patents. The invention of the transportable bell unit is protected by
Australian patent and will be vigorously defended.
Does Mobile Wedding Bells offer Training?
On delivery of the bell unit, Mobile Wedding Bells will
give the licensee comprehensive training in the operation of the bell unit,
free of charge.
What warranties do I get on the bell unit?
There are manufacturer’s warranties on all of the components that make up the bell unit.
Trailer
Bells
Apollo carillon computer
Superstructure
Engineering
Don’t most churches already have bells?
No they don’t. If they do have, they generally have
one bell which obviously cannot peal the traditional just married tune. Even
the handful of venues that do have multiple bells are reluctant to play them
as the art of bell ringing has been lost.
How long will it take to get the bells?
As soon as possible after payment of the deposit, Mobile
Wedding Bells will place an order for the bells which form part of the bell
unit. The average time for manufacture and delivery of the bells by airfreight
to Mobile Wedding Bells will be between 8 to 10 weeks from the date of the
order. On delivery of the bells to Mobile Wedding Bells, we will install
the Bell Unit onto the Australian made custom trailer prior to delivery to
the Licensee. Fit-out of the Bell Unit takes an average time of between 3
to 4 weeks. In the meantime we can arrange for a loan trailer where possible
to get you started straight away whilst your new unit is being made.
Have there been any noise complaints?
In three years of ringing we haven’t had any complaints.
That’s not to say it won’t ever happen. All local councils have
different rules but commonsense says don’t peal the bells early in
the morning or late at night unless you have prior permission. Ringing of
the bells during the day for churches that have them has been going on for
centuries.
Marketing Your Bell Unit
While awaiting the arrival of your bell unit there is a
lot to do. Most of the work is commonsense. Mobile Wedding Bells will provide
you with your promotional marketing kit which includes flyers, business cards
etc. You may wish to do some local advertising. The most important thing
is to start building your local database for further use. Your database can
be sourced from the Yellow Pages and from the internet. Things to include
on your database are churches, chapels, celebrants, reception centres, wedding
planners, golf courses, wineries, racecourses, hotels, theme venues etc.
Also source any local or regional bridal expos and book your unit in. Expos
tend to be seasonal so you will be booking well in advance. Also we may have
list of bookings to add to your diary via our website, advertising and the
promotional expos that we attend.
Doing this initial legwork properly will pay dividends.
Having a successful bell unit is about having built good relationships with
other people in the industry. Limo drivers, florists, photographers etc.
The bell unit is so unique that you will find that they will be happy to
help you and work with you because you don’t pose any threat to their
business.
Other ideas for business are shopping centre promotions,
market days, carols in the park, school fetes, food festivals, music festivals,
carnivals, show days, Easter, New Years, Australia Day, Anzac Day, store
openings, football songs... the list will keep building. The more the bell
unit gets used the more people think of different ways to use it.
Once the bell unit arrives and you start attending your
bookings it is important that you do the event well. Word of mouth business
is a huge part of a successful bell unit. When people see and hear the bells
you’ll find it generates a lot of interest which in turn leads to further
bookings. Our statistics also show that over 25% of customers and venues
re book the bells once they’ve experienced them.
The Mobile Wedding Bells website will have a link to you
as a licensee with your local contact details. The company will be responsible
for the upkeep of the website and optimization of the site through search
engines, bridal sites etc. There is no ongoing cost for this service. It
is in our interest to assist in your success.
How much can I make?
It is impossible for us to give a definitive figure because
it revolves around how much you wish to do and what type of work your bell
unit is doing. The examples below obviously rise exponentially when more
bookings are being attended.
In this example we are looking at doing two weddings per
week and two special event bookings per month. The normal price to do a wedding
varies from $495 to $790.
Saturday 1 booking @ $595
Sunday 1 booking @ $595
2 special event bookings @ $395
Per annum income= $64,160.00
In this example we are looking at doing three weddings on
a Saturday and three weddings on a Sunday, at one venue that specializes
in weddings and includes the bells as part of their package. Let’s
say a negotiated price of $395 per wedding is being charged to the venue.
Saturday 3 bookings @ $395 = $1,185.00
Sunday 3 bookings @ $395 = $1,185.00
2 special event bookings @ 395
Per annum income= $164,320.00
These figures of course are only a guide….You may
have your Bell Unit fully contracted out to the one venue. In which case,
you may require another Unit to satisfy other bookings that cannot now be
filled.
What does a standard wedding booking entail?
The Licensee will be fully paid for the booking well before
hand. He should arrive at the venue at least half an hour before the ceremony.
Set the bell unit up. Wait for the nod and ring the bells on the bride’s
arrival. The next ringing is after the ceremony has been completed and the
newlyweds greet their guests as husband and wife. The entire process depends
on how long the ceremony takes. Mobile Wedding Bells advise to allow an hour
and a half to two hours for a booking.
What do other unique wedding services cost?
The average spent on a wedding is around $36,000. Part of
that is spent on the unique little extras. The options for couples are really
endless.
Doves - $200 to $350 ( 4 to 6 doves)
Harpist - $300 to $450
Bagpipes - $450 to $1000
Wedding Bells - $495 to $795
String Quartet - $650 to $800
Rose Petals- $600 to $1000 (100 Guests)
Butterfly Releases - $950 to $1150 (100 Butterflies)
Horse & Carriage - $1000 to $1500
Essentials:
Bouquets - $300 to $600 (Bride and 3 Bridesmaids)
Wedding Cake - $400 to $1000
All the above figures are from actual quotes received. Copies are available upon request.
What will I receive for my investment?
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The right to use our business name (Mobile Wedding Bells)
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The right to use our intellectual property
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The right to use our Australian patents, logos and marks
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Operations Manual
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Nine handcrafted tuned European bronze bells with electromagnetic strikers
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Carillon computer with 100 pre-loaded melodies with remote control
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Australian built custom tandem trailer with 12 months registration
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Portable Honda EU20i generator (21kgs) with 30m heavy duty power lead
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Removable lightweight church steeple
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Interchangeable signs for the unit (wedding bells, merry xmas etc)
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A custom made decorative skirt for the trailer.
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Set of 8 handmade silk floral
arrangements
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Promotional material starter
kit (500 personalised business cards, 1000 colour flyers, trailer decals)
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Comprehensive operational training
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Marketing and mentor program
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Manufacturers’ warranties
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Compliance certificates
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A negotiated zone with a first right of refusal clause
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Inclusion on our corporate website with your own bookings link and contact details
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A Licence Agreement
Can I sell my business if and when (and for how much) I want?
Yes, it is your business and you are free to exploit the
market value of it at any time you wish. We would need to know and approve
of the purchaser. This is a normal due diligence process as was conducted
when you purchased from us. There is a nominal charge for this requirement.
What is the next step?
Please complete the licensee registration form on the next page and return to us.
Licensee
Application Form 
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