Reasons for choosing Booqable
Barcodes: Implemented barcode scanning for equipment checkout/return, drastically reducing equipment loss and tracking errors compared to manual logging.
Online bookings: Created dedicated online portal where students could reserve equipment using their school email and ID, enabled by the website builder.
Real-time availability: Automated inventory updates through online booking system ensured students could only reserve equipment that was actually in stock.
One of the many goals of The Icelandic Film School, one of Iceland’s premier film schools, is to provide its students with the best camera and audiovisual equipment for their filmmaking projects. Thanks to the integration of Booqable, The Icelandic Film School has made the booking experience a breeze for students, allowing them to quickly and easily reserve the camera and audiovisual equipment they need in just a few clicks.
Many schools and universities, like The Icelandic Film School, have found that managing a large equipment inventory does not come without its challenges. Before adopting Booqable two years ago, the film school faced frequent equipment loss and an overwhelming amount of extra work to track and manage their inventory through pen and paper. The director of the The Icelandic Film School student resource department, Gunnar Blondal, has found features such as the rental website builder and barcode system to be particularly transformative. These key features have made it possible for universities like The Icelandic Film School to seamlessly rent out their equipment to students.
Preventing equipment loss with Booqable barcodes
Before The Icelandic Film School implemented Booqable, managing a large inventory of camera and AV equipment was a daunting task. The school experienced frequent equipment losses, often due to items being misplaced or stock item numbers being inaccurately logged during checkouts and returns.
Booqable’s barcode system has thankfully transformed this chaotic process into a streamlined workflow. The Icelandic Film School utilized a simple step-by-step tutorial to create, export, and scan their product barcodes straight from their Booqable backend.
Each piece of equipment is now tagged with a unique barcode that allows staff to scan the correct product directly onto the reservation at both equipment pickup and return. This speeds up the checkout process, updates inventory availability in real time, and drastically reduces the risk of human error.
Gunnar mentioned this about using barcodes at The Icelandic Film School: “Before we implemented Booqable, keeping track of our camera and AV equipment was more difficult. We were missing items quite a lot. The barcode system changed this, because now we can just scan items, and the time at checkout is so much quicker.”
Running a student booking portal with the Booqable website builder
Booqable’s Rental Website Builder has allowed The Icelandic Film School to eliminate the need for manual scheduling by providing a dedicated student online booking portal. The Icelandic Film School has adapted the website builder to quickly and easily create an online booking resource where students can enter their project dates, browse the full range of available equipment, and place a booking under their student email and ID number from any device at any hour.
The Icelandic Film School also enjoyed the ease of adding their own custom domain and installing one of Booqable’s website templates specifically designed for electronic equipment rentals. Its rental website has been tailored specifically to the needs of their film students by featuring detailed categories for different types of cameras, lenses, lighting, and sound equipment.
Gunnar mentioned this about using the Booqable Website Builder: “We use the store we have created with the Booqable website builder for our student bookings, as it’s so much easier for both them and us. We have availability turned on so they can only reserve equipment that is in stock, and the website was super easy to make. We can even use our own custom domain, which was really handy.”
Empowering student creativity by removing logistical hassles
Booqable has proven to be the perfect solution for The Icelandic Film School, transforming how the school manages and rents out its extensive audiovisual equipment inventory. By automating the entire process—from online bookings through a custom-built portal to accurate tracking with the barcode system—Booqable has enhanced the overall experience for both staff and students.
Booqable allows universities and educational institutions like The Icelandic Film School to make it easier than ever for students to access the educational tools they need while meeting all the requirements and demands of the unique use case of cost-free equipment rentals. This ensures that their valuable resources are managed effectively, and students can focus on their creative pursuits without the logistical hassle.
