Renting a Claw Machine for the Office: A Guide for Team Events

Offices reach out to us in two very different situations: some want a claw machine for a single event, others want one permanently in the break room. Both are things we do — this guide is about the first one.

Rental vs. a free permanent machine

If you're planning a one-time event — a holiday party, an offsite, a launch — you want a rental, which is what this article covers. If you're looking to add a claw machine as an ongoing office perk, we also place machines permanently at no cost to the business. That's a separate program, and we've written up exactly how it works.

Good occasions for an office rental

• Holiday parties and end-of-year celebrations
• Team offsites or summer parties
• Product launches or company anniversaries
• Recruiting events or campus visits
• Client appreciation days

Picking a package

• 1 hour ($200): a quick energy boost for a Friday happy hour or a short lull in the day.
• 2 hours ($350): the standard choice for a holiday party or team celebration.
• 3 hours ($475) or 4 hours ($575): best for a larger company event that runs most of the afternoon.
• 6 hours ($700): our most-booked option for an all-day open house, offsite, or company-wide event.

What the space needs to provide

• About a 3-by-3-foot footprint, ideally near where people already gather.
• A standard power outlet nearby.
• If you're in a shared building, a quick check with facilities or building management on delivery access.

Getting it approved and expensed

Because it's a flat, one-time cost with no ongoing commitment, it's usually an easy line item to get approved — it reads the same as any other event vendor (catering, a photo booth, a DJ) rather than a new recurring expense. A few things that help it move through approval quickly:

• A fixed number up front — since pricing is flat, you can request an exact quote before asking for sign-off, with no risk of the number changing later.
• Framing it as a team morale or event-experience line item rather than equipment or facilities spend.
• Booking through whoever already manages event vendors, so it goes through the same approval path as catering or entertainment.

Planning tips

• Loop in whoever books vendors for office events (often HR or an office manager) — they can request a quote and coordinate delivery timing.
• Schedule delivery outside of core meeting hours if the space is also a working area during the day.
• Pairs well with catered lunch or an afternoon happy hour.
• For multi-floor or campus offices, let us know the exact delivery location ahead of time so our team knows where to check in.