I've been to four lift raft inflation parties to give crews the
experience of inflating and climbing in before they were sent for
repacking.

Liferaft rep in this region says that's a bad idea if the raft is going
to be returned to service; cylinder inflation stresses the raft
unnecessarily. Rafts are slowly inflated with compressors at repack
centers.

That being said, I've been to 5 inflation demonstrations; one didn't
work so well. It was a design that is plastic vacuum sealed in a
"baggie" in the valise with a breakaway shoestring type closure on the
valise; some "shoestrings" didn't break and the rep had to jump in
there with a knife before the raft tore itself up.