Showing posts with label Selling the Dream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Selling the Dream. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Toñy Moncada: Creating Magnificent & One of a Kind Balloon Decor!

When Toñy Moncada, CBA of Globofiesta, in Elche, Alicante, Spain was approached by a client to decorate their three month old son's Baptism, she never would have imagined  the amazing balloon journey she was about to undertake! 


Tony Moncada CBA Globofiesta


I interviewed Toñy last year for the Very Best Balloon Blog,  entitled Introducing Toñy Moncada. At the time Toñy was teaching at the OnArt Event in Barcelona.Whilst observing her class, I was both inspired and captivated by her style. She was using techniques that I had never seen before, and she has meticulous attention to detail. I discovered then that Toñy is very passionate about balloon art and creative dècor, a fact which is obvious to anyone who meets her. She loves to work very closely with and build solid relationships with her customers, and excite them with her creative designs and ideas! 


"What made me decide the type of decoration was undoubtedly the venue that had been chosen for the event - a room with large ceilings, which we had to transform completely! It was clear that it should be organic decoration."


Toñy at work, preparing the many 1000's of balloons that she would need for this installation.

As with all jobs, there were a few challenges. The first of these challenges was colour choice, as the invitations and posters had already been designed and it was important that the decor coordinated with it.


The combination of colours were: 

  •  White with Dark Blue inside
  •  White with Sapphire Blue inside 
  •  Grey 
  •  Gold chrome


In total, Toñy used around 10,000 Qualatex balloons, from 5" to 3'!


Toñy created this fabulous backdrop, which was so much more than the balloons: check out the curtain! 

"I wanted to create a curtain with different fabric textures and colours, so it was like an organic style curtain. After a little experimenting, the idea was born!  It fitted with the theme perfectly: nothing else would have worked as well. The venue needed the walls covered in order to create the effect we were looking for - and we got it!"
Toñy Moncada. CBA Globofiesta


With added lighting, this backdrop proved to be the perfect photo opportunity for the family and guests.

Often a photograph does not do justice the full scale and size of the decor, so I included this photo of Toñy to show you how big the organic curtain and frame was.





"The height of the room also proved to be another challenge, but I have found that the greatest challenge of all is to make sure that the client is satisfied and happy."




As someone who loves to design centrepieces, I wanted to know more about Toñy's brilliant idea, which I thought worked perfectly with the decor.




She explains her idea here:

"The idea of ​​the centerpiece was born for several reasons. Balloons were a significant part of the dècor, and therefore it was important that they should also be included on the tables. One of the latest trends is to work with acrylic and also with gold accent details. We used acrylic to make the welcome poster, and other decorative details. It was an idea that had been in my head for some time and this was the opportunity to make it come true."





Tony Moncada CBA. Globofiesta
Simple, but very. elegant centrepiece design by Toñy Moncada

I asked Toñy how long did take her to create all this fabulous decor?
"It took approximately 20 hours to have everything ready. Before going to the venue we had already pre double-stuffed all the balloons, and the wires were cut in 5m lengths which made it easier to move for placement.  We also pre-made the bases for the helium balloons for the children's table, and the crepe paper ribbon tails were ready."


"I would like to comment that it is true that working with double-stuffed balloons is harder: the air inflator inflates slower, tying is more difficult. But it has other very positive things: the balloons duration is very long and in perfect condition, they take longer to oxidise, which allows you to work several days in advance."



This is what Toñy's customer said:
"I would like thank you Toñy for your work, it was all spectacular! When you work with professionals like (Toñy), you can see the difference between the people who love their work and the rest. Many thanks for your involvement and for making that day even more special."

This is Toñy's biggest job to date, and she obviously really enjoyed every aspect of it, from conception through to the absolutely stunning end result! Did she worry that she hadn't ordered enough balloons? Of course she was - I would be too! But like a true professional, she did the math and worked it out (and checked with a few ballooning friends too).

I often hear decorators saying that they don't get the big jobs, but I say, never say never! Toñy's customer did not know what they wanted in terms of decor, but they did want something special and unique. Toñy waved her creative wand and sold them the dream - stunning, memorable decor that no other medium could have achieved! 

Congratulations Toñy and thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs and experience with the Very Best Balloon Blog! 

Happy Ballooning!


Sue

#suebowler

Thursday, August 9, 2018

"Selling the Dream"

How we describe and present our businesses can have a huge impact on how our clients perceive us. I have said many times before; our job is not to sell balloons, our job is to sell the special memories that our balloons make, whether it's a beautiful bouquet of balloons that we deliver for a special occasion or amazing decor that we create for a corporate event, a wedding, or a party.

Last month I attended the Qualatex® Event in Shanghai, China. I had the honour of working with Lily Tan, of Myairtitude in Singapore, Jeff Wong, CBA, of Balloon Factory in Hong Kong, and TingYu Wong of Color Life Production, also from Hong Kong. It was also a great honour to meet some of the wonderful and very talented Chinese balloon artists who attended the event.


Balloon Decor by Jenny Wang of Bing Party Studio, China
So how does my trip to Shanghai have any relevance to my post topic, "Selling the Dream"?


Balloon Decor by Katie Jiang of ZUOYOU,
 Shandong, China.

I love to see the work of other balloon artists from around the world and was both inspired and excited to see beautiful designs created by some of our Chinese delegates. What really stood out for me was that every photograph told a story and shared a dream - a dream that could easily be turned into a wonderful memory.

Selling the dream is not just limited to creative industries such as ours. This is what companies such as IKEA do all the time. They sell the dream with all their fabulous room settings in stores. When people walk around the beautifully displayed rooms, they see a complete lifestyle rather than just a sofa or table. It's a clever concept, as I am sure that many people buy everything they see!






The photo above really brings the room to life! We all know that a celebration is not a celebration without balloons. This beautiful balloon bouquet adds the perfect finishing touch to this lifestyle photograph - the image would not look as vibrant and exciting without it.

Jenny Wang of Bing Party Studio really has a creative eye. Her photo really sets the scene for a romantic occasion - candles, wine, roses, and romance, but without the fabulous balloon heart, the photograph would not have the same impact. Equally, the heart would not have the same impact without the other elements. Being able to create images such as this is a true art that I would love to learn.


Design by Jenny Wang, Bingo Party Studio.

Here's another great photograph from Jenny Wang. A completely different dream setting, but this time for a child's party. What a fabulous photo backdrop!


Design by Jenny Wang, Bingo Party Studio.

Here are some more beautiful photographs that "sell the dream" -  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!


Design by Jenny Wang, Bingo Party Studio.

Design by Calypso Cheng, Nanching, China.

Design by Calypso Cheng, Nanching, China.

Balloon Decor by Katie Jiang of ZUOYOU,
in Shandong, China.



Balloon Decor by Moli Zhu of Bubble Double Balloon Studio, Shanghai, China.

In most cases these photographs are not set in elaborate locations, and the backgrounds are pretty neutral. It is the combination of designs and simple props that have made these images as appealing as they are. 

As much as they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I do believe that words, too, are very important. Once again, I was inspired when I read these magical words on TingYu's "About" page on his Color Life Production website:
"We believe balloon brings happiness and balloon art brings happiness to others. Color Life Production keens to provide balloon art education and decoration services to different place, to turn every special moments into colorful and happy memories!" 
What a fabulous way to greet your customers and tell them that you are the right person to work with.

I hope that this blog post has inspired you as much as it has inspired me!

Thank you to all the wonderful designers who have shared their photographs with the Very Best Balloon Blog and to Soo Chin Goo who helped me greatly.


Happy Ballooning!


Sue 

www.suebowler.com