BACI 2022 finally returned after five years of waiting... and what a wonderful reunion it was!

BACI 2022 finally returned after five years of waiting, and this time it took place in Milan. The Balloon Art Convention Italy 2022 took place from 19 to 23 March 2022 at the nHow Hotel, Milan. BACI is an event organised by Balloon Express and sponsored by Qualatex and Premium Balloon Accessories.

I am really happy to write this post. This was my first balloon convention in quite a few years, and how wonderful it was to see friends old and new! In this blog post, I talk about the event and the classes and have included a little about each instructor. 

The event kicked off with a CBA practical assessment with eighteen QBN members ready and raring to take their exam under the watchful eyes of myself and Alberto Falcone.

For those of you not familiar with this program, the Qualatex Balloon Network is an educational program designed to help those who run a balloon business and whose livelihoods depend on balloon sales. 

There are very few vocational training opportunities in the balloon industry, and the QBN helps greatly to fill this void.

The QBN has just had a major facelift for 2022. The new training program will be entirely online, mobile-friendly, and even better than ever. With new techniques, modern business tips, and tons of design ideas, the updated program features seven robust modules with ideas you can immediately implement in your business. In addition, as with the existing program, the training will culminate in a timed in-person exam for members to earn their Certified Balloon Artist designation.

See the video below If you would like a sneak peek at the new training program.

Below are some great shots of the delegates at work! During the 4hour practical exam, participants are required to:

• Recreate/copy a Balloon Bouquet
• Create a 5-balloon Spiral Garland Column
• Make a twisted 'Balloon Flower'
• Make a Social Expression Balloon Bouquet of your own design
• Make a balloon Centrepiece of your own design

As well as being able to answer a few design and business-related questions with industry professionals.

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

I am really happy to announce that everyone passed, and they proudly showed off their certificates at the Gala party! 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

A huge thank you to Alberto Falcone, CBA, Sara Zampini, CBA and Mariann Nagy, CBA who helped me run the exam and the assessment process! 

Monday saw classes start with a fabulous line-up of instructors.

Sara Zampini, CBA.

Sara Zampini

Sara Zampini joined the world of Balloon art in 2009: she decided to try to work with balloons as a challenge. Sara participated at BACI and decided to continue this unique experience with balloons by herself. 

Sara started to study and never stopped going through new techniques and creativity in her shop in Rome.

In 2011 she began to participate in team and individual competitions: she started to win Italian and international competitions in team or individual competitions.

In 2016 at WBC, Sara was selected to participate and won the Pioneer Visionary scholarship, an important award for young and rising balloon artists.

She works everyday decorating events, weddings, and parties with love and passion; she always loves to use elegant techniques and unusual details with balloons.

Sara's classes at BACI were specifically for those who had recently started a balloon business, covering everything from the basics right through to how to deal with challenges in the balloon world.

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Alberto Nava, CBA.

Alberto Nava

Since he was eight, Alberto Nava from Milan, Italy, has practiced magic and started adding balloons into his magic 22 years ago.

He is the Founder of Crazyballoons Italy and full-time performer, balloon Artist and event designer.

He loves creating fantastic birthday party events where he performs daily with over 49 different themed shows such as Mago Alberto.

He specialises in large balloon installations for theme parks and malls, incorporating special effects, dancers, and projections.

Creator of the balloon hairband concept he introduced in 2010 during the TJAm on the road, he still uses hairbands to create a party atmosphere, for photo booths and to upsell classic decor.

He has taught worldwide, inspiring people with his designs. In 2016, while participating as a teacher at Twist and Shout, he received the David Grist Memorial Award for inspiration, innovation friendship, and joy.

Alberto had an extremely full schedule at this event teaching eight different classes! His classes included, basic twisting, weaving techniques and how to use modelling balloons to create themed details for births, gender reveals, weddings, and other themes such as jungle and under the sea! 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Alessandro Patanè, CBA

Alessandro Patanè

"Balloon art is not a job but a philosophy of life". With this motto, Alessandro began working with balloons in 1997. He won various prizes during the following years and he worked in important teams with Italian and international artists. He also won many national and international championships in large sculpture competitions, up to the WBC 2016 when he won the Master Designer award, one of the most important prizes in the balloon world. At the same convention, he and his team places second in large sculpture competition.

His experience and great creative ideas makes Alessandro to be one of the most requested teachers in the balloon world for international events. Balloons have no secrets for Alessandro. He always works with love and passion, from the biggest decor to the smallest design.

Alessandro taught a selection of classes showing delegates how to make balloons come alive, designs created using Bubble balloons and an organics class using foil balloons and lights! 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Federico Onida, CBA

Federico Onida

Federico had a long experience in the world of animation and entertainment, with the use of stilts and juggling. Since 1999, after a meeting with Balloon Express, he regularly attends Balloon Art courses in Florence (BACI), IBAC 2002 in Chicago (USA) and all the WBC (World Balloon Convention) editions.

2003 marked the beginning of his teaching in Italy, and since 2008, Federico became an international teacher.

His specialty is the deco-twisting. He really loves to create sculptures, especially large ones, and designs rich in details. In recent years, he has developed some techniques with Quick Links balloons (walls and columns, paintings and frame - Quick Link Matrix); giant flowers with no-round balloons; a technique called D-stortion (a unique torsion technique); and the most recent, a very versatile Flat Garland.

Among a wide range of national and international awards, he won: 1st place for the Large Sculpture competition at WBC 2010, with the sculpture San Giorgio and the Dragon; "New Artist of the Year" and "Master Designer,"  in addition to 1st place in the Delivery Bouquet Competition in the 2014 WBC in Denver, Colorado, with black and white Mickey Mouse; 2nd place for the "Centerpiece" competition and 3rd place for the "Delivery" competition at B.A.C.I. 2017.

He opened his "Balloon Express Shop" in 2000 in Cagliari. Since 2015 he organised an event called “Sognare è già Creare” ("Dreaming is Creating"): large sculptures were built in a shopping centre, created by many Italian and international artists.

This year, Federico's biggest task at BACI was to design and create the fabulous decor for the Gala dinner. He also shared his knowledge as a successful balloon store owner teaching 'Retail Essentials' business classes.

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Vadim Shushkanov, CBA

Vadim Shushkanov

"The moment I forever fell in love with balloons wasn’t a fun moment of my life. I was ill for around a month, and I was spending my newly gained free time creating twisted balloon figures as a gift for people around me.

Soon I returned to normal life, but my passion for balloons had been sparked. Through competing and winning in sculpture competitions at events like WBC, BACI, Moscow balloon convention to teaching around the world, balloons inspired me to ideas I’ve never imagined. In my business, my classes, and in my sculptures, I keep trying to find new shapes and unique designs, the best techniques, and the easiest ways of working. And nothing more but positive feedback from people is my greatest driver that inspires me to create more."

Vadim never fails to impress with his fabulous designs and a wonderful smile! Vadim taught a variety of classes at BACI. His first class was titled 'Think Big' and did not disappoint! He also taught classes that focused on air-filled designs and deliveries! 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Alberto Falcone, CBA

Alberto Falcone

Alberto has been teaching professional Balloon Art for about 20 years. He has taught classes and attended conferences in over 35 countries worldwide.

He also managed specialised shops, organise events, made great decorations, and worked in teams during his career.

All these experiences helped Alberto develop his technical and managerial consultancy program dedicated to retailers.

Alberto also still works with success with designs, creative writing and sculpture.

Alberto is a very familiar face in the world of balloons, and has been an instructor at BACI for many years! This year he taught a variety of classes, including 'Get you Wings,' 'The Best way to Sell,' 'Lettering' and 'Geometrik'.

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA

Nir & Avital Shechter

Nir was only a 16-year-old boy when he established a balloon business. It was after watching a clown twisting balloons and being fascinated by it. Seven years later, he met Avital. They got married and have been running their balloon business since then. They are both CBA`s and are the owners of one of Israel's most successful balloon businesses. Nir and Avital are well known for their balloon décor, which specialises in great colourcoordination, accurate lines, and sophisticated details. Their business offers balloon décor for corporate and private events, balloon twisting and balloon shows. Avital and Nir participated and won competitions in many balloon conventions. They were instructors on WBC 2018 in San Diego, Mexico Tour 2020, Q Corner Convention 2020, and Q Corner Convention 2021. Alongside being international balloon instructors, they offer balloon classes and balloon conventions in Israel. Nir loves to create large-scale balloon designs. He also likes the fun interactions with customers. Avital loves to add special details to designs and create creative add-ons to classic balloon décor. They say that their formula of working together 24/7 successfully with love and passion focuses on their unique individual roles in their business.

Wow, these guys had a huge task at BACI this year. Not only did they design and create the fabulous opening ceremony decor, but they taught a fabulous selection of classes too! 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

This amazing balloon sculpture was the star of the show at the
BACI opening ceremony. Created by Nir and Avital Shechter

Elegant Entrance Columns by Nir and Avital Shechter

And finally me...

Sue Bowler, CBA

Sue Bowler
Photo by The Darkroom Academy 

With more than 30 years of experience in the balloon industry, Sue’s ‘ballooning’ skills and knowledge has developed through a number of channels including running her successful home-based balloon decorating business, earning her Certified Balloon Artist designation, competing in industry events and subsequently going on to hold a number of other industry roles. Sue now finds herself doing what she truly loves best: sharing her knowledge and passion for balloons and balloon art with others.

Sue currently works as an industry educator and social media columnist, writing articles for ‘The Very Best Balloon Blog’ representing the Qualatex brand and Pioneer Balloon Company.

Sue’s variety of skills is extensive. Her work ranges from elegant event decor to everyday delivery designs, including highly sellable small balloon sculptures! Sue holds a host of industry awards, including the first Golden Light Award given in honour of Linda Bruce at the World Balloon Convention 2010.

I cannot tell how privileged I was to be invited to teach at this wonderful event. This is truly one of my favourite balloon conventions, and it is always an honour to be invited to teach.

My role at this event was to run and manage the CBA exam and to teach various classes that included designs for a baby shower or new baby, balloons and flowers and organic balloon decor! 

Baby & Rainbow by Sue Bowler

Here are a few more photographs that capture the wonderful spirit of this event! 

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by TheDarkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

Photo by The Darkroom Academy

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little of this year's BACI. If you would like to see more, check out The Darkroom Academy,  which took some truly awesome photographs of the event! 

There is nothing quite like a balloon convention to give you the biggest injection of knowledge, motivation, creativity, fun, excitement, and the opportunity to work and have fun with like-minded people, who in many cases will become lifelong friends! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler

It's All About the Framework

I am always in awe of the incredible balloon sculptures and those who build them. I have to confess, this style of balloon design is definitely not something that is within my skill level. There is a great deal of detail in the planning and preparation.

Something that I was told very early on in my ballooning career is that a balloon sculpture is only as good as the frame that it is built on, and I could not agree more! 

At the recent Moscow Balloon Festival, the Qualatex sponsored team, Alexander Solomatin, Vadim Shushkanov, Dmitry Novikov, Vadim Nesterenko with other fabulous artists created this incredible Gorilla sculpture! I have always loved the work of Alexander Solomatin, Vadim Shushkanov and Dmitry Novikov. Every sculpture that they have ever created has been outstanding, but for me, this has to be one of their very best! 

When I first saw this sculpture, I was as impressed with the framework as I was with the end result! 

As I stated at the start of this post, it's all about the framework, so today, I would like to talk a little bit about frames and what you will need to make them.

As with any design, you will first need to determine what you are going to make. This could be something specific for a client or it might be your opportunity to build a sculpture for a competition.

You first need to determine how your sculpture is going to be supported. For example will it be suspended or freestanding? Taking all aspects of the job into account will help determine how ridged the framework needs to be.

The three basic framework materials that are used by balloon specialists are PVC pipe, EMT (or conduit); and aluminium rod. Looking at the framework below, the majority of the frame is made from different thicknesses of aluminium rod, with thicker rods for the main structure and thinner rods for the detail on the face and arms. Once the frame structure is made, it is carefully wrapped in a strong netting or sometimes chicken wire, which is how the balloons are attached.

PVC PIPE

PVC pipe is the white plastic pipe commonly used for plumbing and drainage, and is readily available from home-improvement stores. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride. PVC has an extremely durable nature, and is lightweight, making it an appealing material when constructing sculpture frames. It comes in many different sizes, but the most commonly used in the balloon industry is the 1/2" - 3/4" piping as you can easily add balloon clusters and it is also easy to cut and bend. PVC piping can be used to create arches and circles, and when heated you can create right angle bends and curves within the piping.

EMT/CONDUIT

EMT, also called conduit, is tubing used by the electrical trade to encase electrical wires. It is readily available for purchase from hardware and home-improvement stores.

Like PVC, conduit comes in many sizes from 1/2" to 1" and in a variety of different lengths. 

EMT can be bent using a pipe bender tool, these are also available from hardware stores. Conduit can be cut with a hacksaw, but the preferred method is to use a pipe cutter.

ALUMINIUM ROD

Aluminium rod and bar is produced by several different processes namely extrusion, rolling and coiling, or drawn directly from molten aluminium. Aluminium wire is used primarily in electrical transmission applications due to its superior conductivity and non-corrosive nature. Though aluminium rod is generally not available from hardware or home-improvement stores, some balloon wholesalers also sell it and it is also available from metal suppliers.

The most common sizes of aluminium rod used by balloon artists are 3/16" (4.76mm) , 1/4" (6.35mm) and 5/16" (7.93mm), however, there are many sizes available. The thicker the rod, the more difficult it is to bend.

The best way to cut aluminium rod is with bolt cutters. Investing in a good pair will help you to save time and energy! 

The easiest way to bend aluminium rod is to place a 4" - 6" length of EMT over the rod when bending to give you leverage. Make sure to keep the rod flat when bending it so that the frame does not warp. With lots of small bends, patience, and practice, you will create some great looking frames! 

Duct tape is the best method for securing aluminium rod frames. When taping two parallel pieces of rod together, overlap them by at least 4" - 6". If you are taping two perpendicular pieces of rod together, male and "L" shape first, then tape both ends securely. Duct tape can also be used to cover the sharp ends of the rod and EMT too.

BASES

To support your framework construction, you will need heavy bases. These are not so easy to buy off the shelf these days, so you may need to look into having some made for you. Steel base plates are the best, especially for outdoor work. Wooden bases, though not as heavy as steel can be weighted down by adding additional weights. 

When I visit events such as the Moscow Balloon Festival, the World Balloon Convention and other ballooning events, I love to watch the sculptures being made. 

Who cannot be spell-bound by those riveting eye's in the picture above! And for anyone who loves Fantasy Flowers, those leaves are made from 3ft balloons stretched on an aluminium rod... I tried this once without much success.

The Team!
Alexander Solomatin, Vadim Shushkanov, Dmitry Novikov, Vadim Nesterenko, 

I know that the Russian team loves to compete, and I asked Vadim to explain why?

"For me, there are two of the most important benefits of balloon contests. First of all, every competition is a great opportunity to create a sculpture you hardly ever make in different circumstances. Almost all of the balloon competitions in the world relate to art, not business. There are no customers with their wishes and requests, you don't need to think if somebody can buy your work, you're completely free to share your thoughts and ideas through balloons. Isn't it the best option to feel like a true balloon artist?

And secondly, each competition makes you improve your professional skills. If you would like to build an impressive sculpture, you have to solve a lot of problems. You need to search and try many colour combinations, balloon technics, methods and materials for frames or create something completely new. This sort of experience always rises your professional level and gives a huge background for using in everyday work."

I hope that you find this sculpture as incredible as I do! If working on a large sculpture like this is something that appeals to you, I recommend that you attend a balloon event/convention that has a large sculpture competition and sign up as a helper. It will be one of your best experiences ever, and who knows, it may lead you to entering  your own sculpture one day! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler