Classic Balloon Décor vs. Organic Balloon Décor

When I look at Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels, I see far more displays of organic balloon designs and installations than I do of Classic Balloon Decor. I believe that social media has played a huge part in the rise in popularity for the organic style of décor. So is Classic Décor going 'out of fashion?' Before we look further into this possible change of trend, let us look at what is meant by each of these styles of balloon decoration.

Classic Balloon Décor

Classic Balloon Décor is the building blocks of ballooning, and almost all balloon artists/decorators begin here! It is as basic as learning how to inflate balloons to a specific size, tying a duplet, twisting balloons into clusters, as well as the art of adding balloons to line or framework! Classic Balloon Décor is taught as part of the Qualatex Fundamentals course. Fundamentals is the balloon course for beginners, and it provides the grounding that retailers and decorators need before starting a business that includes professional balloon work. It is also taught as part of the QBN Program (Qualatex Balloon Network).

Striking Balloon Arches by Dianna Glandon, CBA, of Above the Rest Event Designs, 
Knoxville, TN , USA.

So what is Organic Décor?

Organic decor is best described as latex balloons that are styled to mimic the beauty in nature. When a piece has organically, or randomly, sized balloons placed throughout, it adds an elegance within the design that helps set the mood of an event space.

However, organic décor is not created by simply using a range of different sizes of balloons. It consists of  intentionally sized balloons that have been arranged to create a natural flow whilst also ensuring that the principles and elements of design have been applied to ensure that the design maintains rhythm, balance and harmony.

Balloon Decor by Sue Bowler of Balloon Art by Sue Bowler & Nicci Gibson of Balloon Bouquet Events

So is it actually true that there is a greater demand for organic décor, or is it that we are seeing more of it on social media and therefore are led to believe that it is more dominant?

I recently asked some of our QBN members if they are offering Classic Balloon décor more often than Organic Style Décor? Here are some of their responses:

Cindy Chait of Balloons N Beyond, LLC, USA, reports "I do more classic over organic; almost 2 to 1 classic vs organic."

"Corporate customers love Classic Decor!"  is the statement from Nina's Balloons, CBA, in Norwalk, California, USA.

Balloon Columns by Ninas Balloons

Kahla Sharp-Leggett of Altitude Balloon Décor in Naperville, IL, USA. "I love the classic style, and try to steer customers to it. Corporate clients prefer it."

Red, White and Blue Columns by Kahla Sharp-Leggett of Altitude Balloon Décor

"Classic can look fun and hip!"  suggests Rachel Porter, CBA, of Balloon Splendor of Mount Vernon, Washington, USA.

 

How fabulous is this balloon arch! Rachel describes it perfectly on her website.
 "Bright fun colors served as the entrance decor to an outdoor company picnic at the Microsoft campus. 6 colors in a well-disbursed pattern accented with small round balloons attached to long skinny balloons (balloon bauble accents) made the cold July day not seem so dreary."

 Bob Armstrong, CBA, of Doctor Bob's Balloons Unlimited in Barry, Wales. "We create the same amount of classic and organic. It’s good to offer both."

Bob uses Classic Décor to create these fabulous letters to spell out 'PRIDE' for an event in Cardiff, Wales.

Maria Alvarez of Balloon Decorations by Maria, in Los Angeles, California, USA says "I love classic décor. Too bad Customers prefer organic right now hopefully it will pass soon."

Classic Balloon decor is often described as being "Timeless", "fast to create, making it highly profitable", and as a balloon companies "bread and butter" work!

Reading the responses from some of our QBN members, it is apparent that many of them still prefer to offer classic over organic décor. This is mainly because their client base is more corporate-based, and that the classic style of Arches and Columns lend them better décor opportunities for corporate events. However, organic décor can be visually softer and often offers a sense of artistic creativity and elegant movement, which are usually better suited to more personal occasions such as birthdays and weddings! 

I know that there are a number of balloon companies, possibly those who have started ballooning more recently, who only offer organic décor, and equally there are some more established balloon businesses that only offer classic décor! In my opinion, I believe that both are missing out. Being able to offer both styles of decor makes a balloon business more appealing to clients. 

From my own personal experience, I like to mix both styles when decorating, especially corporate events. I love the crispness of classic décor, especially when it comes to building Balloon Walls and Columns. But equally, there is definitely a time and a place for offering organic decor too. 

I designed and created this 'Sculptured Column' for an event I decorated in 2019. The client  loved it so much that they ordered 12 for their forthcoming event later this year!

I love to create balloon walls, they make the perfect photo backdrop. Personally, I prefer the classic style wall compared to an organic balloon wall, however, each event is very different and therefore we should adapt our décor to suit the event and our clients needs. 

Here is a "Yin and Yang" Balloon Wall where I mixed a classic wall with an organic Garland, and I loved the end result!  

So which is your preference, classic or organic?

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @Suebowler

How Do You Build Your Corporate Client Base - by guest blogger Jill Shortreed, CBA, of Charleston Balloon Co.

Samsung - New Product Launch 
Decor by Chris Adamo of The Balloon Crew in Sydney, Australia

Today, I would like to re-share an highly informative article that was first featured in Balloon Images Magazine in July, August, September of 2016. Jill Shortreed, CBA, of Charleston Balloon Company in Charleston, SC, USA, shares some of her experiences in running a business, including how to build your corporate client base. I've compiled bits from this article which I hope will help you to boost your own business! 

Jill Shortreed

"If you want more work Monday through Friday, corporate clients are the perfect solution. To land them, you’ll need research skills, a strong professional image, and a good network.

LANDING CORPORATE CLIENTS

Identifying Corporate Clients First, what is a “corporate client”? 

Basically, it is any customer not celebrating a social event. It’s easy to think corporate clients are all huge corporations that wouldn’t hire a balloon decorator for an event. Actually, that’s not true. Corporate clients come in all types and sizes, from tech companies to car dealerships and everything in between. Any business can be your corporate client. All you have to do is ask. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be “No.”

So now that you know what a corporate client is, the next question is where to find them. Potential leads are everywhere and the sky’s the limit. 

If you think your work can add value to their event or business, that’s a lead. They’re not hard to find if you know where to look.

Mazda - Product Promotion 
Decor by Chris Adamo of The Balloon Crew in Sydney, Australia

Your local newspaper is the easiest place to start. It contains upcoming events, new business announcements, and local business ads. You can use these leads to ease into the corporate client market or as a backup when you start looking at other potential sources of revenue. 

Expo lists are what I refer to as the “jackpot.” They’re the next big step in your pursuit of corporate clients. Expo lists show you businesses that will be exhibiting at an event with the potential to interact with thousands of people. They have a serious need to make their booth or table stand out from the rest. You can do that for them. And once you’ve shown them your balloon decorating prowess, they’re more likely to become repeat customers. 

Vodafone - Christmas Product Promotion 
Decor by Chris Adamo of The Balloon Crew in Sydney, Australia

Government contracts are the best kept secret as a corporate client. If you make it onto an approved vendor list, you’ll most likely be the only event decorator, especially for balloons. The process to get on the approved vendor list involves contacting your local agency to attend training, getting a background check, filling out insurance permits, and submitting a business license.

As a balloon decorator, Balloon Arches are a big part of our everyday business. David Saker, CBA, of Balloon.co.uk, regularly sells multiple Garland Arches for sporting events such as this recent cycle race that was held at Windsor Racecourse in the U.K. David was commissioned to build fifteen Arches to mark the start and finishing line of the race. Each Arch was built using the AeröPole System, a fantastic system for creating air-filled Arches that still gives the free moving appearance of a helium-filled Arch, and is perfect for outdoor events!

Sports clubs post a list of upcoming local races and marathons. Depending on your area, races and marathons may be extremely popular. They can be an opportunity to create a unique experience for the client and build your outdoor design portfolio. 

Fabulous sports event balloon Arches by Davis Saker, CBA, of Balloons.co.uk

Large corporations hold seasonal parties and employee appreciation events. These events are usually annual so impress them once, and you’ve likely made a repeat customer.

This party decor was commissioned by a client for their staff and customers!
 Event Decor by Sue Bowler, CBA.

Networking is a fantastic way to find clients, both corporate and otherwise. 

You can network in person and online. But remember, you’re not selling balloons to people; you’re building a relationship with them. Simply put, people want to do business with people they know and trust. The benefit of having a good network comes when someone had a positive experience and recommends you to their friends or contacts.In order to network effectively, you’ll need a strong “elevator pitch.” Sometimes you’ll only have a few minutes to explain what you do and how it will benefit them to take advantage of your expertise. 

There are four crucial questions you need to ask yourself in order to construct a solid elevator pitch:

• Who is your target market?

• What is the problem you can solve for them?

• What can you provide for them that no one else can?

• What is the outcome for them if they use your company?

Be specific and state it in a way they will understand. Saying “I am a balloon decorator,” or “I am a CBA,” or “I decorate parties,” leads to more questions than it answers. 

A much stronger statement would be “I help non-profits who want cost-efficient and creative ways to decorate their events.” This makes it clear what you do, for whom, and how you can help them. 

Strengthening Your Brand 

Your brand image is your logo, business cards, promotional material, uniform, social media, website, etc. Your brand is your reputation and your business’s. Consistent branding leads to a strong presence and differentiates you from your competition. 

If you want to work with corporate clients, a strong brand is vital. This is especially true if you want to work with Fortune 500 companies—a professional image can make all the difference. You won’t meet most of these big corporate clients prior to their event, if at all. In today’s digital world, your website is especially important in creating a strong brand and presenting yourself to potential corporate clients. Corporate clients (and clients in general) visit your website to answer questions they may have about your business. That means it needs to look professional, convey what you do, showcase your work, give your contact information, and ultimately, make them want to work with you. Even if you can get potential corporate clients to your website and they like your work, your contact information can still make or break your chances of getting their business. Some key things to consider about your contact information include:

• Business name/tagline – Is it clearly understood who you are and what you do?
• Address – Even if your business is home-based, is it professional?
• Phone number – Do you have a dedicated phone line strictly for clients?
• Business hours – Can you be reached during working hours?
• Email – Is it professional or are you embarrassed to say it out loud?"


If you would like to learn more about branding your business check out this great post by Zoe Adam-Jones,

Creating Your Brand & Image - Digital Marketing with Zoe Adam- Jones CBA,

Working With Corporate Clients

Jill's best advice is not to wait for the phone to ring. "If you don’t go after what you want, you will never have it! That being said, corporate business is not without its challenges." 

Some things to prepare in advance when working with corporate clients:

• Certificate of Public Liability Insurance - Accidents happen. Corporate clients will likely want proof your business is insured in case anything goes wrong. If you are based in the UK, I recommend www.bapiaonine.com
• W-9 - In the US, if you will be entering into a business relationship with a corporate client as an "independent contractor," the law requires you to fill out a W-9 form for tax purposes.
• Other legal documents they may require - these could include items like confidentiality agreements. 
• Risk Assessment & Method Statement - these are becoming more commonplace in the UK. Risk assessment is a term used to describe the overall process or method where you: Identify hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause harm (hazard identification). Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard or control the risk when the hazard cannot be eliminated (risk control).

If you are unsure how to prepare a Risk Assessment or Method Statement, Click HERE 

• Proper ID - Make sure that you will be able to enter a building to set up for the event and teardown afterwards.
• Payment - Discuss your terms up front or you may need to wait up to 90 days for payment.
• Contracts - some corporate cannot sign contracts until you a reviewed by their legal department.

Whilst this may seem like a lot of hoops to jump through for one job, but there is an upside. Once you wow a corporate client, you will most likely stay on their preferred vendor list.

Remember: there is no guarantee when it comes to landing corporate clients. But with a strong brand, a good network, an eye for opportunity, a little hard work, and "The Very Best Balloons" you can get your phone ringing and put high-profit clients into your portfolio."

I often hear people asking how do they 'find' corporate clients or how difficult it is to break into this market! Jill's article is packed with some truly great advice and tips on how you can go about this. It is obviously easier to start small and locally, then once you have built a small portfolio and a little bit of confidence, you should be ready to try for some of the bigger clients! 

A huge thank you to Jill for all the great information and to Chris Adamo and David Saker for sharing some of their awesome balloon décor photos! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler.com

Balloon Cloud Installation - from conception to completion!

'Balloon Cloud'

Balloon Images Jul/Aug/Sep 2012, featured a great article 'Climbing The Corporate Ladder', with some great advice and tips on how to build your corporate business and 'steps to corporate success' from industry pros Colin Stewart, Matthew John Lewis and Rocky and Terry Mulryan Toomey, if you have not read the article, I strong recommend that you do, I know that it helped me very recently!

If you are planning on working with corporate clients, but you are a little unsure how to prepare yourself... you might be interested in my recent 'journey' working with a corporate client from conception to completion!

Nearly 5 months ago I was approached by a client who had a very specific design request...

The client's brief:

The installation of the balloon cloud at the location brings the 'key visual' into the third dimension. Ideally there is no visible construction around the balloons so that the installation seems free-floating. The highest balloons should easily be visible from the ground floor.

The key visual was used throughout the clients whole presentation, it was a major element of the event.

Part of the clients Key Visual - the inspiration for the Balloon Cloud

• Installation grows through the floors

• Balloons are round like balls

• Colours are like key visual

• Cloud expands upwards

• Balloons different sizes

• Organic form

• Free-floating construction

This client really knew what they wanted, they had prepared a number of visuals showing what they wanted... or more to the point what they did not want!

• Balloons are round like a ball and not in the traditional pear shape. 

• Balloons are in a loose order, they do not stick together. 

• Balloons should look free-floating, they do not create a form. 

Site Visit:

The first thing I needed to do was to arrange a site visit to see if it was a viable project. I arranged to meet the venue building manager and the venue's events manager who was also working with my client. They had also been sent the same design visuals as me and they had concerns.

The client had an artists impression prepared showing how they thought the balloon cloud should look, and from the venue's point of view it looked very much like a balloon release and they did not like the idea of all the balloons being stuck on the venue ceiling... which was very high!

My first concern was how could I recreate the balloon cloud using the limited amount of anchor points available, but I gave myself an hour prior to my meeting to view the venue and work out my plan of action, this helped me greatly during my meeting as I was able to dispel any concerns and fears that they had regarding the installation... and no, there would be no balloons floating to the ceiling - well I hoped not anyway!

Key points to remember:

• Arrive early to give you the opportunity to check out the venue and take lots of pictures to remind you of the venue and rigging points - make sure that you have permission to take pictures first!
• Don't forget to ask about sensor alarms, can they be turned off during installation and removal of balloons?
• Loading bay access
• Parking or nearest car park
• Preparation area and time constraints.

Having visited the site, I was very confident that I was able to re-create the balloon cloud as per their specification.

This is the venue where the balloon cloud was installed, this shows both below and above the ground level.

The Proposal:

As Rocky suggests in the article, "write a proposal that is easy to understand and that meets the clients objectives and make sure that you have someone proofread it for you"!

Your proposal should contain the following as a minimum:

• Project Title
• Project Description - Include the event date and venue address and be as specific as you need to be, in my case, I was very specific as the criteria was very clear and I wanted to make sure that the client knew that I was fully aware of their needs and requirements.
• Give example or samples of colours and size or shape of balloons etc, if specific colours or balloon shapes have been requested. Be descriptive, in my case the clients design illustrated a core of Grey balloons, I suggested using Silver balloons but felt it necessary to explain how they would look- the Silver is not shiny like metal more ‘pearlescent’ with a soft appearance.
• Give a quotation, I listed my like this: I have calculated my costs to include: Materials. Preparation of balloons. Inflation and Installation, Removal of Installation.

Offer the client the opportunity to ask for more details or information to make sure that the door always remains open for further discussion.

Here are a few of the images that I supplied to the client:

Suggested balloon sizes also showing the round shape.

Once the proposal had been agreed, I presented the client with:

• A contract of work
• A method statement
• A risk assessment
• A copy of my Liability Insurance Document

The Design Process:

I started by working out the space that I had to fill, going from just above the door height on the -2 level and to a maximum height of 4 m above ground floor level as they did not want the balloons to interfere (visually) with the offices above! I used the total height, plus the width and depth and from that I calculated that I had 108 cubic metres of 'space' that I could fill.

I had decided that the cloud would be secured from ground level, fixed carefully within the the open space leading down to the -2 floor level, making 2/3 rd of the cloud air-filled and the remain 1/3rd helium filled, (60/40 helium with air mix as I did not need the design to last more than 48 hours).

At first I tried to 'draw' my design, but because it was 3 dimensional I was struggling, so I decided to create a scaled down model! I know there will be many of you out there who will tell me a really easy way to do this on the computer!

So, lets review one of the clients requirements 'balloons are round like balls'. So how was I going to be able to use a variety of balloon sizes in the specified colours? The large balloons were easy, I could use 30" & 36" inflated from 24" and upwards to various sizes, it was the smaller round balloons that were the bigger problem, I could under-inflate 16" but floating them would be hard... so, I decided that if you could put a latex inside a Deco Bubble, then why not put a Deco Bubble inside a 16" latex! And it worked and give me the round shape that I needed but more importantly the same colours and visual texture as the 36" balloons.

To make the model, I converted the balloon sizes that I was going to inflate the balloon to, from inches to centimeter's and then from centimeter's to millimeter giving me the perfect 1:10 scale ratio. 

Not only did the model help me to determine the positioning of the balloons, it also really helped me to work out how many balloons I would need, it was an invaluable project, It also enabled me to send this to the client so that they had some of idea of what I was planning on doing!

1:10 ratio model of Balloon Cloud

From the model I created plans that we could follow on the day to make it easy for us to position the balloons so that they would take on the appearance that I was looking for! Although the design is very random, it actually took a lot of 'tweaking' to make sure that it had the right amount of balloons, with a little space around each of them to make each one stand out in it's own right.

Balloon Cloud Design Plan

I cannot tell you how helpful this was to work from. Everyone working on the project knew exactly which colour, what size and whether it was filled with helium (60/40) or air.

So from this plan, I was able to calculate exactly how many balloons I needed to order and how much helium I would need. 

Preparation:

The success of any job is the amount of preparation you do in advance. The technique that I decided to use was to 'raisin twist' each of the balloons at the top, I used my 'Nikoloon' tool, which saved me a lot of time. Each bead was secure with a 160Q in the same colours as the balloons being use. I also pre-prepared all the air-filled Deco Bubble's as this was a fairly slow procedure, but it really worked very well.

I also bagged up each row and each line in individual bags, once again for speed and to make sure that we used the correct balloons.

Each line of balloons would be connected together with one continuous 25lb monofilament line, secured at the knot end as well as at the top of each of the balloons using the raisin connected 160Q to keep the balloons in place. The mono line wrapped round each balloon, from base to top but you could not see it, in fact once all the balloons were installed the monofilament line just seemed to disappear!

The Installation:

The day started bright and early, giving us the maximum amount of prep and installation time. I had agreed with the venue that we would not install any of the balloons until after the lunch time rush, as the area was also used as a cafe, and they wanted the minimum amount of disruption for their customers.

The holding/ guidelines where installed and the work commenced!

Prep area... we were so lucky, the ceiling height was the magic 4m, the same height as the highest helium filled balloon we were installing.

Here is a selection of pictures of the end result from every possible angle.

The installation took me and my fantastic team a total of 14 hours, give or take a coffee break or 2. A huge thank you to John Bowler, Dee White and Jim Magill who were all amazing!

The balloon cloud was required for one day only, so we went back the next day and took it all down...

I really enjoyed working on this project, in my heart I knew that it would look amazing, sadly the photographs do not truly show it's full beauty ... it was so so elegant, it gave off a very calm and peaceful sense of feeling... the balloons just hung in the air, no noise, no movement...

After the event, we sat down and talked through how the day went and what would we do differently if we had the opportunity to do the same project again, and yes, there are a few things we felt that we could do differently, but on the whole it all went to plan, it looked perfect and the client loved it!

I hope that writing this has helped maybe just a few of you to have a go at climbing that corporate ladder, yes, there is a lot of work involved in these types of jobs, but I can tell you that they are very rewarding, I am still 'flying high' on my 'Balloon Cloud'!

Remember to get permission if you want to use designs on your website or in marketing materials that you have been commissioned to make from your client, I think that they appreciated being asked and it shows that you are professional through and through. I made sure that I got permission from the client to feature the balloon cloud in the Very Best Balloon Blog.

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Here are a few of my favorite 2011 Qualatex Group Facebook photographs!

Wow, so many great designs have been shared in the Qualatex Facebook Group this year!

I revisited all 3230 photographs that have been posted and selected just a few of my favorite photos from 2011! A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the group, it is wonderful to see all the amazing balloon designs. I hope that you are enjoying being part of the Qualatex Group as much as I am!
Please keep posting your fantastic creations working with Qualatex balloons! I look forward to meeting many of you at the World Balloon Convention in March!

Thomas Becket CBA

Tania Torre CBA

Andrey Osokin CBA & Dmitriy Tishenko CBA

Artmix Decor - Dante Longhi

Balloons Sbb Reliadrop

Montp Pann

Nadia Azar

Patty Jacobo CBA

Pieter van Engen

Rebecca Kanar

Tommy DeLorenzo

Daniel Ravia

Yolanda Verberk

Bombaloon

Go Hong Seok

Have a great week!

Sue