2019 Valentine's Day Sales Strategy

If you would like to learn how to create this fabulous

organic style "Puffed Heart" design, check out the

NEW "Simply Organic" course being taught by

Sue Bowler in the UK and Europe this year! 

Do you have a sales strategy? Do you know what a sales strategy is? It's simple really, a sales strategy is a plan by a business or individual on how to go about selling products and services and increasing profits.

Valentine's Day is a super big event in the ballooning world and one that you cannot afford to miss out on! In 2017, Brits spent a whopping £1.5 Billion celebrating Valentine's Day which was a massive increase from 2016 when we spent a mere £908m. In the US it is predicted that 19.6 Billion will be spent this year!

Valentine's opportunities come in many different guise  This decor was created for a Valentine's product launch for an on-line retail company.
Decor by Sue Bowler, CBA, and Nicci Rene.

Valentine's Sales Strategy

1. Define your target market - who are you trying to sell to?

• Businesses using the Valentine's season to promote their products. For this you may need to think outside of the box, some will be obvious, but others not so. 
• Restaurants - to decorate a restaurant to make it look special during their Valentine's dinner service.
• Hotels - this could be before Valentine's to promote that they are offering a Valentine's event, and also to decorate the restaurant and other rooms being used.
• Shops and Shopping Malls- for window and counter displays - check out my blog post "Valentine's Shopping mall decor with Romana Kolenc, CBA, of Baloni Romana in Šoštanj, Slovenia."
• Night clubs and other party venues.
• Car and furniture show rooms - maybe not an obvious target, but this is a great opportunity for these types of businesses to bring a big splash of colour and the Valentine's vibe into their stores! 
• Retail Sales - this is your obvious target market!

  

  Fabulous Shopping Mall Decor by Romana Kolenc, CBA

2. How do you reach your target markets?  Now you have defined who your target market is, you need to be able to reach out to them. Some will be local businesses within your community and you may have done work with them before. Others you may be connected to through LinkedIn or community and networking groups that you are a member of. Some you will need to cold call. If you are not confident enough to walk through a door without an appointment, you could create a professional looking postcard using an app such as www.canva.com and follow-up afterward with a phone call - it's important to remember to follow up! If you have never used Canva before check out this fabulous tutorial by Zoe Adam-Jones - Good Design Matters for your Business.
Zoe created this fabulous example postcard using Canva - Zoe says "when promoting b2b we want to focus on how we can help them stand out, increase customer engagement, and in turn increase sales... what better way than with balloon decor given that it is one of the biggest trends on social media right now." 

To download the organic heart image that Zoe has used for this postcard click HERE
or follow this link: https://us.qualatex.com/en-us/news/organic-heart-decor/

3. Plan your social media campaign to target different groups of customers. Your Facebook page will be directed at your regular clients, whereas you can use your Instagram account to target businesses and clients alike to give you a further reach. 

4. What are you going to sell? It's important that you plan what you are going to sell. You can start by checking to see what you have left over from last year, though it's good to rotate your stock, especially latex balloons. Also be sure to feature current trends - check out all the new and exciting Valentine's balloons in the Qualatex Valentine's catalogue.













Plan your designs - choose maybe five or six different display styles that you are going to sell. Make sure that you have a good variety of pricing points and themes, not everyone wants balloons that say "I love you" or a red balloon!

5. Order your stock early! As the saying goes "you must speculate to accumulate." This proverb says little to help people in search of a sensible long-term investment strategy, but it does suggest something important about one of the basic principles of investing; the relationship between risk and reward. If you don't have the stock, then you cannot sell it. 


6. Plan your window and other store displays, remember what you show you will sell, so make sure that you put your most profitable designs on display - most profitable does not necessarily mean most expensive. Do a job cost form for each of the designs you are planning to make, and check your profitability! If you struggle to cost your designs check out these past blog posts, both are really helpful.
How Much Would You Charge For This Design
How Much Should I Charge For That


7. Make selling fun! If you have a sales team, set targets and incentives for each staff member - make sure that targets are measurable, create a sales record sheet so that staff can easily record sales of specific designs as they sell them. Make sure that you reward the winners - make the prize meaningful, like the opportunity to leave work early!

It might seem a lot of work and effort but a good sales strategy will:

Help you acquire new customers

Help you expand/strengthen existing relationships with customers

Help you sell more products and services 

A sales strategy is something you should work towards all year, but if it's new to you then Valentine's is the perfect opportunity to start!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Yes it's time to get ready for Valentines 2014!

'Monkey Love' - Design by Sue Bowler CBA

I wonder why most people leave buying their Valentines Day gifts to the last minute? Maybe it's just human nature or because people are still in a post Christmas recovery mode or maybe it's because they have no idea what they should buy?

Valentines day is a strangely funny celebration as it means different things to different people...maybe a person has been in a long term relationship and the word 'love' is a familiar saying, however, there are those who's relationships are nowhere near using that word (LOVE) and they certainly don't want to send or give anything that is remotely soppy!

I love you Script Modern # 29133

'Contracts or Service Agreements' as a small business do we really need them?

I wonder how many of us keep telling ourselves that we need to start supplying contracts when we take on decor and event work but have yet to do it?

Contracts sound very formal, however, putting your agreements in writing (between you and your clients) keeps your business relationships in good standing and potentially out of court! 

Contracts can be given a variety of titles; including: supply agreements, services agreements, service contracts, supply contracts, contract of work and just about any other permutation of these words and more!

Often a contract is formed once you have finalised all the details with your client, it could be that you have had face to face and site meetings, phone calls or a number of emails, but there comes a point when it needs to be summarised and collated into a formal document, thus creating a contract between you and your client.

Firstly you should create all of your documents on your company letter headed paper, if you are planning on emailing documents such as contracts and invoices, there are many free templates that will allow you to create your own, once you have spent the time creating your letterhead remember to save it as a template so that you can find it easily for the next time.

I am unsure of the legalities worldwide but in the UK there are legal requirements for business letterheads;

Sole trader business guidelines

If you are a sole trader you can trade under your own name or you can choose a different business name. If you choose a business name that is not your own name, you must include your own name and the business address on all letterheads and order forms.

Partnership business guidelines

If you are a partnership business your letterheads, order forms, receipts and even invoices must include the names of all partners and the address of the main office. If there are many partners then it is also acceptable to state where a list of partners may be found.

Limited company guidelines

If your company is trading as a limited company the letterhead and order form stationery (whether printed or electronic versions) must include:

• Your full registered company name
• The company registration number and place of registration
• The company registered address and the address of its place of business, if different
• There is no need to include the names of the directors on the letterhead for a limited company, but if you choose to name directors all directors must be named

Most letterheads also include a telephone and fax number, a url for the business’ website and an email address.

Contract content

• Client name, address & contact numbers, if you have been dealing with someone specific make sure that you include their name as well as the company if relevant.
• The date.
• Project/Work Title.
• Project/Work Description.
• Event Venue including address.
• Event Name and Event date.
• Installation date and time. If you have agreed a specific access time with the venue/organiser or preparation area, include this within your contract, stating any named parties such as the 'banqueting manager' or 'shopping mall deputy manager's' name if that's who you agreed these with.
• Removal of Installation. If you are 'striking' the event, state the date and time when this will take place. If you are not required to go back to remove the decor after the event, I would recommend stating; 

The client is responsible for the removal of all provided decor and please note: 

Foil balloons may conduct electricity. Do not release helium filled foil balloons outdoors or use near overhead power lines. 

Foil balloons are non biodegradable and therefore should be disposed of carefully with general household waste. 

Latex Balloons, Warning! Children under eight years can choke or suffocate on un-inflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required. Keep un-inflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once.  

• Pricing. I would recommend listing what this includes - this could include headings (not actual items) such as 'materials', 'Preparation of balloons', 'inflation and Installation', 'Delivery'', and 'removal of Installation' this will ensure that both parties know exactly what is included within the price and more importantly what's not included * see below regarding 'ownership of materials'.

• Payment Terms. Deposit and payment of final balance - how much is the deposit, when is it due, is it a refundable or non-refundable deposit? When is the balance due, make sure that you clearly state a date. 

Many professionals suggest taking a down-payment or deposit of up to 50% before the start of any project, and collecting the balance by the day of completion, before turning over any goods or services to your client. 

• Cancellation/ Force Majeure (unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone from fulfilling a contract). What is your cancellation policy? Many companies will have cancellation fee's and terms that relates to the amount of notice given. These could read like this;

• All requests for cancellations and/or transfers must be received in writing.
• Changes will become effective on the date of written confirmation being received.
• Event cancelled less than ** days prior to the event will be subject to a **% cancellation fee.

Ensure that your terms are fair and balanced, you cannot expect your customer to pay excessive cancellation charges and loss of up-front payments if good notice is given, contracts cannot be unbalanced, that means that they cannot weight heavily in your favour, as in it's not OK to state that a customer cannot cancel an order without giving a minimum of 6 weeks notice, but you can cancel an order within 24 hours!

Other things that can also be included within your contracts:

• Ownership of materials; This will cover any hire/rental items that may be included as part of the event. It is important that client is aware of all rental items and how these items will be collected or if the client is responsible for the return of the items?  A return by date and any charges that the client may incur for lost or damaged items should also be included. 

•  Design change and bad weather policy; Weather can play a major factor especially when creating decor for outside events. I would recommend adding any agreed changes or that decor could be subject to change in the event of bad weather.

Finally, when you email or send your 'contract of work' to your client I would also include your invoice (including full details of payment terms and how you want to be paid), a copy of your public liability insurance document (anyone who offers services such as event decor, face painting, candy carts or other party supplies should have public liability insurance cover) and risk assessment. I am unsure if risk assessments are a legal requirement for everyone, however many clients will request that you submit a risk assessment.

I have create a sample 'Contract of Work' letter, to show you how easy it is to create a contract between you and your customers, you could easily create something like this as a template, making it quick and simple every time!

 Example 'Contract of Work' letter.

I hope this helps? The business side of running a business can be very daunting sometimes, however, a contract is vital for your own protection, you never know when you might need it!
To learn more about the business side of a balloon business and much more why not join the Qualatex balloon Network, for more details on this program click here!

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
 www.suebowler.com
  
For more information regarding writing contracts visit: http://www.businessballs.com/service_agreements_contracts_templates.htm

For Public Liability cover in the UK contact the Balloon and Party Industry Alliance www.bapiaonline.com

Can You Create a Full-time Income From Balloons? by Guest Blogger Sonia Payne

Can You Create a Full-time Income From Balloons? by Guest Blogger Sonia Payne

This question is something I frequently get asked by people growing their balloon businesses. It is also a question all balloon business owners ask themselves at some point. For some it is before they start their business, and for others it comes a little further down the line. In this blog I am going to look at whether it’s really possible and what you need to do in order to create a full-time income from your balloons business.

Full-time Income Means Different Things To DifferentPeople

Before we get into whether it is possible… I guess we need to understand that full-time income means different things to different people. Your personal circumstances, household income, expenditure and number of dependents will obviously have a big impact on this. The hours you have available to dedicate to growing your business and the experience you have at running a business also have a bearing on the success of a business.

If They Did It… So Can You!

I ran my balloons and venue decor business full-time, as the sole-earner for my family, for nearly a decade, and totally believe it is possible but as the market is shifting constantly, I like to keep abreast as to what is happening outside of my local area.

Every year around this time I ask the question “Is it possible to create a full-time business from balloons only?” on The Qualatex Balloon Facebook Group.

It is my personal thermometer of how the industry is performing as a whole. I am astounded every year by the response and the positivity within the industry! When I asked this week, I had 77 comments responding to the question! Of all the responses, only 5 felt it was not possible at this time. Many of the full-time balloon business owners had been running their full-time businesses for decades, as well as employed lots of staff and earned hundreds of thousands of pounds annually. Two companies reported earning over a million dollars per year just from balloon sales. Now if that is not inspiring, then I don’t know what is!

You can read their responses and thoughts on taking your balloon business full-time to the question here:
You will need to be a member of the group to view it!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/17261393033/permalink/10158661130098034/

And, if you are interested the 2021 responses during Covid they are here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/17261393033/permalink/10157906601568034/

I decided to dig a little deeper by searching Companies House here in the UK, and found numerous companies accounting 5 or 6 figures, reinforcing my belief that it absolutely IS possible to grow a full-time profitable balloon business!

What Does it Take to Create a Full-time Profitable Balloon Business?

Okay so now we have established it is possible, the next question I usually get is can anybody do it? 

I firmly believe that with the right mindset and business skills anybody can build a successful business from balloon decoration that delivers a full-time income. What do I mean by right mindset and business skills? There are some key elements to becoming successful, and these elements were repeated in the facebook posts above by all the truly successful balloon business owners:

You need to believe you can do it…
Sure there will be days every business owner wonders if it is actually possible but you need to get up every single day with the belief it will happen and that you are capable of achieving what you want. Mindset is key to running a full-time profitable business!

You need to have a clear vision and destination for where you are taking your business.
You also need to work out what it will take to get you there in terms of investment and growth, how much sales you need to bring in and the profit you need to make to grow your business. Set end goals and stepping stones along the way to reach those goals. Check in with your destination daily and make sure everything you are doing is moving you towards your end goals.

You need to CONSISTENTLY price for profit.
The key to any successful balloon business, including one that delivers you a full-time income, is that you need to price for profit and growth in your business. You also need to be constantly watching the cash flowing in and out of your business and making sure you are generating the profit you need. The biggest reason people don’t achieve a full-time income often comes down to poor pricing and poor control of finances.

You need to consistently market your business to the type of customers you want
and need to grow a full-time business. 

You need to actively get out there and find them. It’s not enough to hope or pray the right people find your business… you need to work out who they are, where they are and then get in front of them! It takes more work than you think to find the right customers who will grow your business full-time, but once you do the magic really starts to happen!

You need to put systems in place so that you can become super productive
and ensure the time spent in your business generates the right level of profit to create a full-time income. Time is the most valuable asset any balloon business has, and you need to maximise and spend it wisely!

Today’s business world is fast paced and constantly evolving… You need to constantly adapt to the marketplace. You need to spend time working ON your business as well as in your business to ensure your business is capitalising on opportunities, and you are ready for any challenges that lie ahead.

But What About Balloon Skill?

It may surprise you that nowhere in the list above have I mentioned balloon skills… Whilst undoubtedly being an amazing balloon artist will help, unfortunately there are many hugely creative and talented individuals within the industry who are struggling to make a full-time income out of balloons. Maybe you are one of them and that’s why you are reading this blog post? It may surprise you but I promise it is actually more than possible to make a successful profitable full-time balloon business doing only the more basic balloon decor. Unfortunately, it is more difficult to build a profitable and successful balloon business if you are highly skilled in balloons but don’t understand how to run a business…

The Good News Is Anyone Can Learn to Run a Business!

Before you throw your arms up in despair at that last sentence… I just want to leave you with a final thought… anyone can learn to run a business. That includes you! All the skills you need to run a full-time profitable business can be learnt. It’s no different to learning any skill set. Some of it you will learn by trial and error as you progress, but I would encourage you to consider that in order to run a full-time profitable business you need to spend as much time, energy, passion and money on learning to run a business as you do on learning new balloon skills and equipment. If you look across the industry at those who are carving amazing businesses across the world, it’s clear that they invest in themselves, their knowledge and their business!

🎈Until next time… Stay amazing!🎈

Sonia x

About the author: Sonia Payne is the founder of the Balloon Business Academy. She has spent over ten years growing her own balloon and decor business. She now works with creative entrepreneurs to show them how to start and grow a balloon business the quick and easy way! Having previously spent 10 years coaching in sales and marketing, she can show them how they can create an amazing profitable and sustainable business by showing what really works to get quick results without the stress!

To find out more about Balloon Biz Academy and read more of Sonia's great articles visit https://www.balloonbizacademy.co.uk

What a great post, and thank you to everyone who responded to Sonia's question on the Qualatex Facebook page.

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler

How can we 'jazz up' our quotes?

      

In the past few weeks I have decorated two birthday parties, one to celebrate a 21st Birthday and the other an almost 'surprise' 50th birthday! 

I do not decorate very often any more, not because I don't want to, but it is not so easy when you have other commitments and cannot guarantee being available... but I was delighted to have the opportunity to go through the whole process once again from consultation to completion. 

It's funny because when I teach a class these days I try to include a small section covering 'selling techniques', as I feel this is such a vital part of our business, so this was my opportunity to put my words in to practice!

Both of the customer enquiries came via a telephone call, both informed me that they were on a budget and that they did not want to spend too much.

Firstly, I wanted to know a little about the person who's birthday it was, was there a theme, where was the party being held, favourite colours, anything and everything that could help me to decide what type of decor to propose.

One client wanted to meet up and discuss the party in greater detail, the other client was more than happy for me to send some ideas over the internet.

But not once did I ask them what their budget was!

An interview with Brazilian Balloon Artist Luiz Carlos Da Costa Silva of Cenário Balões.

Last month I was very excited to make my first trip to Brasil to spend a week working with Team Pioneer Brasil at their Head Office in Jundiai. During my visit I had the opportunity to visit Cenário Balões and to meet up with owners Luiz Carlos Da Costa Silva and his wife Rosana along with their very talented team at their amazing facility in Sao Paulo!

Giant Teddy Bear by Cenário Balões

Cenário Balões was founded in 2002. Luiz was already involved in the party sector, renting out bouncy castles for children's parties and decided to include balloons as part of their service. But after attending his first basic balloon course he discovered his passion for balloons and decided to make them his main business.

Party Decor by Cenário Balões

Are you any different from your competition - Do you have a USP (Unique Selling Point) that sets you apart?

With so many balloon businesses offering the same types of products and services, you can only win over your competition if your products or services offers something that theirs does not. Chances are, your competitors are in the same marketplace as you are, so it is important that what you are selling has certain features that cannot be easily found elsewhere.

This factor is known as a selling point, or a USP. Essentially, a USP is a summary of features that makes your business unique and valuable to your target market. It tells your target customers that your company offers more value compared to other balloon businesses. It is not just about appearing different from the rest, it is about offering something of value that consumers will not find from other balloon businesses.

It is our mission to find a compelling reason for someone to order balloons and decor from you rather than someone else.

The low price guarantee is a USP that many larger businesses use to entice customers. Here in the UK, we have a large retail chain of department stores who use the motto "Never Knowingly Undersold" - This means that this store will never knowingly sell identical products that are of a higher price or worse value for money than those offered by other retailers. This USP has been a huge part of their marketing for many years, and it certainly works! But is offering lower prices a good USP for a small business? 

Remember, price is never the only reason people buy. If your competition is beating you on pricing because they are larger or undercharging, you have to find another sales feature that addresses the customer's needs and then build your sales and promotional efforts around that feature.

 

Focus on a niche - something that you specialise in.

Focus on what you can do to be different, as attempting to be known for everything will only lead to not being known for anything at all. And remember, it’s not just your product that can be the differentiating factor, it could be your location i.e. there are no other competing businesses in that area, or it could be the incredible customer care and service that you offer!

There is no need to take ‘unique’ too literally. Simply being perceived as the brand that focuses on a specific thing can work wonders, even if your competitors are doing it as well (but maybe don’t shout about it).

It is perfectly OK to have more than one USP!

Personalisation is a fantastic service to offer and can be a great USP! 

"All our personalised balloons are beautifully handcrafted to order."

Be the creative, small business that cares! Telling customers that you are a small business and that you care is a great USP! There has been a lot of support towards small and local businesses during the pandemic. #supportsmallbusiness #supportlocal and #shoplocal are three extremely popular and well-used hashtags on Social Media. Pointing out that you are a small business and that you care is a positive USP that will mean something positive to your potential customers.  

No company is born with a USP or differentiating factor. You must create, nurture, and propagate it if you want to reap the benefits.  

Your USPs need to be in front of the customer at every possible opportunity. For example, they can (and usually should) be included in: brochures, adverts, press releases, direct mail letters, letterheads, corporate Christmas cards, invoices, catalogues, on the walls in customer areas, and in as many other places as possible.

And finally, remember that you cannot please all the people all of the time - your USP may attract some customers and not others, but that's life, and maybe they are not the customers or clients that you are actually looking to work with! 

Frank Jeschke of Ballonmeister in Hückeswagen, Germany, recently expanded his ever-growing business and opened a new, bigger balloon store in his home town. He opened his first store in 2017, but with his growing business, he felt that this was the perfect time to expand! I asked Frank what his business USP is. He said:

"The secret of our success is a combination of important features.

We are creative and offer hundreds designs for all occasions, for every taste and in every price segment.

Our good selling designs work with uncountable combinations of foils and latex. Following the principles of design, every day we sell something new. We don't stop working on our skills and technics to develop new ideas.

We customise many balloons with individual enhancements in every style and colour.

Our product range of balloons is as high as possible. Our customers can find foil balloons covering every occasion and topics. We offer latex balloons in every size and in all colours. The quality of our materials is really important to make our works as durable as possible. Last but not least is professionalism, which is a main factor in our business. Our customer's knows that we are the specialists for balloon decorations and balloon gifts. That is the reason that the catchment area of our shop is big."

www.ballonmeister.de 

So what is your USP, and have you applied it to your business ethics?

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler

A little last minute Valentine's Inspiration.

One of my New Year's resolution's is to be more organised and to take every opportunity to plan ahead rather than give myself last minute stress that I could have so easily avoided! 

Balloon Images Oct/Nov/Dec 2014

I was reminded of that when I picked up my Oct/Nov/Dec 2014 Balloon Images magazine and on opening the Trade Secrets pages "It's Never Too Early for Love", it reminds us to 'Get a Head Start' and offers us some great suggestions on how to get our creative juices flowing! So just in case you missed this great article I am sharing some of these tips with you today!












STEP ONE: GET INSPIRED! Here is a list of resources that can help you to get started, for immediate access to the relevant pages just click on the links, all links will open in a new page/tab.

• Check out the Valentine's Day Business Booster on Qualatex.com

Valentine's Day Business Booster

• Enhance your websites and your Facebook Business pages with these great seasonal bouquet ideas on Qualatex.com

Valentine's Seasonal Bouquet Ideas

• Love Pinterest? Then check out the Valentine's pinboards on the Qualatex Pinterest Page

Valentine's Pinterest Boards 

• If you are a member of the Qualatex® Facebook Groups you can use the search feature just below the pages cover photo to search for "Valentine's Day", I have added a red arrow to indicate the box you need to type your key search words into, this is a great tool when looking for specific ideas.

Qualatex Facebook Group 

• And of course don't forget to check out The Very Best Balloon Blog, click the Valentine's label on the sidebar, (I have indicated this with a red arrow), this will bring up all the blogs that relate to Valentine's day including some great step by step designs and recipes!

The Very Best Balloon Blog

STEP TWO: DESIGN YOUR OFFER
Now that your inspiration is flowing, it's time to start preparing your designs.

• Select designs at a variety of pricing points, so that you can appeal to customers with any budget.
• Include a couple of options that are suitable gift ideas for family or friends, not just significant others.
• Brainstorm catchy names to make it easier for people to request a specific design.
• Remember that 9" and 14" air-filled Microfoils make great add-ons, grab-and-go gifts, or party favours.

STEP THREE: GET READY

Once you have decided on your offerings, start making a list of the products you'll need to stock. Order your stock NOW to ensure availability. When ordering general love-them balloons, remember that these can be sold year-round not just on February 14.

Don's forget to show your staff the Valentine's Day offerings you've chosen, and print out any necessary instructions sheets so everyone will know how to create them.

If you have the opportunity I recommend that you check out the whole article as there are some other great pointers to help you to get the most from this fantastic 'ballooning' day!

'It's Never Too Early For Love" Balloon Images Article

Happy Valentine's Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow - Elegant decor design ideas with Dazzling Snowflakes!

I would have to say that the new Qualatex Dazzling Snowflakes Holographic Microfoil® balloon has to be one of my favourite winter balloons this year!

Dazzling Snowflakes #20263/ #20260

I'm not sure if it's the 6-Point Star shape, the design, the Holographic effect or all of it, but they are such an elegant balloon that is perfect for all winter events!

I am very excited to be decorating a corporate Christmas party this year and the Snowflake balloons will be a huge part of the decor, I will be using them for the centrepieces and a feature arch! I will share the end result after the event, but I am sure that it will look amazing!

This balloon shape is also perfect for connecting together, allowing us to create stunning air-filled mobiles, which I think are perfect for venues with higher ceilings and good fixing points. Once positioned they will gently move around, and the Holographic elements will sparkle in the light!

Wedding Fairs for Event Decorators... the preparation!

Preparation - where do I start?

Last weekend I exhibited at my first Wedding Fair for more than 10 years! Wow, what a quick and huge learning curve it was, as I only decided at the last minute to do the fair, so where do I start? I only had 2 weeks to get everything ready!


Although I am a competent balloon artist and wedding decor designer, being prepared for a wedding fair is another matter!

I started by asking some very good friends of mine who run a very successful balloon business for some advise...


“You need some literature to hand out”
"Literature... like a brochure type literature, with pictures, prices and all that”? I replied
"Yes, Brides need something to take away to look at once they leave, to show their future husbands and families, a reminder of you and your services”!


Of course, they were right, I would need to have something they could take away with them and thinking back to the blog I wrote recently about business cards (Benefits of Business Cards as a  Marketing Tool- August 2011) I knew that it would need to look professional and truly reflect my business and services.

I am very lucky, I have many great quality photographs of wedding designs that I have created over the years, so finding good pictures was not difficult for me, but I know that many balloon artists struggle to get great pictures, here are a few suggestions:

Downloaded picture from the QBN Resource Center

If you are a QBN member (and if you are not a QBN member... why not, join today)! There is such a great resource area as well as many other fantastic benefits!

On the left hand side of the Qualatex home page there is a side menu with purple writing, under Qualatex Balloon Network, there is a sub-heading, QBN Resource Center, click here, once inside,  click on Marketing Resources. You’ll now need your QBN number and password to go any further. You will now see QBN Marketing Resources Search, if it’s specifically Wedding resources you are looking for then under Theme, select Wedding, but if you have never visited before leave all the options at ALL and see whats available, you’ll be amazed at how much great stuff is there! You are allowed to freely download and use these images!

Downloaded picture from Bouquet Ideas -Everyday

Another great suggestion is again on the Homepage side menu, click on Bouquet Ideas - Everyday, then click on Love, again you’ll see some great bouquets that you can freely download and use for your marketing.


There are other resource options such as attending good quality balloon courses that not only offer a days training but portfolio quality photograph images of the designs being taught, such as the Qualatex Complete Wedding 1 and Complete Wedding 2.

Complete Wedding Series 1

Complete Wedding Series 2

Please do not be tempted to ‘borrow or copy’ pictures from other balloon artists websites, or Facebook pages, there are copyright laws and you would be breaking them, so only use pictures that you have permission to use, such as those on the Qualatex website or are given as part of a course... and make sure you have the ability to recreate to the same high standard any of the designs that you use :)



With  a good range of wedding pictures, I was now ready to design my brochure.
Now, came my next hurdle, my computer abilities are limited and designing a printable brochure is a little outside of my league... again I asked my wonderful friends to help me and together we created a simple but effective brochure, just an A4 folded leaflet (A4 is slightly larger than US Letter) this would give me an A5 (half of A4) 4 page leaflet/brochure, perfect size to give away, with enough space to give all the relevant information.
You might need to pay to have yours set up in the correct format by the printer, but as long as you have a good idea of how you want your brochure to look and all the information and pictures that you want printed ready then the cost should be minimal, most printers offer this service, but it will cost you, it may pay to get quotes from different printers?

There is another fantastic option if you are unable to put your own brochure together in time, once again as a QBN member you can download from the same resource area this Magical & Memorable  flier, perfect to show brides how elegant, romantic and magical balloons can be for weddings.

I decided to keep my brochure simple, a good selection of photographs, a little information about me and my abilities and a sample guide price list, just to give an idea of my pricing structure and of course all my contact details along with my website!

I have to admit, I was so excited when they arrived, it was a momentous moment opening the box!

Sue's brochure centrefold

Sue's brochure front and back cover

With my brochure ready, I now needed to get everything else prepared for my big day...