Balloons and the Great Outdoors

Outdoor Numbers by David Mahoney of Balloons Everyday,
Carrollton, TX, U.S.A.

Making outdoor decor is not the easiest job. It can bring all sorts of challenges —rain, wind, dirt, heat, 
cold, plus many other potential obstacles. With a little care and planning, we can overcome most of these.

There have been a number of great articles written about this subject in Images magazine and on Balloon HQ. We also discussed outdoor decor as part of a Round Table session at the 2016 World Balloon Convention, with some great information and tips being shared amongst the group. I was particularly drawn to comments and advice given in an article featured some years ago on Balloon HQ by Wynn Bell, CBA. I first met Wynn and his lovely wife Lindy at International Balloon Arts Convention (IBAC) 1997.  Their work was absolutely breathtaking,  they subsequently went on to win a number of 1st place awards for their large sculpture entries at successive IBACs. Wynn and Lindy’s inspired designs and elegant decor are regularly featured in Images magazine, even though Wynn has since retired from the balloon industry. I also received some great advice from David Mahoney of Balloons Everyday, Carrollton, TX, U.S.A. David and his team regularly install decor outside in all weather!

Soft, Elegant and Very Sophisticated - Qualatex® Balloons and Tulle

U.S Patent No. 6,782,675

Recently I had my first experience of working with a tulle covered balloon. I have seen so many beautiful photographs of this effect and wondered how easy it actually was to do. 

Save our balloons!

California is in the process of trying to ban sales of all foil/metallic balloons. 

This is serious folks!

This bill would totally ban the sale and use of helium-filled metallic balloons in the State of California, as of January 1, 2018.

•Selling and distributing balloons made of, or attached to, electrically conductive materials would be punished as follows:

–A first offence is punished as an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250; and

–A second subsequent offence is punishable as a misdemeanour/criminal act.

•The bill will wreak economic havoc and possibly destroy hundreds of balloon and party businesses.

•Legislation in California can have a ripple effect on other states and will severely hurt anyone in the balloon business

22,000 jobs are dependent on balloon sales in California, and 60,000,000 foil balloons are sold annually in the state. Direct and indirect sales from balloons are estimated to be nearly $1.1 billion. (Source: http://www.theballooncouncil.org/take-action/)

If you live outside of California, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about or why balloons are such a big problem in California.

The issue all started over 30 years ago when the random release of helium-filled foil balloons caused some very serious power outages. Proponents of the ban suggest that balloon-related outages cost Californians millions of dollars each year, but they don’t provide much information on how they calculate that number.

In 1990 the California State Legislature passed SB 1990, a compromise bill supported by the balloon industry enacting a law to regulate the sales and use of helium-filled foil balloons. The law was passed in an effort to reduce power outages related to balloons.

In short, to be in accordance with the California Balloon Law and reduce electrical power incidents, all retail shops that sell balloons should follow the guidelines below:

• Weight all helium-filled foil balloons.

• Tie all ribbons to the weight so if they are released they will float away individually. DO NOT tie ribbons together before attaching to weight. Tie them to the weight with one knot each.

• Do not use metallic ribbon with helium-filled balloons.

The balloon industry has promoted these standards throughout the world, and it is working to ensure these Smart Balloon Practices are known and implemented by everyone who sells balloons.

In 2008, the issue resurfaced and a California legislator proposed to ban the sale of all foil balloons by the year 2010, once again due to the claimed increased number of power outages. An opposition grassroots campaign, “Save Our Balloons,” was set up by florists, special events planners, and small businesses to fight this new bill. Once again, due to the strong opposition, a compromise bill was passed. Because of the state’s financial crisis, the governor vetoed all “non-essential” bills and the California Balloon Law has remained the same since 1990.

So here we are again, faced with the same frightening ban that could truly affect our industry worldwide!

 So what can we do?

Party decor fit for a princess!

 

Pretty dresses, crowns, magical wands, fairies, and even frogs! There are lots of fun ideas for us to use to create a magical "princess party".

Anne McGovern, CBA, of Elegant Balloons in New York, U.S.A. captures the essence of this theme perfectly with her princess, centrepiece designs using the 18" ‟Princess Tiara” Microfoil^® balloon, dressed with tulle & feathers!

I designed this fun princess castle entrance backdrop for a photo shoot to promote the Rachel Ellen - Birthday Princess range of balloons and partyware. 

The colours are vibrant and bold. For this decor, I used Caribbean Blue, Pink, and Wild Berry as these colours complimented the balloon and party range perfectly! 

I have also made a version of the lovely ‟Birthday Princess” that stands approximately 4ft tall (1.2m).

Ballerina party decor ideas for girls birthdays and Bat Mitzvah's.

Being a ballerina is a dream for many little girls, so having a ballerina party is a must! 

18" ‟Birthday Girl Ballerina”
© Rachel Ellen Designs Ltd 
www.rachelellen.co.uk 
Licensed by KJG Ltd 

This Rachel Ellen 18" ‟Birthday Girl ballerina” Microfoil^® balloon is so very pretty.

I made my own little version of this beautiful design created by Rachel Church - click on the link to find out more about the designer behind Rachel Ellen balloons! Rachel was a professional ballet dancer, so this balloon is very special to her!

Are we allowed to reproduce trademarked characters and logos?

With the 2021 Olympics in Japan only a matter of a few months away, I am sure that we will see a fabulous range of balloon decor and designs to celebrate this awesome world sporting event. I am sure that in many cases it will be a replication of the Olympic rings. I recently did an image search on the internet using the keywords  Olympic, Rings, Balloons, and the page filled with many different interpretations of this iconic symbol made with balloons. 

So, my question is, are we legally allowed to reproduce trademarked characters and logos such as the Olympic rings?

The 2012 Olympics were held in London, U.K. There were several reported cases of small businesses getting into trouble by the Olympic committee. A florist was asked to remove "tissue paper" rings from her shop window. A butcher who had created a sign depicting the Olympic rings as sausage links was told that if he did not remove his sign that he would get into a lot of trouble. Even an elderly lady who had embroidered the Olympic rings onto a doll's outfit to sell for charity was informed that it would be against the law for her to sell it!

When did you last change your passwords? Protect yourself from cyberattacks!

What did we do before the internet! We are all becoming more internet-based, selling online and advertising our businesses.

The internet brings huge business opportunities and benefits, but it brings risks, too. Every day there are cyberattacks on companies, attempting to steal information and money, or disrupt a business. It is increasingly important that we manage these risks to take advantage of the internet whilst protecting our business.

Safety essentials checklist:

• Download software updates. The timing of these updates are always when we are our busiest, but they are so very important as they often contain vital security upgrades. So don't delay, update today!
• Use strong passwords using numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters and symbols. See the YouTube clip below for some really great tips.
• Delete suspicious emails. If an email looks suspicious, don't even open it; just delete it immediately. If it appears to be from a friend, just message that friend and ask them if it's safe to open. In most cases you will find that your friend's email account has been hacked!
• Use an anti-virus software. For free antivirus software, check out moneysavingexpert.com
• Train your staff.

I found this great YouTube clip about password safety. In only 5 minutes it explains exactly what you need to do to have the safest passwords. T his might be the best 5 minutes you have ever spent.