8 minute read
Taking a Siesta
Keeping Balloon Fiesta Alive... Virtually
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BY KEN TULEY
A TOUGH DECISION
March 17, 2020. 200 days before the start of the 2020 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and in the face of strict state public health orders Balloon Fiesta offi cials close their offi ces and gift shop due to COVID concerns. It is an uncertain time for everyone. How do we work from home? How do we continue to plan for the world’s premier balloon event and nearly one million guests? Like nearly every business in the world, plans were put into place to work remotely and to meet via video conferencing.
As the days and weeks went by, conversations start to shift from how to continue working, to what if these mass gathering restrictions linger for months and into October. What do we do about holding Balloon Fiesta?
Two months go by. Every week brings more shutdowns, cancellations, rising infections, hospitalizations and deaths. The situation is getting worse, not better. Everyone wants to know what’s ahead. Complicating the situation, tickets have been on sale for months, pilots have been selected to participate, and sponsor sales and other preparations are well underway.
Director of Operations Sam Parks announces that staff have developed four internal plans.
• Plan A is an All-in Balloon Fiesta.
COVID will fade and we will be able to hold the type of Balloon
Fiesta like we always do.
• Plan B is Balloon Fiesta Lite. A smaller version of the massive event, Less balloons, less spectators. Certain activities curtailed. • Plan C is a Cyber Balloon Fiesta.
We will hold a Balloon Fiesta without spectators, vendors etc.
Everyone will have to watch it online. • Plan D is a Delay of the entire event.
Months, weeks, and possibly even a year.
Another month goes by. Although some business sectors around the state have started to reopen on a limited basis from the total shutdown, COVID numbers continue to rise. On June 22, Balloon Fiesta Offi cials announce the diffi cult decision to implement plan D, delay or postpone the entire event, and reschedule the 49th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta for 2021. The reason? There is just too much uncertainty. The right and safe decision is to not move forward.
Three days later, the governor puts the reopening of the entire state of New Mexico on hold. It was the correct decision to postpone. For the next month, every day brought news of another big event in the state or nation canceling or postponing, as more organizations came to the same conclusion as Balloon Fiesta.
Meanwhile, the decision sets in motion a lot of scrambling to contact everyone who purchased tickets, made reservations, or purchased sponsorships, not to mention all the pilots and navigators. The plan is to roll over as much as possible to 2021.
With the physical gift shop closed, the merchandise team has already beefed up the online gift shop. All current and available merchandise is put online, offering shipping and curbside pickup. Some merchandise for 2020 has already arrived. Other merchandise plans are canceled or put on hold.
Now that the event is offi cially postponed, how will it be referred to, internally and offi cially? A lot of names are tossed around, but one sticks. Balloon Fiesta Siesta.
Merchandise picks up on the concept producing T-shirts, hoodies and even limited collectors’ pins featuring the Fiesta Balloon with a mask on it and other balloons laid out on the fi eld, as if taking a nap.
Three days later, the governor puts the reopening of the entire state of New Mexico on hold. It was the correct decision to postpone. For the next month, every day brought news of another big event in the state or nation canceling or postponing, as more organizations came to the same conclusion as Balloon Fiesta. postponed, how
BALLOON FIESTA LIVE!
Some months before, the creator and executive producer of Balloon Fiesta Live!, Art Lloyd Jr, had
started thinking about how the event could maintain a virtual presence, regardless of what plan came into play for the event itself. Lloyd believes that Balloon Fiesta Live!, as the event’s official live-streamed video channel, can play an important role.
After many conversations, it is decided to move forward with Balloon Fiesta Live!, even without a live event. Lloyd contacts Windfire Productions, the production company that provides all the equipment and technical personnel to put on the live stream each year. By coincidence, they have just taken over the management of the Public Access channels in Albuquerque. Plans are made to stream the show live from the newly renovated studio, with highlights of previous Balloon Fiestas. Art will be in the studio; Glen Moyer will co-host via Zoom from his home in Louisiana. The event would be both live-streamed and carried on public access TV.
Live guests will either be on set or via Zoom. It is decided to stream 14 shows matching the schedule of a regular live Balloon Fiesta. Mass ascensions on Mass Ascension mornings, Special shapes on shape days and Glows on glow nights. And to help merchandise sales, plans are made to feature Balloon Fiesta Siesta merchandise during the live show.
Along the way, another grass roots effort takes hold. Lifting Spirits around the World encourages balloonists everywhere to make plans to fly their balloons during Balloon Fiesta week; no matter where they are. Balloon Fiesta Live! taps into that effort by providing a method for balloonists to send pictures and video of their flights. They will be used as a pre-show highlight reel before each show.
On the COVID front, August sees case numbers declining. Some still question the decision to put Balloon Fiesta on Siesta. But in mid-September case numbers start spiking again. The Governor announces on October 1 that the numbers are going in the wrong direction. Any hope of anything re-opening soon is dashed. Balloon Fiesta officials have made the correct decision to postpone.
During Lifting Spirits, balloon pilots throughout the nation and world carried aloft banners thanking first responders. (This photo provided by Jenn Goldbloom was taken in Gilbertsville PA.)
SHOWTIME!
Finally, it’s October 3rd. What would have been opening day for Balloon Fiesta.
At 7am, MDT Balloon Fiesta Live!, Siesta Edition is live on the air. Thousands are watching. There is confusion among viewers over how the show can be live if the event is postponed. Glen and Art spend a lot of time trying to explain that the show is indeed live, and Balloon Fiesta Live! is the name of the show. The videos you see of balloons flying and people really close together without masks are from previous years.
Other than this viewer confusion, the show goes off without a hitch.
Three studio cameras, two zoom feeds, one for Glen, one for other guests and live video from the field. Streamed to BalloonFiesta. com, YouTube and Facebook, and broadcast live on Community Access
in Albuquerque, thousands of people tune in. The hosts and staff monitor and respond to the social media comment streams, either online or on air.
As the week progresses, more and more balloonists provide live feeds of their flights in support of Lifting Spirits and Balloon Fiesta in general. These live feeds are incorporated into the show. Along the way, Balloon Fiesta Live! features regular segments on Balloon Fiesta merchandise. Thanks to the Balloon Fiesta’s online store, the hundreds of thousands of people who normally would have been there in person are still able to buy their souvenirs. Merchandise is a major source of revenue for Balloon Fiesta. The Balloon Fiesta Siesta merchandise sells briskly, bringing in much-needed funds.
The concept of Balloon Fiesta Live! Siesta Edition also attracts the attention of the local news media. Radio interviews, live TV news stories and newspaper articles all dominate the local media with how Balloon Fiesta is “doing” Balloon Fiesta.
The nine days and 14 sessions fly by, and all too soon, it’s over. In all, a quarter million people tune in to watch and interact with Balloon Fiesta Live! Siesta Edition.
But the story doesn’t end there. Restrictions due to the public health orders around the world and in New Mexico continue and the level of uncertainty around the 2021 event remains high. Finally, on July 1, 2021, New Mexico lifts all restrictions and requirements and Balloon Fiesta staff can move confidently toward producing the 49th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
And Balloon Fiesta Live!? The team will celebrate its fifth year on the air, streaming all 14 sessions of the nine-day event. It’s a great way to experience Balloon Fiesta, even if you’re here in person!
Welcome back from Balloon Fiesta Siesta. Happy 49th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!
On the air! Balloon Fiesta Live! Anchors Art Lloyd, Jr. and Glen Moyer. (Photo courtesy Bobbie Tuley)
