173 Issue 4 2012 NABAS The only independent trade association for the party & promotional balloon industry in the UK
BALLOONIES
NABAS LOGO MERCHANDISE End of year clearance - Logo Merchandise at Great Prices Available to purchase from the NABAS Office NABAS Fleeces - only £10 Unisex
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FROM YOUR COMMITTEE
BALLOONIES
EDUCATE - PROMOTE - INFORM
Dear Member What a great year this has been for all our member decorators who have had the initiative to get not only the work for the regular annual days like Valentines, Mothers, Easter, Fathers, and Halloween but also the Queens Jubilee, Olympics and the Paralympic Games. Wow! What a year! Then we all get a damper on our enthusiasm when the gas companies tell us there is a Balloon Gas shortage worldwide, so they now have a reason to hike up the price of Balloon Gas, but, they manage to supply gas to fill a balloon with enough helium to last a year in supply to the UK just to get a couple of guys up to the stratosphere!! However we dinosaurs of the balloon industry, and particularly those dinosaurs that have been involved with NABAS over the years, have had to overcome many obstacles and a shortage of Balloon Gas is one that we will also overcome. On behalf of the NABAS committee we would like to wish all NABAS members a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. John Lee, NABAS Chairman
Balloonies No. 173 Issue 4 2012
ŠNABAS - The Balloon Association 2012 Published by NABAS The Balloon Association Ltd Katepwa House, Ashfield Park Avenue, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 5AX 01989 762204 Content Editor: NABAS Front cover: Image courtesy of Matthew Lewis, Matthew Lewis Displays
NABAS Committee
Paul Bloomer, Philomena Groome, Veronica Kamerling, John Lee, Steve Marsh, Peter Smith, Paul Widdowson Secretariat
Gill Hinton, Kate Walker, Elizabeth Malcolm, Hilary Pulsford
NABAS MEMBER INTERVIEW: Andrew Knight Business Name: Glitzy Occasions Ltd Owners: Andrew Knight & James Woods Location & area covered: Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire What was your career path to where you are today?: I have had many jobs in the past from being a blue coat at Pontins to selling disco lighting . Small business ventures from running mobile discos to now balloons etc Name something in the balloon industry that you most like: Have someone say that's amazing how did you create that; and customers coming back year after year . Name something in the balloon industry that you least like: The Helium shortage has been a pain. Other company's trying to set up with a name very close to ours. Best thing about your job?: Having a customer that is really happy with the work you have done to decorate the venue What best describes your business?: Balloon decorator? Balloon and costume retailer? Other? Balloon decorator , wedding venue decorator , Favors How did you decide on your business name?: Its was really hard to come up with something different, mainly it was a lot of Internet searches. We wanted a name to reflect the different aspects of our company not just balloons. How do you decide what products to buy in?: We only buy products in that are needed for the job it’s intended for . We only hold small stock. What advertising works for you?: Internet mainly but word of mouth is the best advert you can get , We have tried yellow pages and wedding magazines but they did not really work .
Do you show at Wedding Fairs? Other?: Yes, we normally do 5 a year. Does your business vehicle promote you?: Yes, it’s always a good thing to have a nice vehicle to show yourself off; plus it is a free advertisement for your business. Do you have an online presence? : Yes . If not for the website we would not get as many bookings. If you have a website, is it a basic site to inform potential customers of your existence, or do you use it as an online portfolio?: We believe first impressions count and have always put a lot of effort into the website; you could call it our portfolio. Do you feel your website is working for you?: Yes , 70% of our business comes from the website. How would you like your business to grow in the next few years?: We would love to open a shop. We have been doing candy bar buffets and this has been going down really well - we are now launching a Mr Whippy Ice Cream bar where guests can make there own sundaes. How is the ‘credit crunch’ affecting you?: Not really noticed a difference, 2012 was our best year to date. What tip would you offer someone new to the business?: Take your time and don't not rush into anything. The first time I went to the wholesaler I was like a kid in a sweet shop - just buy what you need. How do you relax after a hard day’s work?: Relaxing at home with a good meal and film.
NABAS AGM & DEMO DAY A great day of demonstrations were held either side of the Annual General Meeting: Philomena Groome - Air filled decor, foil designs, topiary tree, sculpture designs Peggy Butland & John Preston - wonderful air filled designs using Premium Balloon Accessories product John Lee - Hands on session building a Balloon Canopy With many thanks to Brian Horsley of Balloon Memories for the images Below is Feedback received from Members attending the AGM & Demo Day: “We were glad we came and liked the welcome and overall content of the day – perhaps a little audience control during the AGM would be useful ! Excellent lunch too and a chance to network. Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation – as it ran so smoothly there must have been lots of hard work in advance ! One little suggestion might be to give everyone a badge/sticker with their name and business name on it and a special one for the committee so that everyone knows who everyone else is.” “First the positives - I think you are on to a great way of presenting the AGM along with demos and a hands on work shop - this whole concept could be very useful to encourage members to attend the AGM. Unfortunately there are some negatives - the whole day was not managed very well, it was very disorganised which led to a very shortened AGM and by the end of the day the last demo was not shown. With regards to the AGM itself this needs to be run to the agenda - the committee need to make sure they are in charge of the proceedings where if one member has got a gripe as they did yesterday this should have been stopped and then dealt with at the end of the meeting under any other business so that it dose not disrupt the format and the committee can get all the relevant information over to the members. On a last note as I said at the beginning this whole AGM/ Demo day could work very well to help boost the members to get more involved.” “hi we both found the meeting very informative and a pleasant day “
NABAS AGM & DEMO DAY “I really enjoyed my day yesterday with you all. I think the combination of the demo’s with the AGM is a great idea to attract more people to what are usually quite boring AGM’s. Certainly, as a newbie, asking other members as I went round how many AGM’s they had attended a lot said it was their first and they were attracted by the offer of the free demo’s. The demo’s were definitely useful to a beginner like me and I found the demonstrators to be lovely, friendly, humorous and skilled. After listening to Philomena and her suggestions for the future as a NABAS family rather than individuals, perhaps at some point in the future NABAS could use it’s combined members bulk buying power to buy supplies cheaper for us all? Just an idea but if NABAS truly wants to act like a business it might be another way forward. I did feel that the AGM itself got a bit out of control and needed a bit more structure to the proceedings. A strong lead is needed to introduce the committee, stop people just talking over one another and straying from the topic etc. Hope the comments are of help. Can’t thank you all enough for making a newcomer feel so welcome.” “I really enjoyed my day at the AGM yesterday. I felt a sense of belonging to an association that cares for it's industry and its people. it was nice to meet with fellow balloonists old and new in the business and also glad for the help that the older ones in the business are ready to give us newer ones. I will definitely be taking up Philomena's offer! The demos were educational too. It’s amazing how the lack of helium has re-ignited the creativity of balloonists. Necessity is truly the mother of invention. I hope future AGMs take this structure where we have demos and hands on activities. I hope to find useful trainings to register for in the future and I'm especially looking forward to the masters in balloon artistry course. Many thanks to John for the wonderful canopy design and Philomena for offering her time to us and indeed for everyone. I will also like to say that after deliberating on joining for months, I'm pleased to let you know that I got a call from an agency asking for a quote for some balloon work the same day my details went up on the NABAS website!!!!! I wouldn't have got it otherwise. I am looking forward to seeing my name on the next newsletter!!!”
NABAS AGM & DEMO DAY “Thank you very much for organising the AGM and demo day. I think that it was enjoyed by the majority of members. I certainly learnt a lot of information and made a lot of contacts, which I will find very valuable in the future. Looking back on yesterday, my feedback is as follows: * It maybe useful for everyone to wear a name sticker in the future - as many newbies did not know who many people were. * The hands on part of the day was a bit disorganised and a lot of people were just standing round. I think that maybe all of the NABAS trainers present should have been involved and each had a group to build a separate section of the dancefloor canopy. I think that John didn't have enough support or time to spend with each of the groups and some people did not know what was happening with the construction. * It also may have been an idea, to film/record the demo's - so that they could be uploaded onto the NABAS website for people to re-watch. Maybe when the new website is created, the people who attended could re-watch for free and all other NABAS members could pay a small fee to watch the video (thus generating extra income for NABAS). I know that I would struggle to re-create some of the arrangements in the 2nd demo, as there were too many parts to remember.” “The demo day was interesting, I learnt plenty from it and it was good to meet other NABAS members including the committee. This is the first time I got to know that the demo day was part of the AGM. And the first one I have been too. “
“Enjoyed the day very much, its good to talk to others in the trade, see demos etc... I will come to more AGMs if they have similar demos “
NABAS AGM & DEMO DAY “Thank you and the committee for advising us about the A.G.M. and Demonstrations. My feedback is :1. Venue was ideal as local area. 2. Welcome and information by Kate, very good. 3. Hot tea/coffee well organised. Excellent lunch and refreshments. 4. Agenda could had been sent out in advance. 5. Meeting could had been managed better, due to one person over running the floor. 6.Committee members were asked by audience half way through to introduce themselves, maybe name badges would help as well,as putting a name to a face is good. 7. Very supportive committee members, all willing to network and share/support well done, lead by example, others will follow. 8. Could everybody, be sent out other members details, emails etc, so one might be able to get in touch and share and support. 9.Afternoon got a little lost in doing the activity . Therefore people were leaving and it was a little washed out to end a good day. 11. All demonstrations were great, that is what helped to get people to the A.G.M. Hope you do the same in the criteria next year. 12. First NABAS AGM attended and overall suitable impress, well done to all of the committee, Thank you again” “I have just got back from the AGM, and would just like to say how much my mum and i enjoyed it. Please give a big thank you to all the demonstrators, who have given us loads of little tips, as well as showing us great balloon designs. It was also nice to meet people at different stages of the balloon business, asking and sharing advice, and hopefully making some new friends in the process. And not forgetting yourself and all the committee for making this possible. Once again, thanks very much for a great day.”
NABAS AGM & DEMO DAY “I really enjoyed the whole AGM & Demo day. I passed my NABAS level 2 at the end of last year and building my business has been slow. Although I’m still very passionate about working with balloons I have been lacking in confidence. Meeting other members has given me back the excitement I first felt when I decided to get into ballooning not just from the invaluable business advice given by experienced members but also the relief from speaking to other new members who are also struggling with similar things. One thing in particular a few new members questioned one another on was pricing, it would be great if NABAS could send out a rough pricing structure that new business could adapt and work from as a starting point. To be truthfully honest I wasn’t aware of everything that NABAS did other than provide public liability insurance so the AGM meeting was a great opportunity to find out a lot more about the association and the industry as well as the support available. “
“Thank you for organising such a lovely day. We were given lots of new ideas & met some new contacts. All demos were brilliant, although we thought the hands-on training could have been half constructed prior to the event as it did take up most of the afternoon and consequently we were unable to stay for the last demo. Thank you again & hope to see you all soon.”
3293 - Laurence Goddard Balloonpoppa Flintshire CH7 5BR 01352 721 260 3294 - Abimbola Ashade Event Decorators Tilbury RM18 8LS 07862 219107 3295 - Suzanne Moffat Stardust Balloons Glasgow G69 9FB 0141 779 3825 3296 - Pauline Dean Floral & Balloon Artistry Surrey SM6 8PF 07929 870 066 3297 - Sofhia Scala-Smith Peekaballoon East Molesey KT8 0AD 07508 066404 3298 - Samantha Hilden Balloons by Samantha Ashford TN26 1EB 07736 065037 3299 - Donna McAleese Oodles & Doodles Balloons Leeds LS25 7BH 0113 287 6887 3300 - Julie Jack Balloonatix Alloa FK10 2AQ 07738 203497
NABAS NEW MEMBERS 3301 - Valerie Minns Devine2Balloons Basildon SS14 1UQ 01268 583758 3302 - David Taylor Jump 4 Joy Inflatables Mansfield NG20 8PU 01623 744 280 3303 - Joanne Burford Joanne's Balloon Parties Litchfield WS14 0LU 01543 480 750 3304 - Pam Owen Balloonies Conwy LL30 1GG 01492 871715 3305 - Zoe Houldsworth Balloon-Wizard March PE15 0SF 07769 866213 / 07920 031309 3306 - David Rigby Jesters Balloon Decorations Nuneaton CV10 9JT 02476 394132 Please note that inclusions of any inserts/adverts within Balloonies are paid-for advertisements and therefore members should not consider this action as an endorsement by NABAS of the products or services.
"Xmas Fun" A simple and fun design as a small gift or delivery for the holiday season. Designed by Peggy Butland and John Preston - The Great British Balloon Company
Recipe Equipment used: Mini Cool Aire® Dual Pro™ Twist-N-Flate® PBA Ingredients: 1 x Bubblloon Balloon Stik-ems Additional Ingredients 1 x 6” Qualatex Red heart 1 x 6” Qualatex White heart 1 x 5” Qualatex Onyx Black 2 x 5" Qualatex White 1 x 5" Qualatex Blush 1 x 160 Qualatex Onyx Black 1 x 160 Qualatex White 1 x 160 Qualatex Red 1 x 160 Qualatex orange 1 x small Blush pompom 2 x medium Black pompom Black Sharpie pen
Step by Step Instructions: Step 1 Make a raisin twist in the top of one of the corners of the red 6" latex heart Step 2 Inflate the 6" red heart to about 5", using the Mini Cool Aire® Dual Pro™, and knot. Step 3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 using a white 6" latex heart Step 4 Take the corner of the white heart, without the raisin twist, and twist to form a small bubble, tuck the bubble under your little finger, so leaving your hands free. Step 5 Repeat the twist with the red heart. Step 6 Then take the bubble of the red heart and the bubble of the white heart and twist them around each other, a few times so they lock. Step 7 Now tie the two balloon necks together, as if to make a duplet, you should get a heart shape one side red and one white. Step 8 Take a 160 and slip it over the knot between the two balloons, fill your Bubblloon (with sweets, candies and small toys) and then feed the 160 through the Bubblloon and through the base and secure in place as normal, cut off any excess 160 and tuck away
Step 9 Step 10 Step 11 Step 12 Step 13 Step 14
Step 15 Step 16 Step 17 Step 18 Step 19 Step 20 Step 21 Step 22 Step 23 Step 24 Step 25 Step 26 Tips
Make a raisin twist in a 5" white latex balloon Inflate the 5" white to about 4", to create a nice round head for the snowman. Tie the neck of the balloon to the raisin twist on the white heart. Repeat steps 9 to 11 with the 5" blush latex balloon and tie to the red heart, this makes Santa's head. Inflate a 160 red, using the Twist-N-Flate速, to about 8" in length,and tie a knot Wrap the inflated red 160 around the join between the head and body of the snowman, and twist to lock in position. Twist the excess 160 about 2 " from the lock twist and tie off, , so creating the scarf. Cut off the un-inflated 160 and the bead to finish the end. Make a 5 bubble 'string of pearls' using a white 160. Tie this around the knot between the blush and red heart balloons, making Santa's collar. Make and 'apple twist' with the black 5" latex balloon. Tie to the top of the snowman's head, using the raisin twist. Repeat step17 using a 5" red and tie to the top of Santa's head, on this apple twist ensure you have two points to tie. Inflate a black 160, to about 8", and wrap around the bottom of the black apple twist, and tie of, so creating the brim of the snowman's hat. Repeat step 20 using a white 160, and tie around the red apple twist. Inflate a 5" white to 2",and tie into the top of the red apple twist. Take a small blush pom pom and attach with a Stik-ems to Santa's face, as the nose. Cut the tip off the top of an orange 160, and glue to the snowman's face as the nose. With a black Sharpie, draw the eyes and mouth of the snowman Add a couple of black pom poms as buttons Balloon shine the design o make it last through the holiday season. This is the basis of many fun characters coming soon.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Balloon-Ideas-and-Recipes/235870729863377
NABAS APPROVED TEACHERS/TRAINERS
Paul Pearce CBA & Pam Pearce CBA Balloon School of Balloons & Tunes Tel: 01827 316600 www.balloonschool.co.uk us2@balloonsandtunes.co.uk Courses provided: NABAS Level 1; Update Level 1½; NABAS Level 2; Assorted workshops & training days Area Covered: Midlands
John Lee CBA & Jane Lee ANBA International Balloon Academy Tel: 01908 605960 / 07852 204706 www.international-balloonacademy.co.uk iba@bloonoccasions.co.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2; Basics & Beyond; Beyond the Basics; Varied range of Master Classes
Area Covered: Milton Keynes and beyond
Janie Bacon Just Janie Promotions Tel: 0141 883 4259 Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2
Jo Uddin CBA Balloon Training Academy by Inflated Ideas Tel: 07904 178024 www.inflatedideas.co.uk jo@inflatedideas.co.uk
Area Covered: Scotland
Yvonne Baynes
Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2
Lodge Cordell Balloonery Tel: 01986 894482 yvonb@tiscali.co.uk
Area Covered: Hertfordshire & throughout UK
Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2; Area Covered: East Anglia
Rita Kyriacou CBA Marguerite's Academy of Balloon Artistry Tel: 01279 639508 www.marguerites-academy.co.uk ritakyriacou@btinternet.com Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2; Wedding Workshops Area Covered: Hertfordshire, Essex & the South East
Mitch Gilbert CBA
NABAS APPROVED TEACHERS/TRAINERS
Philomena Groome CBA School House of Balloons Tel: 07956 226824 www.fantazia-decorations.co.uk info@fantazia-decorations.co.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2; Exploding Balloons; Wedding Workshop Area Covered: Yorkshire & throughout UK
Rainbow Balloons Tel: 01625 585910 www.rainbowballoons.me.uk info@rainbowballoons.me.uk
Mary George Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2; Advanced level; 260’s Course; Balloon Drops Area Covered: Cheshire, NW England & Nth Wales
Gretna Green Creations Tel: 01709 818636 www.gretnagreencreations.co.uk info@gretnagreencreations.co.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1; NABAS Level 2;
Area Covered: Yorkshire and the North East
WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS & PRINTERS B-LOONY LTD
Broadgate House, Church Street Deeping St James, Peterborough Lincolnshire PE6 8HD T:01778 343 445 F:01778 347 230 info@belbaluk.co.uk www.belbaluk.co.uk
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BALANCEBEST LTD 118 Wheldon Road Castleford West Yorkshire WF10 2RT T:01977 510 898 F:01977 514 678 sales@balancebest.co.uk www.balancebest.co.uk
BOC LTD
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BALLOON SUPPLY & DISTRIBUTION
The Priestly Centre, 10 Priestly Road The Surrey Research Park, Guilford Surrey GU2 7XY T:01483 244035 www.bocballoongas.co.uk
Unit1B. Woodside House, Woodside Park, Catteshall Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1LG T:01483 808121 F:01483 808 141 sales@balloonsupply.co.uk www.balloonsupply.co.uk
DREEMWAY LTD
BALLOON WORLD
FDL LTD
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Unit E Parkside Business Park, Kirkstead Way Golborne, Cheshire WA3 3PY T:01942 719888 F:01942 719 988 sales@balloonworld.co.uk www.balloonworld.co.uk
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BALLOONS AROUND SCOTLAND 100 Carnegie Road, Hillington Ind Est Glasgow G52 4JZ T:0141 882 8107 F:0141 882 9925 sales@balloonsaroundscotland.com www.balloonsaroundscotland.com
BALLOONS TO GO 160 Eardley Road, Streatham London SW16 5TG T:020 8679 7766 F:020 8679 8889 sales@balloonstogo.co.uk www.balloonstogo.co.uk
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BELBAL UK
Buck House Sunnyside Road Chesham, Bucks HP5 2AR T:01494 774 376 F:01494 791268 balloons@b-loony.co.uk www.b-loony.com
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50 Stockton Road, Chorlton Manchester M21 9ED T:0161 861 8807 F:0161 881 9289 sales@dreemway.co.uk www.dreemway.co.uk (Festive Decoration & Lighting) Holland House , 2 Toll Bar Street Stockport Cheshire SK1 3EW T:0161 474 7772 fdl@fdl.li www.fdl.li
FOLKDEAN LTD Unit 2 Lydney Harbour Estate, Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 4EJ T:01594 841545 F:01594 844 577 sales@folkdean.co.uk www.folkdean.co.uk
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GO INTERNATIONAL (UK) LTD Unit 15, The IO Centre, Arlington Business Park, Whittle Way, Stevenage SG1 2BD T:01438 745746 F:01438 745747 george@gointernational.co.uk www.gointernational.co.uk
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WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS & PRINTERS HOUSE PARTI 20 Mandervell Road, Oadby Industrial Estate, Oadby, Leicestershire LE2 5LQ T:0116 271 0100 F:0116 271 0300 sales@houseparti.com www.houseparti.com
OAKTREE UK LTD 66 James Carter Road Industrial Estate Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 7DE T:01638 716655 F:01638 711211 sales@oaktreeuk.com www.oaktreeuk.com
PARTY DELIGHTS LTD Unit 4 Tallow Way, Fairhills Road Irlam, Manchester M44 6RJ T:0161 776 1133 F:0161 776 1144 steveg@partydelights.co.uk www.partydelights.co.uk
PARTY PLUS 16/42 Canham Road, Acton London W3 7SR T:020 8811 2898 steve@partyplus.co.uk www.partyplus.co.uk
TALKING BALLOONS McGregor’s Way, Turnoaks Business Park Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 2WB T:01246 270555 F:01246 270566 sales@talkingballoons.com www.talkingballoons.com
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theballoonshop.co.uk Compound 1 The Enterprise Centre, Mill Lane, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 5BW T:01257 795700 F:01257 795150 sales@theballoonshop.co.uk www.theballoonshop.co.uk
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VIBORG BALLON A/S Gortlervej 7 DK8800 Viborg DENMARK T:00 45 866 21200 bini@viborg-ballon.dk www.viborg-ballon.dk
WORTHINGTON CYLINDERS
Beim Flaschenwerk 1 A-3291 Keinberg bei Gaming AUSTRIA T:00 43 7485 606 272 F:00 43 7485 606 694 Timo.snoeren@wthg.at www.worthingtoncylinders.com PREMIUM BALLOON ACCESSORIES www.balloontime.com PO Box 352 Sharon Centre, Ohio 44274 USA ZIBI GmbH T: 00 1 330 239 4547 Kalkdarren 15 D-79713 Bad Sackingen info@coolaire.com GERMANY www.premiumballoon.com T:00 49 776 192 4010 info@zibi.de SAUNDERS DISPLAYS www.zibi.de Unit 10 Buzzard Creek Industrial Estate River Road, Barking IG11 0EL T:020 8594 7221 = Indicates print service offered mark@saundersdisplays.co.uk www.balloonframesbysaunders.co.uk
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Please note that inclusions of any inserts/adverts within Balloonies are paidfor advertisements and therefore members should not consider this action as an endorsement by NABAS of the products or services.
NEWS RELEASE GREAT BALLOON IDEAS & RECIPES Are Available on Facebook
Great Balloon Ideas & Recipes is sponsored by NABAS Member Premium Balloon Accessories, the largest and most diverse manufacturer of balloon accessories in the world. They manufacture the innovative Cool Aire速 Inflators, Twist-N-Flate速 battery inflators, the New MagicFlate速 compressed air inflator along with all sizes of cups, sticks, weights and more. Well known professional designers John Preston, CBA and Peggy Butland, CBA continually create and develop Great Balloon designs for viewers to see on Facebook. John and Peggy have received awards world-wide for their designs and now share great new ideas on Facebook using Premium Balloon Accessories products. The products can be purchased from NABAS Wholesale Member GO International and are also distributed by NABAS Member Balloon Supply & Distribution (contact details for both can be found on the NABAS website Suppliers page).
NEWS RELEASE Introducing DeBrix a new concept for the wedding and event decorator. from NABAS Member Julie Barnes www.juliebarnes.co.uk DeBrix is a series of mesh blocks which when fastened together make arches, columns and other shapes which can be decorated with all sorts of colours, fabrics, ribbons and other decorative accents to create the perfect look for a wedding or event. Shapes include rectangles, cubes, curves, cylinders and panels. They can be purchased individually or in kits, like the arch illustrated. The product is made from high quality plastic coated steel which although lightweight when pieced together makes a sturdy structure which is counterbalanced by attaching to steel plates. The bricks accommodate a system of lights which can be fastened to the inside of each brick and can in turn be connected to the next brick and the next brick and so on but will still work from one power source. This will enable both the bricks and the lights to be made into the required shape without having to thread lighting into or wrap round the shape after it has been completed therefore saving valuable time. Battery operated lights are available suitable for use in standalone columns when used in church, the centre of room or civil ceremony aisle therefore avoiding leads across the floor. The DeBrix square or round container will complete the column allowing floral or other decorations to fit securely to the top. Decorating the shapes couldn’t be simpler and once you start to play around with the product you will appreciate its flexibility and you can create your own individual look. Drape fabric over the shape and then push the fabric intermittently into the mesh creating ruches, then add diamantes, beads and other decorations to create perfect and unique decor. Ribbons threaded directly through the squares create a more regimented look and with experimentation, new techniques will present themselves.