Balloonies 187 autumn 2016

187 Issue 3 2016 NABAS The only independent trade association for the party & promotional balloon industry in the UK

NABAS The National Association of Balloon & Party Professionals - Helping You Take Your Business To A Higher Level

BALLOONIES

FROM YOUR COMMITTEE

BALLOONIES EDUCATE - PROMOTE - INFORM

Dear NABAS member, And the subject for this issue of Balloonies is?? Erm, Err, Uhm.. I'm having a mental block! Quick think of something useful!!

Isn't it typical? We have months to prepare for something and (most of us), leave everything to the last minute and then rush around in a panic. I've had 3 months notice for this issue, and yet again, poor Kate at the office had to remind me she was still waiting for my write up and needs it by Monday, and it's now 11.45pm on Sunday! I honestly had the very best intentions of doing this weeks ago, but guess what? Life just got in the way. I now have a little more sympathy and understanding for the ever increasing number of my customers that order a day or two before an important decorating job, in particular weddings! The number of orders we receive on a Thursday or Friday for a Saturday wedding is on the rise, and it really is a worrying trend as it gives little or no room for error, which is never a good thing.

We really are a “Want it now” society, with customer demands and expectations becoming more challenging and in some cases unrealistic! To give you an idea of just how crazy it’s getting, last year, we had a complaint on CHRISTMAS DAY! The customer had placed an order at 4.00pm on Christmas Eve, and had waited in ALL DAY on CHRISTMAS DAY for her package to arrive! We had “Ruined” her Christmas! The bad news is, that even unrealistic complainers now have the ability to adversely effect your reputation and your business.

This particular customer’s Facebook review was: “I needed my order for Christmas, I paid for next day delivery, I waited in ALL day, and NOTHING arrived. VERY DISAPPOINTED. 1 Star Rating. Do Not Use This Company”. Don’t you just love trial by Facebook? It took us almost 4 weeks to have this review removed after Facebook finally found in our favour.

So what does my unsavoury experience have to do with you? In brief everything. It just isn’t possible to please everyone, and no doubt you’ve had your very own unfair customer experience, however our customers are everything. I would actually go as far to say our goal should be to love our customers more than we love our business.

More often than not, customer service separates businesses that succeed from businesses that fail. Good customer service doesn’t have to do with the product or service you’re selling, it’s about building relationships and providing value. That certainly doesn’t mean being the cheapest.

These days, it’s not just word of mouth that you have to worry about. If your customers love you, they can sing your praises to the world. On the flip side, one bad review can be hard to fix, and have ongoing implications. That’s the joy of the Internet for you. There’s absolutely no reason or excuse to not make the commitment of offering excellent customer service and an outstanding customer experience.

Great customer service and an amazing reputation can be ruined by a single event or instance, that actually may not be your fault. Regrettably that’s just how it is. With competition coming at us from all angles, you have to work hard to earn your customers’ trust. The good news is that there are easy steps you can take to ensure your customers are thrilled with your service. Try not to make the mistake of turning off even one customer.

Be personal. Customers want you to understand their needs and feel their pain. Be genuine and respect their feelings and quickly accept at very least some responsibility. People are remarkably forgiving if you acknowledge how they feel and give them your sincere and genuine time and attention. Don’t run away from the problem, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Always be accessible. As I said, when customers are upset, they want to be heard; and by that I mean they want to be heard by you. Make sure that your customers can contact you and your staff to share their problems, experience, likes, dislikes, wants, needs, etc.

ContEE..

Balloonies No. 187

Issue 3 2016

© NABAS - The Balloon Association 2014 Published by: NABAS The Balloon Association Ltd Katepwa House, Ashfield Park Avenue, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 5AX T: 01989 762204 Content Editor: NABAS

NABAS Committee Angie George, Mitch Gilbert, Kelli Kelly, Matthew Lewis, George Oustayiannis Secretariat Gill Hinton, Kate Walker, Hilary Pulsford

In the same manner, if you are aware of an issue before a customer brings it to your attention, be the first to speak up! If you bring an issue to your customers attention, they will be very impressed. For example, you could be running late on a delivery, or you may have noticed one of their arrangements is very slowly, but painfully deflating, let them know.

Be genuine. If you’re not, your customer will read straight through you. You can only bluff sincerity for so long. If you don’t really care about your customers’ happiness, they’ll know it. A great attitude is how you can compete and beat the competition. Why wouldn’t you love your customers? They’re keeping you in business!

Be transparent. No one likes to be disappointed or feel cheated. If you’ve made a mistake, ask your customer what you can do rectify it. Give them a great reason to come back, and of equal, if not greater importance give them a reason to sing your praises. There is nothing more valuable than a good referral.

For better or for worse, customers have a louder voice and a bigger platform than ever before. Try and avoid the negative reviews by working with your customer. If they are unreasonable, by no means let them walk all over you, but do try and work with them in the hope of finding an amicable and realistic solution.

The payoff for loving your customers is immeasurable. If they genuinely and truly feel loved, respected, valued and wanted you have a relationship that the competition can’t take away from you.

P.S. I Love You, I Really Do x P.P.S Note To Self & Kate, Be Prepared For The Next Issue. You Have Three Months’ Notice For Goodness Sake!!

George Oustayiannis George Oustayiannis is the current Chairman of NABAS and the Managing Director of GO International. He can be contacted via NABAS or by email: george@nabas.co.uk or by calling : 01438 745746.

NABAS NEW MEMBERS 3895 Michaela Waitson El La Lite Events Biggin Hill Kent TN16 3TJ 07507 838023 3896 Stuart Davies Beyod Bnalloons Tonyrefail, Rhondda Cynon Taff S Wales CF39 8EN 01443 858071

3900 Robert Poole Mr Poppers Balloon Creations Hucknall Nottinghamshire NG15 7NL 07955 757598 3901 Bindiya Smith Eze Events Ltd Alloa, Clackmannanshire Scotland FK10 2AQ 01259 723011

3897 Claryhse Nelson Herts Party Bags Stevenage Hertfordshire SG2 0DJ 01438 351653

3902 Janine Chrispin Inflatabubbles Downend Bristol BS16 2TS 0117 902 8010

3898 Kate Ashton Kate's Balloons Salford Manchester M6 8NB 07931 831214

3903 Bola Oshodi-Solarin Partyonestop Peckham London SE15 6TU 07983 448533

3899 Natalie Saunders The Balloon Room Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 1RW 07812 821673

3904 Donna-Lee Gardener-McLean We Love Celebrations Handsworth Birmingham B21 0NP 07850 53440

3905 Olamide Williams Ola-la Balloon Décor Croydon Surrey CR0 4WH 07494 981218

3910 Eylem Kizil Balon The Party Shop North Chingford London E4 7DA 0203 002 4957

3906 Elaine Benjamin London Helium Balloons Clapham London SW4 0AF 07951 782043

3911 Jennifer Williams Bespoke Balloon Design Launceston Cornwall PL15 7DN 07704 740825

3907 Malcolm Johnson Telford Balloons Telford Shropshire TF1 5EZ 01952 455539

3912 Tracey Cooper Neviti Unit 9 Lane End Industrial Park, Lane End, High Wycombe HP14 3BY 0845 6381358

3908 Edith Parker Parkers London SE5 8JA 07931 353737

3913 Valerie Wallace Ace Events St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 5BE 07515 736996

3909 Amal Majed ALF Mabrouk London NW2 7QU 07503 955850

3194 Amante Griffith Alight Balloon Company Bridgwater Somerset TA7 0AS 01278 699034

NABAS CODE OF CONDUCT Confidentiality We are committed to maintaining the highest degree of integrity in all our dealings with potential, current and past clients, and the protection of all personal information received in the course of providing the services concerned. We extend the same standards to all our customers and suppliers.

Ethics We always conduct ourselves honestly and honourably, and expect our clients and suppliers to do the same. We take proper account of ethical considerations, together with the protection and enhancement of the moral position of our customers and suppliers.

Duty of Care Our actions and advice will always conform to relevant law, and we believe that all businesses and organisations, including this consultancy, should avoid causing any adverse effect on the human rights of people in the organisations we deal with, the local and wider environments, and the well-being of society at large.

Contracts Our contract will usually be in the form of a detailed proposal, including aims, activities, costs, timescales and deliverables. The quality of our service and the value of our support provide the only true basis for continuity.

Pricing Our pricing is always competitive for what we provide, which is high quality, tailored, specialised service.

As such we do not generally offer discounts. Generally a reduction in price is only enabled by reducing the level or extent of services to be delivered. That said, we always try to propose solutions which accommodate our customers' available budgets and timescales. Wherever possible we agree our fees and basis of charges clearly in advance, so that we and our customers can plan reliably for what lies ahead, and how it is to be achieved and financially justified.

Payment We expect payments to be made when agreed.

Intellectual property and moral rights We respect the implications of all applicable intellectual property law, including the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Trade Marks Act, 1994, refraining from infringement and plagiarism, not knowingly using for financial or professional advantage any intellectual property belonging to another without appropriate permission and acknowledgement.

Quality Assurance We maintain the quality of what we do through constant ongoing training. Our business is a member of NABAS and as such we strive to achieve the highest professional standards in our work. Further details are available on request.

Professional Conduct We conduct all of our activities professionally and with integrity. We take great care to be completely objective in our judgement and any recommendations that we give, so that issues are never influenced by anything other than the best and proper interests of our customers.

Environmental Responsibility We strongly recommend that only a small balloon release should be attempted without professional assistance. Only natural latex rubber balloons will be used for releases and maximum balloon size should be no more than 12�. Small being defined as anything up to 1000 balloons. This guidance is designed to minimise the risk of any potential danger to animals, sea creatures and the general environment. We do not support or recommend the release of foil balloons or any other non-biodegradable materials. All components used in a release must be biodegradable, with balloons being hand tied and released individually. NO ribbons or strings must be attached to the balloons being released.

Equality and Discrimination We always strive to be fair and objective in our advice and actions, and we are never influenced in our decisions, actions or recommendations by issues of gender, race, creed, colour, age or personal disability.

NABAS members have been doing some amazing jobs - just take a look over the following pages. If you have something that you want to share then do let the NABAS office know - info@nabas.co.uk - what better way to promote your work to show future clients than an article in your association's magazine.

5th Birthday celebra on for twins with balloon dÊcor by Julie Sargeant, Balloons Of Staord

This is balloon decor for a year 6 gradua on at a primary school I worked at for almost 15 years , they invite me back every year to decorate the school hall .

Kelley Butler Sparkles Balloon Bou que

Lovely montage of dĂŠcor created by new NABAS member Michaela Waitson of El La Lite Events Michaela says: “I'm new to the balloon world and am loving my new venture! It's so very dierent to my previous corporate job! “

A selec on of recent balloon work above from Marion Dindol, I Love Balloons Milton Keynes

EID Balloon Arches 4.30am – 20 Arches Complete.

This years EID celebration required 20 balloon arches to decorate Small Heath Park in Birmingham. I worked on this event in 2014 but this years task required more planning because of the quantity of balloons and last minute access.

With Eid nobody knows the exact event date until the very last minute. This makes organising a crew and prepping balloons in advance a bit more difficult.

At first I considered inflating all 4500 balloons in my Birmingham shop and transporting them on aeropole rods to the event. I decided this was muppetry as the Park is a 20 minute drive away and no point having a fully trained balloon expert driving a van all night. Next I thought about hiring a church hall or school near the park. Again, because we didn’t know the exact date this would mean hiring a hall for 3 days.

In the end I came up with a quick way of inflating the balloons via Nitrogen cylinders rigged up to a digital inflator which was plugged into the van cigarette lighter. I would not advise connecting an electric air inflator to your vehicle as it will kill the battery but as we were getting the pressure from cylinders a small click from our conwin inflator used next to no battery power for 10 hours. I estimated 2 arches per G20 cylinder but in the end I got more than 3 (216 balloons per arch inflated to 8″).

I had 4 crew, starting at 6pm and finished at 4am. For those balloon experts out there it took us 1.5 hours just to connect the pins to base plates and setup 20 sets of 6 poles. I taped the poles together and ran line though each garlandto stop them coming apart in any weather conditions.

As I left the park you can see my drive through video from the outside pathway.

UPDATE: We took 10 x G20 Cylinders on site and came away with 5 full, so we actually managed 4 arches from each cylinder – 864 balloons inflated to 8″ from each cylinder.

David Saker, Balloon.com

Beautiful Balloon Dress The dress was made from a mixture of the following balloons: 646Q - 350Q - 260Q - 160Q - 5” - 11” My inspiration behind this project came from the beautiful dresses that you see being made from artists who have expert twisting skills. Unfortunately, and as much as I have tried, twisting balloons is not my forte so I decided to design a dress using uninflated balloons. Many experiments and lots of “playing” with different techniques led to this final design.

Angie George, Balloni

I did gift of a wedding in June for a lovely couple . The groom sadly is dying of cancer and the wedding was bought together in a very short time . The venue was beautiful and had a lot of coverage on the local news and national papers . I donated some air centre pieces . It was a pleasure to be part of the wedding and help make magical memories for the amazing couple .

Kris ( Kristina's party pieces )

FRAMES Have you ever thought about making your own balloon frames for your numbers and letters.

You can make frames out of 1/4" aluminium rod that you can purchase from any local DIY or builders merchants. You could also use 1/4 steel rod although this is harder to bend.

Either kind of rod is cheap. I am sure that you could do them any size but the smaller the letters, the smaller the balloons will need to be. 4' letters / numbers and 1/4 inch aluminium rod is probably the best. Aluminium rods are also available in 3/16th width.

There is only one real thing to remember - but it is extremely important - you will have three heights of frames in order to make them all the same height once wrapped with balloons. The tallest letters will be the ones with no horizontal lines on the top or bottom...... for example l or K. The second height will be for letters like L, P, F, or U that have a horizontal line on either the top or bottom because the balloons will be sticking up past the frame approximately the width of one balloon. If you are using 5" balloon 4-clusters to make 4' letters then the frames for these letters will be 3ft 7inches. The shorter letters would be the ones with a horizontal line on both top and bottom like E, G, S, Z, or B. The balloons across the top and bottom will make them the same height as the taller frames once wrapped. Width is not as big of an issue but you do want to look at the letters before you make the frame and think about the size you want and how wrapping them with balloons will affect the shape.

Letters or numbers like "I" or "H" that have no horizontal lines on the top and bottom: Their frames will have to be the height of the desired letter size (ex: a 3' letter will need a 3' frame).

Letters and numbers with one horizontal line on the top or bottom like "T" or "L": Their frames will be the size of the final letter minus the size of the balloon you are using. (Ex: A three foot "T" made from 4" letters will need a frame around 2' 8" tall because the top line of the T will have the balloons stick up 4" above the top of the frame.)

Letters and numbers with two horizontal lines on the top or bottom like "Z" or "D": Their frames will need a frame that is the final size minus 2X the size of the balloons. (Ex: a 3' "Z" frame made from 4" balloons would be 2' 4" because you will get an additional 4" from the balloons wrapped on the top line and an additional 4" from the balloons wrapped on the bottom line.)

You will need base plates, or you can use lamp bases (Ikea and B&Q make some that are suitable) to secure the ali rod into.

You can cover the ali rod to match the colour of the balloons either with ribbon or uninflated 260Q’s.

Don’t forget that the NABAS Level 2 (Intermediate) Course contains instruction on frame structures - see page 13 for details of NABAS Approved Teachers.

Have you joined the NABAS Members Only Facebook Page?

It is proving to be a great place for interaction, ideas and useful tips and comments. If you haven't joined, please copy this link into your browser, and click the Green "+Join Group Button":

already

https://www.facebook.com/groups/951761154879404/ No questions are too big or too small or too silly. If it is important to you then it is important to us.

Below are some examples of the questions that members have asked together with the helpful responses: Q: How many normal pumps of hi-float would you put in a 3ft balloon blown up to 30"? Xx A: How long are you wanting it to last?

Q: They are for a wedding tomorrow and they will be kept in the church hall today overnight. I went with 2 pumps as I'm sure that's what I've done before. Do you think that will be fine? It seems to have covered the whole of the inside of the balloon xx A: For tomorrow you didn't really need high float. A 36" latex should float for 3-5 days.

Q: Really? Without much shrinkage? Think I will play it safe and leave them in the church hall to be set out in the morning. This is my first time doing these. 22 white 3ft balloons with ivy and flowers trailing from them.

Q: Does anyone by chance have any balloons of this car or something similar. Can't find any from my suppliers Many thanks in advance A: I have 3 if that helps??

A: Yes please Q: Hi Guys ive been asked to do the champagne bottle and arch (bubbles) im in sheffield so where do i get the bottles from firstly? do you do a normal arch from the bottle then just add balloons on to it to make it look like its spilling out? and how much would you charge? I can get a 6ft inflatable bottle is that what this is?

A: Hi, I'm doing my first one at the end of August. I got my champagne bottle online and yes it is a 6ft inflatable Champagne bottle. They are on eBay etc. I assume you can either use an arch base then add to it using a cool glue gun, balloon bond, maybe glue dots??? and monofilament but this is my own guess! I am wrapping my bubbles around a column that is already outside the venue so personally I'm just creating a line of bubbles attached to monofilament so that it can be easily manoeuvred and adding more bubbles where necessary X I'm certainly not an expert on the matter so hopefully someone more experienced can provide you with some further guidance.

Good luck!

A: I made one of these quite recently. I built the garland of bubbles using clear line to hold them together then there's a hook at the top of the champagne bottle, which you just attach the bubbles to and it creates the arch shape. I just attached a water weight to the other end of the bubbles to hold them down.

A;: I've done lots of these, they're 6ft inflatables that you can get from lots of wholesalers - pams, go international, rainbow balloons etc etc etc. Attach fishing wire to the loop in the top, air inflate 5" into quads from 2" getting larger and large, squeezing out the excess latex, go onto 9" latex and start helium filling getting bigger until you go onto 11" latex inflating up to 11" at the bottom. Cut off all excess necks to increase float time. You can airfill the 11" up most of the way. Heavy water weight underneath the bubble end. We also have 3 or 4 strands of small bubbles bubbling over the top of the bottle dribbling down the bottle for a more realistic effect. As to pricing - job cost it....take the price of the bottle, wire, balloons, weight, helium, your time (they take anything from 45mins to 2hours depending on how quick you are with doing it and if there's one of 2 of you then cost for both staff) your fuel and time to deliver and return. Your costs are different to mine...and venue affects price unless you charge delivery separately (like I do), also we're VAT registered so our prices include 20% VAT, but you can easily get ÂŁ100 for these - right up to ÂŁ200 - but you only know this by costing it as you don't want to be doing it for free :-) x That's really good advice, couldn't have put it better myself. Everything we do is down to costing so it is really important that you get it right first time. Never undersell yourself, if the customer says somebody else can do it cheaper let them, never compromise your prices.

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.

NABAS Facebook page - Like it and use it to upload your designs and see industry related informa on.

Follow us on Twi6er @YOURNABAS

New Biodegradable Balloon Valve Save the Environment with a Fully Compostable Balloon Valve

Every latex balloon supplied by B-Loony Ltd is made from 100% natural rubber latex and is fully biodegradable.

However, it has long been an issue that tradi onal balloon valves with polypropylene ribbon, o?en used for balloon handouts, are not biodegradable.

B-Loony Ltd are proud members of NABAS (The Na onal Associa on of Balloon Ar sts and Suppliers), and follow a strict code of conduct rela ng to mass balloon releases to ensure a minimal impact on the environment.

As company policy, B-Loony Ltd don’t recommend mass balloon releases, advising that individual helium balloons are weighted to prevent them from being inadvertently released. But once a balloon has been passed to a customer or handed out to a member of the public as part of a promo on, it’s very easy for this message to become lost, and the balloon be released into the atmosphere.

Introducing the New Biodegradable Balloon Valve Our research & development team have come up with the latest product to revolu onise the balloon industry: the biodegradable balloon valve. A fully func onal, easy to use helium balloon valve for latex balloons, made from corn starch, with a one meter length of FSCÂŽ raďŹƒa ribbon, both of which are biodegradable and compostable.

If a balloon carrying the biodegradable valve is inadvertently released, the risk to wildlife and the environment is diminished, since the raďŹƒa ribbon (FSCÂŽ) disintegrates when wet, and tears under tension, ensuring it can’t get tangled up in anything. The compostability of the corn starch material used for the valve body is veriďŹ ed by independent tes ng in order to meet the requirements of European Communi es’ Direc ve EN 13432. One of the ďŹ nal tests even involves growing a bean in the corn starch pulp to ensure it’s not toxic!

In the fullness of me we hope that all of our clients will switch to biodegradable balloon valves. It is through our commitment to ethical standards and the demand of our customers that we con nuously invest in research and development, and as a result, B-Loony Ltd have established many eco-friendly and biodegradable products, several of which are unique in the marketplace.

B-Loony Ltd are ISO: 9001 cer ďŹ ed, SEDEX audited members and have recently adopted an FSCÂŽ policy promo ng its commitment to the responsible management of the world’s forests. All wood and paper products manufactured by B-Loony Ltd, including the raďŹƒa ribbon included in this valve are FSCÂŽ cer ďŹ ed.

Website: www.b-loony.co.uk/biodegradable-balloon-valve

NEW WHOLESALE MEMBER CSC IMPORTS trading as NEVITI Our newest member Neviti are a leading British designer and wholesaler of balloons and party supplies.

Offering a trade-only service they have on-trend collections for special occasions including weddings, birthdays, Christmas, Halloween and much more. Their brand name is suitably an anagram of ‘invite’ and strapline an ‘invite to all occasions’ which captures their love of all things party. Their passionate design team research the current market to produce beautiful, unique and on trend collections making them a recognizable name in both the wedding and party industries.

Explore Neviti’s collections at www.neviti.com.

PUMPKIN STACK Created By Chris Horne, Amscan International Limited.

Air-filled and imposing, this 2m tall stack of pumpkins is perfect for Autumn and Halloween displays!

Product Required: •

6 x 10” Gold Anagram Crescents (1613199)

•

8 x 17” Gold Anagram Crescents (1613399)

•

8 x 26” Gold Anagram Crescents (1613599)

•

8 x 35” Gold Anagram Crescents (1613799)

•

6 x 4” Green Anagram Stars: (1669999)

•

6 x 4” Green Anagram Stars: (1670099)

•

1 x Cute Halloween Kitty Balloon (2041701)

•

Cable Ties

•

Baseplate and Pole

•

Self-adhesive Hook and loop tape

Construction Method: 1.

Create the pumpkin leaves by placing the un-inflated star balloons in the heat sealer lengthwise, to put a seal from tip to tail. Ensure that the seal stops just before the tail of the balloon, and does not touch any existing seals, as this will prevent part of the balloon from inflating. Inflate carefully and seal the balloons as normal.

2. Place the uninflated 35” crescents one atop the other in a neat stack so that they all line up perfectly.

3. Use a cable tie to secure all 8 points (one from each balloon) together, at each end of the crescent.

Place the cable ties about 0.5” in from the points, and ensure they are securely tightened. (see diagram, right) Catch the tails of 3 of the leaves into the cable tie at one of the points.

4. Carefully inflate the balloons. Tape up the tails. Ensure the leaves show!

5. Repeat for the other sizes of crescents, to create 4 pumpkins. (The 10” pumpkin only needs 6 crescents which will need to be heat sealed.)

6. Push the pumpkins on to the pole in order, securing with hook and loop tape.

7. Add the air-filled cat balloon with hook and loop tape.

Estimated Labour time: 30 minutes.

For more ideas visit Amscan Decorator: http://www.amscandecorator.com/decorator_resources/step_by_step_designs/

A Write Up On The NABAS Business Building Event Hosted By Amanda Hill & George Oustayiannis.

You couldn't get more social than the high energy NABAS event held in Coventry... the room was full of fabulous business owners eager to learn new skills for both practical and business elements of their business and social media for their business was no exception.

The raft of questions during the whistle stop tour of some of the most popular places to get low or no cost publicity made the original 2 hour session over run through lunch and beyond... we even had a catch up with a NABAS first..

A Webinar hosted by George & myself a week after the event to go through some of the points in much more detail.

From Pinterest to Facebook pages, ideas were bounced around about what to post and how to engage customers, who are after all giving you free publicity for your business by sharing and commenting on pictures and videos and attracting their friends and family.

What is normally taught over a 2 day session was condensed into snippets – but every business should cherry pick what works for them and more importantly what they have time to do. Just a few of the points that came out were: Reviews – especially negative ones Having a poor review is not the end of the world; it is how it’s turned around and answered that will be the biggest factor to determine if a prospective customer uses you - we all look at recommendations and act on them even if we don't know the person. You may even get the review removed if you handle it well, but if you don't it does make you look human. Don’t worry about it too much just make sure you have sufficient good ones, that are and look genuine to balance it. Just look at the adverts on the TV, very rarely will you see 100% of people agree that... whatever it is from a credibility stand point a high number is all it takes for you to get credibility. Recommendations are a major factor for every business and online they show who you are. If you cannot get a negative removed by handling it well (we all know the customer from hell) then show the world you have done everything possible to be as professional as possible to put it right. If your customer is still a nightmare you have shown everyone how you have tried your best. Reviews are particularly important to a local business on your Google Places page and if you haven't got one – set it up straight away. You can add videos, ask for reviews and showcase your business with the correct keywords for the area you want to be found in AND it comes up first on the phones of your audience looking for what you have told Google you do. The more reviews & content – the higher you will come against your local competition.

What to talk about There is no myth to succeeding online as the discussions in the room showed. It really is all about sharing the experiences of the people you are helping and even more importantly asking them to share them for you. Everyone can post a picture of a set of balloons and let's face it they can all look very similar after a while. Look through your Facebook page and see what I mean; but the real trick is sharing stuff that attracts your local audience to the point that they like, comment or share it. Then they are helping your business by endorsing your content to their connections and place your business in the minds of more people for what you do. Ask for help – we love helping others.

Getting more customers No matter if you are home based or shop based there are many things you can do to make your business look professional, trustworthy and more than capable of enhancing the special occasions your audience want help with.

Most of the delegates worked with local venues time and again and one of the recommendations of the day was to link to the pages of the venues and showcase them rather than saying look at my great balloons. By helping the associated businesses and having public conversations you are all helping each other. The online world really is a huge social venue. Like your local pub but with way too many distractions and black holes that you can disappear down and emerge hours later having achieved nothing. As many of the businesses said, time is their biggest issue for marketing so everything you do needs to count. Scheduling content when you do have time, using something like Hootsuite, was an idea that many were keen to adopt or were already using but let's face it all of us can take some lessons in time management. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone and finding a platform that works for you is more important than trying to master them all.

Paula Ardron-Gemmel had this to say "You inspired me to get my Pinterest account into action, which is great - I have loads of repins and lots of interactions now. That has meant I need to get a new website on WordPress so I can pin photos direct from my website. I know it'll be great when I finally understand WordPress - it's so confusing at the moment, I'm a bit baffled by it, but your advice has been invaluable...thank you!"

It was my absolute pleasure to be sharing the room with the NABAS committee and come back into a world I love. The energised businesses who were clearly loving the huge amount of knowledge and practical skills being shared were a pleasure to work with - shame we didn't have more time. Hopefully they will be running many more events of this calibre for their members. I love this world and the creativity the people in it share with gusto. On the practical business side however, fewer people look at how to grow their business rather than what is the next design they can play with and I am sure the leadership team on NABAS will be providing even more to you to help you grow in that area too.

Cont E overleaf

Elizabeth Williams of Balloon by Lizzy Lou summed up her day " Although there was such a lot to take in , I did indeed make efforts to improve my Facebook page and develop a website. I left quite gung ho and quickly realised that the social media elements take time. Little and often. I am still making inroads. I was and still am inspired ."

As a small business the most important thing for you is making money, so find the things that are not generating income and add them to the bottom of the things to do pile and track what is and do more. Even more importantly is knowing which activities you did actually worked by tracking emails or telephone numbers. By listening to what worked for others and actually trying something you will grow your business. Why not share what social and online marketing you have done that works for you? I am sure Balloonies will love your stories.

Amanda Hill, The Social Media Cafe, ah@thesocialmediacafe.co.uk

BECOME A NABAS APPROVED TEACHER Have you thought about passing on your skills and becoming a NABAS Approved Teacher?

NABAS is looking to accept additional NABAS Teachers within the following areas: Cornwall, Devon, Norfolk, Suffolk, Scotland, South Wales, Leeds, Halifax & Birmingham. If you are interested in starting the process of becoming a NABAS Teacher, please contact NABAS via email info@nabas.co.uk or on 01989 762204. Please understand that the process to become a NABAS Teacher is one of high standards and can be very rewarding.

The purpose of NABAS Teacher Approval is to ensure that all training carried out under the NABAS banner is to a good consistent standard. The assessment procedure is partially funded by NABAS.

Applicants must: be a Full member of NABAS; supply evidence of current and continuing employment in the balloon industry for at least five years. At the discretion of the NABAS Management Committee this may be reduced in special circumstances.

A Successful Applicant: will be awarded the NABAS Approved Teacher Certificate (so long as you remain a Full NABAS member); will be allowed to deliver NABAS approved training as follows: newly appointed teachers must deliver a total of three Basic courses before being eligible to deliver the Level 2. Note: You must refer to the Procedures and Responsibilities leaflet to ensure the correct delivery of the courses.; will be given priority to teach at NABAS sponsored events; will be consulted on the development of future NABAS training.

To register your interest or for more info contact the NABAS office: info@nabas.co.uk or call 01989 762204

NABAS APPROVED TEACHERS Yvonne Baynes Balloonery by Yvonne Tel: 01986 894482 yvonb@tiscali.co.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1& 2 Area Covered: East Anglia Jane Lee International Balloon Academy Tel: 01908 605960 / 07903 073606 www.international-balloon-academy.co.uk janelee49@me.com Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1 & 2; Basics & Beyond; Varied range of Master Classes Area Covered: Milton Keynes & beyond Mitch Gilbert CBA Rainbow Balloons Tel: 01625 585910 www.rainbowballoons.co.uk info@rainbowballoons.me.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1& 2; Advanced level; 260’s Course; Balloon Drops Area Covered: Cheshire, NW England & N Wales

Angie George Capel Manor Tel: 08456 122 122 Angie.George@capel.ac.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1 & 2 Area Covered: Hertfordshire, Essex & South East 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& 2; Wedding Area Covered: Hertfordshire, Essex & South East Mary George Gretna Green Creations Tel: 01709 818636 www.gretnagreencreations.co.uk info@gretnagreencreations.co.uk Courses Provided: NABAS Level 1 & 2 Area Covered: Yorkshire and the North East

"Premium Balloon’s New Inflators are getting Great Reviews" “We have been testing the Twin-Air Sizer®. It is great and doesn’t get hot, and no static shocks. I love it!”

Mike Harris CBA, Balloon Décor

“I am so impressed with the Premium Twin-Air Sizer®. It inflates a 5˝ balloon to a perfect 3˝ – we have not been able to obtain that from other inflators.

My staff love the light weight and quiet operation along with continuous operation. No more waiting for the equipment to take a breath.

LA Donna Belcher CBA, Time to Party

“Premium’s NEW Twin-Air Sizer® is with me today for the Florida Blue Network so that it’s not just my opinion but other people’s thoughts too, I love it for 5-inch and two sixties. I’ve really liked that the sizing is accurate!”

Joette Giardina CBA, Teacher and Balloon Professional.

BalloonCoach.com

“The Cool Aire® 4 is a great inflator! It is lightweight and doesn’t get tired.

Two people can each inflate 2-balloons each. It is perfect for balloon drops, bulk balloons, 20,000 balloons and more. I love the unique button on the side to increase the pressure for smaller balloons. I also love the caps that can be put on the extra nozzles to block off the air if you are working by yourself” LA Donna Belcher CBA, Time to Party

Pioneer’s Italian Team at the World Balloon Convention, inflated 25,000 balloons using the Twin-Air Sizer® of which 7,000 where double stuffed.

They used 5˝, 11˝,160q, 260q and Quick Link 6˝, 12˝.

"How they Measure Up?"

PREMIUM TWIN-AIR SIZER® The only digital inflator designed to run continuously without getting hot.

• The only inflator that can digitally size and inflate all sizes of latex including double stuffed metallic 5” latex, 260Q, and 160Q modeling balloons.

• Has the most pressure of any sizing inflator on the market.

• Push button screen adjusts inflation time in seconds and tenths of seconds, and includes a cycle counter.

• Comes in high quality padded protective carrying case.

• Includes reducer nozzles for modeling balloons and other sizes of latex balloons.

PREMIUM COOL AIRE® 4 Designed for Mass Inflation of latex balloons with 4-nozzles.

• Easily inflates 5˝ and larger latex.

• Has three ‘speed- switch settings’ for high pressure for small latex down to low pressure for large latex.

• Ideal for inflating balloons for balloon drops and arches.

• Inflates 1, 2, 3, or 4-balloons at one time, when using the supplied nozzle caps to close off ‘unused’ nozzles for faster inflation.

• High-impact, high-quality molded case for much greater durability.

• High-quality padded carrying case included.

• Comes with two hands-free foot pedals for dual inflation.

• Comes with reducers to fit most all latex sizes.

Available in 120-Volt and 230/240-Volt versions.

CE approved for Europe and UK. 1-year conditional warranty. www.premiumballoon.com

©2016, PREMIUM BALLOON ACCESSORIES® ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS & PRINTERS AIR PRODUCTS 2 Millennium Gate, Westmere Drive Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 6AP T:0800 389 02 02 apukinfo@airproducts.com www.airproducts.co.uk B-LOONY LTD Buck House Sunnyside Road Chesham, Bucks HP5 2AR T:01494 774 376 F:01494 791268 balloons@b-loony.co.uk www.b-loony.co.uk

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 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

BALLOON MARKET Unit 4, Lulworth Business Centre Nutwood Way, Totton, Southampton, Hampshire SO40 3WW T:033 33 704 777 info@balloonmarket.co.uk www.balloonmarket.co.uk

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

BALLOON SUPPLY & DISTRIBUTION 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

NEVITI Unit 9 Lane End Industrial Park Lane End, High Wycombe HP14 3BY T: 0845 6381358 www.neviti.com.

BALLOON WORLD Unit 105 Golborne Enterprise Park, Kidglove Road, Golborne, Cheshire WA3 3PY T:01942 719888 F:01942 719 988 sales@balloonworld.co.uk www.balloonworld.co.uk

NORTHSTAR BALLOONS Southampton, Hamoshire SO19 0HL T: 07469 890714 nthompson@northstarballoons.com www.northstarballoons.eu

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 BALLOONZ 12 Coltsfoot Close, Wildern Gate, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 4UN T: 01489790893 sales@balloonz.co.uk www.balloonz.co.uk BELBAL UK 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 DELIGHTS DIRECT Unit 4 Tallow Way, Fairhills Road Irlam, Manchester M44 6RJ T: 0333 900 9000 F:0161 776 1144 stuartw@delightsdirect.co.uk www.delightsdirect.co.uk

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 PREMIUM BALLOON ACCESSORIES PO Box 352 Sharon Centre, Ohio 44274 USA T: 00 1 330 239 4547 info@coolaire.com www.premiumballoon.com TALKING BALLOONS McGregor’s Way, Turnoaks Business Park Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 2WB T:01246 270555 F:01246 270566 sales@talkingballoons.com www.talkingballoons.com VIBORG BALLON A/S Gortlervej 7 DK8800 Viborg DENMARK T:00 45 866 21200 bini@viborg-ballon.dk www.viborg-ballon.dk

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