The July/August issue of Progressive Party Europe is available to read now, packed full of great content including in-depth supplier interviews, industry news and opinions, product updates and much more.
As one of the fundamental cornerstones of the party and balloon market, the global helium shortage has been dominating the conversation over the last few months.
The first price rise, back in January, went by without much fanfare. Businesses tried to absorb the costs where they could and took the fairly steep rise (around 15%) in their stride. A few months later balloon gas supplier BOC took the step of restricting its canister supply to one-in, one-out, while other suppliers were unable to take on new accounts.
Fast-forward to July and further price increases of up to 50% have meant that even when balloon artists can secure helium, consumers are often unhappy with the new pricing structure.
So what does this all mean? For the most part, people are looking for ways to work around the problem, shifting their focus towards air-filled décor. PPE has looked at a number of these solutions in this issue and it’s great to see that there’s so much out there.
We’ve also taken a deep dive into the world of licensing. Brand Licensing Europe is taking place at the beginning of October, so we have found out what makes licensing so very important throughout the party industry.
We have also taken a look at comedy and novelty costumes, spoken to Portugal’s leading party retailer and found out exactly what makes Hollywood Fancy Dress tick. It should be enough to keep you going until the end of summer at least, when our attentions will turn to all things Halloween…
As ever, please drop us a line with any news, views or anything else you’d like us to look at in the future. Enjoy!
