With Valentine’s Day now just ten days away, the first major seasonal event in the party industry calendar is the perfect mini-season to kick-start the year.
Regardless of its origins, Valentine’s Day – held on 14 February each year – is widely celebrated around the world. Last year saw the UK spending almost £1bn on gifts, cards, flowers, balloons and other Valentine’s Day essentials – a rise of 0.7% compared to the year before.
The romantic date is the perfect opportunity for party and costume shops to showcase the power of balloons, décor and other heart-shaped product.
“In terms of Valentine’s Day themed balloons, we anticipate designs featuring our matte Satin Luxe finish to be a popular choice, as well as those with an iridescent print,” says Amscan’s marketing executive Charlotte Terry. “Ombre designs featuring a red and pink colour palette are also perfectly suited to the occasion such as our red and pink ombre Orbz and ombre air-filled phrases.”
Amscan has added over 20 new balloon designs to its Valentine’s Day offering for 2020, with options ranging from classic ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ and ‘Love You’ messages to more contemporary options such as a rose gold ‘Cheers’ standard shape and colourful gold heart garland multi-balloons.
Also focusing on some of the cuter and less traditional messages is Pioneer Europe, which has introduced a number of new Qualatex designs for the 2020 season.
“There are a lot of ‘fun’ messages for Valentine’s Day,” said head of marketing Julie Dommett, “which are great for people who aren’t quite ready to say I Love You’ or for people gifting something to a friend, which is a trend that appears to be growing.”
New releases from the company include stylised Bubble balloons, large microfoil shapes and a collection of co-ordinating latex balloons, with notable additions including the on-trend Adorable Sloth shape and the Love You Pastel Ombré and Hearts shape.
“Combining balloons with gifts is a really simple way to make a gift look even more special,” added Julie. “This is especially true when personalising balloons for customers.”
Picture: With over 20 designs to choose from, Unique Party’s foil balloons offer something for all Valentine’s Day tastes, from modern Emoji heart eyes to traditional red hearts.
