Corporate jobs can be a lucrative sector for balloon artists and decorators, but many companies find themselves struggling to meet demanding requirements and timelines. Debbie O’Neill, owner of WOW Balloons, explains how teaming up with the competition can be a good thing.
“Most balloon artists I know work on their own and most of the time we only really meet other fellow professionals when we attend a balloon course. As such it can sometimes be a lonely profession.
Recently I was approached by Pandora Events in Lichfield to quote on a Christmas Party in February for one of their clients, as the company involved were too busy at Christmas.
As this was a big event I knew that I would struggle to complete the job on my own in the time allowed so I approached another local balloon company who I knew and respected to see if they would help me. Luckily enough Lucy Hennessy from Balloon Power said yes and we set off for the London Cruise Terminal in Tilbury to install a balloon wall, an 8ft tall anchor and a balloon arch.
Working alongside another balloon company helped with brainstorming, coming up with some great ideas and problem-solving. Generally, the old saying of two heads are better than one is so true. So if you get the opportunity to work with another balloon professional then go for it!
This worked out really well for us, as following on from that job we were asked by Pandora Events to install another balloon wall, this time at the NEC in Birmingham for one of their corporate clients. More than 2,500 glamorous ladies used our balloon wall for their team photos. We even saw pictures of ‘Elton John’, ‘Freddie Mercury’ and ‘Tina Turner’ posing in front of the wall as well!
We were also lucky enough to meet Pandora Events’ photographer, Luke Dillon, who sent us some photos to use from the first event – just goes to show that you never know what will happen when you offer someone a cup of tea!
Lucy and I will be carrying on working on our own businesses but are looking forward to working on other big events together in the future.”
