Having worked as a director at the Royal National Institute of Blind People before becoming a balloon artist, Stuart Davies, director of the Big Balloon Build, wanted to do something that combined the joy balloons could provide with giving back to communities and charities. Progressive Party sat down with him to find out all about the events.
Originally, Stuart Davies set up the Big Balloon Build as a development exercise. He wanted to develop his own skills and those of his team of balloon artists. Stuart explains: “I wanted to create training that expanded our horizons and artistic ability, expanded our technical abilities and made us think more creatively.”
After the first build for a charity with other balloon artists in 2016, Stuart noticed people were approaching him to get involved. He continues: “That was when I realised, that like myself, a lot of other people wanted to expand their skillset. Working in the balloon industry is a very insular event because most of us work alone, many are home based and have very little contact with peers. We try to stick to a 9am-5pm build over three days and then we go out together in the evening as a team.
“So having that contact with others and developing networking opportunities was unbelievable. But also having the chance to use your art and your business to make a purposeful difference to the world, was quite profound.”
To read the full interview with Stuart in the latest issue of Progressive Party magazine, click here.
