*BALLOONstitute – Las Vegas is not associated in any way with Diamond Jam, Summer Balloon Camp, BSH, LLC or their producers, members and associated entities.
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The Impossible Will Be Happening
August 10-11, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. *
Thanks To Our Faculty
The Faculty of any educational event or school is the critical component of the success for its attendees. At the BALLOONstitute, we are proud to provide you with this outstanding faculty teaching a variety of well-rounded classes in all skill levels.
Faculty and Classes are subject to change without notice.
Jean Eddy, CBA
Jean Eddy
Jean Eddy, CBA owned and operated a successful balloon decor and delivery business, Festive Options Balloon Company, for 15 years before teaming up with Pioneer Balloon Company as a field service representative in Northern California and Nevada in 2000. This position has given Jean the opportunity to share her talents, experiences, and knowledge to many future and present business owners. Jean’s creations have been published in “Balloon Images” magazine, and she’s even had a video produced that teaches her unique technique for creating canopies. Jean has had the opportunity to share her ideas and work with balloon professionals from around the world at conventions and events such as Balloon Camp, FLOAT, Ballooniversity, and the International Balloon Arts Convention as a staff member and teacher. |
| Delivery Fun!!! |
| Today's savvy customer is demanding more original and innovative balloon delivery ideas from their balloon professionals. Learn how to make your balloon deliveries stand above the competition! Does your client want to send "Get Well", "Birthday", "Thinking of You", "Anniversary", "New Baby" and more wishes in a unique and memorable way?! Then join Jean if you want to increase your company's balloon deliveries, this class is sure to deliver some profitable ideas! |
| Saying "I Do" to Ceremony Décor |
| More and more brides are waltzing down the isle in step with brand new trends. And one of these new trends is wedding ceremony décor. Today's bride wants something new to go with that something borrowed and something blue! Join Jean as she demonstrates exquisite and affordable wedding ceremony décor that will add smiles and a unique feeling of joy to any wedding! |
| The Best Dressed Bubble Balloon!! |
Join the fun with Jean as you learn how to "Bubble-Balloon with a difference"! See how easy it is to inflate these one-of-a-kind, long-lasting plastic Bubbles! Once you master the Deco Bubble Cinch Knot, decorating, delivery and centerpiece options are endless! Whether using air or helium, this unique and distinctive plastic bubble is a whole new category of balloon! You'll love how the Bubbles offer; long lasting décor, preparation in advance, no oxidation, and lots of lift for added value frills! |
Robbie Furman, CBA
Robbie Furman
Robbie Furman & his giant balloon character
Robbie has been working with balloons for nearly 20 years. He got his start volunteering at non-profit events and, after several years, became a full-time volunteer. He dedicated 18 months of doing missionary work in San Diego and also served in the Domestic Peace Corps. As a result, he had a chance to try new things with his balloons and venture into the Deco-twisting world full time. In 2002, Balloons by Robbie was born. Robbie’s unique style has allowed him to decorate for thousands of events over the last several years. His balloons have been seen on ABC's All My Children, One Life to Live, Live with Regis and Kelly and most recently Ugly Betty. Robbie also has a passion for teaching his craft to others.
| Life Size Lootles |
| Join Robbie in this class and learn the hands on way, how to create a full life size, deco-twisted balloon person from head to toe! You will learn how to customize your creations for any event or party! You and your pocketbook can’t afford to miss this popular class!! |
| Floating Centerpieces |
| You will be floating on Cloud 9 after you attend this brand new class from Robbie! You will get hands on experience creating new and innovative twisted floating centerpieces. Be the first in your city to show everyone that you’re above your competition with the exciting designs you’ll take home from this class! |
Sandi Masori
BIO – Sandi Masori- Decotwister/ SEO Expert
Sandi began in the balloon business on the twisting side in 1994. After travelling all over the world performing, and staying a year and a half in Japan, she settled in Israel in 1998. While in Israel, Sandi took a decorating class offered by Christopher Horne and decided to cross-over to become a deco-twister; at the time one of only a small number of people who were creating with balloons by using both décor and twisting elements in their work. After Sandi met her soon to be husband Shahar, they decided to move back to Sandi’s hometown of San Diego, California. On the way, they stopped and studied privately with some of the best balloon artists in the industry on both the decorating and twisting side.
Since 2000 Sandi and Shahar have run Balloon Utopia in San Diego, offering both entertainment and decorations. She has authored a total of five balloon instructional videos and continues to be active in learning and teaching in both the décor and entertainment sides of the industry.
About two years ago, Balloon Utopia’s Web site received a major facelift. At the same time, Sandi decided she needed to learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to ensure the continued high rankings of her website in the Search Engine Results Page (SERPS). She attended a boot camp that sparked a continuing interest in learning more about the Internet marketing industry. After completing that boot camp, she joined an online think tank “university” for Internet marketers, and continued her education with online classes, live seminars and events, and online “webinars.”
With the recent economic crises, and especially the way that it affected the special events industry, Sandi realized though her balloon sales were way down, people were looking for help marketing and getting better exposure online was on the rise. Instead of dropping their prices to rock bottom the way many of their balloon competitors did, the Masoris thought that it would be more prudent to have a side income from SEO and keep their balloon pricing unchanged, while they waited out the storm of recession.
These days, Sandi spends her time pretty evenly divided between Balloon Utopia and San Diego SEO.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
or Google and Yahoo and Bing - Oh My!
Nowadays everyone goes to the Internet to find whatever they need. The fact is, if your clients can’t find you on Google, or one of the other major search engines, you don’t exist. Ranking well in the search engines is the best form of marketing next to word of mouth referrals. And if you do it right, it doesn’t cost a thing. In this class, you will receive a dynamic overview of “Onpage” and “Offpage” SEO Search Engine Optimization (SEO) factors. If you don’t know what this means, then this class is definitely for you!
If time permits, we’ll even try to take a look at some of the attendees’ own Web sites and do a mini site review (for SEO factors). Though really intended to be an overview, even those who know something about SEO may find this class has something to offer them as well. With live case studies, you never know what will come out!
In order to reward those for attending, handouts will be given out during the class only, rather than offered in the convention notebook.
Marla Michael, CBA
Marla Michael
Marla has been in the Special Event and Balloon Decorating business since 1992, and is the Midwest Field Service Rep for Pioneer Balloon Company, maker of Qualatex balloons. A Certified Balloon Artist, Marla speaks from experience and brings with her a vast knowledge of balloon décor techniques and expertise. She’s well known through-out the industry for her contagious enthusiasm for balloons! |
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Character Deliveries |
| You don’t need to know how to carry a note… just know the words! This is the class where you’ll learn how to make the BIG BUCKS with that delivery! Think you don’t have the nerve? Enroll in this class and learn how to find that nerve! Come have some fun! |
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| The Canopy For Modern Decor |
The modern bride deserves your modern décor! The challenges of the corporate world deserve your state of the art abilities! This class will teach you designing up-to-date canopies with the newest designs by Qualatex. Come grab the enthusiasm to fit those needs with lots of tips and tricks too!
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Holly Nagel, CBA
Holly Nagel
Holly Nagel & her treasure hunting balloon dragon
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Holly owns Twist n Shout LLC and is a successful entrepreneur. She inflates expectations with her specialty services including custom balloon designs for entertainment, décor and deliveries. In addition, she is a professional speaker, storyteller and eventertainer, engaging audiences with her content, interaction and fun. Her bubbly personality and easy-going demeanor endear her to all types of crowds and clients, from the corporate breakout session to the backyard birthday party. Based in the Chicago area, her regular corporate clients include the Chicago Bears, The Field Museum and Bridgestone-Firestone. She is an industry award winner having won the Marvin Hardy Scholarship in 2008 and Betallic’s 2008 1st Annual Decorator Contest, in addition she writes articles, interviews and columns for leading industry sites like MBD2 and BalloonHQ.
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Gigantic Hanging Snowflakes |
| The design looks complex and your clients will think so, too, but it is actually very simple to make! Use 260's to create giant pristine snowflake sculptures that can easily fill a room turning it into a wintry wonderland. They are 2 to 3-ft wide. |
| The LOOPY-Swag: A Little Twist + A Little Decor = Big Impact |
| Learn basic twisting and some easy extras that will push your designs into the Wow! category. Adding visual interest adds perceived value. |
| Gingerbread Boy Holiday Designs |
Just in time for the holiday season, nothing beats the sights and smells of Gingerbread in the oven. Watch Holly “cook up” some serious Gingerbread sculptures using non-round balloons. By making this Gingerbread Boy large, from 646’s, you will be able to turn any room into whimsical holiday fun. |
Eduardo Seiti
Eduardo Seiti
Eduardo Seiti 5 Heart Flower
Eduardo hails from Brazil. He is a graduate of USP (Universidade de Sao Paulo), the most respected Brazilian university with a degree in Electrical Engineering, He spent ten years working on projects in industrial automation, specializing in generation and distribution of electric energy. Looking for a career change, he entered the business of balloons in March 1996 as a balloon twister. In September 1996 he brought balloon décor into his business as well. Eduardo has developed a number of new techniques for balloon use: Some of his incredible innovations with balloons are his EaSY System to cover building columns, the Brazilian style of centerpiece design, a special project of balloon design using Paint, 646 truss construction and creating flat balloon arches. Eduardo is presently working on an instructional video program of balloons called ESBD in Brazil. An English Version ESBDE is being developed with the web site www.esbde.com. The series will present valuable information to balloon designers like balloon projects, tutorials and pictures. More than 4000 balloon professionals have graduated in his the Balloon Art Program. He has produced 26 balloon tutorial magazines, presented 27 times on TV broadcast in Brazil, and has submitted hundreds of articles and tutorials in the Brazilian press.
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| Raise The Roof With Balloons Advanced Class |
| Come explore new techniques for shaped walls and canopies. Mixing garlands, walls, balloon truss structures, and balloon geodesic domes, amazing scenes can be assembled in a short time filling any venue with the WOW factor! Learn simple key elements to push your designs to the outer limits! |
| Take Heart With Balloons Unique Class |
| In this class, the Heart balloon shape is viewed as a pure design element, rather than as a romantic symbol. Using their unique geometry, forming incredible textures is possible. Eduardo teaches an assembly technique using the heart shape balloon that allows us to create new decor easily. |
| Profitable & Elegant Brazilian Style Table Centerpiece Class |
| This class shows simple cost effective and time efficient techniques to create different bases for low cost centerpieces, using flexible wire and acetate. Continuing the Brazilian technique, this class will present the latest ideas to develop centerpieces without helium gas. |
A designer in the gift basket and floral industry for many years, Linda added balloon decor to her business 13 years ago. The love of creating fun and exciting decor using balloons became a passion and within a few short years the magic of balloons took center stage. 3 years ago Linda started designing with EPS foam and hot wire tools opening a new door to design and a new business, Hot Wire Design Works, where Linda teaches and sells the tools for artists and designers to use to expand the dimensions of their creativity. Linda has been an instructor at various industry events and has won numerous awards in competition topping it off with Designer of the Year at the West Coast Event and Balloon Arts Convention 2009
Oh BABY! Good News Stork and Rockin’ Hobby Horse Sculptures
No matter what the economy is doing babies are still arriving every day and everyone wants their baby shower to be the most amazing shower EVER! Increase your “baby” profits by offering sculptures they MUST have. This hands-on class will take you from framing to all the little details that will make your “Oh Baby” sculptures the WOW factor at the celebration!
Hot, Hot, Hot Wire Cutting
Move your décor into a new dimension using EPS foam and hot wire cutting to create signs, props, column toppers and centerpieces. This class will show you how easy it is to increase your profits with EPS signs and designs. We will be working with hot knives, engravers, scroll tables and other tools to create elements for signs.
Ken Stillman
Ken Stillman
He has had the privilege to travel the globe sharing his ideas and designs with balloon decorators and entertainers from all over the world. A true visionary in his own right,
Ken has revolutionized the balloon industry with his ideas from Fantasy Princesses to his Awesome Bouquets that were both featured in Balloon Magic magazine.
His Hitch Hiker design is used on a daily basis by balloon artists the world over.
Ken rocked the balloon world with the release of his Super Hero DVD series.
Ken has and continues to raise the bar for the balloon industry.
So what could he possibly do next? Don't miss any of his classes and you will find out!
Ken Stillman Super Hero
Realistic Non-Round Character Creation
One of the most popular party themes of the year is the new Alice in Wonderland!
Come join Ken Stillman as he puts together one of the most realistic portrayals of the new Mad Hatter. Ken will be revealing one of his newest concepts that he has been working on, an easy construction of a realistic human head made with balloons. It's hard to tell the difference between the balloon creation and the real Johnny Depp;)
The head shape has soft enough features that it can be used for female characters as well.
"I can't wait to see how far others will take this concept." Ken will give examples in his class of other characters that can be made from this head design such as skulls, super heroes, the Queen of Hearts, a groom, a prince for the princesses, and more.
Ken Stillman's Balloon Beads!
Years ago an Italian team of balloon designers built a working ferris wheel. The structure was completely hidden inside the inflated balloons. Ken has expanded on this concept in order to bring you Balloon Beads; an easy, practical way to make seemingly impossible balloon sculptures.
You won't want to miss this class.
Andrea Zettler
Andrea Zettler
A former Elementary Education teacher, Andrea has been in the balloon industry for 30 years. Along with her husband Mark, in 1998 purchased BALLOONS and Parties Magazine, the foremost trade publication for the balloon industry and holds the position of Managing Editor. She has been an instructor of balloon décor and centerpiece designs at the Eastern States Balloon Symposium, Jubilee Conventions, the Event Solutions Expo, the International Balloon Association Convention, and is a partner and organizer of The All Star Revue Balloon Convention as well as an instructor.
In their retail business, Life O’ The Party, Andrea is the Art Director, specializing in centerpiece design and foamboard décor. More on Andrea and her work together with Mark is included in Mark's biographical information below.
Hands-On Centerpiece Design – (Andrea)
Andrea has been creating fantastic centerpieces for decades. Come learn her secrets to making beautiful centerpieces both large and small, inexpensive and truly grand using Styrofoam, glitter, foil poufs and all the tricks in the mechanics of her creations you will never see on the outside. Then take a spin yourself at making your own designs in this fun hands-on class.
Fantastic Foamboard! – (Andrea and Mark Zettler Together)
Learn from the masters, Andrea and Mark Zettler, as they help you develop the skills and techniques you need to introduce foamboard into your sales arsenal. Tools, cutting skills, gluing, painting, layering, glittering, stencils and scoring will all be discussed and demonstrated to help improve your centerpieces, signs and props.
Bar-Bat Mitzvah – (Andrea and Mark Zettler Together)
Everything you need to know to understand the rituals of the religious event to the selling of the party. Andy and Mark have compiled detailed hand-outs noting religious terms in Hebrew and English, dietary concerns, etc. Themes, opportunities for décor and favor work, escort cards, sign-in boards and books – everything from beginning to end to fully understand and be able to sell this very profitable event in the Jewish community. Lecture class with, hand-outs,
Mark Zettler
In 1980, Mark founded Life O' The Party to provide novelty entertainment, singing telegrams and balloon deliveries. The business was started with just a gorilla suit and a telephone. Today, Mark along with his wife Andrea, run one of the oldest and largest companies of its kind in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. Life O' The Party (http://www.lotparty.com) , along with their other company, Balloonacy now offer balloon décor and deliveries, novelty telegrams, DJ's, wholesale balloon supplies (http://260balloons.com ), and hundreds of party entertainers.
He is the Publisher of BALLOONS & Parties Magazine, the oldest and most popular magazine in the history of the balloon industry. The magazine is now an online publication at http://www.balloonsandparties.com . He is also is a partner and founding organizer of The All Star Revue Balloon Convention as well as an instructor.
Mark and Andrea have been dedicated to events for balloons, décor and entertainment for the past 30 years, hence their desire to help others in the balloon industry by forming The BALLOONstitute to bring this convention to Las Vegas.
An ISES (International Special Events Society) member since 1997, he has served on the New York Metro Board for seven years, including President during the Chapter’s first ever Chapter of the Year honors. Mark has also served the IBA (International Balloon Association) first as 2nd Vice-President then as International Convention Director for two years.
As an instructor Mark, along with his wife Andrea, has been teaching across the USA for fifteen years on balloon arts, Bar and Bat Mitzvah events, marketing and more. He has been a guest speaker for ISES at Eventworld in Hollywood, CA, at the first ever Event Solutions Expo in Baltimore, MD, and for the Philadelphia and Syracuse ISES Chapters, as well as at the Eastern States Balloon Symposium, Jubilee Conventions, Transworld Conventions and the International Balloon Association Convention.
Dollars and Sense – Basics and refresher for all. (Mark)
Tips and tricks regarding basic skills, arch creation, centerpieces and equipment. All based on increasing speed of creation while going about it in ways that are different than the “norms” of today’s mainstream décor/design skills. From the true beginner to the oldest of old time veteran decorators – EVERYONE will go home with some fantastic new ways to sell, inflate and create with balloons.
Fantastic Foamboard! – (Andrea and Mark Zettler Together)
Learn from the masters, Andrea and Mark Zettler, as they help you develop the skills and techniques you need to introduce foamboard into your sales arsenal. Tools, cutting skills, gluing, painting, layering, glittering, stencils and scoring will all be discussed and demonstrated to help improve your centerpieces, signs and props.
Bar-Bat Mitzvah – (Andrea and Mark Zettler Together)
Everything you need to know to understand the rituals of the religious event to the selling of the party. Andy and Mark have compiled detailed hand-outs noting religious terms in Hebrew and English, dietary concerns, etc. Themes, opportunities for décor and favor work, escort cards, sign-in boards and books – everything from beginning to end to fully understand and be able to sell this very profitable event in the Jewish community. Lecture class with, hand-outs,
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