Phil Mickelson Start Smart Event
Phil Mickelson Foundation Start Smart Balloons
This is an incredible annual event that Balloon Utopia is hired to decorate. Every year it gets a little bigger and more kids are invited to attend. The general theme of the balloon decorations remains the same every year, but the configuration of the areas inside of Walmart changes.
New Videos by Balloon Utopia
Want to Balloon San Diego? Or any other city? Here are some of our videos….
How to Make a Balloon Arch
California Balloon Laws- ok, it’s not the most fun topic, but it’s important to know!
Are there environmentally friendly balloons?
How to make a balloon bike
New Commercial
Why Balloons?
Why indeed? Check out our new internet commercial… (experimenting with the medium)
By the way, the music is by Kevin MacLeod
Challenges, Slow Economy and Working on a Budget
Challenges, Slow Economy and Working on a Budget
This year has been a year unlike any other. Unless you’ve been living in another more affluent country, or in a self sustaining environment, chances are that you’ve also been hit by the recent economic crisis. For us here at Balloon Utopia that means that we’ve been working hard at helping our clients come up with decor that is heavy on creativity and not on budget.
Some of the ways that our clients have been saving money this year
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Bulk Balloon Deliveries- for clients who have a good system of support to lend a hand in the set-up, this can be a great option. Instead of hiring Balloon Utopia to do the whole set-up, we will come out and inflate a bunch of balloons onto our premium sparkly ribbon. We then tie them in manageable bunches to chairs or room fixtures so that your volunteers can cut them off and arrange them. We even give a quick demonstration on how to arrange them to get a nice, consistent look in your bouquets.
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Repurposing decor – this has been covered in an earlier blog post. (click the link to go to article- Repurposing decor ). Basically, this is a great option for multi-day events when you want a different look, but not a brand new decor budget. Ask one of our designers how you can make the most of your decor for mulit-day events.
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Hi- low centerpieces – You can get a really interesting feel and ambiance by varying the table centerpieces so that some of them are going up high in the air, and others are low. In this way you can have the “wow” effect of some of the more intricate centerpieces without having the expense of putting them on each and every table. Also, the varied heights and energy produced by this type of decor can be quite stunning.


4 Steps To a Great Life
Before I started in balloons, I was learning magic. I find it difficult to say that I was a magician, as I never was very good, but I learned everything I could find in a book, or that my magician friends would teach me. Today I was browsing the site of one of those magician, an amazing close-up guy named Lou Serrano , and I came accross this post on his blog. I thought it was advice that everyone could use, no matter what business they are in, or what they do…. Anyway, read and enjoy!
I thought I’d share with you a very simple four-step formula that I use to grow my business both as performer and as a marketer of products designed to enhance the business of other professional magicians.
- Vision. Before I can create a plan of action, I first have to create a vision for my life. I look at the big picture, and I ask myself, “What do I truly desire for myself? If I had the perfect life, what would it look like? How many hours would I work? Would I prefer to travel for work or would I prefer to stay close to home? Do I want to perform for children or adults? Would I rather perform at private events, corporate events, or both? How much money do I need to make to have the freedom to live the life I desire? What fills my life with passion? How can I share my passion with the world around me?”
- Goals. Once I’ve clearly defined the vision I have for my life, I create goals that are aligned with that vision. I write down these goals as succinctly as possible and write down a date by which I am to accomplish the goal.
- Plan. With my goals written down, I then create a plan to achieve those goals. Every detail is spelled out including the people I need to contact to help me in the achievement of that goal. I clearly define my market, and focus all my marketing efforts to provide solutions for that market.
- Execute. The final step is to execute the plan. I have found that a little goes a long way. Instead of trying to accomplish a goal all at once, I work on it a little every day. In this way the work is much easier, less stressful, and much more enjoyable.
The above formula may seem overly simplistic, but living a life full of passion, happiness, and freedom does not require a degree in rocket science. All it takes is the commitment to do some very simple things on a consistent basis. – Lou Serrano
Repurposing Decor
Repurposing Decor
Budget Stretching and Greenness
Recently we did a really interesting multi-day event. The event itself was fantastic, but what made it really different, and slightly challenging for us was streching a small budget over 3 days, and getting a completely new look. Usually, when we do multi- day events, either the decor stays the same for the whole event, or we come in and make entirely new decor. This event was different. In order to stretch the budget, we hi-floated the balloons for the first night’s decor, which was a Chinese theme. Adding the hi-float to the balloons meant that we could be sure that they would float for the entire time.

Here you can see the giant balloons we used for the Chinese theme. For the second night, a Carnival theme, we took the red balloons and added a colorful collar to them to make them look more festive.

I didn’t remember to take a room shot, so you’ll just have to use your imagination a little for the whole effect. In the meantime, the black balloons were put into another part of the hotel to decorate that room until we were ready for them. On the third night, we were ready for them… The third night was a concert, with some really neat special effects and blacklights! So we added funky blacklight reactive neon 260′s to the balloons to give it another fresh look.

We had a really good time brainstorming ways to re-use the same decor in new ways. In todays economy, with the reewed interest in the green movement, decor repurposing is a great solution!
For more information on decor repurposing, or to find out how to use this concept for one of your events, call Balloon Utopia, San Diego’s Event Decor Specialists! 619 339 8024
Click here to see photos from the San Diego Event Decor gallery
More Instructional Clips From Balloon Utopia
Balloon Utopia Instructional “How To” Videos
We will be uploading various video clips from some of Balloon Utopia’s (the San Diego Balloon Experts) instructional DVD’s. Check back for new uploads.
For Amazing Balloon Designs, Click here to see the San Diego Balloon Decor Gallery
For Incredible Balloon Entertainment, Click here to see the San Diego Balloon Twisting Gallery












