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


Learn To Make Balloons

Now you can learn to make balloons too!

 

Download out iTunes feed to have balloon lessons delivered straight to you iPod or iPhone!

Just Click the iTunes button… 

subscribe itunes Learn To Make Balloons

 

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

  • 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.    
  • 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.
  • 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. 

 

balloons balloons balloons

 

Balloon Helpers

 

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.

  1. 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?”
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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. 

w0409chevrah chinese Repurposing Decor

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.

w0409chevrah carnival Repurposing Decor

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. 

w0409chevrah concert Repurposing Decor

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.

The newest uploads are geared toward an intermediate skill level.  Click here to see How to Make a Balloon Diva and How to Make a Balloon Raccoon. 

 

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

More Video Picks From Sky

Sky added to his favorite YouTube videos… Enjoy!!

 

For all your San Diego theme party needs, be sure to check out Balloon Utopia’s Theme gallery.  We specialize in kids parties.  Click here for more…

New Video Blog

Balloon Utopia Instructional Videos On You Tube

Here’s something that we’re really excited about, we’ve started uploading instructional videos to You Tube!

We’ll also have a stream here on our site on the videos page of the blog.  Want to see what we’ve got?  Click here to go to the Balloon Utopia video page of the blog.    So far there’s only one video up there, but keep checking back, because this is a dynamic website and we’re always adding new material!

Balloon Utopia is the San Diego Event Expert.  Call us for all of your San Diego event decor and entertainment needs.   Click here to visit our decor gallery.