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Miscellaneous Ramblings
by Larry Moss and Sheena Beaverson- IBAC 18 Review
- Chicago Halloween and Party Show
- BHQ camera giveaway - the winner is ...
- New and improved features for BHQ Members
- Featured member portfolio
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| This colorful 646Q drop signaled the concluson of the IBAC opening ceremonies. |
IBAC 18 Review
IBAC delegates successfully completed their mission of learning, sharing, and having fun all at the same time. Over 700 balloon professionals from 29 countries traveled to participate in the Pleasure Island theme party, tour the International Balloon Museum, and learn about all the latest techniques.This year's turn-out was a bit lower, in comparison with recent years. Some blamed the slow economy. Others blamed fear of air travel. Foreign delegates had to jump through new hoops, in order to obtain passports and visas. As a result, many balloon pros found that it was just too difficult to make it this year. Those that did attend enjoyed every last bit of the convention.
We had a blast providing event coverage as the week unfolded, and are pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the pictures. At our peak, Balloon HQ served an additional 6,000 web pages per day! If you haven't already, make sure to check out the Balloon HQ event photos. Then, check out the qualatex.com coverage for IBAC 2002: Mission Accomplished!. The photos and information provided are sure to inspire you to start saving for next year: IBAC 19 will be March 5-9, 2003.
Chicago Halloween and Party Show
The Transworld Halloween and Party Show just adds to the fun and profitability of being in Chicago. During class breaks, IBAC attendees were seen pouring through the aisles of the party show looking for the latest items to carry in their retail stores. TK Innovations' bubble balloons were popular, in addition to DriMark's new Balloon Markers and Glue Dots International's Glue Dots for Balloons.It easy to see which IBAC attendees had visited the Party Show each day. The Hi-Float company labeled everyone with a "Got Ultra?" sticker, to indtroduce the new Ultra Hi-Float.
The folks at Conwin were showing off their new balloon bulbs, designed to safely illuminate balloons from the inside. Betallic made announcements of new balloons in their latex line and had samples of exciting new colors. At long last, solid color bags of Betallatex 260s are now available.
Some other BHQ sponsors that were in attendance made sure to let us know they'll be carrying all the latest products. Variety Supply Co/Per Favore Imports specializes in cool wedding items, and US Balloon offers everything a balloon pro needs.
Other BHQ sponsors at the show included Pioneer Balloon, Premium Balloon Accessories, Tilco, Gayla, and Balloons & Parties Magazine. These companies continue to create quality products and also support the balloon industry.
The winner is ...
A big thank you to all of the sponsors and participants in the BHQ Scavenger Hunt for helping Balloon HQ celebrate 10 years of information sharing. The winner of the digital camera is Dana Kline from Party Designs of Mountainside, NJ. Congratulations!We have had very positive feedback on this give-away from both BHQ Sponsors and event attendees. As a result, we've already begun talking about how to make the game more fun next year and get even more people involved.
New and improved features for BHQ Members
We have some new features to announce this month. Consider this a preview for those of you always looking for something new to play with, there will be more to come.User Sessions: One of the leading complaints that we've heard is that user sessions would often time out while you were still surfing BHQ. This meant that while reading the day's email or viewing the new photos, you might have to log in more than once. This is no longer the case. Your user name and password can now be saved to make surfing member areas of BHQ easier.
Preferences: There is now a master preferences page for BHQ Members. This page links to a number of features that you can configure for your BHQ identity. Modify your directory information, edit and view your photos, renew your membership, and modify your portfolio preferences.
Portfolio Preferences: You can now modify the appearance of your portfolio. Choose a layout style, order your photos, highlight color, and opt in to show a BHQ member badge. Choices are limited, but the options will continue to grow.
Portfolio Building: You can now upload photos that are meant only for your portfolio. Up until now, all photos uploaded to BHQ were seen on the main BHQ photo page. Many of you have asked about uploading things that you felt other balloon pros wouldn't be interested in, like: photos of you in various costumes, standard photos of basic elements that you need clients to see, or pictures of non-balloon related services like face painting. When you upload a new photo, a checkbox will allow you to specify where the photo will be placed.
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| The Wizard - by Scott Davis |
This month's featured artist portfolio
Scott Davis out of Portland Oregon is an artist with a focus on large scale twisted sculptures. His sculptures include, people, famous characters, animals, and science fiction.
Visit Scott's portfolio.