NYE 2019 could have been my busiest day of the year but is it my most profitable… probably not. NYE 2019 I took on less jobs and only worked in locations where it was easy to hang stuff – like The Hippodrome & Novikov. As a result there was time to have fun and eat nice food with some great people.
My thanks to Alex, Meesh, Laura, Jake & Dave for the help & the laughs.
Here’s some previous NYE epics.
Looking ahead for balloons in 2020 it should be another interesting year. The cost of helium doubled in 2019 so going forward we incorporate air filling more and more. Printing balloons seems to be a thing of the past as sustainable products without plastic valves and helium are the way forward. I question if the current trend for Organic style displays is The Swan Song for the balloon industry. I’m sure Pride will be big in 2020 and NYE will party on but it’s filling in the gaps each year that proves a challenge. It’s OK operating from a website with minimal overheads – as long as the gaps in work don’t get bigger.
The only constant in business is change. Have a look at balloon.co.uk 15 years ago and note the tabs at the top:
Weddings – nope we don’t do those anymore.
Helium Gas – Nope, nobody hires helium anymore.
Releases – Don’t get me started.
On the right column you’ll see “Printed Balloons’ – most companies doing that have gone, the demand just died.
Let’s look at my current tabs:
Everything here requires air. Organic structure & arches are supplied on frames and drops are good old school air filled balloons in nets. How will things change over the next 15 years? Fingers crossed I’ll be retired if this game can last.