Great Day for UP.......

Inspired by Steve Jones (Aeration Decorations) recent post on BHQ, the Australian Industry Association got our act together and teamed up with Events Cinemas (formerly Greater Union) and Hoyts Cinemas for the launch of the new Disney/Pixar movie "UP". There were a number of initiatives, including the foyers of many cinemas having large colourful columns in them, as well as people being handed a balloon after some sessions screenings.

I was contacted by Events Cinemas Castle Hill who were looking to transform their foyer, and also draw attention to a large kids area that they had created with games, colouring in and much more.The foyer posed a few challenges. We tried to re create the scene in the movie where the house is being taken up by the many balloons tethered to it, however we needed to make sure that the whole thing was high enough so that it could not be destroyed by anyone jumping up to grab them. In the end we dispensed with the house, and settled for adding little replica dolls of Russell and Carl Fredricksen to the bottom of the balloons.
The display was up for the whole of the school holidays, and was lots of fun.

Last week I took my family to see the movie. My wife shed a few tears, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The whole concept was heaps of fun and I was pleased that the Disney/Pixar people had done some research about balloons to come up with it. They did take the license a bit far when the balloons tied to the house managed to float for three days, instead of the usual 14-18 hours that they usually float for. Apart from this though they have come up with another movie that appeals to all ages and has something for everyone. Good job!

World Balloon Convention

STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS

Awesome news. I have just been chosen to be the Australian instructor at World Balloon Convention in Dallas, Texas - 15-18 April 2010.

The list of instructors is very much the "who's who" of balloon instruction.....and they included me in that list - YAY!!!!!

For more info go to http://www.worldballoonconvention.com/

P!NK - Final Australian Concerts

Australia recently adopted the artist P!NK as one of our own. She did a massive (and record breaking) 58 shows in Australia in the one stint. To celebrate this, the promoter, Michael Koppell, contacted MAD Balloons to do some large balloon drops for her two last shows in Sydney. 1500 balloons and 5 large crowd balloon balls.

My staff were very excited about this as they are all P!NK fans. Katherine is a big fan.

(I'm a fan of the lovely pink cupcakes that were provided for the show......)

We had to set the drop up at the foyer just near the main arena.

Each net was 9 mtrs long and had 750 balloons in it

.....and there were 5 veeeeery large balloon balls that we also dropped on the crowd for them to play with.

You can see that by the sheer size of the balls and balloon nets that we could not get them up in the lift. So we had to drop ropes from the catwalk (33mtrs above the floor) and get them up that way.

Anyway........

The view of P!NK's concert from the catwalk was pretty fantastic.

.....as P!NK was about to do her bungy jump, we let the balloons go, so they would co-incide with the end of her bungy jump!

So how did it look?????? You be the judge.

The client was very happy, the crowd went absolutely crazy and had heaps of fun bopping the balloon balls around.

So, if you need a BIG special effect, just call the MAD team below............

(payment in cupcakes is accepted!!)

Anneke, Jessica, Dave, Ian, Katherine