We are proud to announce the NEW 2009 WCEBAC class line-up. Check out the class titles and descriptions below and sign-up now!
Class Coding Key:
- B - Beginner
- I - Intermediate
- A - Advanced
- L - Lecture
- H - Hands-on
Fantasy Flowers – Glenna Kipp - H
Fantasy Flower is a technique of inserting a "frame" in a latex balloon to distort it into a fantasy shape. Use it to make flowers, bird feet, and dragon scales, tomato stems, or anything else you can imagine! Join Glenna to explore the exciting possibility of Fantasy Flowers!
Fiesta! De Globos – Glenna Kipp - H
Let’s get ready to party – Fiesta style! We’ll create arches with lots of pizzazz, a Pinata, ristras of Chili Peppers, and Fireworks. These decorations will look great with the Cactus and Critters. Come party with Glenna and get your Fiesta flavored creative juices flowing!
Glenna’s Jungle – Glenna Kipp - H
It’s a jungle out there! Explore the variety of trees you can grow with balloons. You’ll learn to create 15 “varieties” of balloon trees and to enhance them with all kinds of critters and flowers. Glenna’s Jungle will be beautiful and exciting. Come play!
Balloon Drops; Not just for New Year’s Eve – Rob Stiff
For many people this will be the hardest and most rewarding décor item of the year. Once you become comfortable with the ins and outs of balloon drops you will find reasons to sell them year round. Learn the proper ways to make nets plan for rig points, fast inflation techniques, and get help with pricing.
Rigging; what goes up, shouldn’t always come down – Rob Stiff
The secrets of rigging are revealed in a manner that the average person will understand. After you take this class, you will no longer approach a rigging job with fear and loathing, but instead you will be able to expand your décor options because you will be confident you can rig anything.
Classic Balloon Décor; what sells? - Rob Stiff
For many people CBD are old, maybe even boring, but these people are just focusing on the wrong parts of CBD. True CBD is the foundational element of our industry, and as such should be a staple in your décor arsenals. From fast systems techniques, to pricing help and ways to pitch, this class is guaranteed to make you take a new look at the old 4 pack clusters.
Sensational Summer Weddings – Celini McKinney - H
Every bride wants her wedding to be sensational; that includes her reception. Whether big or small, stunning or simple, well-designed décor will always make a big impact! Learn how to create sensational wedding décor by incorporating balloons, flowers and other elements. Enjoy the demonstrations and some hands-on activities, take back and sell the ideas and watch your customers call back for more!
Sellable and Profitable Centerpieces – Celini McKinney - L
Centerpieces that sell begin with the correct use of the elements and principles of design. In this class, you will learn several basic centerpiece forms that can be adapted for many occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, weddings and more. Through step-by-step instructions, you will learn basic construction techniques that save time while providing a solid design foundation. Prerequisite to the Lab class
Sellable and Profitable Centerpieces – Celini McKinney – H
Get ready to apply what you’ve learned from the lecture class. This hands-on class will give each student the opportunity to create their own basic floral/balloon masterpiece. Using the basic construction techniques, these beautiful centerpieces are designed to fit any occasion and be highly profitable. Come early, space is limited.
Build a Better Balloon Business – Matt McKinney
Make your best First Impression – every time! Balloons are not your hobby, they’re your business, and people buy YOU before they’ll buy your balloons. This class will focus on your professionalism, fine-tune your business skills and teach you how to always make a profit! You will learn what other professional balloon decorating business owners already know about sales & marketing, proposals, contract writing and pricing. This may be the most important class you will ever take.
Master Network Marketing – Matt McKinney
Ever wonder why some companies are known as the “referred balloon company” by nearly everyone in town? Perhaps it’s because they are the cheapest! The nicest! Well, it could be because they have a Master Plan and known how to work it. Networking is the most overlooked, under-read, economical, practical and effective form of marketing there is. Learn how you can have fun being the most popular social butterfly in your area. Oh, when we say most popular, that also means; the busiest, most successful, growing and profitable company in town, too! Don’t hide from this class; it could be your ticket to a breakout year. Financially!
Optimizing Outdoor Décor – Matt McKinney
Increase your confidence as you learn how to optimize your options for outdoor décor. This class will guide you though outdoor decorating utilizing proven methods. Learn how to anticipate and combat the adverse weather conditions that commonly restrict outdoor décor. Cost effective designs, proven systems and preferred equipment used by the pros will be taught and demonstrated. Discussions will include answers to your most commonly asked questions such as city ordinances, budget restraints and layout designs.
Link–O–Loons – Bambi & Danny Bremgartner - H
Come join Bambi and Danny and get inspired with some uniquely themed Link-O-Loon designs. This is hand on class that will show you how easy it is to use LOL. Large-scale sculptures will be constructed along with fabulous décor ideas that you can take with you. Hope to see you there.
Sculptures – Bambi & Danny Bremgartner - H
Have you ever surfed the waves? Come join Bambi & Danny to sculpt the perfect wave. This is a hands-on class where you not only catch the perfect wave but also have an opportunity to create other sea life sculptures. This dynamic duo will show you many different techniques to transform an ordinary ballroom into a spectacular undersea adventure.
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Twister? – Jack Mattson I - A - L - H
It is very apparent to Jack that the deco and twisting worlds have not yet combined, but are on the verge. Jack passion will show you how the two worlds can make an impact and set you apart from others. He will introduce to decorators the tools and techniques used by twisters such as the different shapes, size balloons, ideas on how and why to use them in your decor. Delegates will come away from the class with a whole new inventory list and ideas to add to their centerpiece or décor designs. In addition, many examples of his work will be on display.
About Faces – Jack Mattson I - A - L - H
Have you wondered how the Simpson face can be made? Most sought after are Jack’s secrets on how to bring out certain facial features, what facial features to bring out and how to sell the design. Used for Santa, Elves, Leprechauns or just about any face needed, this class is designed for intermediate and advanced twisting levels. You are sure to amaze any client with the depth and personality of your character. Delegates will have a chance to brainstorm on how to use this design and technique in their own business. You’ll not want to miss this.
Resources, Resources, Resources – Jack Mattson B- A - L - H
It’s one thing to attend a class that teaches techniques. However, some students might wonder how the teacher got to the point of teaching in the first place. How do the greats become greats? Resources, Resources, Resources!!! From books to magazines, to DVD’s, Internet, lectures, Jams, conventions, just to name a few, there are more resources to become the best of the best than there ever was before. This class will be designed to inform the students of each and every resource that is available to them. Students will be encouraged to pick at least two new resources and add them to their repertoire. Who knows, students might run into a guest speaker or two in this class.
Foam Board and More
Learn the basics and the hype of working with foam board. Find out how to cut, apply foil, material, paint & use adhesive to create a one of a kind centerpiece or prop. Learn the difference between syntrex, gator board and foam board and when to use them.
Beyond Lighting
What is meant when you hear lingo such as watts, wash, hues and gels? Hear about the latest craze in lighting. Learn the tips and tricks of using the many different types of lights that are available for centerpieces. Learn how lighting can take an ordinary room and take it over the top with color.
Special Effects: Exploding Walls, Confetti and more
Want to create that WOW factor and have everyone experience the excitement of surprise? Whether announcing the success of a product or introducing a new idea with an exploding banner or capping off the evening with a shower of confetti …learn how to sell this exploding idea and make it become reality.
A Classic Hour with Treb
The man who invented Classic Balloon Decor and built a business that grossed more than a million dollars per year, will take you through many of his favorite projects giving step by step details on how they were created, sold and produced. Questions and discussion will be encouraged and if you don't learn anything from this class, you will at least go away motivated and inspired.
Fabulous Foils for the Holidays! – Linda Bruce
The time to go after those fabulous, end-of-year, holiday parties is now. So we've invited Linda Bruce to show you how to impress your holiday clients with something brand new! They're the new Taper foils from Qualatex, and they allow you to create long-lasting, do-ahead decor that dazzles! These glittery, air-filled foils are so easy to use, and, they're designed to do it all! From centerpieces to decor elements, the new Taper foils add more than just a glimmer of glitz and, practically sell themselves! You won't want to miss the latest "Balloon-bling" from Qualatex. Come and see for yourself how the new Tapers will make you look good, and all of your holiday decor jobs sparkle!
Those Amazing Bubble Balloons for Delivery & Décor – Linda Bruce
Imagine balloon designs featuring latex balloons that won't oxidize, even if left outdoors for weeks! How about a shelf life of 3 - 5 years? They're pop-resistant, self-sizing, self-sealing, and don't require Hi Float! Sound too good to be true? Come and see for yourself as Linda Bruce shares all the tips for inflating these exquisite balloons, and your profits, with these amazing Bubble Balloons from Qualatex!
No Sweat, Fool-Proof Canopy Construction – Linda Bruce
Are you captivated by spectacular dance floor canopies, but unsure how to create those amazing super domes? Join Linda Bruce as she shares industry secrets and fool-proof methods that will guarantee professional results in half the time, every time! You'll learn rigging, calculations, special effects and more in this hands-on, confidence building class that will boost your canopy sales through the roof!
Bar/Bat Mitzvah – Beth Slavin - A - L
Budget...Balance...and Bling! A special day for child and parent, Beth has designed this course to help the vendor learn about customs and the details of planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah from the client's prospective. There will be discussion on the amount of money that is spent on the event and tie it to the "mitzvah" or giving back to the community. Learn the event planning side of juggling vendors and how to coordinate the day. This class will show you how to carry the theme from entry to table, to room décor and more.
Impossible balloon decor made possible with Link-o-loons – Ken Stillman
Never seen before, Ken will be revealing some of his newest concepts of decorating with Link-o-loons. In his travels he has found many venues are banning helium filled balloons because of fire regulations. Learn new air filled designs and find out how to create an easy system that can help you calculate the balloons needed for your air filled creations.
Hi-Tech software and Digital Imagery – Ken Stillman
Ken will be introducing his long awaited software system for the balloon community. Clip, paste and even color columns, arches, backdrops, entries and more by slipping your creative ideas right onto a digital photo of your customer’s venue. Mac and PC friendly.
Oversize, Simplify and Wow your Customers – Ken Stillman
Ken is world known for his 646 Princess sculptures and he has just introduced her to Prince Charming. Join and learn the techniques on twisting with the large balloons.
Customizing Foil Balloons – Hernando Cisneros - B A L H
Hernando will teach techniques on how to customize foil balloons by using the wipe off, spray paint, and crumble and template techniques. Customizing foil balloons will add value to your designs and will separate you from the competition by offering original designs. 1 class in English 1 in Spanish
How to be a Star with Event Producers - Roger Hampton
Learn how to build relationships with event producers and get a larger piece of the project to maximize your profits. Win over the producer with your knowledge of the layout of the room, know your venue, zero in on scheduling, learn the key players of the event i.e. riggers, fire marshals, logistics, audio visual etc. Join Roger as he walks through his photos and helps you get up to speed in knowing your producer. Producers love it when you are one less piece of he project they have to manage.
ebay: Tips, Tidbits and Secrets of Selling and Buying – Michael Schaller
Whether you're looking to clear out old inventory or in need of that special something for your next event, ebay can be a valuable resource for both selling and buying. Michael will discuss a wide array of topics geared to maximize your experience on ebay. Think of it not so much as "how to", but rather "How to Successfully." In Michael's 12 years of selling full time on ebay, he has gained an arsenal of tips, tidbits and will share his secrets of marketing, tracking and the logistic of selling on ebay.
Beyond The 60” Round - Judy Bradt, CBA
In this informational two part class, Judy will take you from the empty banquet hall to a spectacular room filled with imaginative and innovative tablescape ideas. In Session I, you will learn just how many tables and chairs you can fit into a hall, creative uses of different shapes and sizes of tables and chairs, how to determine the most efficient use of your space and how to design effective traffic patterns. Now that you have “set” your room, you can take Session II which will take the room from the ordinary to the extraordinary! Judy will introduce you to the world of upgraded linens, fabrics, tableware – everything you need to pull the look together – by actually setting several themed tablescapes. Bring your camera and your imagination. It is recommended that you take both Session I and II for the complete instruction package.
Basic Balloon Toolbox – Laura Caldwell
Want to build something? You need the right tools. In balloon twisting, your techniques are the tools you need to build anything you want. This class will cover the basics to the not-so-basics. If you’re a total twisting beginner or someone who wants to polish their “tools,” this is the class for you. During the class, we’ll also talk about the best way to team up with an experienced twister to gain the advantage over your competitors.
Nightly Balloon Jam – Laura Caldwell
Laura will also be hosting the nightly jams and will be there for those who want to practice or take the basics further.
Yep, this is what balloon twisters do for fun. Come play with us and see how fun it is to experiment with a new technique or just to get ideas for your events. Laura will be there late into the night to help you practice the twister techniques you’ve learned and brainstorm with you on teaming up with a twister for your event décor.
More classes to come:
- Entertaining and Face Painting
- Distortion of foil balloons
- Rouse System
- Fabric Treatment
- Event Planning
- Setting up your Store & Up Sell Your Merchandise
- How to Promote and Sell on Ebay
- Dance Floor Décor
- Balloon Distortions and Manipulation
Check back as more instructors and classes will be added.
