Happy Halloween

Don't be a Scaredy Cat! Order your Halloween Balloons now!

Be sure to order early to get first choice on our exciting selection of Halloween foil and latex balloons.

California Law Update

Thanks to the efforts of California balloon retailers and distributors, manufacturers of foil balloons and The Balloon Council, compromises have been made that will save the balloon industry in California. We urge all of you in every state to follow these guidelines and show that we can all be responsible for our own industry.

California Balloon Law

The California Balloon Law that had been defeated in committe has not only been resurrected, but has passed the California Senate, 22-17 today, May 30. It now goes to the State Assembly. If you are in California, contact your legislator!

For updates, visit the Balloon Council website.

To hear local radio talk show hosts John and Ken speak with Treb Heining, and discuss a demonstration, go to KFI radio.

California Balloon Law

The California Balloon Law has been defeated in committee, but the sponsor has not given up.


We all must watch closely what happens there. It could happen anywhere.


For more, click here:


Sacramento Bee

Summer Blockbusters

Get ready for a summer of adventure, laughs and excitement!
Here are the dates for the release of this summer's movies:

Iron Man May 2
Speed Racer May 9
Indiana Jones May 22

Kung Fu Panda June 6
Incredible Hulk June 13
Wall-E June 27

Batman : The Dark Knight July 18

Clone Wars: Star Wars August 15

Check out the balloons!

California Balloon Law Update

STOP

SB 1499, the "Balloon Bill":

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  Fiction: According to the utilities, escaped Helium-filled metallic balloons are a "major cause of power outages."




• 
  
  
  
  Fact: The California Public Utilities Commission tracks all power outages that cause over $20,000 in damage. The damage caused by metallic balloons is so minor that, of the nearly 6,000 power outages in California each year, outages caused by metallic ballons do not even make the list. What few metallic balloons do hit power lines cause just a few seconds of interrupted service, which is restored automatically. There has not been one demonstrated case of a significant power outage caused by a metallic balloons. The CPUC does not support SB 1499. Why? Because SB 1499 addresses an insignificant cause of power outages.




• 
  
  
  
  Fiction: Outlawing the sale of helium-filled metallic balloons will cause a "minor inconvenience" to California consumers, businesses and workers.




• 
  
  
  
  Fact: Annually, there are over $100 million in direct sales of helium-filled metallic balloons in California and there is another $900 million in indirect sales when balloons are attached to other products, such as flowers or plants. This will cause a loss of approximately $80 million annually in sales tax revenue. Moreover, for many small and medium sized businesses, sales of helium-filled metallic balloons account for 50% of their revenue and this bill will have a devastating impact on their businesses. Thousands of California jobs in the party, florist, and grocery industries will be hurt by SB 1499.




• 
  
  
  
  Fiction: California law is not working to control balloons from hitting power lines.




• 
  
  
  
  Fact: Current law, which is the toughest in the nation, requires all helium-filled balloons to be sold with a weight attached and for a warning to be printed on each balloon indicating that it should not be released. Of the many millions of helium filled balloons sold every year in California, only a few hit power lines and the damage they cause is very minor.

VOTE "NO" ON SB1499! DON'T OUTLAW FUN IN CALIFORNIA!

Broad & Gusman LLP, on behalf of:

• 
  
  
  The Balloon Council



• 
  
  
  United Food & Commercial Workers



• 
  
  
  California Grocers Association



• 
  
  
  California Retailer Association



• 
  
  
  National Federation of Independent Businesses

Thanks to Lorinda from Continental Sales for this post. Any typos or problems with formatting are mine. Maureen

What can you do if you don't live in California? Call your relatives, friends and business associates that do. Have them contact their legislators. Don't think that this is not a problem for you because you are in another state. It could happen to you, too. In the meantime, be responsible...put a weight on those foil balloons!

California Balloon Law

April 10, 2008

Re: California Senate Bill 1499
The California Senate Public Safety Committee met Tuesday, April 08, 2008, in Sacramento, CA, to hear testimony on a bill sponsored by Senator Jack Scott (D- Burbank), to ban the sale of helium-filled metallic balloons! Senate Bill 1499 was approved by a vote of 4 to 0 moving it out of committee and into Appropriations.

The Balloon Council, our legislative "watch dog" for the balloon industry, testified at the hearing calling for more education of the public and balloon sellers on the use of weights on foil balloons and asking for a more restrained way of dealing with the issue.

Dialogue with Senator Scott and The Balloon Council will continue before SB 1499 is heard in Appropriations Committee. TBC will schedule meetings to speak with each Senator personally and go on record in opposition. Economic impact data will alse be presented.

Meetings, calls to action, and attendance at hearings will be announced as needed. TBC will keep us informed on developments.

Read the Complete California Balloon Council Update
Read Senate Bill 1499
Read the existing California Balloon Law regulating the use of individual weights on foil balloons.

The Balloon Council (TBC) is an advocacy organization that promotes America's love affair with balloons. Founded in 1990, the group's goal is to educate consumers, the press and regulators about the wonders of metallic and latex balloons and to promote the proper use and handling of them. Click here for more information about TBC and sponsorship.
The International Balloon Association (IBA) is a network of manufacturers, distributors, decorators, retailers, and entertainers who believe in keeping the Balloon Industry safe, financially sound and steadfast for the enjoyment of current and future generations. The IBA provides leadership and guidance on behalf of the industry.

Ever Seen a Balloon Pop?

Here is a fantastic super slow motion video of a balloon popping - take a look.

How Balloons Are Made

YouTube has some great videos about balloons. Here is one that shows latex balloon production - click the balloon below to see how it was made. :)

And thanks to Balloon HQ here is some additional information on how latex balloons are made:

Balloons are manufactured from a liquid rubber called latex. The balloon gets its color from the pigment that is added to the latex. Pigments are both organic and inorganic compounds that absorb certain wavelengths of visible light and reflect others. For example, a red balloon is red because the balloon absorbs all the visible light except red frequency light which is reflected back to the eye.

The strength of balloons can be affected by the pigment if the pigment particle is large in size and interferes with the film continuity and if the pigment reacts with any of the other ingredients in the balloon. As far as which color has the most effect on the balloons strength, we have not done any in depth study. Since we use pigments that are water dispersions of very, very, small particle size, and they do not react with any other ingredients in the latex, we do not detect any difference.

The natural rubber latex that we use comes from the sap of the rubber tree , Heveabrasiliensis, that grows in Malaysia. This sap looks like milk and is shipped to America in large ocean tanker ships. Once removed from the tree, the sap is called latex. To make this suitable for balloon production, curing agents, accelerators, oil, color, and water must be added. After these are added, the completed latex is put in an open top tank, and the balloon form, which is in the shape of a balloon, is dipped. Before the form is dipped into latex, it is dipped into a coagulent that causes the rubber particles of the latex to collect on the form. This coagulent is calcium nitrate, water, and/or alcohol. After the coagulent coated form is dried, it is then dipped into the compounded latex. Then the latex coated form passed through a set of revolving brushes that rolls the balloon neck into the bead that is used to aid in the inflation of the balloon. The latex coated form is then washed in hot water to remove any unused nitrate. Following the leaching, the form is put in a 200-220 degrees Fahrenheit oven to cure for 20-25 minutes. When cured, the rubber balloon is removed from the form (stripped).

Continued.............

"How Balloons are Made"courtesy of Balloon HQ - Educating the World About Balloons and Balloon Art. For more information about balloons and Balloon HQ please visit http://www.balloonhq.com/index.html

Mother's Day

What better way to tell your mother you love her than to give her a brightly colored balloon bouquet? Mother's Day Foil balloons have changed over the years. They've become much more brightly colored with bolder styles. They're not just your mother's pastels anymore. Check out our Mother's Day Shape selection. Thanks, Mom!

St. Patrick's Day - March 17th

Happy St. Patrick's Day... Almost! St. Patrick's Day falls on Monday March 17th this year and you can't forget your green! Our St. Patrick's Day section will make it easy to choose which balloons you need to celebrate. Whether you need a Shamrock Shape foil balloon, a Happy St. Patrick's Day balloon or some festive Emerald Green latex balloons, we've got you covered!
St. Patrick's Day is widely celebrated and it's a great chance to create new business opportunities. Check with your neighborhood pub, bar, restaurant or nightclub to see if they're celebrating St. Pat's. Wouldn't a great balloon bouquet, a couple of Emerald and Lime balloon columns, or an arch at the door make the night more festive?
How about your local retailers? Are they having a sale for St. Patricks's Day? A bouquet or two of Lime and Emerald latex can really help draw attention to their store. By helping boost their sales, you'll boost yours! With Easter and Mother's Day right around the corner you'll create an opportunity to provide the decor for the upcoming holidays once you've impressed them with St. Patrick's Day!

The Secret to Greater Balloon Profits!

The true secret to greater balloon profits is creativity. Be different than the rest, add pizzaz, have fun, play with your creations, get people excited. Qualatex has come out with a great line of Sparkle Products - these are just one way to be creative and to think differently. For the next 10 days we are featuring the Qualatex Sparkle Products. During this feature period the following offer will be available to you - don't miss it!

Have fun, enjoy, and get creative!

MSR Wholesale Balloons

Here is the Offer:

Add Sparkle to Your Balloon Decor and Bouquets!

Sparkle products from Qualatex add instant excitement and interest to balloon and floral decor and displays. Balloon decorators, artists, and florists will find it easy to add Sparkle to their designs all year round!

Qualatex Sparkle Products!


And to help you get started MSR is giving you

10% OFF

all Qualatex Sparkle Products

until March 10th, 2008!

Use the discount code "SPARKLE" when you checkout.

This offer is limited to stock on hand and is valid until March 10, 2008.
No backorders.

Spring Is Coming!

Spring Is Coming!

There are a few signs already that Spring is upon us! Easter is up the website and this year the balloons are better than ever! Qualatex’s new Colorful Bunny foil balloon is going to be big hit in sculptures and balloon bouquets all season long! Back by popular demand we have Anagram's Peeps Bunny foil balloon and the coordinating Peeps Chick foil balloon.

Spring also means a chance to celebrate with floral balloons as well! You don't want to miss out on the Qualatex Zinnia foil shape balloons and the matching Birthday Wishes Zinnia 18" foil balloons. With the days getting longer and the weather starting to warm up it's a great time to freshen up your balloon selection with bright, fun colors to help boost sales!

Use less Helium in your balloons!

Conserving helium remains a top priority for our industry. Research by HI-FLOAT Company shows that by using ULTRA HI-FLOAT, you can inflate an 11 inch latex balloon with 60 percent helium and 40 percent air or nitrogen and still have a balloon that floats for three or four days. Without ULTRA HI-FLOAT, the same balloon would only float for 16 hours on average. The HI-FLOAT Company has developed a new black clip for the HI-FLOAT Pump Dispenser specifically for use with 60/40 helium regulators. To see the Conwin 60/40 regulator, click on the link below:


http://www.msrballoons.com/index.asp?PageAction=PRODSEARCH&txtSearch=60%2F40&Page=1



If you have a 60/40 inflator, already have a HI-FLOAT pump and would like a free black clip, click the link below and let us know. Be sure to give us your company name and mailing address!



http://www.msrballoons.com/index.asp?PageAction=CONTACTUS

Helium Shortage Looms for United States

Helium is the second most plentiful substance in the universe - do we really have a shortage???

According the many sources, including NPR, 100 years from now we may have to figure out a new way to lift our balloons. What do you think?


Helium Shortage Looms for United States
All Things Considered · The United States is in the midst of a helium shortage. Large-scale users are not yet in crisis mode, but helium is in short supply because several overseas plants aren't up and running.

About 20 percent of the global market for helium is used to super-cool magnets in MRI machines; another 17 percent is used for laser welding.

Another customer of helium is NASA, which requires a train-car-load of helium for each space-shuttle launch.

Helium balloon fans -- of whatever age -- shouldn't worry about a shortage, however: The balloons suck up only 8 percent of the helium stock.

Source: National Public Radio

Valentine's Day is Almost Here!

Valentine's Day is coming fast and our balloons are going quickly. What are you doing this year to drive new business? Here are few tips from MSR.


· Name your bouquets and write scripts for your salespeople. Use a plethora of adjectives. Sell the experience!

· When you take the orders, pull the stock for it, bag it up and write the order information on the bag.

· Contact your customers from the previous Valentine’s Day. Make sure they know that the selection is best if they order early.

· Send a Valentine flyer with every delivery and each purchase beginning two weeks before the Big Day .

· Get a custom-made Valentine’s Day stamp that says “Order Early!”. Stamp all your envelopes and proposals prior to Valentine’s Day.

· If you have temporary delivery staff, make sure they have a company shirt or that they have appropriate attire.

Most Importantly:

Visit MSR Wholesale Balloons online or give us a call 800-984-1159 for your Valentine’s Day balloons!