What's UP? Member Announcements


2006-2008 Board of Directors

President Lee Kaufman Brody's 800-4-Balloons Chicago, IL

1st Vice-President Elissa Mast E&R Sales, Inc. Midlothian, VA

2nd Vice-President Tim Vlamis Pioneer Balloon Co. Wichita, KS

Treasurer Curt Terrace Aerial Bouquets, Chesterfield, MO

Regional Director Diane Sheward The Balloon Room Vandalia, OH

Regional Director Jim McCormick Anagram International Minneapolis, MN

Associate Regional Director Wynn Bell Final Touch Balloons, Portland, OR

Past President Matt McKinney All American Balloon Supply Santa Ana, CA

IBA Mission Statement:
To enhance the business success and profitability of member companies and to
promote total quality business success through trust, advocacy, and communication by
quality networking with others within the industry.


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Why We Should Support the IBA
A testimonial from Tom Eble, ConverGram, USA

To all members of the IBA:        

As a Past President and a current member of the International Balloon Association, I feel very strongly about the importance of having a neutral party such as the IBA, to act as an advocate for its industry members. 

Before I began my career in the Balloon and Party Goods industry, I worked for 20 years as a Florist.  During that time, the floral industry suffered serious losses when families and funeral homes began to encourage mourners to make contributions or donations “in lieu of flowers.”  The Floral Association  not only monitored this situation but acted as an advocate for floral shop owners by making an appeal to funeral home directors to simply omit the words “in lieu of flowers” from their obituaries. 

Additionally, the Floral Association worked tirelessly to stop retail advertising that encouraged consumers to purchase products such as jewelry, candy, or clothing -- because it would last longer than flowers.  

Today, the Balloon and Party Goods industry is in dire need of the same sort of neutral voice to act on its behalf.  For example, in hospitals all over the country there is a movement to ban latex balloons.  And conductivity issues come up all the time with regard to foil balloons while the erroneous use of the word “Mylar” when referring to foil balloons is an ongoing educational issue for the industry.  The IBA should remain intact to educate consumers about the safety of our products and to educate our retailers about safety issues.

Every business, every organization, even every family has its ups and downs, and change is the one thing we can all count on.  The balloon and party goods industry is no different but I do believe despite the continual changes – that the IBA is needed to provide a voice against detrimental advertising and untrue statements about the products we sell.  

Regards:

Tom Eble

Past President/IBA

IBA Annual Conference, September 18-20, 2008, Bloomington, MN. "Winning the War of Wow!" Events to include: Anagram Factory Tour, Manufacturer's Showcase Day, Associate Member New Product Showcase/Business Sessions, Two Motivational Speakers, Business Conference and IBA Member meeting. Embassy Suites Minneapolis - Airport. 

Members Want You to Know....

Newest Pioneer® Visionary Scholarship Recipient
Rob Woodman of Party Palooga in Falmouth, ME, USA, is the recipient of the Marvin Hardy Pioneer Visionary Scholarship to Twist & Shout 2008 in Boston, MA, USA. Rob runs a kids' entertainment business and plans to use the knowledge to bring a new level of professionalism and creativity to his balloon entertainment. He's also going to share what he learns with his employees through a training program. Congratulations, Rob!
 Learn more about applying for a Pioneer Visionary Scholarship at qualatex.com.

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