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| BalloonTown USA promotional photo. |
BHQ event coverage of balloon conferences, workshops, and large-scale projects is always a popular feature. Right now, BalloonTown USA 2006 event coverage is under way, with photo uploads supplemented by a daily blog by Steve Jones posted to the BHQ e-mailing forums.
Web traffic generated by the balloon community and the internationally syndicated AP story about Balloon Manor resulted in a 6-fold increase in our usual web statistics. At the peak, our servers were handling in a couple days the amount of web traffic they usually handle in a week or two.
Event coverage provides an insider's view to what is happening in the moment and serves as a record of the visual highlights of the overall effort. It also takes a lot of focus and coordination to pull off, and is usually a 2 or 3 person effort. When I first arrived in Rochester, more than one person commented that it was 'amazing' at how many pictures I'd gotten online already. I just chuckled. At that point I hadn't done anything at all - John Barthelmes had done the work. But, Larry and John hadn't had any time to post to the lists. My first assignment was to send out an email update, to set the scene. As the week went on, I took over an increasing amount of the photo work, as John was pulled towards script writing and instructing the tour guides.
Later on, someone made the comment that it was truly amazing that we'd had the time to post so many pictures to Balloon HQ and also to the Balloon Manor web site. I just gasped... they were the same photo collection. The Balloon Manor web site was actually utilizing a little-used BHQ Member Service - the Embedded Custum Portfolio. This feature was first announced in the March 2004 BHQ Ramblings and is described in an article on Embedding BHQ Portfolios in Other Sites. Take a minute to compare the Balloon Manor collections as is it appeared at BHQ (BHQ Balloon Manor 2006) with the Balloon Manor 2006 Photos web page. We hope that the Balloon Manor event coverage will inspire more people to use this service. Utilize the BHQ photo database features to enhance your web site! And, stay tuned for coverage of future events.
Balloon Manor 2006 designers created a silly, creepy, funny, weird, and slightly haunted castle made entirely out of balloons. The project used about 100,000 balloons in the construction of the Manor; thousands more balloons were used over the run to replace and enhance the attractions. It attracted about 8,500 visitors and worldwide press coverage during the 8 days it was open. About 4,000 man hours went into the initial construction. Most of the 65 artist crew members worked at least 12 hour days, even with manditory food breaks and a 10pm closing time in the early construction phase. Between construction and leading tours, a couple hundred community volunteers also helped. Without them, Balloon Manor would not have been the success it was.
Proceeds will go to the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital and Teens Living with Cancer.
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| Cake carriage for a New Year's Eve Cinderella themed wedding. |
Wynn and Lindy Bell are the owners of Final Touch Balloons in Portland, Oregon USA. Wynn and Lindy are well known in the balloon industry for their elegent designs and excellent teaching style. Their portfolio is filled with beautiful decor and a special balloon project for their granddaughter.
See Wynn and Lindy Bell's BHQ Portfolio.
