5 Things to Look Out for When Hiring a Balloon Artist in Singapore.

Right so here we have it. Ownself check ownself as we say here in Singapore. After being a Balloon Artist for over 15 years, I'll be dreadfully honest that there are actually factors which I think hirers should look out for when you're looking to engage a balloon artist for your event.

What I'm about to share is really more about the suitability of a balloon artist as your choice of entertainment (attendee age, demographics, location) rather than the balloon artist him/herself (skill, experience etc.). Here we go!

1. Budget

As with all services which are delivered by a REAL human, there is a cost to engage a balloon artist. Broadly speaking, my observations lead me to conclude that there are 3 categories of rates in Singapore.

a) Junior Artist, less than $100/hour: Not many in Singapore as I've observed, as a career in Balloons isn't exactly something that family ogles over during reunions.

b) Intermediate Artist, between $120 to $150/hour: Majority of Artists fall in this category in Singapore. I would say a good 80% of us.

c) Experienced Artist, anywhere from $200/hour onwards: The balance 10% would fall into this category.

I would also state with confidence that most artists would give a discount for engagements which extend beyond an hour. While reasons vary, my reason is that since I'm already there and the transport cost has already been factored in for the first hour, there is no need for me to work in the charges for transport for the second hour onwards.

2. Age of Attendees

This matters way more than people think. I tend to overthink this as I'm the one performing the service but overall, I feel that hirers really get the most bang for their buck when attendees are able to make their own request for sculptures (usually around 3 to 4 years old).

I feel kids who make their own request and take ownership of their own creations, from what they want down to the colour of the sculpture, when they finally receive it, they are always so delighted with themselves.

Myself as the service provider, I feel that this is really where the most value can be given to the client.

Make no mistake that even primary school, secondary school, adults etc. omg even more so adults as I think most adults really relive their childhood through balloon art.

If the bulk of your attendees are say below the age of 3, I would honestly suggest another type of activity that is more suitable for the age group like maybe a static activity like a ball pit set up or even a storyteller.

3.Type of Event

Yes the type of event matters. While it is quite a "standard thing" for balloon artists to be present at birthday parties, beyond that we are looking at D&Ds, Weddings etc. Let me share my thoughts based on my experience.

D&Ds: It is honestly very difficult for balloon artists to perform this service as a fringe activity as, assuming each sculpture takes 3 to 4 minutes, at maximum capacity an artist can serve 20 guests in an hour. This is probably less than 10% of the crowd so unless there are other activities, I wouldn't recommend balloon sculpturing. What has worked for D&Ds are when such event companies ask me to pre-make balloon sculptures prior to the commencement of the event AND on top of that perform the live service. This works as attendees will have shorter waiting time while in queue.

Weddings: Let's be honest as most weddings often have less than 10% of attendees as kids so the kids are often the most overlooked group at weddings. As such, I highly recommend balloon sculpturing for weddings as the kids will really have something to remember by. Also, personally, weddings are so fun pls. I don't have a social life so no one invites me for their weddings. The only time I get to attend them was for my own wedding and when my clients invite me. So pls invite me.

Pre-School Birthday: Right so this is always a mixed bag. I only advocate balloon artist for pre-sch type parties only if the venue is pro external vendor. From a broader perspective, perhaps the school has a tight curriculum or a strict visitor policy etc. but if the school imposes restrictions, perhaps having an external artist come in might not be a good idea as time limitations are often difficult for artist to deal with.

Marathons/Airshow/Chingay etc.: In all honesty I've done plenty of such events and I often feel that my impact was mixed. For this category of events, I would say it boils down to the time of day. If they are happening at night, chances are I would likely recommend other activities. Day time, no problem full speed ahead!

4. Number of Attendees

This also partly boils down to budget but overall, if you are expecting like A LOT of kids at your party maybe 50+ or more, perhaps having a show might be more suitable as Balloon Sculpturing is an individual level service. It may be overwhelming for the balloon artist if the expectation is to make 100+ sculptures or more in an hour. Always check with the artist what is their level of comfort when it comes to attendee management.

For myself, as I tend to create more complex creations, I can comfortably cater to a group of 12 to 15 attendees in an hour. However, I'm always happy to cater to more people in which case the complexity of the sculptures can always be reduced.

5. Privacy

Oh yes this is going to get me some hate but this is my website so I can have things my way. I have a strict policy which I summarise in 4 words.

"YOUR PRIVACY, MY POLICY"

Oh yes this is going to get me some hate but this is my website so I can have things my way. I have a strict policy which I summarise in 4 words.

"YOUR PRIVACY, MY POLICY"

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will myself or any member of my team ever ask you or any of your guests to pose for photos. I am against this practice and over the years I've lost clients but in all honesty, such moments of wonder are precious and intimate. They belong to you. As your appointed service provider, these memories are not mine to monetise unless you so wish for them to be the case in which case I would be delighted to oblige but in my 15 years of Balloon Artistry, I have yet to come across a client who says "BRYAN PLEASE POST MY PHOTOS OR ELSE …..".

Jokes aside, if consent is mutual between the service provider and the client then all is well and good but as a parent myself, I would just find it a little bothersome that the smiles on my kids were being used as a call to action.

It is for this reason alone that my website and socials are 99% me or my sculptures as I really don't have many images of happy recipients … not that I don't make recipients happy …