Spotlight Artist: Christopher Horne CBA, ICSF

“Using foil balloons in my work as much as I do; my ‘must have’ piece of equipment is the 10ft Extension Hose Inflator. With all its various outlets, it’s great to have the flexibility of movement this item gives me, and it’s reassuring to have the reliability of the auto-shut off foil outlet constantly there, making sure I don’t get carried away!”

Life Before Balloons…
Originally trained as a science teacher, Chris launched his floristry business in 1983 and gained recognition and industry awards in the following years. Balloons were introduced to the business in 1993 and became the major part , which specialised in weddings, special events, themed events and Education.
Chris has a great deal of enthusiasm and experience in the industry and is equally at home teaching a class to complete beginners as he is to those with extensive backgrounds in the balloon industry. He has taught on six continents and is well known for his unique talent for making the most complicated of designs really simple. He is the designer and presenter of two respected instructional videotapes and has contributed to industry publications such as “Balloon Images”, “Party Times” and “Party Party” Magazines on many occasions.

He is well known for his unique teaching style – believing strongly in “education through entertainment”, and for his talent for improvisation and creativity. He has taught at IBAC and EBS since 1997, the Asia Pacific Balloon Symposium since 1999 and many other educational venues and events around the world. He has organised his own Global Educational Tours on a twice yearly schedule, and in 2000 became the first industry instructor to teach on all six inhabited continents.

Chris is well known for his many competition wins, and although retired from competition, was tempted back in 2002 and became the first ever “Master Designer” by achieving first place in a competition between previous winners from around the world, held in Florence, Italy. He is also an international competition judge for the industry.

After almost 10 years of traveling and teaching, Chris decided early in 2003 to take time out from his schedule to spend time with his family – his wife Julie and two young sons, William and Oliver. He was employed as the manager of the Floristry department across a chain of garden centers, where his creative and organizational skills continued to be tested to the full. He set up a series of highly popular demonstrations of floristry, and planned and executed a comprehensive educational programme.

In October 2004 he was approached by Amscan International to complete the development of their new range of latex Decorator balloons to be launched under the Anagram brand, on which he had been working as a consultant since mid 2003. Now, as International Creative Projects Manager, he works full time heading up the further development and promotion of this line, and is currently running a programme of demonstrations and training courses which are different to any previously offered. His particular area of interest and expertise is in the combination of Latex, Foil and decorative products in ways that have been so far unexplored. The revolutionary range of foil decorator shapes was conceived and developed by Chris, and became the hot new introduction for 2008. 2009 saw unprecedented sales growth in these balloons and Chris is now responsible for promoting and demonstrating them worldwide.

Christopher’s Portfolio

Industry Qualifications:
Former Qualatex Balloon Network Member
Certified Balloon Artist
NABAS Approved Instructor
Former Member of the NABAS Training development committee
Former Qualatex Approved Instructor
Former Qualatex CBA Master Assessor
Former European Balloon Council Committee Member
Approved instructor for the City and Guilds Balloon Art Courses
Intermediate Certificate of the Society of Floristry

Accomplishments

IBAC 11 (1995):
• First Place Centerpiece
• Second Place Large Sculpture
Designer of the Year Award

EBS 1995:
• First Place Centerpiece
• 2nd Place Buffet Arrangement
• 2nd Place Large Sculpture
Designer of the Year Award

IBAC 12 (1996):
• 2nd place Centerpiece
• 2nd place Buffet arrangement

EBS 1996:
• 1st Place Centerpiece
• Ist Place Buffet Arrangement
Designer of the Year Award

NABAS 1996:
• 1st Place Centerpiece
• 1st place Buffet Arrangement
• 1st place Delivery Bouquet
• 2nd Place Logo
• 1st Place Large Sculpture
Decorator of the Year Award

BACI 2002:
• 1st Place Large Sculpture
• Master Designer Award

Awarded “European Approved Instructor of the Year” 2002.
Voted “Best Instructor 2000” by readers of Party Times Magazine
Voted “Best Instructor 2002” by readers of Party Times Magazine.