We’ve moved rooms to the Siena room at the Tuscany.  We are now on the second floor near in a huge room that overlooks the pool and has a terrace.  We are also further away from other events in the unlikely case that we make noise.

Schwag & Prizes

We have so many goodies from so many people that you definitely want to enter our competitions.  They range from a free Filbert Pump from J & R Balloons to custom coils from Cresey Products, to an amazing tank head/cover from Continental Sales.  And we have new products for you to play with.

Photos

Enough people RSVPed to for professional photos. We don’t have Richard’s entire day booked, just enough to get him to the AlternaJam.  When you get there feel free to chat with him and sign up there with him.

That’s it for right now.  See you guys tomorrow!!

One week to go!

We are getting really excited for next week’s AlternaJam.  We have some fun things in store for you, including an entirely new type of balloon twisting competition.  Since we are not a ‘real’ convention, we don’t have to stick with the usual 12″, 30″, through-the-door” categories.  We can go with anything we want, such as “Sculpture Most Likely To Induce Vomiting”, or “Balloon Twisted in Haiku Form (5-7-5)”.  Note: we’re not doing those two, although we were sorely tempted. All of the AlternaJam activities will be in one large room, so we can do presentations and breakouts and contests in one happy place.  And since it’s at the Tuscany, there are loads of places to eat and drink within stumbling distance.

Right now we have over 75 people on this mailing list.  Woohoo!!!

A bunch of the people coming told us that this will be their first balloon jam . . .  we promise to be gentle :-)  The second most-asked question is “what should I bring?” and the answer is to bring your balloons and your open mind.  We will have some communal balloons to play with, but like all balloon jams, you should bring your fully loaded balloon twisting bag/apron/box/intern.  You should also bring an open mind that wants to play, explore, share, teach, and grow with balloons.  That’s what this entire community is about, and what the AlternaJam is excited to foster.

Our emails from you have been wonderful:  Some want to learn ‘Quick n Easy’; others want to learn ‘Balloons That Will Make Me Rich’; a few said ‘Making Columns and Arches’; some said ‘That Big Stuff You Guys Make’; one replied ‘What’s a Balloon’; a few ‘Cartoon Characters’; and one ‘I just want to copy Don’.  Whew, there is no way to schedule all of that for one event.  But guess what friends?  All of your answers will be hiding at the AlternaJam and it is up to YOU to find them.  For example, Twistin’ Todd knows how to make an arch, but he’s not planning on teaching classic decor next week.  However, we are sure that if you ask him he will gladly have Tawney Bubbles walk you through making one.  And while you might want to learn sleight-of-hand with balloons from Don, he won’t be showing that.  He’ll send you to Jeff McBride, the #1 sleight-of-hand instructor in the world. Similarly, there won’t be a specific class on ‘Quick n Easy Balloons’ but loads of people in the room will be making that kind of stuff.  Go talk to them.  Ask questions.  Take pictures.  Buy them cold beverages.  Tinker with their designs.  Have fun.

The Nitty Gritty

• Please book your hotel room now using the code “Balloons” to get the $26 room rate and the extra goodies.
• Ask for food coupons when you check in.  You’ll get 2-for-1 meals.
• If you registered for Diamond Jam, Summer Balloon Camp, or the Fashion Show PLEASE bring your confirmation email showing how much you paid.  That little piece of paper is worth free admission to the AlternaJam.
• For the rest of you, it’s $25 at the door.  And yes, we’ll take credit cards.
• Please encourage everyone to RSVP on alternajam.com.  And read the website, it’s fun.
• Take a moment and think about what you can bring for Show & Tell.  A few years ago our friend Swifty brought this strange balloon bag to Diamond Jam . . . . and well, nothing has been the same since.
• There’s a balloon decor convention at the Tuscany following the AlternaJam.  Check out balloonstitute.com for details.

A Crazy Idea for People Who Want to Look Good

We canceled the photo shoot for our next Big Project to make the AlternaJam possible.  That means that our favorite photographer, Richard Faverty, is totally open on Monday.  He forgives us for canceling on him (he knows that we love you guys most) and is interested in taking photos of some of our friends at the AlternaJam.  He’s the guy who makes the best performers look their best, and if you like our promo material, Annie Bananie’s, Funny Eddie’s, and pretty much every headliner in Vegas, then you’ll like working with him.  Please email Todd@BalloonShow.com if you are interested in hiring Richard to take a couple of shots of you next week and he’ll try to put a group together to make this happen.  We need enough people to justify Richard bringing his studio to our place, so let us know ASAP if you are interested.

That’s it for now, we gotta go.  Todd has to go feed a baby, Tawney has to install a new AC, and Don has to drive to a library show.  Talk to you guys soon.

-The AlternaJam crew

We’re getting a ton of questions about AlternaJam, so we put up a new FAQ page
on AlternaJam.com. Hope this helps!

~Tawney

Buster’s note on BHQ:

And as of this morning we have confirmed Master Magician Jeff McBride as one of
the instructors at Alterna-Jam. More to come soon.

Larry’s note on BHQ:

Buster wrote:

> On August 9th we will be hosting The Alterna Jam.

I don’t care for the name. I’m going to refer to it as “The Other Event”, nicely abbreviated to “TOE Jam”.

Larry Moss, http://www.airigami.com

Buster’s note on BHQ:

While we are all still mourning the loss of Diamond Jam and Summer Balloon Camp,
we must now face yet another heartbreaking crisis in our industry.

Balloon artists from all over the world had plans to attend these two events.
Now, without them, these poor, innocent, and naive balloon twisters face traveling to the
cold and lonely streets of Sin City with no balloon event to attend at all. Without the joy and
warmth that balloons bring, and the companionship of others in our industry, many of them
may die.

On August 9th we will be hosting The AlternaJam. A very special one day event
filled with the jamming, workshops, and togetherness that these balloon artists need to survive.
Currently we have appearances by Todd Neufeld, Tawney Bubbles, and Buster Balloon, with
appearances by several other balloon celebrities to be confirmed in the next few days.

This event is free to anyone who paid and registered for either Diamond Jam or
Summer Balloon Camp 2010. If you know someone who had planned to attend either Diamond
Jam or Summer Balloon Camp and may be facing this tragic fate, please send them to
http://alternajam.com/

Together, we can build a better jam.