On a show floor everyone has a booth, a banner and a screen. Almost nobody has anything above head height, and that is the entire opportunity.
One fill covers the show
A helium balloon loses about one percent of its gas per day. On an outdoor install that means topping off every few days.
Inside a hall it means something much more useful: **you inflate once at move-in and you are done**. A normal three-day show needs no further attention at all.
That is the single practical reason this works at a show, and it is why exhibitors who try it tend to keep doing it.
Check the ceiling first
You need 15 feet of clear ceiling for a 13-foot blimp. Not 13. Fifteen, so it sits above the crowd rather than resting on people’s heads.
Many convention halls give you far more than that. Some hotel ballrooms and smaller regional venues do not. Get the number from the venue, in writing, before you ship anything.
Net lift is about three pounds, so a sandbag or a tie-off at the booth holds it. Nothing structural is required.
Ask about helium rules separately
This is the one that catches people. A venue can have a twenty-foot ceiling and still restrict helium, usually because of the cost of retrieving loose balloons from the roof structure.
Ask the venue directly about **helium balloons**, not just about hanging signage. Get the answer before move-in day, because that is an expensive morning to be told no.
Between shows
Two ways to do it. Deflate, fold and box it, which takes minutes and travels in a 60 by 26 by 3 inch carton.
Or, if you run a trailer between shows, some exhibitors haul theirs **inflated** and roll it off ready to fly. That only works because the envelope holds pressure the way polyurethane does, and it saves the fill cost each time.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email [email protected] and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
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