Leading a Team at Guild Con 2026
Written by Travis Green, Owner of Squeak Balloon & Decor
This August, I had the opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida, for Guild Con 2026, a conference that brings balloon artists from across the country together to learn, create, and work alongside each other.
This year was especially exciting for me because I was selected as one of four Team Leads for the event. Each Team Lead was responsible for a large themed corporate room. The four themes were Jungle, Under the Sea, New Year’s Eve, and Up, Up and Away, which was the room I was selected to lead.
Our room was sponsored by HI-FLOAT, and I had a team of 12 balloon artists from across the United States working with me to bring it all together.
The Up, Up and Away room was designed to feel like you were stepping into the sky. We created huge balloon clouds, a blue sky wall, flowers and greenery, hot air balloons hanging throughout the room, and two giant hot air balloon pieces. It was definitely one of those projects where you had to stand back at the end to really take in everything we had created.
Being a Team Lead was about a lot more than just building balloons. I was responsible for keeping the team moving, figuring out who was working on what, solving problems as they came up and making sure all of the individual pieces eventually came together as one room.
One of my favorite parts of the experience was getting to work with 12 artists from different parts of the country. Everyone brought something different to the team, and it was really fun watching the room change throughout the build. When we finally finished, I was incredibly proud of what we had accomplished together.
It was also one of those moments that made me think about where Squeak Balloon & Decor started. I started Squeak here in Ankeny in 2020, and I definitely didn’t know where it would take me. To go from starting a balloon business here at home to being selected as one of four Team Leads at Guild Con was pretty special.
Events like Guild Con are also a chance for me to learn. I get to work alongside other artists, see different techniques and come home with new ideas that I can use in the work we do for our clients here in Iowa.
I’m thankful to The Balloon Guild for giving me the opportunity to be a Team Lead, to HI-FLOAT for sponsoring our room, and especially to the 12 artists on my team who worked hard to make Up, Up and Away happen.
It was a lot of work and a lot of balloons, but it was an experience I won’t forget. I’m proud that I got to represent Squeak Balloon & Decor and Ankeny in Orlando, and I’m excited to bring some of that inspiration back home.
And that’s probably what I’m most excited about. I would love the opportunity to take some of these ideas and create something special for businesses and families right here in Ankeny and the surrounding communities. Whether it’s a corporate event, grand opening, fundraiser, celebration or private event, I love taking an idea and figuring out how we can turn it into something people will remember. If you have an event coming up, I’d love to create something for you.
