What is it?
Every year Statesville, North Carolina hosts the annual Carolina BalloonFest. This is a three-day event full of hot air and fun. With over 50 hot air balloons taking to the sky, Carolina BalloonFest will definitely leave you speechless. This festival consists of numerous family-friendly events to keep everyone entertained. From hot air balloon rides to a balloon 5k run, this festival has a little of everything. The festival includes: ballon viewings, balloon flights, live music, beer and wine tasting, kite making and much more.
Tickets are $10 dollars and can be purchased onsite at the festival. For more information regarding the festival see: http://www.carolinaballoonfest.com.
For a Cause
Each year the festival chooses a variety of local charities to support. Last year, over 17 charities received donations from the event. Distributing over $76,000 dollars last year, Carolina BalloonFest not only provides fun and entertainment to the community, but also, a helping hand to those in need. The organization states on their website that over the past five years they have contributed over $274,000 dollars to the community. Ranging from cancer organizations to Boy Scout troops, many benefit from this weekend of fun.
Com as Design
Think of words you would use to describe fall. Was “festival” one of the words? To many, fall means dedicating weekends to a vast variety of festivals. County fairs, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and apple picking are all part of the fall theme. But what is it we find so attractive about these events? Is it the goods sold at them? Or the idea of a group of people coming together for a united reason? The design an organization or company decides to pursue for an event is very important. Promoting what their target markets will find most attractive is crucial.
By focusing on language in their design, Carolina BalloonFest uses phrases such as “help continue our charitable mission” and “experience the magic” to persuade their target audiences to attend their event. This organization has decided to put a large emphasis on the charitable aspects of the festival. The website has a section labeled “Our Mission” that describes exactly what charities benefit from the proceeds.
The festival also places a large emphasis on being family-friendly. Adding a list of activities that will take place over the course of the event, Carolina BalloonFest uses strategic naming of these activities to catch a parents’ eye. “Kid Zone,” “Kid Fun Run,” and “Learning Center” are a few examples of designing language to fit a certain target market.
It is clear when dealing with communication, design is key. Remembering the power of design aspects, such as language, will ensure that you are successful in your communication efforts.
Sources:
IMC Hawks Blog 
I thought your article was very insightful. I had never heard of the Carolina Balloon Festival and after reading your article I feel I have the amount of information about the festival. I also think you did an excellent job of connecting the festival and how it is relevant to communication and design, by using specific examples it strengthened your overall writing.
Kristen,
Thank you, we enjoyed researching it so we are happy to hear you liked it! What was your favorite example?
Hey, I’ve never heard of this festival in North Carolina before, but I’m glad you talked about it as I’m interested! I’ve never been to a hot air balloon festival, but this sounds really fun and it’s the perfect time of year. I think people go to so many festivals at this time of year for the weather as, at least to me it is the perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold. Also, people may be trying to get out before it becomes too cold to do so enjoyably.
Daniel,
We couldn’t agree more! The weather certainly helps attract people to festival like this.
I have personally been to this event, and to be honest I enjoyed it tremendously. At first, I will be honest, I was a bit skeptical when my mom had told me about the even and was not sure on whether or not I wanted to go. I eventually decided to go mainly at first to see my cousin. Once I got there though I quiet enjoyed it. It was simple but also amazing. I would describe it as a very small NC State Fair, but one feels safer while being there. In the end though, the greatest site was watching the balloons fill up and take off. Finally, I did not know that they sent donations to charity, and then as I remembered reading the items sold there were expensive but part of the price was donated. Anyone reading this who has not gone should go because it is a fantastic experience and very enjoyable.
Nick,
We are so glad you enjoyed it! Did you notice any specific branding they did at the festival to market that a portion of the items would go to charity?
I am from Davidson, NC. Very close to Statesville, however I have never been to Carolina Balloonfest. It sounds like a really fun event for a great cause. I hope I can make it to at least one of these in the future.
Kevin,
Since you live so close you should really check it out! Maybe you are in IMC II you can do a blog post about your perception prior to the event and then how that perception compared to the actual event.
I absolutely adore festivals! I have actually never heard of this festival but after reading about it, I might have to give it a shot one year. My favorite thing about this particular festival is how it helps charities, and they are very smart to use that in their advertising. I am ten times more likely to go to event if I am supporting a good cause.
Becca,
We love supporting charities too! How do you like to hear about which charities festivals donate to- is there a better way they could market this, since you hadn’t heard of it before?
Wow! I had no idea anything like this took place in NC. Seeing how much they donated and gave back to their community is really inspiring. I would love to go to Carolina BalloonFest and probably would have never known anything about it without reading this blog post! Thanks.
Raelin,
We are happy to help! How do you think they could brand themselves so more college aged students hear about this?
It is very interesting to look further at the communication design of this festival, and others like it. When it comes to the Carolina Balloon Festival, it seems that the organizers were successful in using descriptive language and important details to entice attendees to the event. I had not previously heard about this event, but with the information given it sounds like a great time for family fun!
Elizabeth,
We agree that the use of descriptive language helped! How do you think they could brand themselves so more college aged students hear about this?
I have never heard of the Carolina Balloon Festival! It sounds pretty cool from what is said in this blog post. I looked at the website and you’re right, design is key. They had a very well-thought out design that contributed to effectively communicating what the festival is about and why people should attend.
Tara,
The website does have a great design but how do you think they could market themselves to direct people to the website?
I remember hearing about this balloon festival as a child but completely forgot about it until reading this article. It makes me really excited because this is an event I would absolutely attend now that I live so close. I think it’s awesome how this festival gives back to the community and your blog post has many other good reasons for why people should attend. I know I’m going to!!
Katelyn,
We are so happy that this ignited some childhood memories! How do you think they could more effectively communicate their charitable work more effectively?
I have had friends from Statesville who say it was a very boring place to grow up but obviously they are mistaken. This sounds like an exciting, fantastic event and I am disappointed I have never been even though I live a short 30 minutes from Statesville. Your article was very informing and I enjoyed how you put into perspective communication design in the context of an event such as the Carolina Balloon Festival.
Charles,
We are so glad you enjoyed the blog post!
This is an interesting analysis of the media texts the festival has used. Their choice of activities and the language they use to describe those offerings are important to attracting their target audience. I have had experiences in which an organization used terms or descriptions that didn’t quite align with the purpose or reality of the event. Consumers are often turned off by that. Having a coherent story of charity and fitting that “fall festival” genre is important for the successful marketing of Carolina BalloonFest and its organization.
Emily,
We couldn’t agree more! Is there a way you think they could be more cohesive as a brand and fit with the fall festival” genre more?
It seems as if there can be a festival for anything these days so why not balloons? Although i have never heard of this festival, i love the idea and the fact that it goes towards charities. Based on the website, it looks very well organized and like a fun event to attend too. I find a lot of inspiration when i see events like these that are organized and thrown to support good causes like the Balloon Festival does.
Giovanni,
We love when festivals partner with charities too! How do you think they could more effectively communicate their charitable work more effectively?