Your Total Guide To business

TGtB Meets... Bailey Balloons

Following the glitzy BEHTA Awards on the 9th of June, we caught up with Outstanding Achievement Award Winners Bailey Balloons.

Congratulations on your win! Tell us a little bit about your business?

Bailey Balloons is a family run hot-air balloon company specialising in champagne balloon flights in Bath, Bristol and South Wales. My wife and I are both commercial balloon pilots with a passion for ballooning and have been operating for over 19 years. Our Customers come from far and wide to fly with us.

What does winning this award mean for you and your company?

Winning this award is a fantastic achievement for us. We work really hard to try and make sure that everyone is able to experience the magic of a hot air balloon flight wherever possible, and to have that recognised is brilliant. The positive feedback we receive from our passengers makes us feel on top of the world, and to have our hard work recognised with an award as well is fantastic. We hope that this award cements our existing reputation as a quality hot air balloon company.

Why do you think you won?

Nothing is too much trouble for us, where there's a will, there's a way. We've flown passengers with disabilities such as MS and those with terminal illnesses and helped them to achieve the dream of a lifetime. We are truly passionate about ballooning and don’t really see it as work. When you love what you do it shows, and makes you stand out from the rest.

How are you planning to celebrate your victory?

Everything we do is a team effort involving everyone from our office staff to our crew and pilots. I’m humbled to be recognised with an outstanding achievement award but I couldn’t do what I do without the hard work of everyone in our team. We can’t wait to get everybody together and celebrate as a team.

Business is clearly booming, why do you think so many people visit Bath?

Bath is a stunning city with fabulous architecture, full of culture and history. Whilst there are obviously many historic cities in England, the beauty and charm of Bath just can’t be matched anywhere else.

What's your favourite thing about Bath and why?

The beautiful architecture is what does it for me. I count myself lucky every time I get the opportunity to take off from Royal Victoria Park and see it from the completely unique perspective of a hot air balloon flight. No matter how many times I do it, it never gets old!

Tell us a little bit about the role that you play within the business?

My wife Jo is Managing Director and I'm a Director and also the Chief Pilot. I have the wonderful job of captaining the skies while my wife Jo manages the office and makes sure all other aspects of our business run smoothly. We still work well as a team even though it’s now been over 19 years of working together.

What advice would you give to someone looking to succeed in your industry?

The leisure industry is a difficult one to succeed in as it is so competitive, but the key to our success is our friendly and personalised approach. We build a relationship with each and every one of our passengers, and that's what keeps them coming back. My advice to someone looking to succeed in this industry is to be yourself, listen to your customers and be friendly and approachable.