Amanda Armstrong, CBA, took First Place in the Large Sculpture Competition with her pair of plumbed beauties.

Anne McGovern, CBA, stands beneath her First Place design in the Entrance Decor Competition. Competitors had to create a concept with a winter theme in mind.

Anne McGovern, CBA, also took top honors in the Table Centerpiece Competition with her adorable design. Contestants had to work with a Western theme as the foundation of their piece.

One of the great things about FLOAT is that things can happen without notice! After lunch one afternoon, a round table marketing discussion literally broke out in the dining area! In the end, about 15 people took part.

People at FLOAT are encouraged to "share the love" publicly when someone does a good job. By the end of the convention, over 50 notes of encouragement and praise were placed on the wall!

Table centerpiece competitors only have 60 short minutes to complete their designs, so the intensity level is high in the creation space as they work to see their visions come to life.

FLOAT offers four-hour Master Classes aimed at specialized subjects and themes. Here, Colin Stewart's class proudly shows off their accomplishment in their Large Scale Sculpture and Decor class.

FLOAT strives to present ideas and concepts from around the globe. Here, Alex Arroyo, CBA, demonstrates Latin-influenced centerpiece design.

Some of the most attended classes at FLOAT are the non-round balloon courses that are aimed specifically for decorators. Here, Brian Asman from "The Unpoppables" teaches a class on making large-scale letters...

…and here is what Brian's class created! Using non-round balloons, they completely and accurately replicated the FLOAT logo, shown here as people enter the room for another event.

Education is also supposed to be fun, so producer Steve Jones decided to let his hair down a little for a goofy parody bit during Opening Night. Special thanks to Eleonore Nefedova, Dores "Rio" Ventura, Leah Scott and Katie Balloons (not pictured) for lending a hand.

Long time FLOATers goof around at the Registration Desk, modeling leftover event t-shirts, marked down for immediate sale! Part of FLOAT's appeal is the way people really feel like it's THEIR convention as well.