About Bob
I am Bob Armstrong, known professionally as Doctor Bob. I have been in the magnetic balloon world for over 27 long, hard but incredibly rewarding years with some amazing and comical memories! I have a workshop in my retail store, Doctor Bobs Balloons Unlimited, where I design, consultant, and create balloon sculptures for every occasion, whether a family celebration or a big corporate event.
As a renowned balloon artist, I began my balloon-twisting career when working as a train driver and involved with first aid at work back in the early '90s. This is how I earned the nickname 'Doctor Bob' from incorporating balloons into my presentations and quickly fixing them when they popped - effectively, healing them and bringing them back to life.
I have owned a retail business for 25 years. I started with a small premise in 1997 then moved to a larger two storey premise in 2001. I have seen many businesses open and close throughout the years, but I have also proudly been a part of helping many businesses to open and grow! I can even say now we have adapted and survived a pandemic. Who would believe it!
I have been at the forefront of the balloon industry since becoming a ‘Certified Balloon Artist’ back in 2005. I began teaching for Qualatex and continued to teach within the industry ever since both for Pioneer, BAPIA and independently. I take delight in sharing my skills and my knowledge with the next generation of balloon artists through both group training seminars and one-to-one teaching sessions. I have taught alongside other international instructors and as an ambassador of Pioneer I have also represented the brand through teaching and developing designs over the last two decades.
I have taught at many international industry events for Pioneer including BACI, The Balloon Arts Convention Italy, The IPS, International Party Show, The Millennium Jam, Netherlands, alongside many others in France, Budapest, and Poland. I have also competed and won at many of these events specialising in the Large Sculpture category. I have also carried out many Certified Balloon Artists Exams for Pioneer Europe within the Industry. I have led many Fundamentals classes in Balloon Basics and carried out the design and implementation of The Twisting Made Easy Course for Pioneer with Fiona Fisher. I travelled the UK running a balloon Window Dressing Course for Retailers who had Balloon and Party Shops on behalf of Pioneer. I designed and taught Disney designs for all new Disney balloon products for the manufacturer. I have taught many courses for Pioneer, covering Balloon Twisting, Wedding Designs, Retail Portfolio Designs. I have also taught at many wholesalers for manufacturers including Balloon Market, City Greetings, Up and Away. I have also done balloon tutorials for online training for the Qualatex channel, BMTV, BAPIA. BAPIA Fun Days are another great industry event that I have had the honour to teach at.
I am so incredibly passionate about promoting and developing the balloon industry within the UK. In recent years I have teamed up with BAPIA to host the first ever Public Balloon Art Festival, promoting the use of 100% pure natural latex, environmentally friendly balloons. I have since gone on to host a further three public Balloon Festivals on an even larger scale bringing in over 50 thousand people raising awareness of Balloons.
I as 'Doctor Bob' have inspired, and I hope to continue to inspire many delegates in the industry from retailers to sculptors, twisters, and entertainers. I find it so rewarding to see how everybody evolves. My strapline as Doctor Bob’s is 'I really can make anything with balloons' another reason why my business took the name of Doctor Bob Balloons Unlimited and that’s certainly the case, I like to think my creativity is boundless.
“There is a balloon for everything and everyone”.