Balloon Fiesta Park
(For GPS planning only)
5000 Balloon Fiesta Pkwy NE
Our mailing address is
4401 Alameda NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113
Local: (505) 821-1000
Toll-free:1-888-422-7277
Survey Results
To Balloon Fiesta Pilots
Although I am no longer President of AIBF, I wanted to conclude my notes to the pilots by sharing the results of surveys we conducted during the 2009 event. During the 2009 Balloon Fiesta a particular effort was made to obtain feedback from the pilots. Two surveys were used. One for the pilots attending the 2009 event and a second one for pilots who had attended before but were not registered for the 2009 event. The two surveys were similar to one another but tailored as needed to address the two populations. The surveys were returned in meaningful numbers: 30.7% of the pilots attending the 2009 Balloon Fiesta and 94 of 534 (17.6%) of non-attending pilots.
The numerical highlights of the surveys follow:
ATTENDING PILOTS
In response to the question
“What about Balloon Fiesta is important to you and encourages you to come again?”
the top responses were: (Keep in mind that multiple responses were encouraged)
| Camaraderie | 79% of the respondents |
| Pilot packs and gifts | 69% |
| Good flying | 62% |
| Local crew and spectators | 53% (could be a variant of camaraderie) |
The lowest responses were:
| Gas balloons | 24% |
| International pilots | 22% |
| Seeing new equipment | 20% |
In response to the question
“In what (up to) three areas would you most like to see improvements in Balloon Fiesta?”
the top responses were: (Keep in mind that multiple responses were encouraged)
| Pilot gifts and benefits | 39% of the respondents |
| Briefings | 32% |
| Accommodations | 22% |
| Competition | 13% |
All other responses were below 10%. Most notable was “check-in” at a low of just 2%.
Regarding competition, the survey asked
“Does Balloon Fiesta emphasize it enough?”
| Enough | 48% |
| Too much | 19% |
| Not enough | 5% |
Fully 25% had no interest or no opinion.
“Are the prizes suitable for the level of competition?”
| Yes | 61% |
| No | 6% |
Again, about a third of the respondents expressed no opinion.
NON-ATTENDING PILOTS.
Of the 94 respondents, 77 (82%) reported they were still active flyers while 12 (13%) answered they were not. Five pilots did not indicate their current status.
In response to the question
“What about Balloon Fiesta did you enjoy the most?”
the top responses were: (Keep in mind that multiple responses were encouraged)
| Pilot packs and gifts | 76% of the respondents |
| Camaraderie | 73% |
| Good flying | 49% |
| Local crew and spectators | 47% (could be a variant of camaraderie) |
The lowest responses were:
| Seeing new equipment | 21% |
| Safety Seminar | 20% |
| International pilots | 15% |
In response to the question
“Why have you chosen not to return to Balloon Fiesta?”
THE top response was:
| Too expensive | 51% |
The next reasons were
| Congested flying area | 32% |
| Too many balloons | 14% |
All other responses were below 10%.
In response to the question
“What improvements in Balloon Fiesta might tempt you to return?”
the top responses were: (Keep in mind that multiple responses were encouraged)
| Fewer balloons | 17% of the respondents |
| Pilot gifts and benefits | 15% |
| Briefings | 13% |
| Accommodations | 12% |
It is interesting to note that many respondents didn’t bother to answer this question. This suggests to me that it will be difficult to lure these folks back to Balloon Fiesta.
The importance of camaraderie, pilot packs and gifts, and good flying emerged from both surveys. Improvements in pilot packs and gifts, briefings, and accommodations also were highlighted in both surveys. The relatively high response rates make these meaningful inputs and our planning will consider a response to these needs. In closing I would like to thank you all for the support during the past two years and for taking the time to give us your thoughts on these surveys.
Ray Bair