Tuesday, 2 Oct 2007
Discussing Bridal Shows with Industry Insiders – Vendor Advice
To conclude our exploration of the bridal show, we thought we’d wriggle some advice out of our insiders for the vendors who visit us here at My Wedding Hero. Think of it as a networking tool!
MWH: For the vendors, what are some suggestions to make your booth work for you?
RICHARD: Make it real, be upbeat, know what you are talking about, and be realistic about its value to the audience.
AMYE: One - Spice it (the booth) up with decorations - nothing too over the top. Just something that would draw a bride in. Make sure to have a portfolio of your work handy and easy to look through.
Two - Stand up and stay in front of booth instead of behind. You should be approachable to the bride. She is already a little overwhelmed and intimidated being in a room full of hungry vendors, so just help the bride relax and to not pressure them.
JENNIFER: Invest in yourself. Hire someone to design your marketing materials and really invest in a booth that you can take to different shows. It’s part of the branding process and it works. Think of it as your little storefront. Use textures and décor to spice up your booth. It will attract more bridal parties to you.
MWH: Do you have any advice for creating promotional pieces?
RICHARD: It needs to be relevant and of a quality similar to the product. Candies are not going to help a software company sell its product.
AMYE: Use the mailing list!!!!! Keep marketing material simple and to the point. Follow up.
JENNIFER: Again, pay professionals that have experience in creating your materials. Again, we are all creative in some way, but I can’t put a bouquet together…..I just know what I like when I see it done. Same with marketing materials. Hire a service and allow them to develop a plan. You spend more money in the long run changing your look every five minutes than you do investing in one you like and will stick with through the years. Follow McDonald’s. They don’t change their name and look, they blast it out all over town the same with Starbucks. We all know what we should do, just do it.
MWH: Do you have any advice for how to present yourself at the show?
JENNIFER: My vote is all black. We are in the service industry with creativity flowing all around us. It’s striking to see a great booth with people dressed in all black ready to serve you. I think it’s classy and you can’t go wrong when trying to hire people to man your booth. This is barring any company logo shirts and aprons which I like as well. If it doesn’t have your logo, dress in a nice black dress or slacks and black shirts. I don’t know, I just like black I guess.
Well, folks, that wraps up my journey into the world of bridal shows. I hope you learned as much as I did. I’m sure I’ll be marking my calendar for the next one in my area! I can’t get left behind the in-the-know crowd, now can I!
This series, “All about Bridal Shows,” continues with Discussions on Bridal Shows from Industry Insiders: