Expo

[DanaD]

Hello-

I am signed up to do my first wedding expo this Feb and I am wondering if anyone has some good tips or tricks to stand out among the masses? Any insite would be great as this is my first real jump into marketing.

So far I have a nice expo backdrop with 5-8 poster size prints, (not sure how many I will use) and two albums. Im debating on bringing along a monitor to have a slideshow going as well.

But obviously there is much more to an expo then what your booth looks like, do you recommend deals on services, or some fun little game, or drawings for sessions, etc?

Thanks again!

[DravensHalo]

maybe something that potential customers can take away with them - a phamplet or brochure or something with your infomation a sample of your pics - your contact info etc...

[AnneWynne]

For an expo, use a large screen TV for your slide show, make your booth look as professional as possible, maybe even set up a "studio" with backdrop and props. Maybe even do a quick photo of the bride and groom in the set with a bouquet and veil for the bride-to-be...then give a small print with your name and website address on it. (you would need an assistant to help with this....you need to be the photographer out there meeting and greeting and taking the photos.)

If you have a chance, attend a bridal expo before the one you are in to get ideas. See if you can find photos online of bridal expo photograpeher's booths.

[Jamzano]

While I have never done a bridal show I have done many trade shows and home shows for my 9 to 5 job outside of photography. Booth presentation wise the most important thing that you need to do is make sure that your booth and everything about it look professional and this includes you. Dress professionally, but comfortable. Avoid eating while in the booth and don’t try and multi task by reading or working on something. If you look like you are busy and have something more important to do than man the booth people will sense that and move on. It is also important to avoid a cluttered booth, for example, don’t leave boxes of brochures in plain sight or leave bags or jackets lying around.

If you can, setting up your booth at home prior to the show so that you can see how all the pieces and parts of your presentation work together is a great thing to do. It helps eliminate any surprises once at the show. Another good idea is to photograph your booth because the camera will catch thing that your brain ignores. Also make sure that your name, or company mane, is prominently displayed. Most shows will put a little sign up on the back of the booth with your name and booth number on it, but that isn't enough.

Anne's idea of setting up a TV with a slide show is a great one. If you have access to an iPad that can be a great portable portfolio also and gives the impression that you are serious and professional. We all know that it is the photos that are the important part but many people are swayed by what jumps out and sticks in their memory. I sell hot tubs and the customer holding an iPad and flipping through photos of our hot tubs has turned out to be a great sales too for me. Having a slide show running on a TV is great, but being able to access certain photos that you know a potential customer will like is great to be able to do instead of waiting for those photos to come around again on the TV.

Anne' idea of setting up a mock studio and taking photos is also a great idea. You could print out the photos and have your contact info on the print and it would be like a personalized business card. You could also use that as a means of capturing leads. Rather than printing out the photo, which could be cost and time prohibitive, you could show them the photo on your iPad or computer and then say "If you give me your email address I will send this photo to you."

One thing to remember with trade shows, it is always better if you get their contact information rather than just handing out your information. Most people go to shows, home shows, trade shows and I would guess bridal shows are the same, and fill a bag full with brochures and business cards of every booth that they stop at. Most of the information that gets collected ends up in the circular filing cabinet. I have found that if you put a stack of brochures on a table people will grab one and be on their way. If they are serious they will stop to talk to you and engage you in a conversation. That is when you can give them your nice promotional piece AND get their contact information. Also with leads, it is very important to have an quick and organized method for collecting leads. A simple clipboard can work great with pre-printed lead sheets but I would recommend keeping the amount of information that you collect limited. For a bridal show I would just get name, phone and/or email, and date of wedding. Leave enough room on the borders of the lead sheet for you to jot down notes about the people that you have talked with to jog your memory about each lead and what is important to them or what you talked about with them.

One last tip, and inexpensive way to get people to at least pause at your booth and give you an opportunity to engage them in conversation is to put out a candy dish full of treats. Most people will feel obligated to at least say something to you if they take a piece of candy.

I hope this helps. Good luck with the show!

Jamie

[DanaD]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Once I get it set up ill post some photos for some more feedback.