Be sure you aren’t waiting until the last minute to plan your booth. As soon as you know the size of your booth and the amenities available, begin your designing. Think of your booth as your mobile store. What the show attendees see should be a clear-cut reflection of your business.
Below in Action Steps are some tips and ideas to think about as you plan your top-notch bridal show booth.
ACTION STEPS
• Get Inspired | Have a look around, and you’ll soon be inspired. Online sites provide a virtually endless sea of inspiration. Check out sites such as Carlson Craft on Facebook, our Wow! It’s in the details Look Book, Pinterest, as well as a simple Google image search for bridal shows.
• Stand Up | Don’t give in to the lure of providing table and chairs. Sitting behind a table in your booth is literally creating a barrier between you and your potential customers. Present yourself as open and inviting; you’re there for a reason… to help visitors quickly find what they’re looking for.
• Home Furnishings | Before you go shopping for things to fill your booth, take a look around your home. You’ll be surprised at all the things you already own and would make wonderful additions to your booth (pictures, frames, furniture, vases, and other miscellaneous décor).
• Captivate | At a bare minimum, have large prints and/or canvases to hang on your wall space or to set on display easels. These oversized visuals will draw the attention of those passing by and should be captivating enough to draw them in for a visit. You’ll also want to have your logo printed and displayed so customers can quickly identify who you are, all the while promoting your brand. One way to class up your booth is to construct a free-standing wall with prints and your business logo.
• Albums | Have your Carlson Craft albums displayed so your booth visitors can browse through them. If space allows, you might consider a place for visitors to sit. You want to show them our albums, tell them all about your business and how you can provide them with what they need, as well as answer any questions they might have.
• Foresee the Future | Bring a great supply of business cards and other sales and promotional materials that include your contact information. Make sure everyone who stops by takes away at least one piece that has a way to get in touch with you after they’ve returned home and had time to review the multitude of paraphernalia they’ve collected at the show.
• Look Around | When you are at the show, take a look around and see if there are any other booths that catch your attention right away. Determine what it is about the booth that made you look. Was it the bright colors used? Was it the trendy theme that stood out? Was it the overall visitor-friendly layout? Take notes and/or photos to reference in the future when you are planning your next booth.
i have 2 large expos coming up and would love help/ advice to greatly increase invitation and accessory sales!
Dear Lynn,
Thank you so much for reading our Inviting Ideas Blog!
With the holidays behind us for another year, we can now turn our attention to the next big event on the horizon: bridal show season! Our contributors have created a special two-part issue of Inviting Ideas that answers the question of whether or not bridal shows are a great idea and addresses some of the common mistakes wedding vendors make with bridal show marketing.
In Part I, the Buying Customer offers inside tips, ideas and a breakdown of expected costs for having a booth at a bridal show. Is it better to go low-cost or hit the bigger shows? Handouts and giveaways: a good idea or not? We’ll answer these questions and much more!
When you’ve made the decision to attend a bridal show, how do you ensure your booth will get noticed? The Today’s Trends article will shed some light on ways to liven up your booth and up the wow factor, as well as connect with potential customers via recognizable logos and branding.
Don’t send potential customers away empty-handed! Be sure to drop by the Spotlight On… article for instructions on how to procure handouts for brides, such as sales tools, brochures and wedding checklists, all of which are available to dealers on http://www.carlsoncraft.com.
Look for our next issue coming out January 21st with more valuable information about Bridal Shows.
Make sure to view our archive files because we talk about bridal shows in our December issue. What we talk about in the December issue ise which shows you will participate in. A big-city show will draw a larger crowd, but will generally cost more. Balance the time and travel to attend a large show against how many new customers you hope to garner. Small local shows let you introduce yourself to potential customers right in your own area. Try both to grow your customer base.
• Find out whether the show has an overall theme so you can coordinate your display. Otherwise develop your own theme based on popular movies, music, styles and colors. Research online for terrific ideas to create displays, and above all, bring your newest and most popular albums!
• If you have the option of choosing the location of your booth, remember that a corner booth catches more traffic with visitors approaching from two directions. It may also offer more wall display area to draw the attention of both streams of traffic.
• Keep your table or booth clutter-free. Less will be more, and a white background with accent colors will be effective and eye-catching. Use trendy seasonal colors like Pantone’s Spring 2014 Fashion Colors, which include pastels like Placid Blue and Hemlock and brights like Freesia and Cayenne!
• Prizes are a big hit with guests and help them remember you. Clarify whether you are required to contribute to a grand prize or can offer your own prizes. You may be able to do both. Gift certificates, discounts and free offers make a nice incentive for the customer to come back to visit and place their order with you.
Warm regards,
Amy