Hotels and wedding venues are now coming to the end of their wedding fairs, wedding exhibitions and wedding showcases, having usually commenced around October / November time. They hope that through these events, they have secured enough weddings to keep them busy over the next 12-18 months. They would have had various wedding exhibitors and suppliers at these events who too would have hoped to have got the most out of being an exhibitor and received lots of business. As an exhibitor at a wedding, it is important that you evaluate what you did get out of being there and was it all worthwhile. For most times, they are on at weekends (Sunday afternoons mainly) and for the most part your weekend has been planned around attending them. There are many questions you need to ask yourself pre- and post- attendance. Let\’s start with the pre- i.e. I have received an invitation to attend a wedding fair or I have seen a promotion for one and I\’d like to attend, how can I ensure that it is worth my while attending?
- Who is the contact i.e. the person responsible
- Has the wedding venue a good reputation
- Have they held wedding fairs before
- Is this their first wedding fair
- How many weddings would they cater for each year
- What size of wedding can they cater for
- How many exhibitors can they invite
- Do they even invite exhibitors
- Is there a policy of inviting only one of each wedding service or would they invite anyone to attend and have say three or more Florists, Cakemakers, Dressmakers
- What type and size of exhibiting space do they offer and what do they provide i.e. table, white cloth, power point
- How do they advertise the event and through what mediums
- How many people (Bride and Grooms) do they expect to attend
- Is there a fashion show taking place
- What time do they want exhibitors set up by
- What do they charge?
And now for the post- i.e. How /did I get on, was it worth my while attending and would I attend again?
- Was I welcomed
- Had I a good location where everyone couold see me and were within 1.5-2 metres from me and my stand
- Was there room for my equipment, information, stands
- Was there room for me to stand behind, to the sides or to the front of my table
- Was it busy
- Was there a good atmosphere
- Had the wedding venue pulled out all the stops to make it as best as possible
- Was the fashion show beneficial for me or did it take business time away from me
- How many people / couples did I meet
- How many information packs / leaflets did I give out
- How many people agreed to contact me
- How many people actually did contact me afterwards
- Would I book a wedding or an event there
- Did I get a return on my time and cost investment in attending
- Did I get actual business, where somebody booked a time and day to meet with me or paid a deposit for my services?
Whether you are a small wedding service provider or large, it is worth evaluating the before and after of exhibiting. The bottom line is, are you getting business from them? If not, it really is pointless going there. I realize it is important to be there and to be seen, but in this age of endless new communication technology, there are other ways. Or, if you are someone who simply enjoys wedding fairs and has nothing else to do on a weekend or Sunday…enjoy…you never know who might meet…