Ask any bride to be and they’ll tell you “absolutely.” All the free gifts, great ideas from bridal vendors who display or provide information and those fantastic fashion shows with the latest and greatest in styles for brides and grooms - wow, how can you not think they’re not worth it?
Now ask a bridal vendor that question and the answers run the gamut from “I have to be there,” to “why do I waste my money and my time.” Simply put, there are bridal shows or events that truly are worth the money and the time. What do you need to look for to make the decision to either join your fellow bridal vendors or pass on the event all together?
While there are always certain criteria we should look at, there are certain items that you simply can’t ignore. If they’re not in place then you should consider passing on that event all together. Let’s take a look at the two most important considerations. Venue and marketing/advertising are not items that are considered to be optional. If they are not in place, then you should consider that event to be a non factor and save your money for those events that have these crucial features in place before signing up for space.
VENUE
Commercial real estate people have been saying it forever; the three most important things you have to have are LOCATION, LOCATION and LOCATION. Same for events like a bridal show. Consumers expect to be treated with a certain cache’ at a bridal show. It’s glitzy, it’s glamorous and it needs to be at a venue that delivers that. If you hold a bridal event at a venue that’s great for the Construction and Architects annual trade show, I think you can figure out what to expect as far as consumer response. They might come but it won’t be what both you and the consumer expect.
Vendors always say there are so many bridal events to choose from they feel like they have to be at every one of them. But why not go with those events that have tapped a great place to have the event? If it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a great venue to have the event then consider passing on it. If it’s a decent venue but maybe in a part of the city that has parking or transportation problems or an area that wouldn’t be safe for you to be in after certain hours, then that’s not a good venue. If you don’t think it’s going to be that well attended because the venue is not solid or it has other issues that would keep consumers away, then go no further in exploring an opportunity to secure space.
MARKETING & ADVERTISING
Do I believe you can just tell someone about a really cool bridal show that’s coming up and that they should make plans to go and expect them to come? Not on your life! I’m a busy person just like you and just telling me once or a couple of times is not going to be enough for me. I need to hear about it frequently. FREQUENTLY! The more I hear about it the better the chances are that I will respond to the message. If I’m a potential vendor of any bridal event, I want to know what kind of marketing and advertising is in place to get consumers focused on attending.
An email blast to target consumers from a database is not the only advertising I’m looking for. I want to know if the event producers are using any mainstream advertising like newspaper, TV, radio, billboard, cable or specialty advertising like web and data bases. If at least half of the advertising vehicles mentioned are not being considered as part of that event’s marketing then I say pass. If the advertising that is being done is not in place at least 2 months out, I say pass. If the frequency of the message is so light that you can’t expect the amount of exposure to consumers to be significant, I say pass. Oversaturation of the invitation is critical to creating the “numbers” of consumers we all want as vendors at any bridal event.
WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK SOMEONE YOU TRUST
It’s the easiest thing to do and it never costs a dime. Get the opinion of those vendors who have attended these bridal events. Most of them will probably give you some kind of feedback that can help you make a decision. However, if you know a vendor whom you can trust to give you the scoop then by all means ask them first. They’re more than likely interested in sharing with someone their experience and will give you all the good stuff and what to watch out for. It’s the best information for the price!
Submitted by Bud Healey, a marketing consultant with more than 35 years experience in event marketing. Healey works with Legacy Media / The Wedding Guide of New Mexico and The New Mexico Wedding Expo.
