$35,000 Hold Me in Your Heart Wedding Premier Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, 1-4pm, Jan 24. http://ow.ly/ZK3o

Alright! I  my New Years Resolution was to blog everyday.  But You can adjust that and that is what I am doing.  My new New Years Resolution is to blog whenever I can find the time.

Let’s talk about setting a Goal.  After you have finally decided on which bridal show to participate in you need to answer some questions.   Why are you attending the event?  What are your goals!   Are you looking for new bridal leads.  Do you have a new product or service that you will be introducing?  Make sure that you have picked your best sales force to man your booth.  If you are the owner and you have part of your staff that is stronger in sales make sure that they are there.  They need to be knowledgeable about your services and have a genuine love for what they are doing.  There is a difference between just sales and a genuine sale, but that is a different blog.  You certainly do not want the lunchers as I call them that sit behind their table and either read a book, play with their computer or  eat lunch while your brides are walking down the row to talk with someone who cares.  I see this so often and these are the owners that will be the first to say I didn’t get a lead from that show!  Don’t be one of these.  Tune in next time for more tips.

Let’s face it when going shopping and that’s what the brides are doing.  We look at the mannequins, window displays, racks with things hanging and things that are at eye level.  In general anything that is flat on a table doesn’t get touched.  If you don’t touch it and feel it you probably will not own it.  Come on girls admit it ..its all about how if feels and smells.  Think of a store when you plan your booth space.  Things on a level plane will  likely be missed (especially when you have a group of brides surrounding your table and they can’t get to the front of it to see what’s on it).  Try high cocktail table if you need to display postcards, business cards and other materials, and even then card holders will bring more attention than resting flat.   Or if you are putting it on the 8ft table, put risers, stands, anything to lift the material up closer to eye-level for the brides. The brides in the back will notice it as well.  Well that’s the tips for today…more tomorrow.

I attended a local bridal show yesterday.  They had a many vendors and many brides.  But as I walked through the show at least half of the vendors you couldn’t tell what they did or who they were.  A booth space with no sign is like having a store with out a sign.  Many of them had things out on the table, but  brides were stopping, they just walked right by.  Signs are not very expensive anymore.  You can order them on line or there are many local stores that will even help you with the imaging.   Bottom line don’t waste you money on doing a show if you don’t have a sign…

How do you get the brides to engage in a conversation.  Three things that come to  mind immediately.  First,  some kind of food that you hand to the bride.  Traffic will most definitely stop for food.  Let’s face it we are from Wisconsin and we like to eat!  Food presents an easy way to start a conversation.  Something that you specifically have to hand to the bride seems to do the trick.  Second, think outside the box for booth decorating.  Look for things that are interesting and appealing.  A different color rug on the floor, specialized furniture, a great video playing.  Keep you decorations upscale, rental stores offer excellent choices that you can rent for the day and return for a small investment. An elegant and inviting open concept will guide  traffic into your booth space.  Third, with even the best looking booth at the show unless you have a sign the clearly states your company name and what your business is you will probably get passed by.  More tips tomorrow!

Booth placement is important!  In general the flow of traffic tend to go to the right, so when booking your booth ask for placement that will be on the right hand side of the show floor. Some times brides may decide to skip the last few rows, (which is usually on the left) so you don’t want them to skip you completely.  Most show promoters will provide a seating area, so when the bride is rested  she will continue with the balance of the show. Also, when deciding on your booth space, ask about other vendors around you. There may be another vendor at the show that will compliment your booth.  More tips tomorrow….

As promised more hints for a successful bridal show.  Make your booth an “open” space. PLEASE DO NOT place the table at the front of your booth.  Why would you block your doorway?   Place tables at the back, or sides of your booth to give guests an open and welcoming area to talk.  This also gets brides out of the flow of traffic in the isles. Brides will be more relaxed if they feel they are not  holding up other attendees in the aisle ways.  This will also give you  more time to answer questions and spend time with them.

Bridal Shows are here….we are now in the swing of the 2010 bridal shows season.  Numbers have been coming in from all over the United States that brides are flocking to bridal shows in record numbers.

The best  part of  being a vendor in a bridal shows is that it brings brides to you instead of you chasing after them.  Even though there will be brides and grooms there you will still have to work for their interest and business at the show. Many times vendors basically set up their booth and then ignore the brides as they walk by.    Vendors have a tendency to talk amongst themselves, sit behind a table, play on their computer, or politely tell the passer by to take a brochure as they pass by.  These are also the vendors that say that bridal shows are not worth the money and they haven’t been successful for them.   Be proud of your service initiate a conversation with the brides.  Make you booth different so the bride can associate your booth with you and your business.  Visuelle Productions will be blogging daily on making your experience in a Bridal show a great success….keep checking in for more information.

Keeping in mind that our major business is Bridal Shows, we are always looking for new opportunities  Of course when you have a passion for fashion it is very easy to stray into different areas!  This year again we spread our wings a bit more and have been doing fashion shoots for magazines.  Of course we stay in the Bridal market, but by adding some travel to cool destinations like Greece and Venice makes the projects even more interesting.  Working internationally not only gives us the opportunity to meet and work with designers from these countries, but come back into the US and promote their fashions.   Organizing an adventure like this is really exciting and a little nerve racking at the same time.

So with this in mind my New Years Resolution is to keep my business growing steady, treat my business associates as if they are part of my family, (of course the family members I love) and continue to look outside of the box.  Maybe more exciting adventures with photographs and travel.

It is always exciting to participate in contest but, exceptionally so when you are one of the winners. In a recent Bridal Show Producers International Show competition. Visuelle Productions won second with Honorable Mention at the recent Bridal Show Producers, International Conference in Minneapolis, MN. Bridal Show producers from all over the world competed in the competition. Wisconsin Wedding Spectacular show held at Lambeau Stadium Atrium won in the show aesthetics category. With the help of Wedding Perfect and Krystal Kleer Ice we created a spectacular stage with sheer flowing fabric and crystal chandeliers. The stage was enhanced with an ice sculpture podium and fabulous lighting. Brides you can create you own vision for your wedding with the help of creative bridal vendors. Don’t forget to shop your area bridal shows for ideas.