Any tips on bridal shows? - Page 3

Where can you ge tthe 3 oz. cups.

GFS or any restaurant supply.

I use the 2 oz souffle cups with lid. I just got them yesterday at Sams.

There are some wonderful ideas for doing shows on this thread! Thank you all so much for contributing.

I have been invited by a caterer (no charge to me) to be in his booth at the upcoming wedding expo to sell my cakes. He says there is no other cake vendors at the show so he's hoping by having me there it will attract more brides to his booth.

Neither of us have done a show and I've gotten some great ideas here. My question is do you bring forms for the brides to put their contact info on? Do you book weddings and tastings while at the show? Do you do any kind of raffle? Do you offer a discount if they book at the show? What incentives if any do you offer the brides?

The show usually provides a listing of the registered brides. I took a notepad and wrote down name, date and email address of the brides I spoke with (just because I'm anal like that!).

I have not booked weddings or tastings at a show .... if you have a successful and busy booth, you only have about 30-60 seconds per bride. Most will be there to gather info ... not many go to a bridal show with the idea of "I'm booking my cake today". Some do ... but not many.

I do not raffle. you might check with the show to see if it's permissible. Shows I have been in ask the vendors to donate something to the door prizes the show is giving away anyway.

I don't offer a show discount, but I know a photographer who does, and he only allows it "if you book within one week of the show".

I haven't read through all of the posts, but I read several and I think most have really touched on most of the important things like displays, cards, photos, brochures, professional clothes, signs, comfortable shoes, samples, forks, etc...

Here's two things that I've learned from doing dozens and dozens of shows...

1. brides almost never remember where they got their samples from, so I pre-package mine with a sticker label on it with my business information. This way they can take them with them and eat them when their hands aren't full.

2. For some reason many brides think that if they only see 3 displays, that you can only do 3 designs! Not true of all of them, but unfortunately true of way too many!! So I always had 12-18 displays at every show. If you have a wide variety available, they look at them and know that you're very versatile.

Here are a few pictures of some shows I've done and the basic set-up that worked for me:

J-Pal, that's an awsome set up. Unfortunatly I will have a small space since I'm sharing it with the caterer who invited me. I will only have room for 1 display cake, but I will have a trifold with photos and my lap top with a slide show.

Thanks Indydebi for your tid bit on the show having the brides names. I guess I won't need my sign up sheet then. I'm kinda "tagging" along on this one so I don't have much info. On Monday I'm meeting with the caterer who invited me into his booth so I'll get more info.

I don't have brochures but I was going to print off a price & flavor list to pass out as well as my business cards. I was hoping to schedule some tastings while I was there too but after reading through this it doesn't look like it will work that way. I guess it'll be a learning experience!

I just did the big show (two days) last weekend...still trying to recover from it! I had about 10 cakes on display...I forgot who it was on here but someone posted they did a very tall cake to wow people at a show, so I did a 12 foot cake! People stopped from all over to see it! We had a slide show and about five books out of wedding cakes, and grooms cakes so people could look through them. I had a sign up paper for consultation with a ballot box for them to drop them in (got over 200 leads!) We brought everything in plastic containers so it was easy to pack up I had several photographers give me photos from weddings I had done so I had them blown up. I had "yard signs" made and chained them together..it worked out nicely! We gave out over 2500 pieces of cake! I agree, though, you dont get a break at all, so bring quick food you can eat and lots of water. And be comfy! My DH and StepSon cut cake, so I was able to talk to the brides, that was helpful! I actualy got two signed contracts at the show and have been very busy doing consultations, so it is very much worth it!

Good luck!!

lorimoms, what a wonderful display.sounds like you did well. it is always nice to hear stories of shows, to know what to prepare for when new to someone else.

donna

I was also surprised that I booked weddings at the show...I also only get about 20 seconds with each bride. I had brought some contracts with me and my little credit card machine and figured it couldnt hurt. One couple came to show, with cash in hand, to book a cake and a florist. They said I had the best tasting cake there, (they tried three different flavors) and I gave them a contract, they walked away, and came back with it filled in. I had a full consulation with them this week, where we went over the design and the other flavors and they were still very happy! The other couple's wedding is in about 2 months and they had been to a bunch of tastings, but didnt like any bakery they had talked to, and had resigned to the fact they had to have yecky tasting cake at their wedding. They tasted my cake and asked right away to book! (they are coming next week for a full consultation and design) But I agree, don't expect to book weddings at your show! A lot of brides won't even remember who they talked to, that is why we get names (and use the database used by the producer of the show) so we know who was at our booth. We drop them an email or a phone call (we put on our form asking which form of communication they prefer) and it refreshes thier memory!

A little off subject, but I noticed a lot more show specials at our show this year...Davids Bridal is pratcially giving wedding dresses away, a lot of caterers are doing half price sales on certain items and photographers are doing free engagement photo shoots. I think in a whole, the wedding industry to starting to suffer. I noticed at the show most brides wanted to talk price more then design. It is formost on their minds, more then ever! so be prepared to answer pricing questions..a lot of them put a photo of a cake in my face and said "how much would this cost"

Thanks for sharing!!

I wouldn't jump on that bandwagon too soon. "Yeah, I heard there was a recession, but I refuse to participate."

the inquiries I'm getting are for MUCH larger weddings ... 200-350 guests. Of the 13 inquiries I've rec'd this past week, 9 of them were over 200 guests. One indicated she planned to spend over $100 per person for her 200-300 guests.

My average in 2008 was 112 guests. I implemented a price increase a few weeks ago and no one batted an eye. My average invoice for a catering in 2008 was $1800 ..... so far, on 2009 bookings, it's $2850. That's an average of ALL bookings ... ranging from the $275 wedding cake to the $10,000+ catering.

I have a book (not with me so pardon me if I get the title a little wrong) about "Don't lead the charge to the bargain basement" and it talks about not reducing pricing as a first defense. A marketing guy I know who charges $15,000 for his services, advises NEVER to discount. It's ok to add value but NEVER discount. I've spoken to other marketing experts, who say the same thing.

I read that Tiffany never discounts and never has a sale and the value of their product/service is not hurt by that policy. As I said in another thread, who wants to join me in becoming the Tiffany's of Cakes?

Having actually lived thru the recession of the 70's (ancient history to most of you), what I saw was people will scrimp and cut back on daily living expenses, but a wedding/birthday is a special event and they tend to throw caution to the wind and "do it right". They view it as a once in a lifetime event and should be celebrated as such.

That's not to say they aren't going to be savvy about how they spend their dollar. They are looking for the best value for their buck.

You know ..... They're looking for the "Tiffany's of Cakes"!

Oh I agree, I just raised my prices too..especailly on the party cakes. Some of my party cakes cost more then wedding cakes! And I am still turning away orders. I noticed I am getting the larger weddings as well, but many are thinking of cake for 150 and then sheet cakes for the rest (which is fine with me..easier to transport and less decorating and I dont charge that much less for a sheet cake)

Its interesting that you mentioned Tiffanys...My DH used to work for them and I have to turn the keyboard over to him, I thought you would find this very interesting! (and does support a lot of what you are saying!)That if you ARe the Tiffany of cakes then you should always keep thinking that way!

Anyway, here he is. Happy reading!

Tiffany, Cartier and Harry Wilston were THE jewlery stores for the ultra rich until the 1980's when Avon bought out Tiffany. Avon quickly realized they has no idea how to run such a high end company and put Tiffany up for sale. The management group that Avon had put into place at Tiffany bought the company from Avon and quickly expanded from one store to 14 stores in the US and 12 in other countries. Up to this point Tiffany had never been bothered by a recession because the rich always have money, in good times and in bad times. But when the recession of 1990 came along Tiffany had changed from trying to sell one $10,000 trinket to trying to sell 10,000 $50 trinkets. In good times their stock skyrocketed. But when the recession hit the $50 trinkets were cut out of everyone's budget, Tiffany's stock fell from $54 a share to $22 a share in one month and the distribution center was closing at 11 am each day because there was nothing to ship. I was downsized along with many others which is why Lorie says I "used" to work for Tiffany's. Even Tiffany almost went under when they tried to sell to everyone and compete on price. They are still around because the returned to serviceing their high end customers.

(PS From Lorie: And no, I don't have any diamonds, but he sure bought some beautiful glassware home from employee sales!!)

Lorie-hubby, very interesting story! A great illustration of what happens when you try to be everything to everybody!

(And if my hubby worked at Tiffany's and I didn't have any diamonds, I'd be finding a special place for that vase! )

It really goes to show you how careful you need to be!!

My DH's defense: A 10,000 diamond from Tiffany with a employees discount is still 9800 dollars. Who can afford that! (which I dont mind the vases, they really are beautiful! We have some champagne flutes that he got for a I am afraid to use, they are like paper thin georgous crystal)

And he got to deal with people like Marlo Thomas and Elizabeth Taylor!

I always tell my customers when they order tiffany blue cake boxes that I have the expert in that blue color! (they are so afraid it will be carolina blue which sometimes they just dont want!)