Wedding Expo opinions

I offer 3 mini cupcake samples at bridal shows.  I also pick unusual flavors to help my business stand out.  All the other bakeries offer white and chocolate samples so people remember me over them.

People bring with them their brides maids, parents, frients, family...all of them want to try the cake.  You have to have enough samples for everyone.  I think your business will come off as rude if you put a sign up reading samples for bride and groom only.

Yes I agree you need to let everyone try the samples. I had my first bridal show a few weeks ago. I had groups of family members each pick a different flavor and they told the bride what they thought of the flavor they tried. Worked out great that way! I brought 3 of my best flavors and I had great reponse from that. All the other vendors only had one flavor. This helped me stand out! Love the card on the cake idea! I will use that next time!

I also did mini cupcakes. I thought this worked really good for me. Everyone wanted to try the samples right away and Everyone kept commenting on the wounderful sweet smell coming from my booth.

I did rack cards with flavors and info on cake tasting and a business cards. I had price sheets I brought only for thoose how asked for them.

Wish you well on the expo!

I did one last month, too, and I always had a crowd at my booth. I had 4 sample flavors out and I let the janitors, and photographers and DJs and other cake vendors eat them. There was one lady who grabbed all 4 (which happened 50% of the time, not a problem!) and she says, "What?? Can't we try all 4? Ain't that the point?" , very loudly, to no one and everyone  I was thinking "Bee Itch, Who you talkin' to? I didn't say Shiznit, and it's my darn booth!"  But I said, "Oh, please do , there is plenty to go around " But I wonder if she was PSYCHOTIC, feeling guilty, or a plant to make me look like a meanie?" 

There was a florist who kept grabbing one every time she walked by, and I just smiled and chuckled, then 3 days later I got a lead who eventually booked, that the came from the florist, so 10 samples equaled a $600 wedding cake. 

Always make sure you take samples to your fellow vendors along with some cards.

I suggest instead of having a buffet of samples at your table (that people eat then forget all about you), you see if the venue is giving away goodie bags - generally only brides/grooms get those, and you put your 2oz sample cups in them instead - and make sure all your info is on that cup.  I did an expo where I did that and I had people call me 6 months later that saved their cup lid when they were able to try the cake at home going thru the bag!

Will they not let you put samples in the gift bags?  Every expo/show I've ever done they ask for materials to put in the gift bags.  You do your portion cups as normal, put a lid on them, then print a bunch of little labels and stick them on top.  It's the only way you will make sure people that can refer you business will get your samples and associate what they eat with your business.

I did a huge expo, I put together over 3000 samples and I was mobbed, I guess there were over 4000 people there, but only about 700 brides.  I had no chance to talk to anyone, no chance to do anything except try and hand out cake in a somewhat orderly manner.  Despite having that much cake, I ran out in less then 2 hours.  People were coming back for 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, etc.  Trust me, you don't want to go that route if you can help it - you need to be able to talk to people too and promote yourself as much as your cake.

As for buttercream, make what you based your business on and what sells.  People generally specialize in one buttercream or the other, so If you sell SMBC as your primary, then that's what you should pass out.  

all of that sounds exhausting!

OK to be clear, did the event coordinator tell you that you cannot put a sample of cake in the bags?  It's no different then putting a piece of candy in, and a lot of vendors tape candy to their postcards and flyers.  If you are working with one of the big events I can't imagine they are shocked, surprised or impressed with your creativity by suggesting this, because this is a somewhat common thing that bakeries and cake designers do.  If they didn't tell you expressly NO that you couldn't put cake in the bags, I'd probably just show up expecting it to happen.  It's a much better use of your time then dealing with the mob!  

Look at it this way, no way are you packaging 3000 cake samples the morning of your event - you do it the day before at minimum.  What difference does it make when it gets in the bags?  It's not going to go bad, it's in a small airtight container.  Events I've done say you need to drop off at X time the day before if you want them to do it, and show up at X time early if you want to do it yourself.  

Men's Warehouse doesn't care what's in the bags, trust me.  And nobody cares that the bag is form Men's Warehouse.  

I'm just trying to help since I have been in your shoes and know what you are in for!

If you do not want to do bags, then maybe try only passing out X amount of samples per hour.  When you run out tell people to come back in 40 minutes or whatever.  That way you can spread your samples out over the day and you'll have samples for people that come later.  This will only work though if you have extra hands (like 2 more people) helping you at your booth and you do NOT cave to people demanding a sample.

And a 2 day event?  Oh, heck no would I sign up for a 2 day event.  So triple good luck to you, my friend!

I just did my first bridal show a couple months ago and it went great.  I did have my business cards and a brochure made up  to hand out.  I offered two different samples and on one did the swiss meringue and everyone loved it because it was different than what they were used to.  I really had no issues with any one touching the cake dummies (I had 6), but I had them on a bookcase and not on a table.  As far as samples I had the 2 or 2.5 oz souffle cups with lids and yes if you use a sheet cake and put frosting on the frosting will stick to the lid.....so I just turned the piece of cake sideways and no problems.  Everyone seems to appreciate having the option to take it with them if they wanted as they were sampling so many other foods as well.  I had the small tasting spoons to go along with these and it was very easy to refill as samples were depleted.  I also printed out pictures of all my photos and placed them in a binder.

Good Luck!

My show was a 2 day show, too. Wendy's Bridal Show. I got about 10 times more business from it already, than the 1 day, and it was only about $300 more. I actually loved not having to pack it all up and take it home the same time, since we were exhausted. It was long, but looking back, I feel better about it tahn the 1 day event. 

I brought about 1000 each day. Lidded, 2 oz cups, with a tasting spoon. There were just over 1000 registered brides. I ran out the first day, and had a box left over the second.