Bridal Show Tips

If you're in the wedding cake business, then you'll eventually participate in a bridal show.  Our next bridal show is the Chattanooga Pink Bridal Show happening this weekend, July 24, at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

We have been to several of these shows and it seems like we learn something new each time.  We also see people doing something wrong at every show, so we thought we would share some of the things we have learned over the years.

Give your chairs to your competitors
Seriously, it's hard to engage potential customers when you are sitting down.  Bridal shows are usually 4-5 hours long, and at the end your feet will be hurting, but you'll have much more positive interactions with your brides.

Don't let anything come between you and your customer
Specifically, I'm talking about props or even your table.  At the last bridal show, there was a vendor that had their table at the very front of their booth with 2 tri fold project boards showcasing their business.  The 2 people manning the booth were sitting behind the tables in their chairs.  The end result?  The booth looked empty and customers won't stop at empty booths.

Stay Positive and Happy
Bridal shows are hectic affairs.  You work extra hours making samples, not to mention the time and labor involved in putting your booth together ad making it look good.  It's enough to make anyone tired and grumpy.  Save all that for after the bridal show.  During the bridal show you want to be at your best; smiling and personable.

Meet Other Vendors
Take some time before and after the show to introduce yourself and network with other vendors.  Especially your competition.  A few years ago we walked around after setting up our booth and stopped by another bakery's booth.  We stopped, introduced ourselves, and wished them good luck during the show.  Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago.  I got a nice e-mail from the owner of the bakery.  She was going out of business, and wanted to thank me for being the first other cake vendor to be nice to her.  As a token of her appreciation, she was referring all her past customers to me.  It was totally unexpected and all due to a few minutes of pleasantry.

There are lot of other things I could go into detail on but, as I mentioned before, I have a bridal show to get ready for!!  What bridal show tips do you have??