Here's where wedding planning--or at least learning how to make a career in this field--gets fun. I'm on Lesson 9, which covers How to Organize a Bridal Show. I'm eager to delve into this and get my hands covered in calla lilies and lace...sort of.
Bridal shows can be profitable, but they're also a lot of work. The goal? To promote your business by bringing together wedding-related vendors for potential brides and brides-to-be. The hope? To secure clients.
So when you set out to plan your "big day," be prepared for the numerous decisions, which can leave any wedding planner feeling as overwhelmed as the bride herself. Will you serve food? Where will you have the fashion show? Will you have speakers? What kind of location is best? How will you promote the show? And how much will it cost?
Let's start with the first thing--setting the date. While shows can go on all year, April, May and June are peak months for bridal shows, as are July, August and September. The book suggests January or March as the best months to host a show.
Once you book a spot, the featured experts and vendors come into play. Choose from a travel agent, interior decorator, DJ, instrumentalist, florist, or beauty consultant to touch on areas of interest for brides. Remember, they're at the show to get their feet wet on what vendors to choose and ideas to implement, so you want to give them many choices to see what's available. You want your experts to complement what you have to offer, so inviting all your bridal consultant friends probably isn't best unless you are feeling competitive.
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I really liked how the guide included a section on costs and estimates. It described how much to charge vendors and develop a formula for the finance aspect of it all. As the guide states, having vendors are your show requires logical, detailed, accurate, and reasonable answers to questions--so the set formula is a must-have. As is a written agreement or upfront payment.
Generally, you want to be able to show the vendor what they're getting for their money, because half of show planning is securing good vendors. Because you'll probably mention them as an event vendor in your advertising campaign, you'll need to factor that into the cost (as you will for the venue and food costs). Divide the total cost by the number of vendors and that's a solid start.
But don't just ask vendors/experts to come--plan ahead so they know where they're going. See how many booths or tables you can accommodate and see how much room the vendors will need. Some may pass out brochures about their DJ service, for example, while others wil want to set up a small stage complete with stage lights and will require more space. These are important considerations so you'll need to communicate effectively with vendors and the venue representative. You'll want to work with your venue to make sure the floor map is organized and each vendor has a marked area.
Of course you can have a fashion show, so you'll need to coordinate with bridal boutiques in the area. Most are probably happy to get the chance to promote their business and their products, and can even help you find models for the garments.
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The book also gives a list of things to do before the show--you know, all those little details such as having name tags set out and rehearsing any presentations.
Overall, I like the idea of a section on how to do a bridal show. These event work wonders to promote a bridal consultant's business. With a little organization, they can be a real success. Not to mention you'll get to see flowers and gowns, which in time you will surely get tired of. But it is nice to see it all come together.