Bridal Show Display

3rdPlanetPhotography · January 8, 2007

I'm working on building up a nice display for bridal shows. I'm probably working with a 10x10 space or maybe 10x8. Either way I'll have a table (or two) across the front draped real nice. Now I have to figure out what to put in the back (behind me).

Anyone have any ideas on stands to hang frames on and such?

I'm thinking something that stands 10 feet ... maybe a collapsable wall or something.

Any Ideas?

Shudderz · January 12, 2008

3rdPlanetPhotography wrote:

I'm working on building up a nice display for bridal shows. I'm probably working with a 10x10 space or maybe 10x8. Either way I'll have a table (or two) across the front draped real nice. Now I have to figure out what to put in the back (behind me).

Anyone have any ideas on stands to hang frames on and such?

I'm thinking something that stands 10 feet ... maybe a collapsable wall or something.

Any Ideas?

Bumping this thread....
I just found out last night that I will be doing a bridal show next weekend. I would love some advice as well. I have some ideas, but would love to hear what others are doing, please!

Thanks!

ChatKat · January 13, 2008

I just saw a display where they had taken doors - three hollow core - from Home Depot - used hinges to hold them together and painted and wallpapered them. Hung framed images and voila! A sign on the top would work too. Cheap to build.

3rdPlanetPhotography · January 17, 2008

Update
ahh my thread re-surfaced.

I found what I needed.

This place has EVERYTHING. Luckly there is a local location to me so I can just pick up my own.
http://www.storesupply.com/

Notice the standing chrome grid wall. I bought it at the store supply place for about 100 bucks. Has wheels and a cool shelf that holds an album perfect. Also got the hangers to hang large frames.

sorry for the crappy images iPhone isn't quite professional image quality

Icebear · January 17, 2008

3rdPlanetPhotography wrote:

sorry for the crappy images iPhone isn't quite professional image quality

Yeah, but how does it do for formals at 11x14?

~Jan~ · January 20, 2008

Wow that looks awesome!!

Shudderz · January 21, 2008

Well, I survived my first Bridal Show. I'm exhausted and my feet hurt.

I now have a stack of leads to follow up on, weddings for this year and next. Here's hoping through some good follow up, I can book some of them!

I took my camera along so that I could share what my booth ended up looking like. The "columns" in the back of my space were 3 sets of hollow core bi-fold doors that I had sitting my garage for years. I covered them in white muslin...had 2 bolts sitting in the studio waiting to be dyed for backgrounds. I had the table runner already and a local business charged me about 40 bucks to screenprint my logo on it.

For my first show, and with only 8 days notice, I'm fairly pleased with how the booth turned out.

Shudderz · January 22, 2008

Hooray!
I spent all of yesterday recovering from the Bridal Show on Sunday. I think I benefitted in a few different ways from the show. I met a few other photographers that were very kind, helpful and welcoming to me...seeing as it was my first show. (Ok, there were a few others on the other end of that kind, helpful and welcoming scale as well....but I try not to dwell on the negatives...lol) It's nice to know there are a few other photographers in the area that are willing to sit and talk shop and be civil.

I now have one under my belt...I know what I did that I like versus what I will do differently next time.

It forced me to have a sample flush mount album.....again, good for future business.

I sat all day yesterday and made sure to send an email to all the brides that filled out drawing slips at my booth. I didn't do a mass email, I individually addressed each one. I may have copied and pasted the message, but I felt it looked much more personal being sent to only one bride at a time instead of a list of 50. There were a few brides that I had made a good connection with, and had jotted down some notes on their entry slip. I made sure to customize their emails to include those little details in it so that they were personal.

The emails were sent out yesterday evening, and already this morning I have one response asking how much my deposit is, that they would love to have me share the day with her and her family. WOOHOO....apparently I did something right.

I have worked other trade show booths before. Before I gave in to my "artsy" side....I was one of the top managers with a well known home party business...let's just say I burped a lot of plastic in those days.....so thankfully I know how to work leads.

OK....1, maybe 2 more booked from the show will pay for all my expenses related to the show. At this point if I break even, I'm happy.....I know it will expand my portfolio and make next time even easier. If I do better than break even....then

I'll do a happy dance.

SloYerRoll · January 22, 2008

First off, congrats on surviving your first trade show. I haven't done one for photography. But have done several for other business. They are truly exhausting.

Shudderz wrote:

I sat all day yesterday and made sure to send an email to all the brides that filled out drawing slips at my booth. I didn't do a mass email, I individually addressed each one. I may have copied and pasted the message, but I felt it looked much more personal being sent to only one bride at a time instead of a list of 50.

You don't have to address each person individually like that next time

All you need to do is BCC everyone and leave the "TO" and "CC" fields blank. Each person will get an email that is addressed to only them. The one thing about this is you may get caught by a few spam filters. But you may get caught sending one at a time as well. If you have over 50 emails. This is definately a viable option

Shudderz · January 22, 2008

SloYerRoll wrote:

First off, congrats on surviving your first trade show. I haven't done one for photography. But have done several for other business. They are truly exhausting.

You don't have to address each person individually like that next time All you need to do is BCC everyone and leave the "TO" and "CC" fields blank. Each person will get an email that is addressed to only them. The one thing about this is you may get caught by a few spam filters. But you may get caught sending one at a time as well. If you have over 50 emails. This is definately a viable option

This would have worked for the addressing part of it in the TO section...but in the body of the email, I personalized those. Instead of just starting by saying:

Thank you for visiting my booth on Sunday....each bride was addressed by name. i.e.:

Julie,

Thank you for...........

I felt it was a bit more personal. Last night I sent 35 emails...so here's hoping they're ok.

I also decided I wanted to remember/know a bit more about them. Working a wedding is a big commitment, not only time wise, but you will be spending an incredible amount of time working very close to the couple. I spent some time on myspace searching by the email addresses they gave me. For those I found, it was nice to once again put a face to the slips they gave me. With hundreds of brides, even with my notes, I could never remember faces of the ones that stopped by my booth.

I have to admit tho, there are a few that I may not want to work with. Do people not realize that unless their profiles are private everyone and their dog can see what they are putting on there? I also know of employers that do this for potential hirees.....I KNOW some of what I saw on there people wouldn't want employers...let alone potential future employers that they wanted to hire them to see. Sometimes people loose all common sense when it comes to being online....it's really not that anonymous.

Bridal Show Display

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