What to display at bridal show?

[Natalya Murphy]

We just got offered an opportunity to display at a bridal fair here in town this Sunday at a VERY discounted price and would like suggestions from the Grumblers on what to display. If anyone has had experience displaying at a fair like this, I'd appreciate any suggestions. Because time is so short, I'm not sure that we could come up with too many physical samples of our work.

I remember Vivian Kistler mentioning that future brides went crazy over some of the boxes described in Decorative Accessories Made from Moulding. Would it be worthwhile to do some late-night framing to come up with display samples from the book for the show?

Unfortunately, I've missed the order cutoff for our two main suppliers for this week, so my moulding choices would be somewhat limited.

Do I just do a three-part standing display? Bring corner samples? Put an actual album of framed pieces together? Help!

[PhotoKris]

Small frames that could be used as placecard holders/ gifts. Frames for wedding party gifts. Things with signature mats for the bridal shower. A shadowbox with wedding mementos. Framed invitation.

[j Paul]

You might want to make some signiture mats up (scraps) for a standard photo size, but with custom outside measurements and give some away with your sticker on the back. Hopefully they will come back to you for framing.

[McPhoto]

Since your time is limited. why not just bring some of your finished work that you use as samples. It doesn't have to be bridal related - Bring the shadowbox w/ the football jersey - the veteran's medals ANYTHING that shows your skill as a framer. Although, if you have something that weddingish (new word), definitely show it. If you don't have any bridal photo samples, contact a local photographer to borrow a couple of prints to mat & frame for the show. Have some flyers and some "gift certificates" ($10 on a $100 frame order, etc) & business cards available as hand-outs too - some mints or candy in a bowl and very important - don't forget the mother of the bride - you'll most likely get more business from the parents than from the newlyweds!
Also, maintain your sense of humor - some people will make off-handed remarks about how expensive custom framing is - just smile, agree with them and remind them that you are preserving their memories for future generations.
Good Luck!

[EllenAtHowards]

If you can lay hands on three bridal photos (even if you need to download them and print them at a Kinkos-like establishment) Then do a "Good, better best" Display. First one would be straight into one of those closed-corner readymades from the crafp store, Then a nice double mat, with the top one being suede (brides seem to loooove suede around here)for Better. And then a triple mat with a fillet of whatever you have lying around. And wider mats and Museum glass on the Best one...

I like the idea of Signature Mats already cut. If you can sell off the floor, then make a ton of them from scraps. If not, then the door prize concept sounds good. I wouldn't stay up all night making boxes or the like. I think the place card holders from minis might be nice, especially if you can callig. All you would need would be a small table on which to put a place setting of good china.

[Jay H]

This topic comes up occasionally. I think we too often get into “give something away” mode. Time seems to have ticked away on you. If you had more time, I would suggest selling selling selling. Sell something, anything.

I was hit up for one of these local shows. I hadn’t attended one before and because I’ve never been a bride. I figured I’d turn down the offer and scope it out first. There was very little “look at me” and “here let me give you something” going on. Most booths were selling. The bands, DJs, and caterers were penciling in dates with substantial deposits. Jewelers were sizing and taking orders, again with deposits. Florists were offering free bouquets but yet again, only with rock solid dates and deposits. About the only offers for free stuff with no commitment that I remember, was tux places. They were offering free tuxes for the groom AFTER the rest of the wedding party had been sized so even still there was a guarantee of business. Well there were free samples of cake and travel brochures but common! That’s like us giving away a sliver of glass.

It’s tough, very tough for a custom frame shop to make money at these. You’ll have to do some serious outside-the-box type thinking. I have decided to attend next year and I intend to make tons of money…well at least enough to cover my booth and time. It’s in October (a stupid time if you ask me) and I have had some time to think about what to take.

If your booth rent is so cheap, you might set a goal at covering your booth rent. I have attended other type of shows and spent a ton of money and hours of time trying to set up an “ain’t I sexy” type booth. Of coarse I am but that alone never ended up being a worth wild use of my resources.

It’s my understanding that these shows often increased in price as the deadline approaches. I would be concerned that they are trying to flush booth.

[RoboFramer]

Not really qualified .... but ....

We are geared for people to come to us, not vice-versa - and apart from just having an in-your-face storefront we advertise intrusively on local radio and not so in yellow pages. We don't need it!

However, in a previous life - we did! We'd do craft shows from muddy fields to hotel basements, but the wedding fair stands, where we knew we could display some gob-smacking stuff, were asking too much wonga.

But we'd turn up anyway with hundreds of flyers with business cards attached and scatter them everywhere, mostly on seats.

It was always worth it!

[Framerguy]

Natalya,

You have some very good ideas here for displaying at a brides show. It's too bad that you weren't given enough lead time to properly prepare for this year's show but that doesn't mean that you can't go with some basic stuff and scope out the operation of the show and your potential competition and get an idea of what others are doing for a show such as this.

I don't agree at all that a framer can't make alot of contacts and money at a brides show. It all depends on how well you know your area and what the brides are looking for that you can provide for them. I would pick all the young ladies' minds that come around to your booth to find out if they are getting married and, if so, what they are looking for for their weddings. And don't ignore the photographers that attend the show. They are your bread and butter for wedding portrait framing if you know how to smooze them and get their framing business.

Here is an example that is actually what I did for 2 brides shows down here on the Emerald coast. I was framing for 3 professional photographers of whom I could get along with and they would ask my advice for their portrait framing. If you get hooked up with somebody who thinks they know more than you do about framing, you will be plagued with bad choices made by the photographer and constantly berated about your prices and your turnaround time. It's bad enough for most photographers don't plan ahead for the framing part of their work without having to put up with a know-it-all photographer who has the "white mat black frame" syndrome.. I had samples of their work framed and hanging in their studios so it was no biggie to borrow from 2 of them and the third was displaying at the shows also so I let him do the talking up of my work from his own booth. It doesn't hurt to have 2 spaces talking about the custom framing at so and so's frameshop. I took along some boxes that I had already made up for other uses and some samples of matting and fillets that I used for some lecture work that I did occasionally around town and I also had plenty of mat and moulding samples that would look good on bridal portraits.

Down here beach portraits are the big thing so I showed white and off white rustic but still clean cut mouldings that were popular for beach scenes and also formal frames that were more on the conventional line of framing for wedding portraits. I also happened to have a shadow box of stuff from weddings that I got together and displayed as memorabilia from a single wedding, a groom's boutonnière, a bridal bouquet, a garter, a wedding announcement and a place card from the wedding dinner, and such stuff as you can find to put into the shadowbox. That went over very well and generated much of the subsequent framing that I got through the shows.

You will find that most mothers won't buy on the spot but they WILL come back when the time is right if the quality is there for them to see. I attended a couple of shows during my first 2 years down here and probably generated 12 to 15 high dollar framings from the second show and a few less from the first show. In addition I got to frame photo gifts for the ushers, best man, bride's maids, and others who were in the wedding parties. They weren't much more than a hundred bucks each but you do 10 or 12 for each wedding that you get and the dollar amount adds up fast.

If you want to do something like this, plan ahead and get a good assortment of ideas and samples to display at next year's show. This year get the feel for how the show is going and who the movers and shakers are at the shows and learn to emulate their style of display. I have copied some of the other vendors at the first show I attended and it worked very well for me the following year. The way they display their wares, the lighting and how they use it, and their overall layout of their booth will all help to give you ideas for your own display.

And keep an open mind about what you see, if you can modify the idea to suit your own business, you are one step ahead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

Good luck and hang in there on this, there IS money to be had at bridal shows for a smart framer!!

[BILL WARD]

I would DEFINITELY include a 20X28-or so- signup frame----one with a very nice pic of bridal couple surrounded by litetan/whit mat(you can also find some with surface embelishment that goes nicely but doesnt inhibit writting) for all the attendees to sign up on---------a nice alternative to the traditional bridal book. Much more practical than the bookl which gets shut and put on the library shelf to gather dust, this on is on a wall where it's seen EVERY day! admonishment to N O T use felt tip pen(roller ball works well) because it bleeeeeds

[J Phipps TN]

Jay, I know it sounds like a stupid time for a bridal show, but since most weddings are in the spring and summer, brides start looking in October to get things in order. It actually takes about a year to plan a very large wedding.

I would have a wonder example of a Signature Frame and and then have a beautiful wedding portrait framed and then have a shadow box of wedding stuff with photos done.

Takes lots of names for a drawing to give away the signature frame and then add these to your mailing list.

Offer a discount for placing an order at the show for any of these products and require a deposit. That way you have them while they are hot. Also have a few samples for the ones who want theirs to be different.
(This is where a lap top would come in handy so you can use your software right on the spot!)

Then when your next newsletter comes out you could mention the winner to remind the ones on the mailing list where they saw you.

Just a few ideas!