Good Morning Everybody,
Only one more day till our KPPA State Convention kicks off. We're having dinner with my buddy, Clay Blackmore later this evening and I'm really looking forward to his program tomorrow morning.
That means that today I get a chance to work with young Max and get some great shots of him, his family, and some cool portraits of him within the surrounds of the temple. This additional shoot gives the client a wonderfully varied series of images for the final album.
Anybody else doing the additional shoot here in Cincy, not to my knowledge. You know, “It's Always The Difference That Makes The Difference.” I'll post a few of the images next week.
Time to get on with Business Day Thursday. Here we go...
Bridal Shows And Cross Pollination
You know, this is the time of the year for bridal shows. You all know what a bridal show is, don't you? It's a show that has 3 wedding venues, 3 florists, 3 bridal salons, 3 bakers, 3 bridal consultants, 3 videographers and 50 photographers ;~) At least that seems to be the case in Cincy.
Anyway, if you are going to participate in a bridal show, how can you stand out from the crowd and create even more "buzz" at your booth? It's takes more than just good photography these days, although that is a big factor.
Hit the “Read More…” link below for the rest of the story.
I had a post pop up on Facebook the other day with one of my friends asking, basically the same question I posed above. The suggestions she got were quite good and have the foundation for this post.
How did I do it? Simple, I create several framed samples of my work for all my vendor buddies that were in the show. That included wedding venues, florists, bridal consultants, etc. They were thrilled to have my images in their booths.
The funny thing that happened that year was the event planner for the bridal show called me up and said he was going to TELL his paying exhibitors that they had to remove all MY images from THEIR "paid for" booths since I wasn't a paid exhibitor at his show.
The rest of the story is that "mutiny ensued on the part of my vendor buddies and all my prints remained at the various booths throughout the show. Just goes to show the power and depth of advertising.
OK, now let's put a different spin on booth displays. Sure I had my images displayed throughout the show, but why not work it the other way around too? I'm suggesting that if you are planning to exhibit in a bridal show this year that you work with your vendors and display some of their "wares" in your booth.
What better place to display the beautiful flower arrangements of your favorite florist than in your own booth. Don't stop there either. Maybe, if you ask, your favorite baker could have some sample wedding cake as samples at your booth too. And, how about your catering buddy supplying a few rounds of delicious hors d'oeuvres? Of course, all of them would also have signage and business cards at your booth indicating the contact information of each of your vendor buddies.
Do you get the picture? How many of the other 45 photographers would have that kind of "action" going on at their booth? I think not very many. What was that I said earlier? Oh yea, "It's the Difference That Makes the Difference."
Folks, it's this kind of thinking, planning , and marketing that stands you above the rest. It's what let's you stand out from the crowd. It allows you to be different and to be recognized. After the show, you get a chance to offer your sincere "Thank You" to your vendor buddies and maybe even plan to work together on future events.
Use your own imagination and I think the possibilities are endless. Hey, got a few ideas you want to share with our DPT readers? Why not post them below so we can benefit from the conversation.
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Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got to get ready for my shoot and wrap a few more projects at the studio. How about I plan to see you tomorrow for another episode of "Food For Thought Friday: Are There Too Many Wedding Photographers These Days". This has been the most commented post ever at DPT so I want to keep the conversation going. Plan to tune in tomorrow for more of my thoughts on the subject.
See ya' then, -David
Brilliant idea, David! You never stop thinking ahead, do you?!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking that photo booth within your booth may be a goog idea. you make a portrait and provide a digital image for a facebook progile. Now, you are their photographer. Not everyone bites, but enough will. it worked great at my farmers market booth in the summer.
ReplyDeleteLevi
David, I don't know about the shows in your area, but all the shows I attend in Indiana expressly prohibit any marketing of other vendors in my booth. In most shows, I have vendors drop by and ask for my promotional materials because they like my work. I'm very happy with that!
ReplyDelete