As I enter my 9th year in my field, I have been featured at an open house and as a guest vendor at the Tulalip Resort hosted bridal expo. At my mother's urging many years ago, I attended as a visitor with her. (She had gotten free tickets and I buckled under pressure.) Most often they are held on the weekend. As you can imagine, this is a conflict in scheduling if you offer services to a client base who more often than not get married on the weekend.
Although it can be seen as a great way to be exposed to brides & grooms to be, it also can seem like a day at the market. Generally, there are booths lined up elbow to elbow with each other while mesmerized guests, willing or unwilling, walk to and fro while vendors offer their pamphlets and samples. The cost to these events is also an expense, for all who are attending. Did you know that it is not uncommon for a wedding vendor to have to pay upwards of $400-$1000 a day at a booth? Yes! The venues which host these events are literally making money hand over fist. That kind of advertising is a bit rich for my taste.
With the exposure and power of the internet, it makes wedding expos almost seem like a thing of the past. The number of customers I can reach at the touch of a few key words can help me drum up business quicker than I could toss my business cards out. I like to work smarter, not harder. Don't mistake this for me being lazy -- there's only so many hours in one day. I am all about maximizing my time and my resources. I just find investing my money into advertising throughout the year to be a bit more effective than a weekend shot.
For the first time brides, eager mothers of the brides or grooms, and for those who want to "check out the competition" wedding expos can serve their purpose. Afterall, you can't hear the music from the different DJ booths live or taste cake samples when you are online!!
