Photos courtesy of Wade Alexander Photography.
I recently had the privilege of visiting the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show in Greensboro, North Carolina as part of the Life in Weddings Bridal Show Tour.
My visit to the show was scheduled somewhat last-minute due to some challenging travel logistics I had to cope with in the fall. I have used the Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show listings extensively during the tour to identify shows to attend (really, one of the most inclusive resources around), and was excited to actually have an opportunity to incorporate a PWG show in the tour schedule. As soon as I approached Gail Galloway and Jaime Gilliam I was welcomed enthusiastically to attend. They were fantastic representatives for the Perfect Wedding Guide brand and were among the most welcoming on the entire tour!
From the first moment I enlisted the PWG Bridal Show to be a stop on the tour, I could tell one of the major benefits that exhibitors must have with the group – show communications were smooth, timely and informative. Branding in email signatures and in show press releases was clear and effective. These are important elements to consider when you are choosing a bridal show to invest in as an exhibitor – are the producers set up to communicate professionally with their clients, brides and the press they hope to market with? Are advertisements contemporary and inviting, or will they turn off your bride on site with dated photos and tacky graphics?
Also, Jaime and Gail immediately relayed to me ways that the show was associated with other opportunities for exhibitors to maximize their marketing experience. The two networking groups in North Carolina that were affiliated with the show were the Perfect Wedding Guide Triad and Triangle groups. They meet regularly, share educational opportunities, host friendly competitions at the shows and demonstrate a commitment to promoting each other. This commitment was obvious as I walked the two floors of ballrooms and witnessed the healthy dynamics between exhibitors – I saw a lot of supportive, enlightened business people all working with the common goal of reach their prospective customers.
Someone certainly reached them because the show had almost 300 brides and over 700 attendees and was packed the entire time I was there.
Some of my favorite features of the Perfect Wedding Guide Greensboro Bridal Show were:
- Wedding Inspiration Showcase displays set up by many of the exhibitors throughout the show featuring ideas for different budget levels. The ones in the foyer were well placed to keep brides interested while they waited for the show to open (as they enjoyed punch and a live wind duo performance by JR Music)
- Traveling fashion show – instead of a big production on one stage, the show featured a fashion presentation in motion. Brides and bridal party models wandered the show floors with tags identifying their gowns and retailers, and were introduced at various show points at comfortable intervals. I liked the dynamic quality to the presentations as opposed to a large stage production.
- Well-staffed, professionally presented booths; the education component of the organization obviously helped with this. Most booths were very well presented and definitely well-staffed!
- The layout did not compete or disguise the beauty of the facility. While a handful of vendors had whole-booth presentations that they brought with them, for the most part, pipe and drape was absent, which allowed this particularly pretty venue to shine. Sometimes pipe and drape pulls a show together, and sometimes it takes away from the natural ambience…expert show management knows when to choose the right style, and this was an excellent choice.
Other features that were results of good event design (experience matters…) included:
- An “I Visited All the Wedding Experts” list to make sure brides didn’t miss any potential matches
- Exhibitor rest area – participants were encouraged to use the amenities in the exhibitor rest area instead of overwhelming the catering displays until the very end of the event – giving the whole event a more professional atmosphere
- An army of registration and directional staff. If you ever wondered where to turn, someone was almost certainly in place to give good instructions and suggest your next best stop.
- Immediate post-show communication – I was privileged to receive the wrap up email that was sent to the vendors. Jaime not only revealed the winners of the different booth competitions, but gave the attendance statistics, advised when exhibitors could expect important follow up information and even invited exhibitors to a future show. The sequence and timing of the vendor communication for this particular show was superior to say the least.
Which of course makes me feel bad that this particular post took so long…but I have my logistical reasons.
And the winner is...
Life in Weddings wishes to congratulate the following exhibitors for their show achievements:
PWG Vendor’s Choice Award …
Painted Plate Catering & Banquet Hall – Kathryn Miller
Honorable Mentions…
Bloemenbinder The Flower Maker – Debbie Efird & Denny Crowe
Create A Cake Catering at the Emerald Event Center- Roberta Pearson
The vendor with the most complimentary BRIDE tickets turned in: Pine Lake Pavilion
And an especially huge thanks to Wade Alexander Photography for providing the professional images that accompany this post and the “Pro Picture Recap” of the Perfect Wedding Guide Greensboro bridal show that follows {on Tuesday}.
I will also follow this post {on Wednesday} with a quick recap of the exhibitors I encountered during the show (list post…there were a lot of great vendors at the event)!
Thank you for the kind words! We are so glad you enjoyed your visit. Best wishes on the rest of your tour. Jaime
Posted by: Jblaydes | 12/13/2010 at 01:27 PM