Bridal Shows, Inc. Newsletter January Edition
January 1, 2005

Greetings!

Happy New Year to all our faithful subscribers! A new year at Bridal Shows, Inc. means a new round of bridal shows starting with our biggest show of the year, the Dallas Bridal Show on January 14- 15!

Take a moment to write down your business goals for 2006, and assess what worked and didn't work in 2005. Our goal is to help you achieve yours, so feel free to call us anytime for advice pertaining to building your business through bridal shows, or for business advice in general!

Let us know if there is anything we can do to make this the best year yet for you and your company.

in this issue
  • Getting to Know Us
  • Are you signed up for 2006?
  • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Company Profile: Bridal Gallery
  • Company Profile: DFW Dove Release
  • Chasing Leads, by Jonathon Bostick
  • Have a Laugh!

  • Are you signed up for 2006?

    photography by Roe & White Photography

    Categories are quickly closing out! Make sure you have reserved your space at our upcoming 2006 shows!



    Dallas Bridal Show, January 14-15
    Our biggest show of the year is only two weeks away! Over 3,000 brides will be attending this event. Call and see if there is still room for you! Can't exhibit this time? Come visit to see how the Dallas Bridal Show can be your best marketing tool. Exhibitors, double check your exhibitor packets to prepare for the show.

    Fort Worth Bridal Show, February 25-26
    Hit the Fort Worth market in one weekend at the Fort Worth Bridal Show. Also a two-day show, hundreds of companies will meet face to face with hundreds of brides! Call us to become an exhibitor today!

    Plano Bridal Show, March 12
    This regional show draws high-end brides and has been such a success that when we considered ending it vendors begged us to keep it going! Come see what all the fuss is about and exhibit in the Plano Bridal Show.


    Sponsorship Opportunities

    Do you want to become more involved in the bridal shows? Sponsoring a bridal show in some capacity means more exposure and name mention in some if not all of our advertising! (Depending on when the sponsorship is committed to) Sponsorships may also include on-site banners and signage, mention on the website, and other customized benefits.

    If you have extra dollars in your budget (we realize this does not apply to everyone) and are looking for ways to increase your visibility to the public, then a sponsorship may be just what your company needs in 2006.

    Companies may sponsor one or more of our shows each year (with varying costs) including the Dallas Bridal Show, Fort Worth Bridal Show, and Plano Bridal Show. For those of you wishing to sponsor on a smaller scale there are several special show event sponsorships also available. (costs vary).

    • Fashion Show & Event Stage
    • Program Sponsor
    • Sponsor Bag
    • Ticket Sponsor
    • Free Valet Parking
    • Sample give-a-ways


    Company Profile: Bridal Gallery

    Bridal Gallery is a full service bridal salon in Lewisville with its own designers and factories.

    At Bridal Gallery, all the gown designs are original and exclusive. They also limit the number of pieces they create for each style. There is no mass production for any of their dresses.

    With their own factory, any middle-man mark ups are completely eliminated, which enable them to pass the savings directly to the customers. All their gowns are offered at surprisingly affordable prices. The designers also work close together with the factory to make sure every dress is made to the highest standard.

    Customization is also available at the store. If the brides can’t find a perfect dress, they just need to bring a picture to the store, and Bridal Gallery will custom-design the dress just for them.

    Bridal Gallery also offers an exquisite selection of bridesmaid, flower girl, mothers’ dresses, tiaras, veils, shoes, and other accessories to complete the brides’ attire. Gown preservation, tuxedo rentals, and alterations are available to every bride. Their highly experienced consultants take special care in providing the brides with the best service in the bridal industry. Please check their Testimonial page on their website to see what the brides are saying about them.

    The store is located at 713 Hebron Parkway, Lewisville, TX 75057 (in Super Target shopping center). Bridal Gallery welcomes everyone to visit the store and would like to work with you to better serve the brides.


    Company Profile: DFW Dove Release

    White doves are a traditional symbol of peace, innocence, purity, prosperity, fidelity, and off course love. The release of a single white dove, or a full flock brings beauty and meaning to any celebration, and is a perfect spectacular addition to a wedding.

    To assure the most beautiful and successful release, only well trained birds cared by professionals should be considered. The birds used by these professionals are pure white homing pigeons. They are from the same family as regular ring neck doves found in pet stores, but unlike ring necks, they have a homing instinct, and are trained to safely return home after the release. The training of each bird takes months.

    Using untrained ring neck doves is cruel, since they do not know how to care for themselves in the wild and would perish quickly. They would not know how to fly nicely, and would stay perched in a near by tree not knowing what to do.

    A professional cares deeply for his birds, and for the quality of each release. Therefore professionals will always be present for each release, and will never ship birds for a self-release. To locate a reputable professional in your area who performs releases with high standards of quality, go to the web site of the White Dove Release Professionals at...www.white-dove-releases.com

    All White Dove Release Professionals (WDRP) members adhere to the same code of ethics.

    A dove release must take place 30 mn to 2 hours before sunset, depending on how far the release takes place from where the birds live. This will assure the safe return of the birds to their loft before night time. You can check the sunset times of your bride's wedding day at by clicking HERE!

    In conclusion, a well-performed white dove release will add a spectacular and meaningful touch to your bride's wedding day, but it should only be considered if performed by a professional.


    Chasing Leads, by Jonathon Bostick

    How many brides did you introduce yourself to today??

    It has been said that the most any business can truly ask for is a fair opportunity to provide a product or service to the prospective marketplace. If that is true, and I believe it is, the question becomes; “what are we doing to earn our opportunity to provide?”

    It is important to understand that there are 2 specific types of bridal leads. Number one is a passive lead. This is a lead that comes to you as a result of the brides decision to contact you. This lead could come from the internet, yellow pages, print advertising, possibly a referral. The point is that you had to do very little to secure the lead.

    It turns out that the majority of wedding professionals rely on the passive lead source as their primary way of doing and growing their business. It is my contention that this exercise leaves the wedding professional exposed to the whims and behaviors of the bride. For Example: If the bride does not respond to you via the internet, yellow pages, print advertising, or referral, how will you maintain and grow your business?

    Now let’s talk about the 2nd lead type. The second and more powerful lead type is the aggressive lead. This is the lead that is cultivated as a direct result of your behavior. Aggressively pursuing the bridal leads made available to you puts you in a position of action, not waiting for action from someone else.

    It has always surprised me when wedding professionals tell me that their business is struggling however they have not made a conscious decision to aggressively pursue the brides made available to them by a number of lead sources. I can assure you that there is no more important exercise than to initiate an introduction to as many brides as you possibly can. Keep in mind that the only reason a lead list does not work is when you or someone for you does not work it. If you honestly do not have the time, or possibly you are not comfortable reaching out to the bride with continuous follow up then find someone to do it for you.

    In my 20 plus years experience in sales, advertising, and marketing the one thing that has always held true is that whoever makes themselves most relevant to the prospect is most likely to do business with the prospect. It is also true that it is impossible to become relevant without an introduction and relentless follow up.

    For more information on how to shift your business focus from passive to aggressive please contact Bridal Shows, Inc or me directly. I promise there is significant growth at hand.

    Remember that everyday when you ask the question of; “How many brides did I introduce my company to today that didn’t introduce themselves to me?”...You need to have a good answer.

    Good luck!

    Jonathon Bostick
    Pro Touch Sales Agency
    972-784-2411
    [email protected]
    "We introduce our clients to their clients"


    Have a Laugh!

    Getting to Know Us
    hand shakes

    As we approach our first round of 2006 bridal shows, we felt it would be beneficial to introduce you to our Bridal Shows, Inc. team. It is truly a year round team effort to produce our six bridal shows each year, as well as seminars, industry trade shows, and other special events.

    Although we are able to speak to many of you on a daily basis, it is not often we get a chance to meet face to face. So to help refresh the memory of our returning customers, as well as educate new customers, we have compiled picture profiles of the Bridal Shows, Inc. employees.

    Please take a moment to look through these profiles before you come to the show so you can put a face with the name while at the same time learning some interesting facts about your favorite bridal show team.

    Click HERE to view employee profiles!!


    Refer a customer to Bridal Shows, Inc. for Cash!

    Need some extra cash after the holiday season? Here's a great way to earn some money and grow the bridal shows!

    Take the following steps to boost your wallet. It's as easy as 1...2...3!


    1. Refer a fellow wedding company to Bridal Shows, Inc.
    2. Make sure they give your company name as a referral on their bridal show form.
    3. Receive a $25 check from Bridal Shows, Inc.!


    Hear From The Brides!

    In the November Newsletter we gave a few samples of the results of our Bride Survey we sent out to thousands of brides. Brides were asked for general comments to pass on to exhibitors. Read over the following excerpts to improve your sales at the next show.

    My only suggestion would be to have your products easily accessible to everyone. Also, list your prices BIG AND BOLD so everyone can see them. Don't beat around the bush when you are asked, "How much"? If you believe in your product then announce your pricing structure with pride! If you shudder when you say how much your prices are then the customer won't feel confident about choosing you!

    Our wedding date is still over a year away and when we mentioned that, some vendors said that we should visit them when it gets closer or acted as if they should spend time with those whose wedding is sooner. We would like to have everything completely prepared early and that made us not want to work with those people.

    I did not consider anyone that did not have detailed information they could give to me at the bridal show. I pretty much just threw that away.

    Just because we are young not all of us are in there just playing around. We really need help!!

    I think most of them did a great job- just make sure that the people representing the company seem excited to be there and are good about congratulating the bride.

    WEBSITES, WEBSITES, WEBSITES!!! It is just too convenient for research, but please put prices on the web, or it is of no help!

    Try to make your table different from the others...the show can be overwhelming with all there is to learn, but at the same time, there are so many vendors that all seem to offer the same things, if they try to stand out more, it would make for a more interesting show.

    Make an effort with each person that comes to your table because you could easily miss out on a sale


    2006 Bridal Shows

    Dallas Bridal Show
    January 14-15, 2006
    Dallas Market Hall

    Fort Worth Bridal Show
    February 25-26, 2006
    Amon Carter Exhibit Hall

    Plano Bridal Show
    March 12, 2006
    Plano Centre

    Dallas Bridal Show
    July 8-9, 2006
    Dallas Market Hall

    Fort Worth Bridal Show
    July 22-23, 2006
    Amon Carter Exhibit Hall

    Plano Bridal Show
    September 17, 2006
    Plano Centre



    New Posters Are In!

    If you would like to display our 2006 Schedule Poster email [email protected] with the following information:

    Your Name:
    Company Name:
    Street Address:
    City, State, Zip:
    How Many Posters Needed:

    A picture of the poster is below.



    Motivational Messages

    The sure way to miss success is to miss the opportunity.

    -Victor Chasles

    The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

    -Socrates


    Seminar Information!!

    Thank you to everyone that participated in our preview sessions of "Exhibiting 101." They were a great success and have benefited many companies.

    Naomi Hulme has been asked to give a 30 minute brief version of the Exhibiting 101 seminar at the upcoming PWG (Professional Wedding Guild) meeting on January 25th. Visit the PWG website, or call for more details regarding location, cost for lunch, etc.

    Stay posted to upcoming newsletters and/or emails announcing future seminar dates, or bookmark www.exhibiting 101.com to receive updates.




    Want to contribute to our newsletter? Do you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in future issues? Please direct all newsletter comments and questions to our Bridal Shows, Inc. Newsletter Editor, Bonnie Crumpton at [email protected]

    Quick Links...

    More About Us

    Newsletter Archives

    Wedding Industry Trade Show

    Pictures from the Dallas Bridal Show

    American Trade Shows, Inc.

    Association of Wedding Professionals

    Professional Wedding Guild

    Wedding Entrepreneurs of Distinction



    Join our mailing list!
    phone: (972) 713-9920