On Sunday, May 7, Bridal Shows, Inc. presented their first Denton Bridal Show at the Denton Expo Center. The show was a great success! A steady stream of brides filled the hall from 10:00-5:00pm.

"The Denton Bridal Show was great, nice pace of brides, good quality, and very interested brides. Very impressed for a first show"

~Doug Lund, Heller & Reid Bouquet Preservation

"I just wanted to write and say how pleased I was with my experience at the Denton show. This was my company's first show and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. All of the staff members I talked to were very helpful and friendly, and I could tell that they had our (the vendors) best interest in mind. It is obvious to me that Bridal Shows, Inc. wants my business to succeed, and for that I am very thankful."

~Ryan Smith, DigitaLife Productions

"Hello Naomi and Staff, Robert and I would like to thank all of you for all the hard work that you all put in to put the Denton Bridal Show on the Map of Event Locations for 2006. This was our first exhibit for Bridal Shows, Inc. and we had a great time. It was also very nice to see and meet most of you while you were walking around checking on everything. It helped to make us all feel welcome and showed your concern for our business. Again, we wanted to express our thanks to each and everyone of you."

~Robert and Jennifer Phillips, Harmony with Candles

Our first annual Wedding Industry Trade Show was held Wednesday, May 17, 2006. With about 110 wedding professionals in attendance and 37 exhibitors fomr the 16 participating companies, the event was a great success! We are excited to report that the feedback we have received from both attendees and exhibitors has been 97% positive!

We have produced trade shows for other organizations and associations that have helped them in the past and are excited about the future growth of the bridal industry through the Wedding Industry Trade Show. We are really looking forward to growing this event into an essential tool for all wedding businesses. We will continue to bring new products and services to give the wedding industry new opportunities each year to expand and help you to enhance your wedding business.

Below are listed some of the testimonials received regarding the event:

Attendee Testimonials:

"The show was very informative. I learned a lot about leads and other needs for someone getting started in the industry" ~Geneise Waltmon, Celebrations

"Bravo for being innovative by being the 1st trade show!"~Teri Krisey, Sheraton Grand Hotel

"The trade show was very beneficial. I received several good contacts and networked quite a bit. The seminars were also very informative"~Dede Williams, Mabee Hall at the Gladney Center

"Thank you, Naomi, and all your staff, for a worthwhile afternoon investment."~Michael Fumler, IPS Studio

"Thank you for the courtesy and professionalism of your entire staff, a job well done. We look forward to the future and the challenges before us. Thank you again." ~Donnie Martindale, Keepsake Visuals

Exhibitor Testimonials:

"I believe it was a success and provided several possible business relationships." ~Nathan Randel, First American Payment Systems

"Very beneficial! Lunch was unexpected bonus! Good food too" ~Tommy Evans, Professional Wedding Guild

We are currently in the process of deciding upon the location and date of next year's Wedding Industry Trade Show and will keep you posted so you can further grow your business!

Each year we add certain things to the shows and are constantly looking for ways to improve everything. Some of the learning comes from hundreds of experiences that companies have gone through that could benefit others. Much of our learning comes from the 19 years of producing over 250 shows.

Reading good business books is a great way to not only get a refresher course in something we know, but also to help bring to mind new ideas that we might not have thought about. It is good for us to desire to constantly learn and expand our knowledge.

Some of the books that I would recommend to be added to your library would be the following:

• The Power of Ethical Management, by Kenneth Blanchard & Norman Vincent Peale
• The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino
• The E Myth Revisited, by Michael E. Gerber
• Selling Skills for the Non-Salesperson, by Dr. Gary S. Goodman
• 50 Ways to Win New Customers, by Paul R. Timm, PhD
• Outsmarting Goliath, by Debra Koontz Traverso
• The Rules of Business: 55 Essential Ideas to Help Smart People (and Organizations) Perform at their Best, by Fast Company's Editors & Writers
• Power Networking, by Donna & Sandy Vilas
• Power of Positive Thinking in Business, by Scott W. Ventrella
• The Fred Factor, by Mark Sanborn
• A Marketing Plan For Life, by Robert Michael Fried
• See You at the Top, by Zig Ziglar
• More Than A Pink Cadillac (Mary Kay Inc.'s 9 Leadership Keys to Success), by Jim Underwood
• Smart Women Finish Rich, by David Bach
• Fish, by Stephen C Lundin PhD, Harry Paul, & John Christensen

There are so many more books that I could recommend to you, but this list will keep you busy reading for a while.

If you finish reading all of these and would like more, email me at naomi@bridalshowsinc.com, and I will be glad to help you!

Again, we are here to continually help you build your business.

Bridal Shows, Inc. welcomes Jennifer Wyatt to our wonderful staff. Jennifer is our new Account Executive and handles several accounts to help build wedding businesses.

You will probably be greeted by our new receptionist, Betty Yankie, when you call Bridal Shows, Inc. Betty helps the team stay focused by transferring phone calls and handling various other projects.