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Greetings!
The chaos of back-to-back bridal shows is over, and
we are pleased to have had both the Dallas Bridal
Show and the Fort Worth Bridal Show run so smoothly
and successfully.
We are now setting our sights on future events
including the upcoming Plano Bridal Show on
September 14, 2008, which is almost completely full!
If you are interested in being a part of this event,
please contact us immediately to see if there is still an
opening for your company.
Also in the near future, the Wedding Professionals
Business Conference is coming up on November 19,
2008. Plan to attend and learn below how to save
money by registering early!
| Business Conference: Early Bird Deadline Approaching! |
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The Third Annual
Wedding Professionals Business Conference is
only a few short months away and is
one event you can't afford to miss!
This is an opportunity for our industry to rally together
to learn valuable tools to help run a business as well
as to get pumped about going to the next level to
achieve higher results.
We are already accepting attendee registrations. As
an attendee you will have access to seminars, an
exhibit floor with companies geared towards helping
you grow, as well as catered meals throughout the
day.
As a bonus for those that register early, you can save
$20 per person if you turn in your Attendee Reservation Form before
August 29, 2008.
So why wait? Commit to bringing your staff to this
wonderful
event and register today!
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| Dallas Bridal Show: Review |
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On July 12-13, 2008 at the Dallas Market Hall nearly
300 exhibitors met face to face with 1,459
registered brides out of 6,200 total attendance.
We are very excited about all the positive comments
we received regarding the show and look forward to
learning the success stories from companies as they
use the contacts they made at the show in their follow
up plan.
As in every bridal show we produce, the exhibitors
have an opportunity to participate in a Coupon
Contest. The company that brings in the most brides
with their $1 off coupon wins a free booth in the next
corresponding bridal show!
Congratulations to the Dallas Bridal Show winners:
- First Place: (FREE 10 x 10 Booth) Perfect
Wedding Guide
- Second Place: ($300 off Booth) Lulu's
Bridal Boutique
- Third Place: ($150 off Booth) Premier
Bride
Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest.
You are all winners because you helped bring more
brides to your booth at the show!
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| W. Donnie Brown at the Dallas Bridal Show! |
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W. Donnie Brown, the top-rated celebrity wedding
planner known for his colorful commentary and
premium designs on The Style Network's "Whose
Wedding Is It Anyway?" and "Married Away" spoke to
the brides at the Dallas Bridal Show!
On July 12-13, 2008, both Saturday and Sunday,
Donnie Brown spoke on the "Value of Hiring a
Wedding Planner."
Afterwards he spent time writing autographs for fans.
It was a pleasure to have the renowned Wedding
Planner at the show and we hope to have a repeat
visit again in the future.
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| Fort Worth Bridal Show: Review |
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The Fort Worth Bridal Show on July 19-20, 2008, at the
Amon Carter Exhibit Hall was a wonderful opportunity
for wedding companies to interact with brides. 692
registered brides attended out of a total
attendance of 2,254. Thank you to all the exhibitors
that helped create a beautiful event by showcasing
their company to the hundreds of brides to be and
their families.
Congratulations to the Fort Worth Bridal Show Coupon
Winners!
- First Place: (FREE 10 x 10 Booth) Perfect
Wedding Guide
- Second Place: ($300 off Booth) Bliss
Bridal
- Third Place: ($150 off Booth) **TIE** Clark
Gardens and Bride & Groom Magazine
Again, all the companies that participated in this
contest benefited by bringing brides to their booths.
Thank you to everyone that helped pass out coupons
to the show.
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Naomi's Notes: "Marketing in a Tough Economy"
by: Naomi Hulme |
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Making smart business decisions during a tough
economy is even more critical than any other time.
Change is going to continue forever for us and we
must always be prepared for it. Meet it head-on and
be proactive, not reactive. Change is actually
opportunity in disguise.
Before a tough economy happens, plan ahead for
having the cash flow to take you through that time.
Keep other expenses under control so you are able to
add to your marketing budget. A lot of companies will
reduce their marketing budget first when a financially
challenged economy takes place. That gives way for
competitors to gain a huge advantage.
According to David Beckham, B,BA,MBA, in an
article dated May 24, 2008, from MarketProMBA , he
stated "Businesses that succeed in tough times
know the secret is smarter marketing."
One way to help you through part of this time is to
call on your current customers to look for other
potential business. As a wedding business, there are
so many other potential profit areas for what you do.
Whether your category is event planning, photography,
DJ, florist, invitations, balloons, travel, attire,
videography, cakes, catering, cosmetics, facility,
rentals, restaurant, gifts, limo, music, jewelry, nutrition,
lighting, spa, fitness, or many others, you have other
reasons to call on your current customers. There are
many other events such as birthdays, anniversaries,
births, proms, or any other type of party that you could
profit from. What better way to get additional business
than to work your current database.
Do not forget to create new customers by doing
the marketing that gets you the best results. Tough
economies will be one of the many reasons that you
may lose a certain number of customers. This means
you will need to keep your business awareness
stronger than ever to replace that business as well as
add new.
One sure way to help your business through a
tough economy is to exhibit in quality shows that will
continue to bring you new leads. We advertise to a
new bride every show. Through the course of a year,
we will deliver 8,000 brides to you face to face. Our
extensive marketing campaign has given real results
to hundreds of wedding businesses for twenty (20)
years now.
Barbara Dennis, Director of Marketing, Siding
Products Group, at CertainTeed Corporation said "In
these uncertain times with businesses
closing/filing for bankruptcy, there's a real comfort
level and confidence in doing business with a
company that's going to be there for you in the long
run."
We are committed to the long run in helping you
thrive in your business, not just to survive. Let us know
if you would like to meet regarding your marketing
during this tough time.
"A wise man makes more opportunities than he
finds." Francis Bacon
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| Celebrate Cakes: Grand Opening! |
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After 30 years in the same location we have finally
moved! Our new location is 1/4 mile from our old
store, still located in Garland, and more beautiful than
we could have ever anticipated. We will be celebrating
our move with a Grand Opening Celebration on
Sunday, August 24, 2008 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. We
will have bounce houses for the kids, a wonderful DJ,
cupcakes, cake walks, chocolate fountains, door
prizes, and much more. Please come out and see our
new facility and try some cakes on us!
Celebrate Cakes
1311 Marketplace Drive Ste 270
Garland, Texas 75041
972-686-2322
www.celebratecakes.com
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| Welcome Aboard! |
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Katherine Shields joined the Bridal Shows, Inc team
last month during the whirlwind of bridal show season!
Katherine will be taking on Bonnie Crumpton's old
position (which Trina Smith also temporarily
occupied) as an Account Executive. Although Bonnie
is still with the company, she has changed positions,
and has helped train Katherine, who will now help our
customers grow their bridal businesses.
Katherine's Contact Information is Below:
Katherine Shields
972-713-9920 ext. 105
katherine@bridalshowsinc.com
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| Baby on the Way! |
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One of the Bridal Shows,
Inc. staff is expecting her first child scheduled to arrive
in January 2009.
Bonnie Crumpton has been with the company for
nearly six years and is excited to bring an added
element of "surprise" to our 20th Year Dallas Bridal
Show.
Thank you for all your congratulations and well-wishes
and please keep both mom and baby in your thoughts
as they embark on this new journey.
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Grow Your Business in
Olympic Proportions! |
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We hope everyone enjoys cheering on the US Olympic
team as the 2008 Olympics begin next week in
Beijing.
Let us all be inspired by these dedicated athletes to
reach higher in own lives, personal and business,
and
soar to even greater achievements!
Tips from a Seasoned
Exhibitor
Each vendor at the bridal show is always coming
up with creative ideas of how to attract brides to their
booth. The vendors design tall displays- unique,
comical, scary - you name it, it has already been
done. But with a giveaway promotion, what is the
benefit to the vendor? Do vendors have everyone sign
up for the drawing? What if the bride does not need
the vendor's services? How will the vendor know?
To ensure the vendor is getting the most from the
giveaway campaign, they must ask the brides
how their business can assist in realizing her vision.
By adopting this process, the vendor has a better
percentage of the brides interested in their services.
If the vendor's objective is to gather as many names
as possible, look into obtaining the bride list from the
show. The bride list is a great tool to work and will give
the vendor access to thousands of potential brides.
Time to get started - happy dialing/emailing!
by Wrapped Around YOU
Denice Halstied
Rochel H. Washington
Myspace.com = Added Exposure
As many of you are aware we created myspace pages
for our three bridal shows back in February to help
promote the shows to the female 18-34 market.
Myspace.com is an opportunity for additional free
publicity and is another way we can communicate with
the brides to be in the area. Our myspace pages give
brides additional information about each show
including door prize details, stage schedules, special
events taking place, and a complete listing of the
companies that will be present at the show.
As an added bonus to our exhibitors we began
listing the company names of all the businesses
exhibiting in each show. This helps the bride create a
plan of action at the show and pre-determine who she
will need to talk with.
We also enjoy using this avenue as a means to
receive messages and insight directly from the brides
such as the following comment...
"Your posting on myspace has worked out
wonderfully! It's nice to be able to go there and get all
the information! I appreciate the coupon for the bride
getting in free with 4 paid guests. That's awesome.
Maybe just one suggestion is to have a list of all the
the vendors somewhere on the myspace page as
well - like it is on the actual Dallas Bridal Show
website! Thanks again for making wedding planning a
much easier process! I'm looking forward to the show
Saturday!"
If you have myspace page for your business, be
sure to add each of our shows as a "friend" so we can
stay connected to work together. Complete myspace
websites are listed further on in the newsletter before
the "New Posters" article.
Naomi's Book of the Month
This month's book selection is:
Eat
That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and
Get More Done in Less Time
by: Brian Tracy
You may request a copy of my "Book Suggestions"
at any time.
Happy Reading!
~Naomi
20th Year Dallas Bridal Show!
We were very pleased to have the majority of the
exhibitors in the July Dallas Bridal Show book early for
the 2009 January Dallas Bridal Show. Because of this
large percentage we are already 75% full for space for
this
show! Don't wait to reserve your booth as categories
are filling quickly, with some categories already
closed. Call us today to reserve your booth. 972-713-
9920
Bridal Show Schedule
Plano Bridal Show
** 19th Year **
September 14, 2008
Plano Centre
Dallas Bridal Show
** 20th Year **
January 24-25, 2009
Dallas Market Hall
Fort Worth Bridal Show
** 11th Year **
February 21-22, 2009
Amon Carter Exhibit Hall
Plano Bridal Show
** 20th Year **
March 8, 2009
Plano Centre
Dallas Bridal Show
** 20th Year **
July 11-12, 2009
Dallas Market Hall
Visit us on myspace!! In order to connect with
brides we have joined countless others on
myspace.com. Check out our pages using the links
below:
myspace.com/dallasbridalshow
myspace.com/planobridalshow
myspace.com/fortworthbridalshow
Do you have a myspace account? Add us as a
friend to keep the network growing!
New Posters Are Here!
If you would like to display
our Summer/Fall 2008 Schedule Poster, email
info@bridalshowsinc.com with the
following information:
Your Name:
Company Name:
Street Address:
City, State, Zip:
How Many Posters Needed:
A picture of the Summer poster is below.
Motivational Messages
"Your big opportunity may be right where you
are now."
~Napolean Hill
"There are no traffic jams along the extra mile."
~Roger Staubach
"Believe that you will succeed, and you will."
~Dale Carnegie
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