A recent article by a self-proclaimed “expert” on how brides think, concluded that bridal shows are a thing of the past. BSPi (Bridal Show Producers International) begs to differ! Not just because we’re an organization of bridal show producers, but because we have the facts. Here they are…
National research among brides shows that nearly 40% attend a bridal show during their planning process. With 2.2 million U.S. weddings each year, that means bridal shows attract over 900,000 engaged couples eager to book products and services for their weddings. Can you really afford to miss 40% of your target audience?
The “expert” proclaims that the primary reason brides attend bridal shows is to get ideas for their wedding. In reality, research among bridal show attendees shows that the actual #1 reason brides attend a bridal show is to find vendors for their weddings! While at a bridal show, over 60% of brides purchase products, place deposits or set up appointments to meet with vendors after the show. Chances are that if you’re not at a bridal show, brides are booking business with a competitor who is.
The “expert” asserts that brides now connect personally with wedding vendors on-line, negating the need to actually meet them in person at a bridal show. Really? Brides looking for a wedding planning website will find that there are over 1,600 to choose from. Need a wedding photographer in Los Angeles? You get more than 11 million options to look into on Google. With this kind of proliferation, what are the chances you can affordably reach a significant portion of your audience solely on line? Bridal shows offer a much less competitive environment and the chance to personally connect with brides in an environment where they can touch, taste, smell, and/or hear your product. They can’t do that online.
Although the “expert” makes her living selling marketing advice to wedding vendors, she has some pretty unflattering things to say about professionals who participate in bridal shows. The fact is, most bridal show producers evaluate exhibitors to weed out the novices … what website does that? And with high return rates of long term exhibitors few booths are available for questionable companies or those outside the wedding market. The fact is you’ll be in good company at a bridal show. America’s most successful national bridal retailers know that!
Less than 2% of the population is planning a wedding at any given time and reaching engaged couples is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Wedding professionals need to focus their marketing dollars on the three most targeted media options…bridal magazines, the internet and bridal shows.
Bridal Show Producers International is a non-profit association of bridal show producers from all over the US, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and more. Their members produce over 300 bridal shows and all members are asked to honor a professional Code of Ethics.
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