Wedding fayres .. are they worth doing?

[blush09]

i know im too late for this season wedding fayres as they're usually oct / nov, but thinking ahead to next spring

im a makeup artist and am currently training to do natural nail mani/pedicures .. im in the process of having a web site designed and hope to launch it in jan / feb .. perfect timing for the spring wedding fayres

just wondered what your experiences were, what you take to put on display, if you offer demonstrations, incentives for bookings, raffles etc .. i was planning to offer free mini makeovers and also showcasing the airbase airbrush system

any feedback on the above would be much appreciated xx

 

[Kamosa]

I used to do some Wedding Fayres and found them a complete waste of money. The stalls were expensive and even if I went in with someone else or a small group of people (I used to be a Virgin Vie Consultant and a group of us had a stall), we never made up the outlay costs. We used to offer raffle prizes in order to get leads but nothing ever came of them. We also did mini demos all day and people left their details. If we got one or two clients out of one day then we would consider ourselves quite lucky. It could depend on where you are but the nearer to a big town, the more expensive the stall. In my opinion, you are just as well having leaflets printed and leaving them in hairdressers or any wedding shops nearby.

Don't forget if you are running a stall by yourself, try to get a friend to come along for part of the day for you to have a break, coffee, loo etc because otherwise you are going to find it very hard to run on your own.

 

[Natso]

Hiya

I found them non profitable at all.
I have to admit i got most of my wedding clients by putting leaflets in wedding dress shops, Hairdressers and if i knew a Wedding shop was having a open day I would ask to go along there, as you usually did not have to pay.

I went to 3 wedding fairs and never got a single client from them as I think people are so bambozzled by the info they collect through the day they forget you!

Also check out some free to post on wedding planning websites as i am on a couple for my area of the country, and got quite a few clients from there.

Good luck xxx

 

[blush09]

thank you for your replies, have pm'd you both

perhaps NOT worth doing then, lol !!

 

[the-lakes]

I have to say, I'm surprised by the other replies as most of my bookings have come from wedding fayres. Rather than paying a large amount for a table why not offer something like a free bridal make up as a prize for the raffle. It depends whether this doesn't outweigh the cost of the fayre in the first place though. I don't do any demonstrations at the fayres, I just have a small selection of make up on display (bobbi brown, lancome, chanel, sephora, nars etc) and some skincare products (as I do facials too). The most important thing on my table is an album filled with the wedding make ups that I have done recently. This draws the crowds in.

I would never pay more than £75 for a table. I look at it like this - why does a make up artist have to pay as much for a table as a photographer who is getting around £1,000 per booking rather than a couple of hundred pounds that a make up artist might get? Its not fair!

 

[Beauty Gal]

The staying is if you don't try once you never no?

 

[SamMakeup]

I find wedding fayres extremely lucrative.

it costs me around £100 for a stand and I only need 1 booking to more than cover my costs. I always insist that I do the makeup for the catwalk show, so even if someone hasn't stopped by my stand, then they will see my work 'live' on the catwalk.

I get a chance to stop and talk to people and get some of my personality across - something that I think is essential when you're in someone's house on their wedding day. You have to get along and meeting them at a wedding fayre is the first step in teh right direction.

I get many calls from brides who've met me 12+ months previously, they hang onto my card and call me up when they get down to finalising monies etc (sadly, makeup is a very last minute thing!), but they've seen me once adn remembered me.

Try one and see how you get on.

Sam x
​

 

[fozzyo]

I did see a sign once for a Wedding Fair ... I did think that can't be right, they've spelt it correctly!

These are the kind of events that are incredibly hit and miss. Research the show, what is the venue like - have you visited it? What is the organiser like? Are there many repeat exhibitors? If so talk to them about their previous experiences and leads etc. Are guests charged an entrance fee? Great way of putting people off coming if they are!

Some can be a huge success, others a complete disaster.

Mat

 

[nixnewcastle]

I found the one i did a total waste of time. I sat for 6 hours on a sunday (my only day off) and got one £25 booking out of it