Two weekends ago, Debbie from Enhanced Gift Giving and I attended the Hawaii Bridal Expo as vendors for the first time ever! We had a lot of fun meeting everyone that came by to talk to us, even if it was for a short while. It was an amazing experience and we hope we can do it again next year. Debbie and I prepared long and hard for this special weekend, however; we still encountered obstacles along the way. I'll be sharing you ten tips (some we did and some we wish we had known) to have a successful and less chaotic expo as a first time vendor!

1. Have a mock set up!

This is one tip that I wished we did. Setting up for the expo was quite stressful and that was because we underestimated the size of our booth. A 10' x 10' sounds like a lot of space! We had all the measurements of the tables and shelves we were planning to have, but we did not do the actual set up. The day of execution, we had to downsize the materials we originally wanted. Instead of two consultation tables, we had one. Rather than having six chairs, we had three. I highly recommend doing a mock set up of all the tables, shelves, and chairs you plan on having to make sure they all fit, but also be mindful of the potential foot traffic!

2. On the actual day of the expo, set up as early as you can.

Something always seems to go wrong on the day of set up such as fighting traffic, finding parking, forgetting to bring certain supplies, or change of clothes, but we prepared ourselves! We arrived at the expo at twelve in the afternoon giving us five hours to unload the cars, set up, and get ourselves ready. Debbie brought all the supplies we could need such as scissors, ribbons, s-clips to hang the banner, a ladder, bungie cords, various types of tapes, drinks, screwdriver, steamer, and more. It might seem excessive, but our goal was to make one trip without having to run to the hardware store or back home. By setting up early, we didn't have to deal with Friday traffic or find parking outside of the center.

3. Giveaways are the best way to attract guests!

As you all know, C'est Calligraphy and Enhanced Gift Giving had a giveaway table! The giveaway table really attracted guests to enter, but it also allowed them to look around the rest of the booth and ask us questions about our work. We also placed our business cards and flyers on the giveaway table so guests could grab them if they were in a rush and didn't have time to ask us questions but were interested about us.

4. Aesthetic is everything!

The booth is the first thing guests will see. With that being said, I knew I wanted our booth to be minimal but eye-catching and inviting. I wanted to display our products in a way that could inspire visitors, even causing them to take a picture. It made me happy to see people take pictures of our booth because if it inspired them in anyway, I knew we were doing something right! Debbie and I also made sure the items that we would display matched our brand colors, and our outfits. We wanted our guests to remember us, if not by our name, but the way our booth looked and how it made them feel!

5. Be sure to create informative flyers, brochures, or catalog.

Since a lot of the guests are in the beginning stages of their wedding planning, they attend the expo to see the different vendors, ask questions, and obtain vendor information. You'll only have two minutes to give your introductory speech that explains who you are, what you do, and why they need your service. However, depending on the foot traffic, you may not get to chat with everyone that comes to the booth, so most guests opt to grab business cards and flyers, and move on to the next booth. Therefore, I wish I had a more detailed flyer that listed the services that I offered, a tentative price, and a timeline, so I could provide more information to guests that did not have time to ask questions at the expo. A detailed flyer would have also come in handy for guests who prefer to discuss and decide things in private. Definitely create some sort of informative flyer or brochure that guests can later look back at after the expo.

6. Double your marketing stationery.

Once again I underestimated the amount of marketing stationery I needed. I made 100 flyers, 200 business cards, and 200 entry forms for the whole weekend. By the last day of the expo, I used up all my flyers, had 15 business cards left, and 12 entry forms left. Whatever number you think you'll need for business cards, flyers, entry form, and contact sheets, double it!

7. Network with other vendors.

We were fortunate enough to be surrounded by amazing vendors that attracted guests to our booth. Across the booth from us was Aloha Event DJ who played amazing music, the booth next to us was Siam Thai Spa which provided free massages for 10 minutes, and two booths down was Black Book Bartending which provided drinks and appetizers. With all of these amazing vendors around us, it really set a fun and exciting atmosphere so we could get guests to come to our booth without bombarding them. A lot of other vendors also have something called a preference list, which is basically a list of different vendors that they'll give to their clients in case they were looking for other vendors. Having a supportive environment was uplifting and exciting!

8. Greet everyone with a happy smile!

The best way to greet people is with a genuine smile on your face and say "Hello, welcome!" Smiling just creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. A lot of the times, it gets overwhelming as the guests are bombarded with so much information all in the same space, that it is just better to smile and let them choose whether or not they want to see your booth!

9. Make signs and description tags!

Signs and description tags really do make a difference. The giveaway sign doubled our giveaway entries, the social medial sign brought traffic to our social media accounts, and our banner was large enough so people could see and remember it. I wish I made description tags for my semi-custom invitation suites because a lot of people would ask how much they cost. It would have saved me time and energy if I had just wrote them down and placed it next to the invitation suites for people to see. I also wish we had name tags which would have made it easier for people to address us personally.

10. Do your best and put yourself out there!

It is such a relief when you talk to other vendors and realize that everyone was where you were at one point in time. There were a handful of first timers as well who felt the same way I felt and who had the same worries I had. You realize that you aren't alone and the only way to have a successful event is to do your best and put yourself out there. Being able to connect with the vendors really helped keep the jitters and anxiety at bay, but it was talking to you folks that made everything better. If you don't know this already, I love talking to people. I love that I got to hear the romantic proposal stories, I love that I got to meet stationery lovers like me, and I love that I got to see both bride and groom being so involved in the planning of their special day. It was honestly one of the best experience of my life and I hope we get to do it again!

Leave a comment down below to let me know what was your favorite part of our booth was!