Month: May 2016

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2016 Blogs

How to Perfect the Design of Your Wedding Fair Stand?

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Once you’ve booked your stand at a wedding fair, it is not simple enough just to arrive with a pop up table and a few examples of the work you have done in the past. Wedding exhibitions are hyper competitive environments where vendors from a range of industries attempt to coax couples that they are the right person to be working at their wedding. For some of these, they will spend months considering the design of their stand in order to make the right impression on the day. The obvious benefit to this is that hundreds or even thousands of prospective clients will be walking past their shopfront, and this is perhaps the one opportunity they will have to appeal to a wider market.

The design of an exhibition stand is an extension of the brand and the passion that goes into making it. When a couple is walking around the exhibition hall, your exhibition stand should demonstrate what makes you unique and make them think, ‘this is the person I want to work on my wedding’. Sitting behind a table all day is guaranteed to be a flop, so consider creating a display which is inviting, which encourages couples to look around and really get a feel for what it is that you provide. Incorporate high quality banners to illustrate your product, embellish a backdrop to truly wow them when they walk past and most of all, approach each interested couple with a smile.

These are factors which need to be considered well before hand, ensuring that you pick out the best photographs to use and are making the most of the space you have available. Just because this may be your one exhibition of the year does not mean you have to overload your stand, be careful of clutter and only take what is necessary to convey your products and services. There simply is no way to appeal to everyone walking past your stand. Rejection will probably be fairly frequent, so learn to identify it as you go, then you can cut down on wasting time speaking with couples who are simply not interested in what you have to offer.

Above all, endeavour to avoid simply copying someone else. There could well be hundreds of vendors offering something similar to you, so by creating a stand which is similar to theirs is hardly going to distinguish you from the competition. This is why exhibition stand design is so important and why it can take time to get it right. It’s about developing an idea which shows why you are unique; perhaps you have a niche for working on themed weddings or have a certain style which you are passionate about? These are perhaps your greatest strengths as they highlight what you love doing, and being able to show that when engaging with a potential client is what will convince them that you are the right person to work on their wedding.

In terms of what to include with the exhibition stand, it is widely recommended not to take samples just to simply give away. They can help to draw people in to your stand, however there is no guarantee they will be interested or even care of the service you provide. Samples are great to have on show, but use them when in conversation with people and to support what you are saying. Another point to consider is that it is very rare that couples will book there and then. So be sure to have promotional material on hand for interested parties to take away with them, just don’t shove it into the hand of everyone that walks by!

At Rap Industries we manufacture tailored designs for exhibitors including high quality roller banners which are a fantastic way of grabbing the attention of interested couples. These can feature your own custom design and can even be integrated with the rest of your exhibition stand. If this is something that you are interested in exploring, or you would like to learn more about the services we provide for exhibitors, then please give us a call on 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com. Finally, good luck and enjoy the exhibition!

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Categories
2016 Blogs

Why Wedding Fairs Are the Place to Be for Independent Vendors

For any vendor starting out in the wedding business, it can be daunting trying to fill out their schedule for the season ahead. Established vendors have the luxury of word of mouth recommendations and a wealth of contacts to keep clients heading their way, however for those taking their first steps into the industry it can be a struggle to get a foot on the ladder. While websites and blogs are a great way to get started, wedding fairs remain the primary way of interacting with potential clients. Couples will always want to get a taster of how they want their wedding to be, which has made the wedding fair a perennially successful hub which many husband and wives to-be choose to attend.

The major advantage for these is that it places you on a level playing field. So whether your competition has a reputation in the area or a list of clients attending just to see what they have to offer, it is still a fantastic opportunity to stake your claim and demonstrate the products and services you provide. Assuming that you provide a quality product and your stand is well designed, there is no reason why you cannot begin building a list of contacts there and then. Do your services justice and bring in examples of your work at other weddings as well as samples if your product is edible; couples love to get a feel for the type of service they will be getting.

While there are some outstanding vendors out there, there is also a myriad of sub-standard ones that are more focused on the pay cheque at the end, rather than sharing the passion for a couple’s wedding. This kind of attitude stands out when people are attending wedding fairs. They may be looking for a great product which integrates with the theme of their wedding, but they are also looking for someone who is professional and will do their part to help the wedding run as smoothly as possible.

With the amount of money that some wedding services cost, attendees absolutely hate having stuff shoved in front of them. Promotional material should be for interested parties only, and if someone does take a shine to what you have to offer, then have a conversation with them. It is important to understand what their vision is and what they are hoping to achieve. By doing this, you can let your passion shine through, and if their theme is something which you are familiar with, then describing what you will be able to do to enhance their wedding day will come hand-in-hand.

Every couple is looking for that dream wedding, something unique which will last long in the memory of everyone that attends. Each vendor has their own speciality and being able to effectively demonstrate this provides the foundation for a successful exhibition. That said, it is important to combine your creativity with a professional attitude. While having a great service is what potential clients will be looking for initially, this must be combined with a professional attitude which reassures them that when the day comes, everything will run smoothly.

There are wide range of tips and tricks around to making your exhibition stand a success, but there is no way of discovering the benefits of wedding fairs without taking the plunge and attending one. As you become more established, the necessity of wedding fairs begins to fall as word of mouth recommendations help to fill out your calendar for the wedding season. This has been the route for many successful wedding vendors, having started out demonstrating their passion and craft on the exhibition floor.

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2016 Blogs

Why Attending Wedding Exhibitions is Still a Great Way to Enhance your Wedding

Wedding fairs can begin to feel a bit outdated in the age of the internet where you can find a whole host of vendors online. They’ve gotten quite a bad reputation in recent years for essentially being a bunch of salespeople ramming samples down your throat. For couples who are just starting to plan out their big day, heading to an exhibition hall and being caught up in a whirlwind of leaflets and sales gusto is hardly going to calm those nerves. This is not to say that they are not worth attending however, but it can be important to approach them with a level head and a goal for what you would like to get out of the wedding fair.

Before blindly stepping in to the first exhibition nearby, do your research and find a wedding fair which fits with your aspirations for your wedding. There is a ridiculous amount of fairs out there from boutique wedding fairs, quirky wedding fairs, luxury wedding fairs, budget wedding fairs and many more. They are located all across the country, so before signing up for 10 to attend in the next few months, try and pick out a few which you feel that you will be able to find value in. It’s also worth noting the size of the exhibition you are looking at. The quantity of vendors is never indicative of quality, in fact, large exhibitions often feature national companies who are more focused on signing up as many clients as possible.

This is why local wedding fairs can be treasure troves for delightful vendors who share in your passion for the wedding. Attending an exhibition is more about looking for inspiration, what flavour cake to have, the type of flower to display on the tables or whether your DJ has the ‘cha cha slide’ in his playlist, seriously, stop it. If a vendor literally jumps on you, cramming leaflets in your hand while reeling off the same spew you overheard just a minute ago, it’s quite probable that their goal is the money in your pocket, not making your wedding day as special as possible. Remember, there is no pressure for you sign on the dotted line on the day, take it as an opportunity to absorb the kind of services that vendors can provide and if there are a few who really catch your eye then feel free to take away their contact details.

There are perhaps two things that you should be looking for when you are walking around the show floor. The first rather obviously is that the service they provide matches your vision for how your wedding day should look. The second is a bit harder to spot, but try to gauge whether the vendor is on the same wavelength with the overall theme of your wedding. When you are speaking to them, try and explain what you have planned as well as how you want to achieve this. In many cases, an honest vendor will be able to give you their opinion whether the service they provide will be able to live up to the standards which you expect.

The one tangible benefit of attending a wedding exhibition is that you are able to see, hear, smell and taste the services which are on offer. While planning your wedding online can be more convenient, it only takes one dodgy vendor to tarnish your day. Considering how much you can be expected to pay as well, there is added benefits in getting to meet the people that will be servicing your wedding and experiencing the kind of job that they perform. Just remember to enter the wedding fair like a sponge, absorb all of the information possible and take it away with you. So when it comes to finalising the details, your mind can rest easy in the knowledge that you know the cake will be fantastic, the flowers complement your theme and that you wedding day will be truly special.

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2016 Blogs

Why Roller Banners are a Versatile Addition to your Wedding Day

When you are beginning to personalise your wedding day, there is a ridiculous amount of options to choose from. The overall theme of the day tends to dictate the flowers you choose, the food you provide and the location you are in. In situations such as these, it is great to have a blank canvas to work with and begin truly personalising your wedding day. A Roller Banner may not be the type of canvas which you had been considering for the reception, but there is a host of ways that they can be customised to enhance the environment. With each printed to a very high quality, Roller Banners can be great for displaying photographs, memories or be utilised as a useful tool for displaying table arrangements and more.

High resolution photographs are the obvious beneficiary when using Roller Banners. By opting for a manufacturer with extensive experience printing graphic panels for a wide range of industries, you can work with them to develop and create Roller Banners which display fond memories of you and your significant other, or you can even display unforgettable moments which you have spent with friends and family. Alternatively, we are increasingly seeing Roller Banners being used for unique photo backdrops, allowing you to create stylish albums featuring everyone who attended.

One of the major advantages of the Roller Banners is their versatility. As they can be set up in a matter of seconds, this means that they can be used in a variety of different locations. Therefore, at the beginning of the day, you can use the Roller Banner to welcome guests at the wedding ceremony and let them know where to head, then pack it away and set it up later at the wedding reception, ensuring that nobody gets lost.

Each Roller Banner is a blank canvas, and with the breadth of things you can do with graphic design nowadays, this means that the graphic panel can be customised to display whatever you require, they’re not just for photographs! You could use yours for a quirky display for your seating arrangements, adding fun layouts of family and friends. Not all wedding receptions are held in conveniently located halls, so Roller Banners are a stylish way of adding directions for guests to find where you are seated.

It is your wedding day, which is why you should personalise every last detail, exactly as you imagined it. Here at Rap Industries, we have seen some creative designs in the past where Roller Banners are being used to their full potential. We love the idea of using them for favourite quotes and altogether using them as extensions of your personality. Even if you have a quirky, interesting theme, our graphic designers have worked on an array of different projects so will be able to create a design which integrates the Roller Banner in with your wedding.

If you would like further information on the potential for Roller Banners at your wedding day, then please get in touch by calling 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com.

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Categories
2016 Blogs

How Wedding Vendors Can Make the Most of Roller Banners

When you are trying to advertise your services in a diluted market such as the wedding industry, it can be a challenge to know how you can stand out from the competition. For many, attending exhibitions and shopping centre displays provide the most viable way to establish themselves. However, more and more freelance photographers, wedding crafters and more spring up every year, which creates a highly competitive market for the select number of weddings being booked. While the individual can be delightfully talented, this skill needs to be presented correctly in a way that cries out to couples that this person is the ideal choice to work on their wedding.

Not everyone has the perfect sales pitch or the infectious personality which thrives in the industry, but this does not have to hold your business back. Being able to show experience in your craft and a professional outlook suggests to potential clients that you are a trustworthy vendor. Larger companies such as florists or cake designers often have shop fronts where they work from which provides an insight into their world, but this kind of setup simply isn’t viable for independent vendors. But at exhibitions or shopping centre displays, the playing field is levelled and it is in this setting where speciality vendors can thrive.

Roller banners are excellent companions for the independent wedding vendors as it offers a professional medium where you can advertise your services and justify why you are the right person for the client in a matter of seconds. Housed in a light and compact frame, roller banners can be utilised by vendors wherever they are such as in store, on the exhibition floor or pitching in shopping centres. Each roller banner can feature custom graphic design, allowing you to inject your personality into it and demonstrate why the service you provide is perfect for the couple’s wedding.

Many wedding destinations are open to the public throughout the remainder of the year and roller banners provide great additions to advertise the possibility of hosting a wedding there. Historic buildings and unusual locations in particular can benefit through this by showing that they are capable of being transformed into a truly memorable wedding destination. Making the most of the high quality banner allows these destinations to provide a glimpse of the environment in a wedding setting and allowing interested couples an insight into how their wedding reception could look.

By incorporating custom graphic design with the roller banners, the content you choose to include is completely up to you. Having a mobile promotional tool is excellent for illustrating what your speciality is and the type of locations and themes which you have worked on in the past. You can also utilise it to provide more information about yourself if you are an independent vendor, as it is important to create an element of trust with a client before they will commit to requesting your services. But most of all, remember to keep the design clean and professional, the design is a reflection of yourself so use it to catch a potential client’s eye and then you can step in and demonstrate why your services will be perfect for their wedding.

If you would like to learn more about the potential that roller banners have then please feel free to get in touch with our advisors, who can inform you of how they can help to advertise your business. You can contact them by calling 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com.

Sterling Banner Visual - Floristry2

Categories
2016 Blogs

How to Make Your Wedding Day Personal and Unique

Wedding days are such a rare and special occasion that it can be easy to get overwhelmed with the options available to make your day perfect. From the dress right the way down to the invitations, each aspect of the wedding can be tailored to reflect your tastes and memories. Couples increasingly have been moving away from traditional weddings and this provides the opportunity to create a truly unique reception which embraces your loved ones into your lives. This day often only happens once in a lifetime for many people, so you will want to make sure that every part of the day is sprinkled with your personal touch.

Before you can begin mapping every cute detail, it is important to create an overriding theme which connects each element of your wedding. This can reflect your hobby, interests, time of year and more, just make sure it is something that you truly love. The theme provides the basis for every other aspect to revolve around. For example, if you are planning on having a beach wedding in somewhere warm, then you can personalise the food selection to reflect on the location, introduce order of services which also double up as fans or even personalise the beach to add your own little stamp to the environment.

During the reception there is a great deal that you can customise, so we’re going to lay out some interesting ideas that are worth thinking about. The easiest way to add that personal touch to your wedding day is to introduce photos of you and your loved one as well as the friends and family that will be attending. These are a great way to customise place cards and you can even add some humour by adding photographs. At the reception, provide a photo mat which guests can sign on arrival so you have an interesting way of remembering those who attended. Additionally, you can display fond memories using a roller banner to create high quality prints of the image and provide a talking point for your guests.

Coming to the table display, everything all the way down to the type of material used to create the table can be customised if required. Place names, flowers, table decorations and more can be tweaked to reflect the theme of your wedding. For one, if you are employing a caterer, you can work with them to develop a menu which includes some of your favourite dishes, seasonal fruit and vegetables or theme related platters. A fantastic addition that more and more couples are using is adding disposable cameras to each table, allowing you to gain a perspective from each table throughout the night as well as some behaviour that you might not expect your official photographer to capture.

With the joys of the internet, you can now create custom music playlists, rather than relying on the tedious wedding playlists that your parents may have endured. Take advantage of this by introducing songs which evoke fond memories, songs with meaning which draw on your guest’s emotions. You could even combine this with a projected photo loop which display memories from past and present which all of your friends and family can view. Your cake design is another aspect which is no longer restricted by the traditional white, three tiered design. Make the most of it by employing a wedding cake designer to integrate what you love into both the flavour as well as the design.

As it is your day, the only important thing to keep in mind when planning is that it brings out what makes you and your significant other unique. The disposable cameras and photo mat suggestions are great for reminders to take away, but ultimately the design of your wedding should express what makes you both special by incorporating the colours you love, the flavours you adore and conveying that with the people that you care about. For information about how you can make the most of roller banners to help achieve this, then please give us a call on 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com.

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Categories
2016 Blogs

Preparing for Wedding Exhibitions and How to Make the Optimal Impact

Wedding exhibitions are a lively hotspot for vendors with an array of different talents, but many struggle to make the most of their potential. In these halls, soon to be married couples can taste, experience, or touch a little portion of what could later feature on their wedding day. That day will only come once in a lifetime for many, which is chiefly the reason why couples will pay a premium to get what they want. Despite this, you can attend many exhibitions and find some vendors sat behind a desk showing little interest or others who aggressively ram pamphlets into the pockets of anyone that walks past. There is a good reason why some do incredibly well at wedding exhibitions whilst others don’t, so we’ve got a rundown on how to set yourself up for success.

This planning all begins when you first settle on the idea to attend a wedding exhibition. The first step is to research around what is available, and with hundreds or even thousands of wedding exhibitions every year, there is a huge amount of choice. There are very few generic exhibitions and each has their own niche, so it is essential to find out where you can identify that you both share a similar target market. Some exhibitions appeal to the rich and extravagant, others feature unique quirks and even more focus on themed weddings. For example, you will probably want to avoid taking your pearl white dressmaking exhibition stand to a Harry Potter themed event.

Now you have identified a few locations where you know your company can be a hit, it’s time to start thinking about the design of your exhibition stand. You have complete creative freedom here, but there are a few tips you may want to follow. Firstly, choose a design which will appeal to your target audience, if this is for traditional weddings then a professional stand enhanced by roller banners and more is a great fit. Next, try to inject some personality into the display, make it stand out so when the brides walk into the hall, their eyes are immediately drawn to your stand. Finally, freebies are always a winner, but make the customer work for them, you don’t want to be giving away your product without seeing any results!

While exhibitions will naturally draw in a crowd, there is plenty that you can do to keep your stand busy on the day. For people that have enquired beforehand, this is a great opportunity to let them know that you will be displaying your services and it’s an excellent chance for them to really get a feel for what you provide. If you already have your social media channels established, then this is the perfect way to let people know that you will be attending. Also, be mindful of researching where the event will be advertising, as it is helpful to guarantee that there will be a healthy amount of traffic throughout the day.

With your research done and potential interested parties contacted then you just need to plan how you can make the most from the amount of people you will be speaking to. As mentioned in the intro, having promotional material such as leaflets on hand allows you to provide an example of your services for potential clients to take away. With so much to see, it can be easy for people to forget the name of your company, so providing them with a fresh reminder can help to boost your appointment book. As a side note, people generally hate having pamphlets thrust into their hands, so make sure that you are engaging with everyone interested in your stand and if they want to go away and consider it further, then this is the perfect chance to hand them your promotional material.

By completing this preparation, you are setting yourself up for having a great wedding exhibition. Just remember to smile and be approachable, which can go a long way to showing that you are the right person for that couple’s wedding. Even if traffic is slow, make the effort and show enthusiasm for the needs of every client as you never know who might be giving you a call back to help at their wedding.

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Categories
2016 Blogs

How to Create an Effective Display When Attending Wedding Fairs

Wedding fairs are a hotbed for couples looking to be amazed at what vendors can do for their wedding. Weddings are significant investments and they only come around once in a lifetime for some, so couples will be on the lookout for florists, caterers, photographers and more who will make their day truly special. Attending a wedding fair provides direct access to hundreds of couples who are searching for ideas and if you can design an effective exhibition stand, you may just fill your appointment book out significantly for the year ahead.

In very much the same vain as traditional exhibitions, you will be competing against others in your industry, but having the loudest and proudest display is not going to give you the edge. Couples are conjuring up more unique wedding ideas every year, and they are looking for someone who can make their dream a reality who is often equally as unique. It is therefore vital to inject as much of your personality as possible into your exhibition stand. Make a display which demonstrates the types of wedding you were passionate working on and add those personal touches which help couples to gain an understanding of what kind of person you are.

Ultimately, attendees are looking for someone they can trust, that when their day arrives, everything will run smoothly. This means interacting with them and trying to understand yourself what they want. There is nothing worse than going to a wedding fair and seeing vendors sat behind the tables, browsing through their social media and paying no interest to the people in front of them. Equally, you don’t want to kamikaze everyone that walks past, if someone takes an interest, then smile and approach them by asking about what kind of wedding they are interested in.

As important as your ‘performance’ is, it is equally necessary to have a well-designed exhibition stand to back you up. This is a great opportunity to show your personality, demonstrate the work that you do and prove to people that the service you will provide will make their day that little bit more special. Hand-made goods emit the aura that you are unique, while roller banners create a professional appearance which goes a long way to showing that you are excellent at what you do. Take care when using colour, traditional wedding colours such as whites and pastel shades are consistent winners while loud colours risk doing more harm than good.

Freebies and tasters can be a great way to draw people into your exhibition stand and give them a feel for what you provide, but be careful not to overdo it. Couples almost always value quality and information and while it is great that you have brought cake or fizzy for everyone, if you don’t have the information to back it up, then people are more likely to move on. They won’t all be looking to book on the day, so ensure you are stocked up on elegant promotional material which they can take away. A well designed pamphlet may just make the difference in guaranteeing a few extra bookings.

Finally, consider how you act and how you look. Typically, you may be quite shy or business may be slow on the day, but it is important to show your enthusiasm and engage with everyone showing an interest in your stand. Wear something smart, but don’t be too ridiculous, it is essential to come across as professional as possible and show that you are the best person to support their wedding.

Wedding fairs are all about displaying why your services will be perfect for a couple’s wedding. Huge exhibition stands or excessive designs will do more to push people away than to draw people in. When designing your stand, focus on expressing your personality and what makes your service unique. Make the effort to engage with every couple that shows an interest in what you provide and perhaps more importantly, show to them how knowledgeable you are to put their mind at ease. Combine these and you will create the foundations for a successful wedding fair and hopefully, this will fill out your appointment book for the approaching wedding season.

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