If you are organising an open day, showcase or even exhibiting at a wedding fair, you will want to read on for some valuable advice from Nicola, Director of Propose PR . Over to you Nicola.

Top ten tips on making the most of a one-off occasion

Think ahead and build a communication strategy with a budget and timeline. You could start with a series of teaser campaigns, revealing more and more information as the event gets closer, or by giving away tickets as a prize to select media channels. The key to a good communications timeline is consistency, so make sure if you have an initial burst of activity that you keep it up and don’t forget to carry on the promotion.

• Don’t just use social media to shout about yourself. Engage with couples that are attending the event. Most events will have a Facebook page or hashtag, so be part of the conversation that brides are already having, so that definite attendees know who you are well in advance.
• Write a list of the communication channels available to you, such as social media, magazines, blogs and newspapers, your customer database and leaflets / direct mail and decide which channels target the right audience for your event.
• So you have your target audience in mind – now tell them what they want to hear. Aside from the obvious details, such as where, when, who, how much and so on, what makes your event truly unmissable? What are its unique selling points and how can you get them across in an original and exciting way?
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• If you’re attending an event that’s external to your business, like a wedding fair, don’t miss the chance to promote your presence on your website, blog, email signature, database, e-newsletter, flyers and by word of mouth. Make sure brides can find you by mentioning your stand number and who will be representing you.
• Don’t just be ordinary. Think about how you can you make your stand or event extra special. You could run a competition, give away discounts for on-the-spot purchases, goodie bags for stand visitors or even arrange something interactive like on-stand entertainment, tastings, the facilities for brides to try on dresses or makeovers. Make sure that you shout about it too – the more you can engage potential customers in advance, the better.
• Stand-out styling can make all the difference to post-show publicity. Major press in attendance will be looking for the most striking and unique images to feature in their write ups, so be eye catching, original and let your styling say something about you and your business.

• Make the most of your money by using the fair or event’s own publicity channels. Most wedding fair organisers will have a marketing plan that all exhibitors can benefit from, for example including a write up of your business on their website, blog, show guide and social media channels. It also helps if other big-name businesses are exhibiting, and you are listed alongside them as it shows potential customers that you are in the same calibre as well-known suppliers.
• Make a lasting connection by swapping details. Don’t just let brides have a quick look at what’s on offer and pass you by, implement a way to give out your information, such as attaching your business card to free gifts. In turn, get brides to enter their details in a way that benefits them, via a prize draw, for example. This information is gold and should be stored onto your database and used for email marketing.
• Ask the event organiser if they would like you to do a workshop or take to the stage to do a talk or Q&A session with the brides. This is a great way of not only promoting yourself and your company but it’s also a chance for you to be known as an expert in your field. This gives you the unique opportunity to interact with brides on a whole new level, build trust and show them what you can do.

Propose PR is the first dedicated wedding specialist PR agency in the UK (and we are delighted that they are the UKAWP PR agency). Working with a range of high-quality and well-loved wedding suppliers, Director of Propose PR, Nicola Russill-Roy knows how to help clients get great results and publicity out of wedding fairs and in-store events.

For further details about Propose PR and their range of PR and Marketing services dedicated to help companies within the wedding industry please visit www.proposepr.com.

Nicola@proposepr.com @ProposePR (Twitter) www.facebook.com/ProposePR.