i was wondering if you thought it was worth the money.....if you actually got business from doing those big wedding expos and things

thanks for input

melody

I've done a few. They are really good!

The prices for having a booth vary unbelievably, here in Toronto...from a few hundred to $5000 for a week at some of the biggest ones.

I don't need a large booth at all, so I opted for the smallest. You can decorate with a few styrofoam cakes, some cake samples to taste, business cards, flyers, small photo albums, etc. (Don't have a full photo album there, or brides can take a LONG time to peruse it and other brides won't wait...they will just walk away. Even better, have a few photos in frames.)

Brides like to know on the spot about your availability, so have a book they can write their name, email address and wedding date down so that you can answer their questions really quickly when the show is over.

A good thing to do is to offer a 10%-15% special discount off their bookings for brides who refer to seeing you at the show!

I was wondering this too. But my big concern was if you have to have a licsensed kitchen? Does anyone know? Or if your not liscensed, has anyone done this anyways? What info do you need to give them, or do they only care about getting the money? Too many questions!

I was wondering the same thing SweeArt. In Louisiana, I can get my business license (LLC) but cannot get a permit for my kitchen. "Baking"Kitchen and "Assembly" Area must be separate from home kitchen.

So, after talking to a few people, I understand it to be that I should not advertise that I bake cakes. My personal calling card (ie business card) has a picture of a cake on it with my company name, my name, number and email address.

I also wonder if all the people with website have permits for their kitchen?

bj

I worked full-time in the Pastry Dept of a restaurant which has closed for huge renovations, so I use their legal, health-inspected kitchen for my work. When it re-opens...I will probably get my own space.

I wouldn't do a show without a certified work area. Any other competitors or disgruntled customers may make an issue of it if they find that out.

i was thinking about doing the spring wedding expo, i should have my liscence by then.... i wouldnt want to advertise that big without having a liscence and being legal. although i do small local craft shows with out a liscence. i sell decorated cookies and cupcakes, i havent gotten any calls for business doing those shows so i was wondering about the bridal shows.
thanks for input!
melody