Hi everyone!

Looking for suggestions on any onsite marketing ideas, tips or tricks for an event. I'm providing mini cupcakes, and ultimately doing the event for brand awareness and referrals - no individual sales. 

I'll have a table (including a cover), with a cake tree, plates for cupcakes, etc - my business logo on sign behind me, and plenty of business cards, menus, and referral cards available as well. 

If you have any suggestions for more interaction (i.e. contests, collecting customer information, etc...), I'd love to hear them!

Thank you

Are you giving away the cupcakes? Could you give out a percentage off offer for future orders, or an entry into a contest for people who post a photo of your  booth and tag your business page  on their social media during the event? Also have them follow you while they're there. Get a QR code to put in a little frame so they can scan it to get to your page right away without having to do anything. That way you get new followers, plus their facebook or instagram followers  see your stuff too. 

Also, get people to sign up for a newsletter or a mailing list while you have them there in person.

I think it depends on your business.  If you are targeting mass market, sell hundreds of cupcakes a day by walk in business then I'd say brand awareness and building a mailing list is very useful for encouraging people back to try 'new flavours' etc.  If however you are aiming for a very much more bespoke wedding cake type service, I would say that you are the most important marketing tool - yes, I know it's cheesy.  Yes, you must make sure it's easy for people to find and like you on facebook (the QR code on the stand is a genius idea!) but I truly believe that when people are making a highly emotive purchase like their wedding cake, the presentation of yourself, your stand and how you talk with them is the most important thing.  Pitch your stand to your clients.  If you are going high end, make sure you and your stand looks premium.  I once saw a lady doing a wedding fayre and she was wearing trainers, scruffy jeans, a t-shirt and hoodie with no make up and her hair looked like it had been dragged through a hedge.  She gets lots of business somehow as her cakes are cheap (although not well finished) but I saw many people look really unimpressed at her as they walked by.  I'm not saying that you need to be fake but you need to give a good impression.  Many cake businesses are one-person teams so, at the end of the day, you are selling yourself!  Good luck!  xx

Thank you so much! Your ideas were solid and just what I was looking for.  The event went well and it was a great opportunity for exposure - definitely utilizing your recommendations in the future. Love the QR code that syncs them to your page.