Getting ROI from the National Wedding Show? Today I am chatting with Sonia Bhayani – sales and partnership director at the National Wedding Show. We discuss why wedding shows still have a place in 2025 and beyond and how the National Wedding Show is staying current. We talk about how to approach wedding shows and the best ways to ensure you get the return on investment when you exhibit.

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Time Stamps:

00:25 – Introduction to Wedding Business Marketing

05:02 – Discovering the Wedding Show Experience

07:02 – The Importance of Wedding Shows

13:21 – Understanding Demographics in Wedding Shows

24:58 – Mistakes to Avoid at Wedding Shows

31:51 – Preparing for a Successful Show: Stand Design and Strategy

34:05 – Opportunities for Engagement at Wedding Shows

43:47 – Understanding Exhibitor Support and Costs

47:50 – Keeping the Show Fresh: Innovations for Future Events

Transcript:

Sonia
00:00:00.320 – 00:00:23.840
So having, you know, keeping that control, making sure that you’re the one, collating that, that, that, that information and also creating a database because we know that you know the show is great, but you need to also have a multitude of touch points post show to make sure you’re really conversing and getting, getting the roi. So I think that leafletting is, I don’t think leafleting is bad, but I think you need to be more proactive in taking that information down.

Becca
00:00:25.600 – 00:01:18.330
I’m Becca Poutney, wedding business marketing expert, speaker and blogger and you’re listening to the Wedding Pros who Are Read podcast. I’m here to share with you actionable tips, strategies and real life examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.

If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business doing what you love, then you’re in the right place. Let’s get going with today’s episode. Today I’m chatting with Sonia Baiani, Sales and Partnership Director at the National Wedding Show.

The National Wedding show is one of the largest in the UK, welcoming 40,000 visitors each year across five dates. With shows covering Birmingham, Manchester and London, there’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved.

Having spoken on stage myself at the National Wedding show on multiple occasions, I’ve really experienced the buzz of the room for myself. I cannot wait to hear more. Sonja, welcome to the podcast.

Sonia
00:01:18.650 – 00:01:19.930
Hi Becca, how are you?

Becca
00:01:20.250 – 00:01:30.480
I am very well, thank you. I know that you are hot off your autumn run of dates, so you and the team are very tired. How’s everything gone though, for your autumn dates?

Sonia
00:01:30.480 – 00:01:44.960
It’s been a fantastic season. So we did NEC Birmingham, London, Excel and we launched Manchester.

We haven’t been back to Manchester for about five and a half years, so it’s been a really busy few weeks, but a really rewarding one at the same time.

Becca
00:01:45.280 – 00:01:52.730
Oh, I hadn’t realized that was the first time you’ve been back in Manchester for a while. How did it go down? Did you, those brides up north, appreciate you being up in Manchester?

Sonia
00:01:52.890 – 00:02:21.370
I think so. I mean, we were really pleased with how the show went overall.

I mean, with any kind of launch, it’s always a bit nerve wracking, especially because when you, when you have that heritage, we’ve built, we’ve built a community in the Midlands and in London. So we really almost started from scratch with Manchester.

But you know, we’ve got lots of learnings, we’ve got lots of great feedback from Both the visitors and the suppliers. And overall we’re really happy with how it went. So it’s a really solid starting point. So we’re really excited for 2020.

Becca
00:02:21.950 – 00:02:41.950
Amazing. Well, we’ll talk more about that later.

But before we get into more details about the show, I want to find out a bit more about you because I always like to get to know my guests on the podcast and my listeners like to know who they’re listening to and why they should listen to you. So obviously I gave your title in the intro, but tell me a bit more about you, your background and how long you’ve been working the show.

Sonia
00:02:42.030 – 00:03:38.270
So I started in 2017 on the National Wedding show. So I think if my maths is correct, it’s not, it’s not my strong point.

But it’s been about eight years and I came into the show as an account manager, so I’ve actually worked my way up.

So I, I started selling on the shows and it was a really good starting point actually because it built this foundation for me to really understand not just the portfolio that we have, but really gave me the opportunity to build these relationships with, with our suppliers. And since kind of working on the shows, I’ve obviously progressed.

I’m now I obviously kind of the sales and partnerships element, but we’re not a huge team.

So in terms of kind of what my day to day role involves, you know, ultimately I’m talking to kind of brands and show partners, but also, you know, getting involved in lots of different elements from kind of supporting the marketing team, working really closely with our operations team just to make sure that the shows, you know, as valuable to visitors as they are to our exhibitors.

Becca
00:03:38.670 – 00:03:47.310
Amazing. And so before that, before you worked for the National Wedding show, were you in weddings previously? Were you in marketing?

What did you do before you entered our wonderful world of weddings?

Sonia
00:03:47.530 – 00:04:54.160
It feels like such a long time ago. No, I’ve always worked in sales, but slightly different, different industries. So I worked in kind of a tech startup environment.

So previous to the national Wedding shows, I worked for a company called Wahanda, which is now Treat well, which many people might, might recognize. And from there I went on to a company called Houzz, which is Houzz. I have PTSD because I’d always have to spell it like that.

But that is an American based tech startup which would help home design and renovation professionals to connect with homeowners who are looking to do these big renovations. So always worked in kind of small startup style businesses, but it was always in a sales role. So I’m very much kind of.

I’m very much commercials focused, commercially focused and previous, previous to that, which feels like a whole lifetime ago. When I went to university, I actually studied accounting and finance. So I had this brief stint where I thought I wanted to be an account.

And then I quickly realized I’ve got too much personality, far too much personality to sit in front of a laptop and do Excel spreadsheets.

Becca
00:04:54.640 – 00:05:12.200
So the national wedding show is quite a far step away from accountancy, but I’m biased, but it is a great industry to work in.

What’s your first experience going back to 2017, if you can go back that far in your memory of going to one of the shows, do you remember the first time you stepped into one of your shows?

Sonia
00:05:12.200 – 00:06:17.600
Yeah, I do. So I started in the August of 2017. So I very much. It was like a crash course. I hadn’t worked in events. I was new to kind of that whole environment.

And we did our first show in September at Olympia. So Olympia, London is a beautiful venue. Anyway, so I was like, I walked in and I was like, oh my God, it’s amazing.

And especially for a wedding show, that that venue particularly looks beautiful dressed up as, you know, as a wedding exhibition. And I actually really fell in love with, with the industry from that, that moment on.

I think seeing the shows live in action really cemented why I’d taken on the role. But, you know, meeting those suppliers, a lot of, there’s a lot of independent businesses, SME business that makes up this, this, this industry.

And I think I’ve always been naturally quite curious. I love, I love speaking to business owners.

I love finding out about kind of what’s, what their motivation is, what, what their, you know, what prompted them to start this business. And it was just it. I just absolutely, like, loved the whole experience. And I think from there I was just hooked. And I was like, I love it.

I’m going to be here forever and ever and ever.

Becca
00:06:17.810 – 00:07:20.410
And it is a vibe, like I said in my introduction, I’ve got fond memories of it myself. I spoke at it for two, three, possibly even four seasons for a long time. So I experienced all the different venues and it still lives on in me.

I remember that buzz of that room, the people in there, the sights, the sounds, if people are listening. And you’ve never been to one of the shows, not necessary to exhibit, to just attend and see what it’s like.

I think it is something you need to have seen for yourself because we know that not all wedding shows are Created equal. We can have a small wedding show in a venue with a few tables.

Tables all the way up to what you’re doing in the national wedding show when they’re all called the same thing, but they’re not all the same thing, they’re very, very different. So if you are listening to this and you’ve never been to the event. Absolutely get yourself along to one of the events.

Now why is it then do you think that wedding shows still have a place? Because even since 2017, marketing has shifted dramatically. We’re living in a very digital age. Everyone’s on TikTok social media.

Yet wedding shows are still very much an in person event. Why do you think there’s still a place for them?

Sonia
00:07:20.650 – 00:09:12.590
I think because when a bride, when a couple are shopping for their wedding or they’re finding their supplies, it’s very much an emotional purchase.

So quite often if they are, you know, looking for their photographer or they’re looking for their wedding planner, you can, you can go and find this all online.

You know, you’re right, a lot of people, I mean even, even, you know, I would, I would, I would sit down, look, you know, go on Google, find wedding planners in my area, photographers in my area and it will pull up a list for me and that’s great and it makes my life so much simpler. But when come to a wedding show, you actually get to meet those suppliers face to face.

And when you’re making such a big purchase and you know, weddings are expensive things, being able to meet the supplier in person, you know, it, it helps that couple choose that particular supplier. It’s such, it’s such a, I mean aside from kind of the finance, financial side of it, you have to really like your supplier.

These people are going to make your big day that they are going to be the person that takes the pictures that you’re going to look at. In 20, 30 years time, you, you really got to be able to build that rapport and that connection with the couple.

So from a supplier perspective, it’s so important to be there in person to meet those, those couples who actually are quite overwhelmed at the beginning stages of their wedding planning journey. There’s a lot of information being pumped at them. The minute you get engaged. You know, you’ve got your TikToks and your Instagrams.

Those algorithms are pushing suppliers, they’re pushing all this messaging, all this information.

So sometimes coming to a show like this whilst it, you know, it is a big event and there is a lot to do and there’s A lot of information, again, thrown at you.

Being able to speak to somebody face to face in a one to one, in a one to one setting just allows people to find the right person for them and it, and it allows them to, you know, for a supply, it allows them to kind of really pitch and make their pitch more bespoke and suited to that particular couple.

Becca
00:09:12.590 – 00:09:29.370
What do you think from a couple perspective? Because I think for them. Do you think they see it as part of their overall planning experience?

I remember when I was at the show, people would come in big groups of girls or with their mum, their nan, everyone would come along for the ride. So why do you think the National Wedding show is still important to couples?

Sonia
00:09:29.450 – 00:10:54.210
So I think the heritage that we’ve got, we’ve been running the shows for just over 30 years, so people. And during that time we’ve established ourselves as kind of a big touch point in that wedding planning journey.

So quite often couples, brides, as soon as they get, get engaged, they’re looking for their next show. So that’s a lovely position to be in. And they come there because I think, again, it’s that noise. There’s a lot of information being thrown at them.

And they come to the shows for a couple of reasons. A, because, you know, actively there’s intent there that they’re looking to find their suppliers.

And that’s, that’s the messaging that, you know, we go out with our marketing team, you know, you know, through, through our email campaigns and through our social media campaigns, they’re pushing the messages that this is where you come to find the best suppliers in the industry. The other element of it is there’s a celebratory element to it. It’s a happy show. As soon as you get engaged, you’re part of this special club.

So anything that allows you to celebrate this moment in time, you know, the, you know, you want to be. And the shows offer that, that element.

And also the other element of it is that you, you know, you’ve spoken at the shows and we, and we’ve got the say I do stage, which has really useful, you know, talks that help couples think about, you know, what does that, what does that, that kind of, what does their wedding look like, how to kind of make it as enjoyable as possible because it can get quite stressful.

So, yeah, I think there’s a couple of elements that encourage couples to come, but I think shopping and finding their suppliers kind of top of the list.

Becca
00:10:54.690 – 00:11:18.750
And I think in some ways the longevity of people at the shows is Longer than I’ve seen at other shows because there is so much for them to.

But it’s not just the exhibition stands, like you said, there’s talks, but also you’ve got those different like VIP areas you’ve had in the past, lounge areas, photo points, there’s all sorts of things going on. So you know, a smaller wedding show, maybe a couple might come in for an hour or two. Do you think a lot of your couples stay for the whole day?

Sonia
00:11:18.910 – 00:13:21.630
So we plan our shows in a way that we’re maximizing the dwell time.

We know from a visitor perspective if they come into a hall and it’s just, you know, exhibitor, exhibitor, exhibitor, exhibitor, all they’re going to be seeing is sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. Right. So we need to break it up and make sure that when they come in.

Yes, of course the primary reason or the primary reason why we have these exhibitors in the hall is so that they can, you know, showcase their services and their products. And we want to make sure that that is as comfortable as possible. Not just for the visitor but for the exhibitor.

So we include, like you said, we’ve got the champagne bar where people can sit down, have a drink, have something to eat.

We have catwalk shows where you can sit down for 20 minutes and actually get ideas, inspiration of what you want your wedding dress as kind of, you know, interactive pieces of content.

Like the say I do stage, we’ve got like nail bars and these things allow for visitors to come in, speak to suppliers, take a minute to either regroup, think about kind of what they want to do next, think about, you know, whether that supplies for them and then go and enjoy something that’s, that’s not as kind of transactionary, it’s a lot softer. And I think that helps the shows be positioned as kind of days out.

And that’s what again from a marketing standpoint we position it as that as well also the of the shows. So at the nec Birmingham, it’s right next door to resorts worlds. There’s lots of food and drink places.

Same with xl London and Manchester slap bang in the city centre. So it allows people and we allow people to come in and out of the hall freely across the day.

So that again it’s, it’s not, it’s not full of pressure for them. It’s an enjoyable day out.

So from from a supplier’s perspective and we got this feedback at Manchester, actually they had one, one of my suppliers had a bride that came in, she was interested in buying the wedding dress because some of our bridal boutiques will sell across the weekend. She the dress on loved it but wanted a minute, went out, got some lunch and then came back in in the afternoon and booked it.

So we do, we, we kind of have lovely pieces of content to break up the day and we position, we situate our shows in areas where that they can come in and out freely over, over the course of the day.

Becca
00:13:21.630 – 00:13:52.530
Now I’m going to ask you some questions that I tell my suppliers that I work with to ask before they ever book a wedding show. Because I think one of the mistakes people make is they book shows without actually thinking about it. They don’t pay any attention.

And one of the big things I say to ask before they actually start spending money is about the demographic of the show and who’s actually there because if it’s not the couples that they’re trying to attract to their business, it’s not right for them. So who are the demographic would you say at the national wedding show? And it does it vary between location?

Sonia
00:13:52.690 – 00:15:21.720
So yeah, well the key difference between each location is kind of where these, where these couples are coming from. So if we look at the NEC show for example, you’re getting primarily the Midlands catchment xl.

London you’re getting London and the Home Counties and at Manchester it’s kind of the northwest catchment. So from, in terms of where they’re coming from, it’s very kind of regional which is why we have three different events.

But in terms of that, that you know, their budgets, it does vary slightly because of where you are. You know, you’ll often find that London is slightly higher than, than the Midlands.

Interestingly, Manchester and London are very much on par but we sit proudly in the mid market. So you know, quite often I’ll speak to suppliers that are interested in speaking to couples, but they sit more in the luxury premium market.

And we isn’t our audience. You know, we are mid market. We know that our couples have a budget to spend.

We know that, you know, when, when they’re shopping for their wedding they have a budget in mind. Quite often they go over.

But this, but this, this kind of, this mid market is kind of where we sit and we, that allows us to have a much broader catchment.

I think another thing that we do is, you know, when, when looking kind of our, our events is we ticket our, our shows so we charge between 20 and 40 pounds to attend and that for us it not that quality of audience because you know there are people in the world that will just go to a show for the sake of it, for a bit of Prosecco and cake. It just. You just get this intentional couple that are there to actually get things off, take things off their shopping list.

Becca
00:15:21.800 – 00:16:21.480
Yeah, I think that’s actually a really important point because I’ve been, when I was a wedding supplier, going back years and years, I’ve been at shows myself, exhibiting where it’s international Trust property or something and just people are just wandering in because they fancy a look around and actually it’s really hard to differentiate who’s serious. But actually by putting a ticket price on, you are already filtering that because if people have paid, number one, they’re more likely to show up.

But number two, like you said, they’re intentional and they’re willing to invest something because if they’re willing to pay £20 to be there, they therefore have that mindset of I now need to make the most of this day. It’s that sunk cost fallacy like I’ve paid to be here, therefore I need to make sure I have left the show having ticked things off of my list.

So I think you do attract a more premium audience.

But in that mid range, in terms of amount of footfall, obviously I gave the big number, which is across all of your shows on an individual show basis. Again, does it vary between the places? Manchester being newer, are you seeing roughly on average the same amount of footfall across the shows?

Sonia
00:16:21.480 – 00:17:10.959
Yeah. So we would say from a football perspective, Birmingham sits at just over 10,000.

And if we look at the numbers from the autumn show, just gone for xl, interestingly sitting at that amount, XL has seen phenomenal growth over the last few seasons. So it’s very much rivaling footfall of NEC Birmingham.

Manchester is a launch show, so we delivered just, just over 7,000 visitors across, across the two days.

And the goal is just with every show that you do is to continually grow that not just in, in terms of size, in terms of getting the number of suppliers into the show, but also through football.

I think the more we, the more people know about the show and I think that the shows that we’ve just done, it’s great to see lots of, lots of couples emailing us, being like, when’s the next show, Manchester? When’s that happening? So we’ll see that, we’ll see that growth in terms of football next. Next year.

Becca
00:17:10.959 – 00:18:18.050
Amazing. And I think that’s a great start for Manchester. 7,000 for a launch show. And as you say, that’s only going to increase.

And it’s also really positive that London has seen such an increase because Birmingham was always the leader of the pack. So that’s also great to hear. And that’s a lot of people through the room, and I think that’s one thing we have to hold on to.

I mean, we’ll come on to cost later, but quite often people say to me, oh, big wedding shows are too expensive. And I understand that mindset.

But equally, you have to look at it from a marketing perspect of, you know, cost per walking people through the door, because often we’re just like, well, that’s really expensive and this is really cheap. But the really cheap show may get 20 visitors, and the really expensive show, or what’s seen as expensive, may get 10,000 visitors.

And therefore you can’t compare them like, for like. I think that’s one of the mistakes people make. But we’ll come on to that in a little bit because I want to talk about what works for exhibitors.

You’ve been in and around these shows for years. I saw them up close and personal as well. So I’ve got some thoughts. But what do you think works for exhibitors?

Are there exhibitors that you see come back time and time and time again and are easily booking up straight away for the next show? Why do you think that is? What’s working for them?

Sonia
00:18:18.050 – 00:20:26.540
Yeah, so I think that.

So firstly, in terms of that retention, we have around 70% of our exhibitors that are coming back year on year, which is a really good indication that the shows work for them, that we’re doing something right. And, you know, that their business is required, you know, in terms of kind of what they. What they’re offering from a product and service perspective.

So that’s really good. And that makes our lives a lot easier. It allows us to continue to grow the show.

But in terms of what they do, and what I’ve noticed over the years is the suppliers that do the best are those that make it easier for the couples to buy. So one of the first things I’ll say to a new supplier is that you’ve got to make sure.

Yes, you’ve got to make sure that it’s really easy to understand or identify what you do on stand. So quite often, you know, you’ll see some beautifully dressed stands, but it isn’t really clear what they do.

So sometimes, you know, visually, when people are walking past them, it’s not clear whether a venue stylist or whether they’re an app or, you know, whether they. They. They provide, I don’t know, a photo with Service.

It’s really important visually to make sure that it’s, it’s, you know, within kind of the first few seconds somebody knows what, what it is that you do. And second, you need to have a very strong and clear pricing structure. So quite often couples are coming in, it’s.

Well, most of the time it’s their first time going through this process.

So they don’t really have any concept what, you know, what, you know, what a, I don’t know, a photography package costs or a photo booth package costs.

So if you don’t have clear structure or you have, don’t have clear price lists or a clear way of kind of talking through those, that pricing, you’re losing customers. So I often encourage people to have that ready to go.

And also having enough space on stand, so having enough space so that people actually come in and have a conversation. And when I look at suppliers that have done well over the years, first of all, they have a viable product and service.

They’re actually really good at what they do and the product that they do have is relevant for the industry. But the second, the second kind of the other points is that they actually do make an effort in terms of the way their stand looks.

They make it clear to the, to the visitor and they make it easy to buy. And that’s why they do well from the shows and they come back year on year.

Becca
00:20:26.700 – 00:21:20.210
I think it’s interesting, isn’t it, because it’s almost. We’re kind of contradicting ourselves in some ways because we know that it’s important for the stand to look amazing.

But I think sometimes, as you say, people spend so much energy and effort making their stand look amazing that they end up looking like a florist or looking like a styling company when they’re actually something completely different. And so that’s actually a really tough thing to get right, to make your stand look great.

But also importantly, immediately within the first 0.05 seconds, someone needs to be able to go, this is what I need. A singer, a photographer or a saxophonist or whatever it is. And so to get that balance.

Balance is tricky, I think, particularly for, for people that don’t have visual stuff to show. So celebrants or planners, particularly sometimes venues as well, have you seen anything specifically work well for any of those categories?

Sonia
00:21:20.370 – 00:24:08.130
So I think if I, if I think about kind of celebrants or, you know, people that essentially are selling themselves, that it’s just them, it’s their one man bands, that’s just them on stand a lot of it comes down to how they, their body language, how they are on stand.

So one of my biggest pieces of advice for people is when they’re on stand, do not sit down, do not be on your phone, stand up, be approachable because ultimately people are buying you and your personality and what you do. So be very present. You know, start the conversation rather than set, rather than, you know, handing someone a leaflet or a fly.

Ask them how their day is, ask them if they’ve, you know, if they got their wedding day.

Ask them something that’s not necessarily related to your business and start the conversation in organic soft way so that you can then naturally talk about what it is that you provide, what it is that you do with the venues. And kind of the venues is huge at the show. I mean a lot of the couples coming into the shows, they, they haven’t found their wedding venue.

So actually venues are critical for our event overall, but they do really well from it.

So a big part of what I encourage venues to do is to, you know, a, to get that footfall because there is nowhere, there is no show out there that will deliver the footfall. But not every visitor is going to, going to be their couple. So I kind of ask them to look at it from a funnel perspective.

So let’s say for example, at the nec, you’re looking at thousand visitors.

Even if you get a minimum of 5% of those couples across to your open day or a show around, as long as the conversion rate is strong between the show around or the open day to actually booking in, you can see some real roi. But you have to go in there with some real intent.

So you need to have open days booked in ready for people to, to attend or there needs to be a show around calendar that you can put people in over the weekend.

One of the tricks a couple of my venues have started doing, and it works really well, especially if they’re kind of a hotel or they offer kind of food and dining on site, is that they actually do like a very special, like they do like a special afternoon tea or like they do like a, a set menu which people can book in for.

So what they’ll do is they’ll book in for the show around, they’ll take advantage of this lovely kind of afternoon tea and they’ll, that will then get that couple to commit to attending so you get less cancellations post show.

And then when they, when they do turn up, they have the show around and then they get to enjoy the venue in a much softer kind of it allows them to take in the venue. Much like if you were like going to, to a house, if you mill, you want to see it and you want to really experience and make sure it’s the right fit.

So it depends on the supplier, but I do think that both, I mean across all across all suppliers, don’t be on your phone, don’t sit down, you know, it is busy, it is tiring.

Just be on your feet, be chatty, be engaging and you’ll find the cup that the more you do those things, the more couples will naturally gravitate because it is quite an overwhelming experience.

Becca
00:24:08.690 – 00:25:25.840
Yes, there’s so much to unpack in there. I think one thing that’s definitely coming out is you do need to give people a reason to stop and talk to you.

And so anything you can do that isn’t just jumping in their face and shoving them a business card is helpful.

And also I think the follow up strategy, I love what you’ve just shared about that venue and that strategy and an idea to get people to take that next step. I think quite often people see the show as the final step rather than the start of the funnel.

And so again, for every supplier type, if you’re listening to this for any show you do, you really need to think about that. What is my aim? What am I trying to get them to do next? Because just making the sale isn’t always the easy, the easiest step.

People do sell at shows and people do make money at shows.

But quite often there needs to be another step in between that and so being creative with that and thinking about what that looks like really important. Okay, let’s look on the flip side. Let’s look at what people do wrong at the shows.

One of my favorite things to do when I used to speak at the National Wedding show was to walk around and find people who were doing it really badly and then spend some time with them, helping them to do it better.

Because obviously that’s what I do in my business and, and I would just stop, I was there all day anyway, and chat to them and go, have you thought about doing this differently? Have you thought about putting your phone down? So what are some of the key mistakes? I’ve got some as well.

But from your perspective, what are some of the key mistakes? If you walk around a show and you think, oh, why are they doing that?

Sonia
00:25:26.880 – 00:28:00.280
I think so. We’ve spoken about kind of being on your phone sitting down.

But I think one thing that, you know, it’s a red flag for me is when somebody isn’t taking down contact details. So quite often people feel like, okay, we’re going to get loads of flyers printed and we’re going to give them out.

That means that the couple have your details but you don’t have theirs. Which means from a sales, from a sales process perspective, you’ve lost out. You’ve completely.

There’s no, there’s no, there’s no database to be built.

There’s no information you’re going on that you’re kind of leaning on the hope that they’ll contact you and that they’ll, they’ll get in touch with you if they’re interested. Actually, you need to be far more proactive. So that means you need to be doing some kind of activation. Competitions are really popular at the show.

So you know, whether it’s like win a hamper or win a free night stay, collect using that as a way to collect details and naturally. And again, there’s a trick to it.

I don’t think you can just get people to get them to fill in because people will fill in if there’s prices to what be won. People will actively give you their details.

You want them to be fit, you want to get them to fill in their details, but you also want to use that time whilst they’re filling in that information to ask them key questions. So you can actually identify whether a cold, warm or a hot lead.

So you know, if you, if you know you’re giving away a luxury weekend away at the venue that you’re, that you’re there, you know, showcasing, if they’ve already found their venue, great, but they’re not necessarily, you know, the right person that you need to be speaking to.

So having, you know, keeping that control, making sure that you’re the one collating that, that, that, that information and also creating a database because we know that, you know, the show is great but you need to also have a multitude of touch points post show to make sure you’re really conversing and getting, getting the roi. So I think that leafletting is, I don’t think leafleting is bad but I think you need to be more proactive in that’s number one.

I think the other thing that I find quite not frustrating but it’s when people aren’t on their stand and it seems like such a, such a simple one. There’s plenty at the shows we do like, we do have networking opportunities so we do exhibit A drinks on Saturday night.

We have, you know, tea and coffee lounges set up throughout the weekend. So there’s lots of touch points where you can actually speak to other supply supplies that you know, but be on your stand.

Because there are so many times where I’ve walked past and couples are just picking up leaflets or they’re looking through a portfolio, but this supplier isn’t there. So you actually have to be on stand to be able to speak to your couple, speak to your potential clients and in order to convert them.

So those are the two that I can. I can think of off the top.

Becca
00:28:00.280 – 00:28:32.580
Of my head, 100%, I think, on that second one, don’t try and do a show as big as yours alone. That’s one of my big things. I think sometimes people do and that’s why they end up having their stand empty.

And again, just when I was speaking at the shows, I was exhausted. I was even standing on an exhibition stand. It’s exhausting, it’s tiring. You need to eat, you need to use the bathroom.

You need to have at least, least one, if not two or three other people with you. So even if you don’t have anyone working with you, bring in a friend, a relative, pay someone to work on the stand with you.

Like it is too much to do that show alone.

Sonia
00:28:32.660 – 00:28:51.480
Yeah, I fully agree. I know that.

I know that some of my exhibitors this season had to get rope friends in, even if it was just for like the 15, 20 minutes every so often that you need to go to the bathroom and have it. Have something to eat or drink. It is important just because, like you said, it is a very intense few days. It’s enjoyable, but it is very tiring.

Becca
00:28:51.480 – 00:31:27.920
Yeah, definitely. The other thing that you said about control I think is incredibly important.

And I think one of the mistakes people make in our industry is that they see asking for something like details as being a hard sell. And so they’re so scared about being a hard sell that they do the absolute opposite, which is like, take my leaflet and maybe contact me again.

And then they never do. And then they say it doesn’t work for them.

I think for me, some of the tricks that I used to teach people, or still do teach people around, that element of control is really realizing you’re actually being helpful to the couple by taking some details or following up rather than feeling like you’re doing the hard sell.

Because actually, if you walk around that show and collect all those flyers, what happens is you get to the end of the show and you can’t even remember which flyer belonged to which person.

And quite often you remember the face or the person you spoke to, but all of the flyers look the same, all of the names of the businesses look the same.

And actually that’s really frustrating for a couple if they did have a really good conversation with you and they do actually want to work with you and now they can’t remember which of the 25 flyers suppliers belongs to you. So change the mindset and realize actually by following up that really helps.

The other thing I always say, especially if you’re doing a big show like yours, is include a photo of yourself in the first email you send back. Because like I said, they may not remember your brand, they may not remember your stand, but they will remember what you look like.

So when you send that immediate, and it should be immediate, automated follow up email, when you talk to someone on the stand, you put their details into your iPad. Whatever it is, it sends them an email and immediately include a photo of yourself.

Even better, if you’re organized and it’s a photo of you at your stand on like so it looks exactly the same.

But if you can’t be that organized, at least a photo of you because they’re much more likely to go, oh, I really enjoyed my conversation with X rather than oh, who was that floral sparkly company that I spoke to? Because let’s be honest, all wedding business names sound the same and so you’re the differentiating factor.

So yeah, for sure change the mindset and make sure they remember you. The other thing I think is as well, if you want to be memorable even in the follow up, is have something really memorable on your stand.

I remember one year at the wedding show and I talk about this example a lot. There was these wedding planners there and they had a bath full of balloons that people could get in and out of.

I don’t know if they even still do that, but it was a few years ago and even if you can’t remember anything else, you will remember that stand was the stand with the bath.

And so again refer to it in your follow up, have that on your social media platforms, talk about it so that people go, oh yeah, I loved that stand that had the bathroom bath on it and it makes it memorable rather than just another stand with more beautiful flowers.

Sonia
00:31:27.920 – 00:31:31.520
Yeah, I remember that bath actually. So it did its job.

Becca
00:31:31.520 – 00:31:57.060
Yeah, exactly. It was a great marketing technique. And I think the other thing I mistake I saw people making was just having a really poor stand.

I I’m sure you get this every time, but people given a space and most people maximize their space almost too much as we said before it’s not clear what they do, but you’d get other people that had basically almost forgotten they had to decorate their space. And so it was just like a blank shelf shell with a tiny little sign and it just looked really amateur.

Sonia
00:31:57.140 – 00:32:57.060
It’s a very, it’s a very visual kind of pretty industry.

So whilst it’s important to be really clear on what it is that you do, you do have to, you’re asking people to spend money with you so that, that means you’ve got to spend, you don’t have to spend loads, but you have to spend enough money for your stand to, to reflect your brand and reflect your business.

And, and that’s what we always say, we always say this is your pop up space and, and that has to, that, that space, whether it be, you know, a 2 meter square space or something a little bit bigger, you need to be able to showcase your brand and you need to be able to do it efficiently.

We actually have, we actually have contractors that, you know, there are some, there are some suppliers are far too busy to kind of organize the logistics of actually their stand and, and furnish it.

So we do have contractors where people can literally just say, this is what I want and they’ll turn up on the day and it’s there, it’s already done for them and they can just focus on exhibiting for the weekend. Creative suppliers, it’s a great opportunity. It’s like a blank canvas for them.

They can, they can do their own thing and, and really go to town with it.

Becca
00:32:57.060 – 00:34:13.320
Yeah. And I just think it’s important to realize that it all forms part of this big picture.

I think again, people just see the event as a standalone thing but actually if you are going to invest money in doing a big show or any show, you need to think about what comes before that. You need to think about what happens on the day, how it looks and then the strategy for what comes after that.

And it all has to form part of the marketing because you could have a great start stand, but if you don’t collect details and there’s no follow up, you’ll come back and go, national wedding show didn’t work for me.

And that’s very frustrating for us as marketers because you go, well, it could have worked for you, but you actually just didn’t do the right things to make it work.

We can give you everything, we could give you the space, we can give you 10,000 people walking past you, but if you don’t do the work to make it work for you, it’s just never going to work. But equally, you have to have the time or the budget to do it properly. And so I think it is an important decision to make.

But those that do it properly, properly are the ones, the 70% that come back time and time again because they can see that it’s working for them. Yeah, okay. We’ve talked about mistakes. We talked about how to stand out. We talked about how people do it.

Well, are there other opportunities that people can get involved in other than just the exhibiting opportunities at the show? Because often I say to people, if you are going to be there and exhibit, like, make the most of absolutely everything you can do as part of the show.

So what other opportunities are there?

Sonia
00:34:13.400 – 00:37:32.090
Yeah, absolutely. So in terms of, you know, going back to the features and the content that we. That we have at the event.

So we do have the say I do stage, which you’ve spoken on. And, you know, for us there isn’t. We want to make sure that it’s really good, strong content. So there isn’t always this link between.

You must exhibit with us in order to have a speaking spot on there.

So if there is somebody, if you’re an expert in what you do and you really feel like you can create, you know, a piece of content that people want to listen to and it’s actually ultimately going to help couples, you can apply to do or to be able to say, I do stage. I do think, and I will check this, but that there is a link where you can apply on the website and it will just ask you to fill in a form.

And that’s a really great way if you want to be seen as a thought leader or some, you know, if you are, it works really well for wedding planners. Anybody that’s been doing this, been working this industry for a long time and wants to impart advice to our couple. So that.

That’s a really great touch point. We also have our catwalk, but this is more kind of suited to your bridal and the menswear. But that’s a really lovely touch point.

Aside from having a stand, it allows you to showcase your collections or any designers that you stock. And I have seen like firsthand how, you know, I’ve seen a bridal, I’ve seen one of bridal beauty boutique invests in. In the catwalk and have.

And has a designer kind of showcase on there.

And I’ve seen that, you know, from a visitor standpoint is they see the dress that they want and then as soon as that show’s over, they go straight on to stand, to find, find where that dress is, where that dress is located and how they can try it on. So, you know, when it comes to the show, there’s those two pieces of content, but then we’re also quite open as a team.

So each year, I mean, we’re in the process now of looking at spring 2026 and thinking about what kind of features and content that we want to bring. And we’re always keen, I mean, we work with House now, someone’s on a nail bar at the XL London.

We’re always really interested if someone’s got an idea for an activation or something that’s kind of more sponsorship based. We’re always open to having a chat.

So I always encourage people that if you’ve got an idea, pop as an email, we can have a chat about it and if it works and it, and it’s got legs, we’ll discuss it further. Because I think that’s, that’s the best part of doing what we do. We, we have lots of really creative individuals.

Sometimes, you know, are a fresh, fresh pair of eyes for us. They were like, have you thought about doing this at the show? This is what I could provide.

And quite often that’s where you get these really lovely new pieces, the features and content.

But aside from that, you know, if somebody can’t do the show, you know, quite often, you know, you’ve got wedding weddings booked in for those dates or you’re busy. We do have this really solid digital proposition.

So the digital proposition sits really well for, sits well for, you know, suppliers that can’t make the shows and they want to still speak to our audience. We’ve got 2, 216,000 subscribers on that. So they’re actively engaging with our content. So we can, we can, you know, run competitions through there.

We can, you know, we can send kind of updates through, through that kind of, that database and that.

But, but I will say, I will caveat in that, you know, it’s really important from my perspective, I think that there’s nothing that beats being at the show from a face to face perspective. So that’s really what, you know. And normally kind of the digital elements, we really serve as great touch points.

But you know, we have worked with brands and suppliers where they just physically, you know, whether they’re, the dates are booked and they still want to get in front and speak to that audience, we have still bought them like digital campaigns on there as well.

Becca
00:37:32.090 – 00:38:03.390
Okay. So lots of different opportunities, lots of different ways to get involved. Let’s talk about cost, then, just briefly.

I know this is a salesperson’s worst nightmare, but we talked about how at the show, the exhibit, the people there want to see the cost, they want to understand it from your perspective. And I know there’ll be all sorts of different range of prices for all different, various things. But what are we looking at?

If there’s someone listening, they’re a florist, they’re a cake maker, they’re a venue and they’re thinking, I want to give this a try, I want to have a stand at one of these events. Am I looking at hundreds, thousands, ten thousands? Give me some numbers. Roughly.

Sonia
00:38:03.390 – 00:39:47.140
You’re going to be really surprised by this, but we are. Our stand spaces start from £500 plus VAT, so it goes up, so it depends. So we price our packages based on the size of stand that someone takes.

So for a lot of people, they don’t need a huge space, they need a small space where they, you know, especially if it’s just them, if they’re a celebrant or you know, that they just want to be there to talk to couples, they don’t need a huge space. You can access the shows from £500 plus VAT. So I think that that’s the most. Most suppliers don’t.

They think of it and they think, oh, gosh, it’s thousands, it’s totally inaccessible.

But we have over the last few years worked on kind of looking at smaller stand options so that people can, you know, whether you’re, if you’re a florist, if you’re a cake company, you can access the shows.

Because fundamentally we want to make sure that we’re getting the right suppliers through the door, but we need to have a solid and strong exhibitor mix and that having conversations with our suppliers who say, look, I don’t need a huge space, I just need, you know, a small 2 meter by 1 meter space where I can show up and I can speak to that audience. So we start from 500 pounds plus VAT and we, we essentially offer shell scheme stand packages.

So what that means is we build the stand structure for you. So it’s walled, it’s, you know, it’s got your name board and it’s got carpet.

So essentially you have this carcass where you can actually build and style and make this space represent your own brand.

I mean, we do have, I mean, if you wanted, you know, we sell sounds up to 150 meters squared, which can go up to 20,000 pounds plus VAT, but you realistically, generally, you know, for most suppliers, they’re looking at between £1,500 plus VAT to about two and a half thousand pounds plus VAT. But we do have smaller sound options for people wanting to test the audience or just. They just don’t need space.

Becca
00:39:47.380 – 00:40:00.240
So if you go for your smallest option, so you’re like, right, I’m going to go for the 500 pound plus VAT for the small space, does that include the shell spacing as well, or am I paying extra for that? And is there any other hidden cost if I want electricity or if I want WI fi?

Sonia
00:40:00.720 – 00:41:21.160
So with all, with all stand packages, they also. Whether you pay the £500 plus VAT or you pay the 20 grand. 20 pound, 20 grand plus VAT, they all include the stand build.

So you get the stand structure, the carpet, the walling. What we don’t include in any of those packages is electrics and lighting. So they are additional costs that are booked by the venue.

So we have, we have a separate contractor that they are. That our exhibitors will need to book in. And you’re looking at. It just depends.

You know, I would say 90% of that hall doesn’t require those additionals because, you know, battery packs are a wonderful thing.

You can, you can, you know, charge your phones and your laptops through, you know, a battery pack, but it tends to be our bridal boutiques and our jewelers that need electrics and lighting. And they can book it in separately, but the costs vary. It’s just dependent on the venue and the contractor.

But what we try and do, especially if someone flags that that’s something that they need, we will connect them with the contractor at the very kind of initial stages that people can, A, work out whether it’s A, you know, whether it’s in budget and B, they’re getting the best option. Because quite often you can look at a list and go, I need this, this and this.

But we actually have contractors that will pick up the phone and be like, okay, you don’t need all of this. You could just get away with this. So it’s not something we cover off, but we don’t include it.

But we try and make it as easy as possible for our suppliers that if they do need it, that they can book it and that when they arrive on site, it’s there and they’re ready to. And they can. And they can, you know, they’re ready to use.

Becca
00:41:21.320 – 00:41:25.800
Did you think a lot of your suppliers don’t then use the electricity, do they just get on without it.

Sonia
00:41:25.880 – 00:42:39.700
Yeah, they. I don’t think that. I think with electrics, it just really depends on what it is that you’re bringing.

So if you’re a videographer, you’re most likely going to need it because you’re going to bring a television screen. If you’re a photo booth company, you’re going to need it because you need your photo booth on stands.

But I think majority of the exhibitors that do our show, depending on what they do, they don’t need it. And when it comes to lighting, the top of the stands are open, so the venues themselves have really good lighting. So it’s fine.

Often if they’re a bridal boutique or they’re a menswear brand or their jewelry, they need the lighting either for the fitting room or to really showcase the pieces that they have on display. So they do need it. So what.

What my, you know, what myself, my team do is we quite often at the initial stages, have the conversation with the, with the client. We understand what it is that they’re looking to showcase.

We advise them because there are lots of instances where it’s best for them to have electricity, especially if, you know, they’ve got multiple kind of devices, they’ve got, you know, multiple laptops and pieces. It’s just, it’s, it’s easier for them just to have the plug socket on stand. So we will have those conversations very early on.

We’ make sure that we are making it as easy and seamless as possible. And when we can’t answer those questions, the contractors will step in and say, this is what you need and this is what we recommend.

Becca
00:42:39.940 – 00:43:02.260
I think that’s the thing that a lot of people find is the barrier.

They’re scared to ask those questions or they, they’re so worried that it’s going to cost them loads that they don’t actually think, oh, I’ll just ask.

So what you’re saying to me is that your team are very open if they’re considering it and they’re thinking about doing it, but they’re a bit worried about what it’s going to involve. You’ll, you know it best, so you’ll talk them through it and no question is too silly, you’ll help them know what they need or what they don’t need.

Sonia
00:43:02.260 – 00:45:57.960
I have the team, the account managers that work on the shows are absolutely. They’re phenomenal. Their goal is not only to get someone booked in and on that floor plan, but it’s to actually support them.

So a lot of the, A Lot of the conversation we’ve had around what to do on stand, what to, how to, how to market, the fact that they’re exhibiting pre show all the way to planning their actual stand presence. The team will have those conversations right at the initial call.

So when you, when someone first inquires into the show, it isn’t a case of just sending some information over to them. You will actually get one of the team reaching out.

They will schedule an initial call call with you, they’ll chat through your business, what your objective is. They’ll talk through the shows and, and we’ll basically ascertain whether it’s a fit on both sides. You know, A, is it going to work for the supplier?

B, can we, can we deliver what they’re after? And we want to make sure again, that supplier is, you know, a good fit for our shows.

And you will have their assistance from the point of that initial call all the way through to being on site. It’ll be the same person in most cases that will be looking after you.

So from a supplier perspective, you have this point of contact that will be there to support you and make sure that you feel really comfor. Comfortable with your decision. And I think that’s a huge part of it.

It’s really scary for a lot of, A lot of suppliers will say it’s really scary because it’s, it’s a huge show. Quite often it feels like it’s going to be inaccessible.

So until they have that conversation, they have no, no real context of what, what it’s going to cost. And we are upfront with, with the costings element of it.

So if there are additionals that we don’t include in the sound packages, we’re getting the right people to connect with, with our suppliers that they know straight off the bat. There’s no, there’s not hidden fees or, you know, random costs that just spring up.

And I think with, with the, when it comes, when it comes to the team and, and how they kind of support our exhibitors, they just are there at every point.

So I think I mentioned it already, but you won’t, you won’t get this disconnect with you booked your stand now, like, off you go, we’ll see you there. And everyone’s really invested in making sure it works because ultimately we want people to come back season on season.

It definitely makes our jobs a lot easier, but it’s also really rewarding. You know, when you get to know these businesses, you know how much of a huge, huge leap it is for them. To be at the shows.

You know, some people have said we’re not going to go on a summer holiday this year, we’re going to do the show or that they’re in that, that really kind of exciting but scary place where they’re like going from doing this part time to full time hustle. So it’s kind of like it. We are all very much, we, we support, we support our suppliers.

It’s, it’s, it’s very much you get, you, you do, you do find we built some really, we build relationships with, with our suppliers and actually the other thing to mention, sorry is payment plans. So you know, one of the things that we, we’ve implemented over the last kind of two years or so is payment plans.

So quite often cash flow differs for each, each supplier and what we do is, you know, depending on, you know, what that business cash flow is like we create bespoke payment plans so that you know, again the shows remain accessible to, you know, all suppliers.

Becca
00:45:58.120 – 00:47:45.470
That’s great. And I think having that relationship and talking to someone, talking to an account manager is really important.

If it’s something you’re considering, have those con. Don’t feel you’re going to get sold to. Just go in with your eyes open and ask the questions and find out if it’s the right fit.

Because like you said, it benefits you if it’s the right fit. You don’t want people coming and doing the show and not be able to afford it and doing it badly because that doesn’t work for you either.

So it’s really important that we get it right. And I think going back to what we talked about a long time ago now about control is the same thing. You need to have control of this purchase.

Don’t see it as like I’m just throwing money at this show and hoping it will work. No, don’t see it like that. Think about it properly as a business person. Look at the cost involved, look at what it’s going to involve from you.

Look at the time it’s going to take. Look at what you need the return on investment to be. Set yourself targets. Set yourself targets for how many email addresses you want to collect.

Set yourself targets for how many conversions you want to make. Like don’t just go and turn up and hopeful for the best. Make sure you know every step of the way how you’re going to make it a success.

Make sure you’re intentional about the social media posts that you put out during the the show. Because even if people aren’t at the show. If you’re doing good content about being at the show, that can also lead to further bookings.

So I think if you’re listening to this and you’re just panicking about the price and of any show, actually stop just throwing it into the wind and hoping for the best and start realizing, right, if this is going to be part of my marketing plan for next year, this is how much it’s going to cost, this is how I’m going to get the most out of it, and this is how I’m going to make my money, money back from it. And therefore I can feel confident in my decision.

Of course, it’s not always going to go exactly how we want it, but actually if we put everything in, we’re more likely to get everything out. And I think it’s the people that just hope, like, think it’s just going to be the answer to all their problems without any effort.

The people that don’t necessarily do the best at these things.

Sonia
00:47:45.470 – 00:47:46.590
Yeah, agreed.

Becca
00:47:46.670 – 00:48:04.720
Now, how are you keeping the show fresh as we come to the end of our conversation? The National Wedding show has been going a long time. The world is changing. How do you keep, keep it fresh?

How do you keep visitors keep on coming back each year, each season? And do you have any big exciting plans for next year that are yet to be revealed?

Sonia
00:48:04.800 – 00:50:45.750
So, a couple of things. So we do focus groups at the show.

So we actually ask our visitors what they like, what they don’t like, but also what they are looking at from a trends perspective. So that’s really good. That’s a really good way for us as a team to understand, you know, what we’re doing Right.

But also what we need to bring to the next season. That’s number four. Number one.

We also do, we do exhibitor and visitor surveys because as much, much as our visitors important, our exhibitors there actually within the industry, they’re talking to couples all the time.

So quite often I’ll actually go to exhibitors on stand during the weekend and ask them how they found the season, how they’ve, you know, what’s going on in the industry.

So I think a mixture of the surveys, the focus groups and conversations that really guides us into to the next season and what we need to do both from kind of a supplier perspective and a visitor’s perspective. I also have an amazing, amazing marketing team. Like, they’re absolutely brilliant.

They are constantly on Pinterest, they’re on, on Tick Tock and they’re on Instagram.

They’re consuming all the Information that our visitor will, will be, will also be consuming essentially, so they are able to identify the trends and what we need to be bringing both from kind of a styling perspective through to kind of features and content.

And we actively, again, you know, are reaching out to brands that we, we can see have got kind of more of a wedding focus in terms of next year, in terms of what we’ve got kind of coming up. So we are going to be bringing Manchester again back, back because it was, it was a successful launch. So that’s exciting.

So that’ll be back in 20, autumn 2026.

But we have got a couple of little bits going on, but I can’t reveal it yet because it’s not actually like they’re at that kind of stage where they’re in the process, they’ve been verbally confirmed, but we just need to get the signatures on that piece of paper. But what I will say is the shows, you know, the focus for us as a show is to continually grow them, but grow them in the.

So making sure that we are constantly bringing in the best suppliers onto that show floor so that our couples can find the right supplier for them.

But the best suppliers in that, in our industry, from a content piece, you know, from a features perspective, you know, we’re speaking to some amazing brands about bringing kind of more interactive elements to the, to the show and, and really building on some of our bigger kind of brand partnerships this year. So we had Charlotte Tilbury, we had Victoria’s Secret, we worked with Townhouse for a little while now.

Um, so, you know, we’re looking to amplify that and make it bigger and better.

But also, I’m not of us, you know, if anybody’s listening to this and has an idea that maybe we haven’t brought to the shows yet that they want to have a chat about, my email’s on the website, they can always email me and I’m always open to hearing, hearing ideas and feedback and things like that.

Becca
00:50:45.830 – 00:50:56.470
Love it. So if people are listening and they’re thinking, okay, this sounds really exciting, I’m looking at maybe getting involved in 2026.

Where are you at what times of year if they want to get involved?

Sonia
00:50:56.790 – 00:51:57.550
Yep. So we kick off in 20 at the NEC Birmingham.

So we, we start off on 28th March to 28th February, sorry, 28th of February to 1st March, 2026 at the NEC Birmingham. And then a couple of weeks later we’re at the XL London. So that’s the 11th to the 12th of April 2026. Then we have a bit of a break.

Well, it’s wedding season, summer season and then we, we come back to Birmingham in the autumn on the 3rd to the 4th of October 2026, ExCel London on the 17th to the 18th of October 2026 and then finally to the 25th of October 2026. All of our floor plans are live. We, we book these shows a year in advance. So I’ve got people that are booked in for Manchester next year.

They booked over the weekend at Manchester.

So if anybody is interested in spring or autumn, I would really recommend they just reach out to us and we can always talk them through kind of what our plans are and what the floor plans are looking like and chat to them about kind of what exhibiting entails.

Becca
00:51:57.550 – 00:52:41.010
Fantastic. And I’ll make sure I put the link for people to find out more in the show notes as well.

So if you are listening and you want to this a little bit better, go and check that out.

Or as I said right at the beginning of the episode, if you’re not even quite sure yet, get yourself along to one of those spring shows because you need to. If you’re not sure whether it’s right for you, go and experience it for yourself as a guest.

Walk around the hall, see what it’s like, look at the sizes of the stands, talk to people who are exhibiting there, find out what they’re doing, what’s working for them, go and do some research for spring and then maybe look at exhibiting in Autumn or Spring 2027. Because that way you’ll get a real feel for what it’s like.

Because we can explain it and describe it and talk about it, but actually nothing beats being in that room.

Sonia
00:52:41.330 – 00:53:35.410
Yeah, absolutely, yes. If anybody is interested, they can still inquire through the form.

And again, going back to kind of how we work as a team, one of our account managers will reach out, they’ll talk you through the shows and if you feel like you still need to come and see the shows before you make a decision, they will sort out a on site show around with you. They’ll walk you through the shows and it’s just good. Sometimes I think some people need to meet someone. Like again, what we do is face to face.

We are all about face to face.

And I think, you know, when I think about our shows that have just gone, we had a lot of exhibitor suppliers come through just to visit the shows, just to see whether it, you know, whether it would work for them and just being able to meet the Team in person will a kind of allowed them to put their mind at ease and realize, actually, you know, it’s a big show, but it’s not, you know, we like them. A lot of people don’t know this, but we are, you know, we’re an SME business and we’re not a huge team.

So it’s quite nice and reassuring for suppliers to come and actually meet us in person. Awesome.

Becca
00:53:35.410 – 00:53:56.890
Fantastic. Sonia, it’s been so fun talking to you. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for telling us more and answering my questions so candidly, because I like to grill people and ask them the questions that I know that the listeners will want to hear. So thank you for being so open and honest.

I always end my podcast with the same question, so I’m going to ask that to you now, which is what’s one thing you personally wish you’d known sooner in business?

Sonia
00:53:57.610 – 00:55:26.130
I think the importance of community.

I think quite often, you know, we have our own targets and our own objectives, and we think about what we need to do in order to reach a particular goal. And quite often we forget how important community is.

And over the past eight years, a huge reason for the growth, not just for the shows, but for me individually, it’s come from actually talking to my clients, talking to other people within the industry.

And I think that the minute that I understood that that was so key and critical for growth, it allowed me to develop in a way that probably I wasn’t developing in previously.

So I think the importance of community, the importance of being open, open, honest, collaborative is so key, and not seeing people as competitors, I think that’s the thing.

Everyone can teach you something, and if you remain kind of, if you have that kind of honest, transparent, collaborative approach, you build this community of people that will not only support you individually, but they will support whatever it is that you’re working on, whether it be the shows. And Manchester is a big testament to that.

I think our team worked exceptionally hard on delivering that show, but actually it was a community of exhibitors that, you know, came over that do NEC and Excel normally that were, like, preaching about how amazing Manchester is. They invited their friends and their other suppliers, and they were a big part of that, the reason why it was successful.

So, yeah, I think community is a huge thing.

Becca
00:55:26.130 – 00:55:37.530
Fantastic. Sonja, thank you so much for your time. Good luck in your preparation for your spring shows and your awesome shows next year.

It’s been a pleasure and I hope to see you in person sometime soon.

Sonia
00:55:37.530 – 00:55:38.410
Thanks, Becca.

Becca
00:55:38.410 – 00:56:27.570
What a fantastic episode.

One of My favorite, favorite things to do on this podcast is to get people from the bigger brands that you see and you find intimidating so that you can actually see that they’re just real people who want to help you and answer your questions. And I hope that today you’ve got a better understanding about what the National Wedding show is all about.

And it no longer is just this big brand, but actually there’s people with hearts behind it who want to help you succeed. So if it’s something that you’ve been thinking about is on your agenda, then now’s the time to find out more. Reach out to Sonia and her team.

I’ll put all of the links in the show notes and make sure you say when you fill it in that you heard all about it on Becca’s amazing award winning podcast.

I think wedding shows are definitely still a place to be seen at, a great place to be able to meet and touch and feel and see everything in the wedding planning process. So don’t discount it. And also the networking that can happen is incredible too. I’ll see you next time.