Hosting a multi-vendor event
When you create an event that invites multiple other vendors to participate and showcase their work, you need to take a slightly different approach to how you not only create the event but how you approach vendors to participate. There are a few steps to this and these will be outlined in a few blogs so we don't overwhelm you! There are FOUR main areas that you need to address if you want to create a memorable event.
First- how are you going to brand this event? As in, what is the name of the event? What kind of event is it? Who is going to care about this event? Who is your target audience? Why?
Second- what kind of feel do you want attendees to have? Why should they want to come to this event? What is in it for them?
Third- who do you want to be involved in the event? If you are just starting an event and may want to do multiple events like it each year or multiple within a year, you may have to start seeking out vendor participants as you build a list of people to keep connecting with as your events gain traction.
Fourth- how will you execute marketing in order to get people to your events? How will you drive people to the event?
In this blog, we will discuss step ONE. Since I am most familiar with a bridal fair, we will use that as our main example. You can host different expos, conferences, craft/art fairs- there is no limit to what you could create if you see the need for it in a certain market. Personally, I felt local bridal shows lacked so much in my area so I decided to just start my own!
How do you choose how you are going to brand your event? First, play with ideas around the venue you decided to use. For instance, our first show was "Before we say I do at the Zoo!" because the bridal fair/expo was at the Cleveland Zoo. Playing in to something like the venue makes it easier for you. Play with words, use alliteration, be creative. Stay away from words you see often or that may be used to describe events like yours regularly- if you need any help with this, google your idea. And, on the topic of google, make sure you are googling names that you come up with. If it seems like the idea came very easy to you, I hate to break it to you, but there is a very good chance someone else has thought of that and is currently licensed to use that name. Branding is crucial- if you want your event to gain initial traction and continue to grow (if that is your end goal) than you need to take some time on this one. This also helps establish credibility.
After you find a good name, consider what your logo will look like. There are a lot of people out there who do freelance graphic designing if you aren't savvy (which I am not- so I did outsource this one, or you can use things like https://www.fiverr.com/). This also helps maintain consistency for your event (and possible events). Again, all to establish credibility.
Who is going to care about this event needs to be fairly specific. If you are planning on spending big money on Facebook and social media ads and other types of marketing, you better take the time to figure out your "person". What does he or she look like? What do they do? What do they do in their free time? What do they value? Let's run through our ideal bride that we target when we create our bridal expo events.....
She is in her late 20s to early 30s, she is independent enough to have her own career she values and found a partner that allows her to continue her independence. She regularly asks input from her circle because she values research and quality. In her free time she enjoys learning and knowledge in a variety of forms (practical and books). She values data and research, and uses these to make the best decision. This is our bride. We target her through very selective Facebook ads for her age range and also interests that are conducive to the above. Why does she want to attend our fairs? We hand cultivate our vendors so that we can provide her with value and quality.
In some cases, you may not have to be extremely thorough. You may just be hosting a small meet and greet for businesses around your new studio- so your ideal "person" may just be someone within 1 mile of your new space. This kind of exercise can help you spend your money wisely.
Taking the time to build the who and the what will help make everything consistent. Next blog will be about the second step, so we can build on the brand. I can't wait!