Shakermaker Promotions
27-02-2011, 08:07 PM
Did another wedding fayre today, this time at my residency and it was a great success.
It was a bit of a struggle with the ribs and I found myself getting out of breath quite a lot but the staff helped me in and out with equipment.
It was a bit of a strange one as I was in a different room to the usual one which was much smaller. The reason being (and unknown to myself and the manager until yesterday) was that there was another Disco business in the main room (even though I am resident :confused: ). Apparently, this was because the business (which I will not name) took up quite a lot of space and therefore booked 4 stands with the head office (in other words - over the Managers head). He wasn't happy, I didn't mind.
The other business appeared to be a 'jack of all trades' supplying chair covers, favours, table decorations and almost everything else. The Disco part of the business was apparently "something we can also supply" according to the Manager (that's what he had been told) yet the Disco set up that was on display was huge! Colour LED Backdrop with Trussing, Colour LED front curtain and lots of lights on the trussing with some Mackie Thumps. It really did look, in my opinion....far too much.
Again, apparently...the Manager and Assistant Manager fell out with the business as they seemed to want to take over the whole wedding fayre. I nipped in and out from time to time to take a look at what was happening and the lights were swirling around the room and getting in peoples eyes. The music was also (in my opinion) inappropriate (full on dance tunes with big basslines).
Anyway, all I had set up in my room was the Ultimax base, Starcloth, Denon, 2 x LEDJ's and my Mackies. It looked discreet and smart and not overkill in my opinion.
I learnt a lot today. I have never taken a full set up to a wedding fayre. I believe that most people know what a Disco will look like. This one looked like some kind of roadshow and not something I would personally expect or want to see at a Wedding Fayre. I had screens showing slideshows of my set ups and I thought that was enough.
I had 5 definite bookings from people that have booked the venue already and have come directly to me for the Discos. 2 of those want Uplighting aswell. One of them is having a band play too and asked if I could supply a vocal PA at extra cost as the band will be guests too so with me providing the PA, they won't have as much to worry about. I also had 2 definites book with me direct and another 1 say that they want me to send them some information. Lots of people took brochures and cards and it looks like I have done ok today and it didn't cost me a penny to do either. Out of the 7 definites (just waiting on their details from my email quotes I have sent), 3 are for this year with the other 4 for 2012.
I had one comment which made my day and it was from (believe it or not) a couple in their early 20's. They said that they had been nextdoor in the main room and seen the other Disco and it was exactly what they didn't want. They went on first impressions (rightly or wrongly) and the impression they got was obviously not good. Not sure whether I agree with that but hey, I'm not complaining at all.
If I had no confidence in my ability to sell myself and my business to potential customers then if I had seen the other business and what they had set up, I could have easily become nervous, down in the dumps and maybe embarassed about what I had set up but it wasn't like that at all. It just made me want to get in there and get those customers booking with me!
I know we have lots of threads about what to take to Wedding Fayres etc and I am not saying it's wrong to take a full set up...It's just something I don't personally like or do and after today I can say that what I saw was far too much. It put me off and from what I heard and saw, it seemed to put a few people off too.
Another side to the coin though - Some people will like seeing the full set up and fair play. That way, they know what they are getting. I still did well even with the slideshows because people can see what I set up even though it isn't actually there.
It was a bit of a struggle with the ribs and I found myself getting out of breath quite a lot but the staff helped me in and out with equipment.
It was a bit of a strange one as I was in a different room to the usual one which was much smaller. The reason being (and unknown to myself and the manager until yesterday) was that there was another Disco business in the main room (even though I am resident :confused: ). Apparently, this was because the business (which I will not name) took up quite a lot of space and therefore booked 4 stands with the head office (in other words - over the Managers head). He wasn't happy, I didn't mind.
The other business appeared to be a 'jack of all trades' supplying chair covers, favours, table decorations and almost everything else. The Disco part of the business was apparently "something we can also supply" according to the Manager (that's what he had been told) yet the Disco set up that was on display was huge! Colour LED Backdrop with Trussing, Colour LED front curtain and lots of lights on the trussing with some Mackie Thumps. It really did look, in my opinion....far too much.
Again, apparently...the Manager and Assistant Manager fell out with the business as they seemed to want to take over the whole wedding fayre. I nipped in and out from time to time to take a look at what was happening and the lights were swirling around the room and getting in peoples eyes. The music was also (in my opinion) inappropriate (full on dance tunes with big basslines).
Anyway, all I had set up in my room was the Ultimax base, Starcloth, Denon, 2 x LEDJ's and my Mackies. It looked discreet and smart and not overkill in my opinion.
I learnt a lot today. I have never taken a full set up to a wedding fayre. I believe that most people know what a Disco will look like. This one looked like some kind of roadshow and not something I would personally expect or want to see at a Wedding Fayre. I had screens showing slideshows of my set ups and I thought that was enough.
I had 5 definite bookings from people that have booked the venue already and have come directly to me for the Discos. 2 of those want Uplighting aswell. One of them is having a band play too and asked if I could supply a vocal PA at extra cost as the band will be guests too so with me providing the PA, they won't have as much to worry about. I also had 2 definites book with me direct and another 1 say that they want me to send them some information. Lots of people took brochures and cards and it looks like I have done ok today and it didn't cost me a penny to do either. Out of the 7 definites (just waiting on their details from my email quotes I have sent), 3 are for this year with the other 4 for 2012.
I had one comment which made my day and it was from (believe it or not) a couple in their early 20's. They said that they had been nextdoor in the main room and seen the other Disco and it was exactly what they didn't want. They went on first impressions (rightly or wrongly) and the impression they got was obviously not good. Not sure whether I agree with that but hey, I'm not complaining at all.
If I had no confidence in my ability to sell myself and my business to potential customers then if I had seen the other business and what they had set up, I could have easily become nervous, down in the dumps and maybe embarassed about what I had set up but it wasn't like that at all. It just made me want to get in there and get those customers booking with me!
I know we have lots of threads about what to take to Wedding Fayres etc and I am not saying it's wrong to take a full set up...It's just something I don't personally like or do and after today I can say that what I saw was far too much. It put me off and from what I heard and saw, it seemed to put a few people off too.
Another side to the coin though - Some people will like seeing the full set up and fair play. That way, they know what they are getting. I still did well even with the slideshows because people can see what I set up even though it isn't actually there.