Discover How Attending Industry Conferences Can Supercharge Your Wedding Business

[00:00:00] Kristina Stubblefield: Welcome back to another episode of WedPro Business Solutions. I'm your host, Kristina Stubblefield. For all the wedding vendors out there, I'm going to talk about a topic that I've recently been asked a lot of questions about. We're going to discuss why attending industry conferences should be considered for wedding vendors looking to grow their businesses and stay ahead in such a competitive market.

[00:00:29] As a wedding vendor, you might be wondering why you should invest your time and resources in attending industry conferences. Well, you're not alone in thinking this. I've actually had several people... Ask me about this, especially over the last month or so. And I think that's because as they're looking ahead to conferences that are coming up, whether it be towards the end of the year or into next year, it's something they're wanting to plan ahead for.

[00:01:00] And I really want to dive more into this topic because I've been fortunate to attend to them, but I've also been fortunate to be a speaker at them, and I feel like there's a lot of different benefits that come along with attending, or even participating in these events. Now, I'm going to start with the power of networking.

[00:01:23] One of the most significant advantages, in my opinion with attending these types of conferences, and I'm speaking specifically to wedding industry conferences, is the opportunity to network with fellow professionals. And if you've listened to previous episodes you know I've talked a lot about relationship marketing in the past, and I feel like these events bring vendors together from all different parts of the wedding industry, and it really provides a great platform for collaboration and partnerships.

[00:01:59] By connecting with other vendors, you can open the door to potential referrals, you can create alliances, but also you can cultivate great industry relationships that can be beneficial to your business, whether you're wanting to grow your business, simplify or streamline. And I say that because I've been working with a lot of wedding professionals that, they're not really necessarily looking to grow the number of events they want to do, but they want to increase what they charge and do less events and having a strategy and a plan of action can make a big difference when you're trying to accomplish or work towards that type of goal. And some wedding vendors that I've talked to make it a priority to attend conferences every year. And when I talk to those that have invested the time and money in themselves and their business to attend, they seem a very, very passionate about it. Why? Because it's been such a big difference for their personal and professional growth.

[00:03:13] A lot of them state that attending industry conferences have been instrumental in increasing their professional network and we can't talk enough about the power of networking. They've met other talented vendors who have become great partners for their business. They've been able to build relationships that not only increase referrals for their business, but provide them with a support network of like minded professionals.

[00:03:48] And I think this is paramount. I hope that you're involved in local groups of like minded professionals, or that you have a group that you work with, meet up with locally for your wedding business. But when you look at it on a larger scale, as a national conference, even a regional conference, there's so much that gets brought to the table because people are coming from all different areas. They provide services for all different types of events and the knowledge, the ideas, the expertise, the experiences, all of this stuff rolled into one that gets shared by networking with people. It's really hard to put all of that together to show you or talk about the benefits of it if you've never attended anything like it. And you have to be open minded with what you can accomplish by attending conferences and whether you've attended one in the past or you've attended many.

[00:05:02] I think it's something you should continue doing. But if you're listening to this and you've never attended one in the past, I have learned from experience how beneficial and how it was worth every single penny, just the people that I met, not even the other aspects of it, the connections that I've made and have been able to stay in contact with for the past number of years.

[00:05:30] I don't need to tell you how quickly it seems like the wedding industry changes evolves. And when you've got an industry that's ever evolving with new trends, technology, consumer preferences, engaged couples, what they're wanting constantly seems to be changing by attending industry conferences, I really feel like vendors can stay up to date on some of the latest trends and developments, even in your specific field, whether it be workshops, panel discussion, keynote speeches by industry experts.

[00:06:10] There's so much valuable insights and practical knowledge that can be applied to grow or elevate your business, but also to better serve your specific clients. When asking some of my industry friends about their thoughts on this, a lot of them shared with me. Some of the exact same things. It's almost like they knew each other, but they have told me that it's been a game changer for attending these conferences to stay updated on industry trends, they said, by going to sessions that are specifically focused on trends, on marketing strategies and cutting edge techniques, they've been able to really been able to stay abreast on the latest developments, and they've been able to take some of these ideas and this knowledge that they've learned and incorporate it into their own business, whether it be things for them to do themselves, ways they can attract more clients to book more events or ways that they can apply it when working with their existing clients.

[00:07:27] And to me, that is really impactful when something can benefit you personally and professionally, it's a win win. And that takes me into my next item, professional development and education. You know, I put a lot of focus on networking and trends, but I also want to take the time to hone in on how valuable it can be and the opportunities that lie in front of you at conferences for professional development and education. As I mentioned before, a lot of conferences have workshops, seminars, different sessions that you can pick from that showcase different industry leaders or experts. And these sessions can really help you enhance your skills, improve your processes in your business, but also inspire you to keep going to the next level in your business. I remember someone sharing with me in the wedding industry, and I wish I could remember who it was, cause I'd love to give them credit for this, that every year when they attend a conference, it reignites their passion, not only for their business, but also for being in the wedding industry and wow, it has stuck with me. Now, one of the other things that I can share with you is sometimes attending conferences, it can be overwhelming, no matter how long or short of time you've been in the industry.

[00:09:17] I know some of them that I've been to I print out an entire itinerary. I literally print it out and I go through and highlight the specific sessions that I want to make sure that I attend and it can still be overwhelming because there can be multiple sessions going on in multiple different rooms. But going into it with an open mind, a little bit of a plan of what you want to take away from it, reviewing the itinerary and picking out the sessions that you want to go to, what you're looking to take in during that conference can help you walk away with the best experience and knowledge that you can immediately put to use for yourself personally, but also your business.

[00:10:12] Now, one of the other things that I will share with you, there are some conferences that allow you to showcase your brand. Depending on your specific niche in the industry, you could potentially set up a booth at the trade show. And this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your brand, but also generate leads. And I'd be remiss if I didn't throw in also opportunity by creating an eye catching booth and engaging with attendees, you can attract potential clients, but you can also establish your brand as a trusted name in the industry. Again, this circles back around to what type of conference it is, who are the attendees, and what's your niche in the wedding industry?

[00:11:00] Does it benefit you to potentially look at setting up a booth during the trade show? And those are things that you can look into more of depending on the conferences that you're looking at participating in. Whether it's networking, staying updated on trends, professional development, or brand exposure, conferences offer numerous benefits that can take your wedding business to a new level. I'm going to share with you a list of conferences that I know about, and I'll put that in the show notes. If you're listening to this podcast episode, or if you're watching on YouTube, I will put it in the description below the video. If you know of other conferences or educational events out there, I'd love to hear about it. Also, have you attended conferences in the past? Which ones have you attended? What has been your takeaway from them? I'd love to hear all about it. You can join my free Facebook group, WedPro Business Community, and share as a post in there. There's other wedding vendors that are part of that group, so you can come network and connect with other people in the industry. I hope that you found this discussion informative. I think we need to talk more about educational events and seminars as well as conferences and the benefits that are out there for attending these, especially in the wedding industry, because I believe investing in yourself and your business is one of the keys to success in the wedding industry.

[00:12:48] As I mentioned, I feel like this industry is one of the most evolving industries more so than any others and staying up to date on what's coming, what's being discussed around the United States or around the globe can help you stay at the forefront of the industry. And what that means is it can not only benefit you personally, also your business, but your clients that you work with as well.

[00:13:20] So I hope you enjoyed this episode and until next time, take care.