Eight years in, Catherine Lash is still handpicking exhibitors for the annual Wedding Show, held Friday through Sunday at the Carlu. "I want it to be a boutique show," said Lash, founder and creative director of the Wedding Co., which produces the event. “It started with me being a wedding photographer and meeting great people in the industry and just realizing I wanted to bring that community together. ... We have just over 100 exhibitors, and I'm not seeking to make it much bigger than that."
In addition to limiting the total number of exhibitors, Lash caps the number of participants in each category, whether they be DJs, florists, or photographers. (There are 10 photographers exhibiting, the largest number in any of the services showcased at the show.) “We have created an atmosphere that is conducive to shopping for your wedding,” she said. “We don't get 10,000 brides through the door but we get a good number.” More than 1,600 attendees visited the 2008 show. Lash was hoping to attract 2,000 visitors this year. “It gives exhibitors the opportunity to talk with guests rather than just hand out business cards,” she said.
Although the show has evolved over the years, Lash said she's turned down credit card companies and banks that have wanted to exhibit at the show. “One thing that we're really proud of is we keep it wedding specific,” she said. “Even teeth whitening—we don't go there. I just want brides to come in and feel they can be creative about their wedding.”
Lash reported there is a "nice crop of new exhibitors" as well as a high return rate among past participants. She believes the venue adds to the exhibitors' enjoyment of the experience while forcing them to be creative with their displays—none of which are set up as traditional trade show booths. “The Carlu works well for me just in terms of the uniqueness of the space. We use the Grand Foyer, the Round Room, and the Concert Hall...we don't do pipe and drape. Exhibitors get nothing. We give them a mark on the floor. That way they have to think about their booth,” she said.
This year's show included a do-it-yourself area sponsored by the Wedding Co. where attendees had the chance to make mini chocolate purses and gift bags filled with candy. Organizers also invited brides-to-be to make and sign origami cranes at the show for a paper chandelier that will become the centrepiece at the 2010 show. Lash is hoping to collect as many as 5,000 cranes from brides at the show and around the world. For every 1,000 cranes received, the company will donate $200 to cancer research.
“I've been busily making origami cranes for months,” said Lash who reported that online marketing has proved successful for the show. “We've tried many things over the years. Last year we sunk 95 percent of our ad dollars into online marketing and it really worked for us. ... It's a different market, too, because it's a new market every year. We don't get a lot of returnees."
