An exhausted Matt Pereira has just returned from the three day National Wedding Show at London’s Olympia, and as we helped him plan, design and style his stand, I couldn’t resist sharing the gorgeous photos with you.
Matt has exhibited at the National Wedding Show for several years now, and has always had a professional looking stand, but he was looking to up his game this year and make sure his stand reflected the way we’ve developed his brand identity recently. Gone are the plain walls covered in dozens of images; and in their place beautifully wallpapered MDF courtesy of Laura Ashley and a select number of stunning photographs in matching frames.
We’ve put a lot of thought into how we styled the stand. Matt has always had a real-life bride on his stand, which has been a fabulous crowd-pleaser and also provided testimonials on tap. So we made sure that he took a bride along again.
We also thought creatively about the whole look and feel. And thanks to Laura Ashley and an early morning flit to Kempton Antiques Market, Matt and I sourced some fitting furniture, and best of all, vintage suitcases and books! The suitcases add a touch of “manly glamour” to the whole stand, whilst also being a nod to Matt as a destination wedding photographer.
Matt placed photo books on the edges of the stand for passers by to flick through and was under strict instructions to relax when the visitors were touching them – however greasy their fingers might be! A lot of photographers tend to get quite territorial (understandably) when people are flicking through their expensive albums. But I think if you want to create a warm and welcoming vibe then you have to get over the chocolate fingers and accept that you’re likely to have to write off the album as an exhibition expense.
The details made a big difference. We didn’t want to go girly on the styling, so we took inspiration from Matt’s brochure which is all textured paper, leather and “wallpaper”. The books are perfect for the Autumnal colour personality and work really well with the suitcases. The blocks add to the tone and the coffee table is so much more full of personality than one of the standard Ikea units Matt was using previously.
Engaging with the visitors (well done with the hands off the album too Matt!)
Kate, the gorgeous bride in the pic above was on the stand on Saturday in her wedding dress, ready to gush about Matt. And I always think that people respond really well to seeing the “real thing” alongside the wedding photos.
We wanted a bit of a unique giveaway so Matt hand-baked (and iced) biscuits which he cellophane wrapped and tied with ribbon (grosgrain as specified by me!).
And of the biscuits Matt said:
“Cookies went down a treat, and it was great that I had handmade them (and badly iced them) as it was a good talking point”
It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Matt on this stand because he’s taken our vision and followed it through right down to the last detail. And because of that he has a really coherent stand.
It’s too early to tell how just how much of an impact this has made on his sales, as wedding photography tends to be a bit more of a consultative sell. But his leads were up by 500% on last year and we have created a cracker of a communication plan to ensure that he maximises on the potential of each and every one of his leads. I’ll keep you posted!
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