In the News: Twin Cities Business

THE UNVEILED WEDDING EVENT

The Wedding Guys; Amy Coppersmith, Coppersmith Photography

CATEGORIES:

Best Use of Marketing and Graphic Design
Best Event Photography or Videography
Best Public Event

For the launch of a national bridal trade show in Dallas, event planners used 100,000 square feet of space to create a wedding-planning experience for brides to be. The planners were also charged with marketing the event to both brides, and potential exhibitors. They created a teaser mailing, sent out in a black box and composed of several colored cards with striking graphics and a frosted acrylic cover card with the words, “The difference will be clear.”

At the show’s entrance, visitors walked through a space staged as ceremony and cocktail reception venues. The exhibit floor grouped displays together to mimic a department store layout. An area in the middle of the show floor recreated an entire wedding reception, including a 14-piece band and ballroom dancers.

A 12,000-square-foot “boutique” space featured high-end specialty items, custom products and services, and its own couture fashion show, to attract a wealthier demographic. The area for the trade show’s main fashion show was designed with a 1930s movie palace look. “Club Groom,” modeled after a sophisticated lounge, offered a full bar and ample seating, and the “Bridesmaid Gallery” showed off gown trends for attendants. The planners also worked with the facility’s caterer to extend the menu of the concession stand, and then added restaurant-quality seating to create a bistro atmosphere. The event succeeded in attracting both brides and exhibitors and received national attention.