The weekend of the 9th and 10th of April marked The Wedding Expo™’s seventeenth exhibition and tenth year anniversary, cementing its status as South Africa’s leading bridal show with a record number of visitors through the door. Visitor numbers hit the 15 000 mark, up 2 500 from last year’s show.
“So much preparation goes on behind the scenes between shows – both from the side of the exhibitor’s and The Wedding Expo™ team – to ensure that the standard of the show keeps improving, so it is rewarding to see visitor numbers increase each year. This assures us that we are succeeding in our vision to streamline wedding preparation for as many brides-to-be as possible so that it is an effortless and enjoyable task,” comments Amanda Cunningham, Managing Director of The Wedding Expo™.
The show’s constantly improving standard was clearly evident in the exquisitely decorated stands, with every exhibitor vying for the covetable title of ‘Best Stand’. The aesthetic benchmark was set so high this year that a joint winner category for first place and special mentions category were necessary additions to the line-up. The Best Large Stand award was shared between Wedding Emporium and Café Fleur / Cor De Rosa, Best Small Stand status was awarded to Garnish Couture and Ruby Rain Décor, Beeld and JC Le Roux were awarded top honours in the Best Large Custom Build Stand category and The Wedding Specialist took the award for Best Small Custom Build Stand.
The eight bridal couture fashion shows displaying top local and international talent, and emceed by entertaining media personality Craig Urbani, were a splendid treat for brides-to-be looking for their perfect wedding gown. The admiring audience was privy to a preview of the latest collections by local designers Garnish Couture, Gerald Carrington, New Romantics, Immagika, Dzigns Bridal Emporium and Biji Couture and David Tlale; and international ready-to-wear ranges by Olivelli, Viola Chan, Maggie Sottero, Bride & Co, La Collezione Dei Conti, Oleg Cassini, and Blingtique.
Another sure draw card for the show’s visitors was the opportunity to enter the wildly popular bi-annual Win a Wedding competition which coincides with the April and September shows and will award one lucky engaged couple with a complete wedding package valued at over R200 000 and sponsored by Askari Lodge, The SA School of Weddings, NWJ Fine Jewellers, Art of Make-Up, Morgan and Brown Bridal, Sealy, Tres Jolie, Harpgigs and S Bacher & Company. Now in its third year, the April Win a Wedding competition, which was made possible through a media partnership with the Beeld newspaper, recorded an unparalleled number of entries. Over 5 000 hopeful entrants submitted their forms during Saturday and Sunday’s shows transforming the Beeld stand into a hub of activity and excited energy.
“We are thrilled with the success of the April show and have already started our preparations for a spectacular September show! One thing is for sure, The Wedding Expo™ will keep getting better!” concludes Cunningham.
Next show:
Date: 10th and 11th September 2011
Venue: Coca Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg
Time: 9H00 – 17H00
Ticket price: R80 including the spring edition of Wedding Inspirations magazine
Fashion show times: South African bridal couture shows take place at 11H00 and 14H00 daily and international collections are showcased at 12H00 and 15H00
Media Contacts:
Marina Smithers
Marina Smithers PR
Director
082 556 2084
Clio Stevens
Marina Smithers PR
Account Executive
071 355 7882
Unprecedented queues at the Coca-Cola dome in Northgate for The Wedding Expo® during the weekend of 4 and 5 September resulted in increased visitor numbers for South Africa’s most trusted premier bridal show.
“The queues ran out the doors and through the car park as we saw a continuous stream of excited brides and grooms-to-be filter through the door looking for services and products for their wedding day,” says exhibition director, Amanda Cunningham.
“We are thrilled with the increase in visitor numbers to 13 500 from 12 500 in April this year and are pleased that once again our advertising, marketing and media campaign helped to bring us yet another successful show,” comments Cunningham.
A number of new services were offered at The Wedding Expo® in September showing just how serious the exhibition management is about continuously upping their game in line with their exhibitors. The first of these was the introduction of the opportunity to book online and therefore ‘jump’ the queues at the door. With online and electronic media paving the way for new business, The Wedding Expo® has moved with consumer demand providing the opportunity to buy tickets online prior to the show.
One of the marketing out reaches for the show is the tradition of the Win a Wedding competition where the entrant must bring their entry form to the Dome in order to place their entry in the entry box and be eligible to win. For the last three shows, The Wedding Expo® and sponsors have partnered with Independent Newspapers to bring this fabulous competition to brides-to-be.
“The competition, together with a really beautiful billboard, road poster and street pole campaign definitely works when it comes to drawing the numbers of visitors to the show that we see show after show,” explains Cunningham.
The fashion shows which are a key draw card of the show were filled to capacity at each of the 4 daily shows and IT Productions, producers of the fashion show, once again ensured a slick, well run and beautiful platform for the designers and retail bridal stores to showcase their wedding gowns.
Newly launched at the September show was The Wedding Expo®’s Chef’s Kitchen which was a culinary delight with experienced chef’s demonstrating fabulous meals to eager brides-to-be as they made notes undoubtedly for the first few weeks of their new lives!
“We look forward to expanding on the Chef’s Kitchen in future shows as it definitely adds value and introduces a more interactive viewing feature to the show,” says exhibition manager, Jayne Muller.
The GLAMOUR Bridal Workshop was also a full event welcoming brides-to-be an hour before the doors of the show opened and providing them with tips and tricks hitherto only planners and décor specialists have been privy to. But having the chance to learn about which dress type will suit you and having the opportunity to try on a dress certainly made the workshops unforgettable.
“This small private bridal event draws a number of brides-to-be looking for more in depth information and to bond with their mother or bridesmaid who generally accompanies them to the workshop – we hope to incorporate the sessions into a more main stream environment in the future,” explains Muller.
Also new to The Wedding Expo® this show was the VIP and Press Lounge, decorated by Ladybug Brides, which welcomed the media with coffee, a cup cake – sponsored by Annica’s Designer Cakes - and a goodie bag and the opportunity to find quiet refuge in the lounge if the need arose.
“We are looking forward to April 2011 and the implementation of a number of ideas and new initiatives which have been brewing for some time. We work hard between each show to ensure that we up our game and offer our clients, the exhibitors, something innovative year on year,” concludes Cunningham.
Next show:
Date : 9 and 10 April 2011
Venue : Coca-Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg
Cost : R80.00 per person
Hours : 09:00 to 17:00
Fashion shows : 11:00 local designer couture
12:00 imported and retail gowns
14:00 local designer couture
15:00 imported and retail gowns
The Wedding Expo® has announced the successful registered trade marking of their brand name underpinning the success and distinctiveness of the brand.
Amanda Cunningham owner and director of The Wedding Expo® explains that this has been a long time in the making and marks a new way forward for the leading bridal show in South Africa.
“The bridal industry has been growing over the last few years and the show which I started nine years ago is now a trusted brand associated with high quality exhibitors, a platform where a company can safely showcase their products and services and one where the bride-to-be knows that she can find everything she is looking for under one roof,” says Cunningham.
It has been a long but necessary process to ensure that small bridal shows around the country cannot be confused with the brand created nine years and 16 successfully hosted exhibitions ago. The Wedding Expo® which started with one show per year, expanded in 2005 to two shows in Gauteng and has grown into a sort after bridal show which is trusted by exhibitors and brides-to-be alike and now boasts three shows – two in Gauteng and one in Cape Town.
The registered trade marking of the brand name comes at a time when the group of companies within the main brand grows now including a publishing house for Wedding Inspirations magazine and a website which provides a platform for companies in the bridal industry to advertise their own brands.
“I love the bridal industry and the exhibition industry – The Wedding Expo® is a fantastic partnership of the two. I look forward to unraveling any confusion created by a hitherto generic term now that we have successfully trade marked the brand. I see a new era for the industry and The Wedding Expo®,” concludes Cunningham.
Date : 4 and 5 September 2010
Venue : Coca-Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg
Cost : R80.00 per person including your copy of Wedding Inspirations magazine
Hours : 09:00 to 17:00
Fashion shows : 11:00 local designer couture
12:00 imported and retail gowns
14:00 local designer couture
15:00 imported and retail gowns
Bridal workshops : R375.00 per person on Sunday 5 September
Includes: entrance to show, workshop, goodie bag, catering, VIP seats to the fashion spectacular and spot prizes! Email Janet on janet@wedding-expo.co.za to book or for more information.
You’re dreaming of a white wedding but you just don’t know where to start?
The SA bride’s most trusted bridal expo; The Wedding Expo is the only place to start!
With a budget most would say………but those in the know confirm that the only place to get the best information and the best advice to plan your wedding is at South Africa’s most trusted bridal show, The Wedding Expo.
The dates to diarise are 4 and 5 September at the Coca-Cola dome in Northgate, Johannesburg were the best in the bridal industry will gather to showcase their products and services to the eager bride-to-be as she searches for her favourite wedding gown, the perfect cake and the best photographer.
So, if you are looking for anything from your wedding ring, to a beautifully personally designed wedding gown, to a romantic honeymoon and fantastic photographer and more, you simply cannot miss out on a day at The Wedding Expo which is certain to help you make all those difficult decisions.
Make sure to plan your time around the 4 fashion shows, look out for the incredible win a R200 000 wedding competition (you’ll find the details in the Star, Pretoria News and Independent Newspapers the week before the show), keep an eye on www.wedding-expo.co.za to see what competitions the individual exhibitors will be running and don’t forget about the bridal workshops but you’ll have to book as space for the workshops is limited.
So for best advice, beautiful stands, spectacular fashion shows, interactive bridal workshops, awesome competitions and soooo much more the only place to be is at The Wedding Expo!
Date : 4 and 5 September 2010
Venue : Coca-Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg
Cost : R80.00 per person
Hours : 09:00 to 17:00
Fashion shows : 11:00 local designer couture
12:00 imported and retail gowns
14:00 local designer couture
15:00 imported and retail gowns
Bridal workshops : R375.00 per person on Sunday 5 September
Includes: entrance to show, workshop, goodie bag, catering, VIP seats to the fashion spectacular and spot prizes! Email Janet on janet@wedding-expo.co.za to book or for more information.
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