Profitable expo booths for pet photographers - Tips to exhibit successfully
With winter wrapping up for those of us in the northern hemisphere, expo’s and events are beginning again. Maybe there is a dog-friendly flower festival this spring that would suit your brand and you can be a stallholder at. Perhaps you’re already booked into an the doggy-easter hunt event and have your table confirmed and suddenly realise that’s just a couple of weeks away?! Or maybe you have booked into an event later in the year but you know Summer is your busy season so you want to get organised now?
If there’s one photographer I know who absolutely smashes expo’s, it’s Sarah Mounsey. She consistently generates over 300 leads at an annual event she attends which brings in $150k of sales. I asked her to share what she’s learned.
Here are our top tips to a successful (read: profitable) expo booth/ fair stall for pet photographers.
Choose the right event - Bigger isn’t always best
It can be overwhelming deciding the expos you wish to exhibit at, and choosing an event which will have the highest ROI can take a lot of thought. Firstly it is important to take into account the size of the event, larger events have an increased chance of collecting and converting leads, however there may be a larger number of competing photography brands at the event and there is often a larger overhead. It is important to weigh up these facts, and calculate your numbers to know how many leads you must convert to generate substantial profit and make the event worthwhile.
If you’ve never attended the event you have in mind, we suggest contacting the event planner prior to booking a site and finding out further information including how many other photographers will be in attendance, and to ensure you can book a site independent of other photographers (you don’t want to end up side-by-side)
You’ll also want to consider the general demographic of the audience. Where are they coming from? Some expos have customers coming from all across the country, this can be very important if you do not travel for work or only have clients come to your location.
Don’t exclude local events. Although they’re often smaller, the audience is local which might be a better fit.
2. Set your strategy based off your goals
Where is your business at right now and what do you hope to achieve by attending this event? If you’re just starting out, perhaps you need cash now (or yesterday!), but you’re really in the brand awareness stage? A pop-up shoot could be the solution for you so that passer-bys see you in action, plus you’ll make money on the spot. Alternatively a major giveaway would be a great option for you which would give you more time to talk to potential clients.
Is your business more established and this event is about getting in front of your ideal client, many of whom already know you exist? Maybe in that case a giveaway won’t suit as well, and instead you just need to give them a reason to book now? A special offer could work perfectly for you, with the fall back to simply ask if they want to join your mailing list? Alternatively advertising a current campaign or special project could be the “reason they book now”.
Are you at capacity right now with your current business model but looking to change it up and need to get in front of a different type of client to do so? Perhaps this event is best used as a way to connect with other vendors who already have your ideal client?
It’s possible that you want to have multiple strategies at the same event, which is totally do-able! You’ll just need to be organised, know the order of your priorities (so that if you have to drop one you know which) and likely have a helper with you on the day.
3. Be prepared
Attending an event can be a major success, or a major failure and almost always that will be dictated by your organisation. Do you have a helper coming? Do they know what their role is, the offer, and what to say to potential clients? Do you yourself know what you’ll say and do to entice people to come to your stall, to get them to take up your offer and the downsell option? Have you designed your stall/booth and organised furniture and artwork samples accordingly? Having all these things clear and prepared will enable you to approach the event calmly and confidently, and set you up for success.
To help you prepare, we’ve created a free download with a preparation timeline and packing checklist. Download that here!
Members continue the discussion in the Mastermind Facebook Group, otherwise shoot me an email: kirstie@thepetphotographersclub.com
Co- Author
Sarah Mounsey | Photographer
Serata Equine
This article is co-authored by Sarah Mounsey, a highly regarded Melbourne based equine photographer specialising in creating fine art imagery of horses for the homes of their owners. This reputation can be closely tied to her attendance at expo's as a stall-holder where she consistently generates over 300 leads per event, or 10% of the walkthrough rate for smaller events.
With more than 15 years of expo experience across a wide variety of businesses, Sarah has learned how to effectively convert those leads into paying clients, invoicing $150k worth photography sales within 8 months of the expo’s she attends.
Co- Author
Kirstie McConnell |
Founder
The Pet Photographers Club
When Kirstie launched her pet photography business in Australia in 2012, the genre was barely a thing. She spent the next years at the forefront of this niche, marketing not just her own business, but the concept of pet photography. Each year she photographed around 100 dogs, cats and horses per year to create wall art and albums for pet-parents.
Now based in Italy, she continues to offer pet photography to her clients back in Australia on return trips, but otherwise spends her energy helping other pet photographers build a business which will allow them to follow their dreams.
Internationally recognized as a leader in the industry, she hosts the podcast, workshops, courses and business events for The Pet Photographers Club which she co-founded.
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