There were "hits" and "misses" with the Savoir Faire Health and Beauty Expo Charlotte - May 2012. So let's talk about the misses first. Vendors who use "social media" never saw a webpage for the expo event to even point their fans too. So as vendors our hands were tied. I was sent a pdf file that I could not upload to a "social media" website because of the format of the file. I was sent 10 tickets to hand out, but the tickets looked "cheap" even with the "ten dollar value" written on them. The event programs were distributed the same week of the event in selected Charlotte locations, but the program had a lot of issues. The graphic quality of the program was overall poor quality. Many vendors did not see a final proof of their ad. The program had no definite timeframes nor a lineup for the fashion show components. It actually reminded me of a "Souvenir booklet" that was put together by a sorority or a fraternity for their "Cotillion" or "Debutante" event except the sorority/fraternity booklets do have a "line-up."
The owner was very interested in promoting her magazine which we as vendors don't mind helping out, but we each know our fan base, and we know better how to promote to our fan base. Unfortunately, we were not given anything of high graphic quality to help her promote the event. Many vendors were uncertain if the event would hold due to the limited marketing.
Now, let's talk more about the "hits." The fashions were absolutely fabulous, but most of the fashion show presentations were done after the crowds and vendors had begun leaving. The MC did not have a fashion show lineup so he "closed" out the event or the fashion show multiple times. Everyone kept thinking the event was "over" but then another 15 minutes later more fashions would start. It was 7 pm and more fashions were headed down the runway.
The models looked great and actually worked the runway quite nicely. I got a feeling that they were going to be offered more runway jobs. This was good exposure and good practice for the models without having an extremely big crowd at one time.
I also want to add that there were other "bigger name" events going on all over Charlotte. Alvin Ailey dancers were touring in uptown. The New Edition concert was at Bojangles Coliseum. D.L Hughley and Pauly Shore were headlining at the Comedy Zone located in the NC Music Factory. CMC was hosting a free Health and Wellness event at their University Hospital. There was a warehouse sale in Huntersville that people of traveling to. Should I say more?
The networking amongst the vendors were great! Many vendors made quality contacts even if they did not sell as much merchandise as they desired.
There were a lot of free 10 minute massages. Many people received multiple sessions during the slow periods.
Fashions came from Impressions Bridal and Formal Wear out of Concord as well as 7 Complete Fashions Boutique out of Charlotte.
Runway Models included Elaine Apparicio, Joshua Hartung, Amelia Livingston, and Alisa Smith.
The fashions ranged from evening wear to dressy casual to lingerie.
Vendors did get to present to the crowds in their own way.
Paul Mitchell School even completed a presentation.
On a separate note, If you are hosting an event that you want coverage on, then please let us know!
