How to Respond to Incompetent Colleagues

When I arrive at a wedding to perform, I do a little research. I speak to the wedding coordinator and the celebrant (the minister, priest, rabbi, pastor, etc.) prior to the ceremony to get my cues and to learn of any nuances before I start playing. My job goes smoothly when I learn about updates to the ceremony agenda prior to my performance. Questioning the wedding coordinator and celebrant about particulars can make my playing seamless during a ceremony.

But what if the wedding coordinator doesn't care about my needs
and doesn't even want to take the time to talk with me? What if
the coordinator does talk to me but ignores our discussion? This
happened to me at a recent wedding, where there were more than
300 guests at a big church and more than 13 attendants walking
down the aisle before the bride's entrance. I went over all my
cues needed and the church wedding coordinator ignored me. She
mentioned she would close the doors to the room and then re-open
them to signal when the processional would begin, but the doors
remained open at all times. The flower girls were to walk in
last, which was my signal to be ready to play the bridal march.
Instead, the coordinator sent them down the aisle first, and I
was left needing to count the 11 bridesmaids before the bride was
to enter.

I was completely confused, didn't get to play the song selected
for the mother's candle lighting and seating, and it took me
until the appearance of the 2nd bridesmaid to determine that I
needed to skip to the processional music.

Things like this will happen, when other wedding vendors will
simply ignore my needs or not know what they are doing in the
first place. I've known ministers who have refused to talk with
me before the wedding to go over the details, actually admitting
that they didn't know what they were going to do anyway. I was
left to watch for a subtle nod of the head to assume that it was
time to play behind a prayer. Professional photographers and
videographers have stood right in front of me when I needed to
see the processional and bride walk down the aisle. I have played
at weddings where the reception band or DJ was within earshot,
testing their sound systems during the ceremony and drowning out
the exchange of vows. I have performed at corporate functions
when sound systems were promised and not provided, or the sound
tech showed up three minutes before I was to begin playing.

What should we do when we're doing our best job and others
muck it up for us? Here are five tried-and-true pointers:

1. Absolutely do not let on to the bride or your client that
anything is wrong! Do not tell the bride, "Oooops. I couldn't
play the seating music for the mothers because the wedding
coordinator didn't give me my cue." Don't tell her, "The sound
guy didn't show up on time so I couldn't begin playing when your
guests arrived." Do the best you can, smile, and behave as if
absolutely everything is going perfectly. (If the bride or client
complains after the event, be careful about dissing other service
providers. If that idiot service provider hears about it, they'll
make your life miserable. Be gracious and simply apologize.)

2. If something needs to be fixed right away, quietly tell the
offending service vendor about your needs. Have your roadie whisper

into the ear of the photographer, "Please move so that our string
quartet can see when the bride is entering." If the photographer
barks back, everyone within earshot will know that the
photographer is a dolt.

3. If you have a bone to pick with a wedding coordinator or other
wedding vendor, and you assume you will cross paths with this
person again, wait until after the ceremony and quietly tell them
what went wrong, as constructive criticism. Don't ever pick a
fight with them in front of your client and their guests.

4. Forget about it if you predict that you'll never be working
with that person again. For instance, I once performed at a
wedding where my amp was misbehaving, crackling and sputtering.
Instead of quietly informing me that my mic or amp needed
adjustment, the owner of the estate where the wedding was held
yelled at me in front of all the guests seated: "The harp sounds
terrible! All we hear is sh_t". I left that wedding venue having
decided that I would never take another job to perform there
again. Thus, there was no point for me to speak to the owner
about her rude behavior.

5. Your best retaliation is to never recommend an incompetent
service provider to anyone. And if a bride or client asks you
about that person, simply say that you have other businesses that
you prefer to recommend. Don't go into detail. Don't bad-mouth
unprofessional businesses. Instead, compliment competent service
providers with referrals. They will return the favor.

These tips, and many more, are available in my book "The
Musician's Guide to Brides". This book is written primarily for
wedding musicians, but it's also filled with savvy information
about marketing, advertising, and promoting your business as a
working musician. It's available wherever Hal Leonard Books are
sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers
including sheetmusicplus.com, Amazon.com, and of course, at my
website at www.celticharpmusic.com.

How have you dealt with unprofessional colleagues? Please share
your comments and insights.

Cheers,
Anne :-)

Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos
(And contact me at anne@celticharpmusic.com for personal
consultation and mentoring-Make a living while gigging)

What To Do In a Business Lull

It's April, and here in Tahoe, this is typically a slow time for gigs. It's not quite the summer wedding/tourist season, and my performance schedule is light.

Do I freak out and wonder what to do with myself or where the next dollar will come from? Absolutely not! I make lavish use of my free time, because I know it won't last and my performance calendar will soon be full again.

Need some ideas of what to do when your business is slow? None of these suggestions cost a penny, but they'll make good use of your spare time:

1. Reconnect. Contact those valuable people who have been referring you to their clients. Say "Hello!" And ask if they need more brochures, business cards, demo CDs, or any other promotional products from you. Share some marketing ideas and find out how business has been for them. Making a personal appearance at their office produces a much bigger impression than phone or email contact. So if possible, schedule an appointment and buy them a cup of coffee. You'll be surprised-they will enjoy the little break from their work tedium to visit with you. But best of all, they'll remember you the next time their phone rings with a client needing a musician.

2. Get busy online. Check your website for dead links. Do some surfing around and check out your competition. Then devise a game plan for your next website update with your webmaster. Freshen up your online social networking profiles. Upload some different songs and photos (they don't need to be new songs and photos, just different ones). Add content to your blog (What? You don't have one? It's time to start).

3. Do your homework. Discover new ways to market yourself. Check out the great marketing info available online in podcasts, blogs, e-books, and newsletters. Need help in how to sell? A great site for sales info is salesopedia.com. Need help with publicity and promotion? Check out Joan Stewart at The PublicityHound.com and Joan's "How to be a Kick-Butt Publicity Hound" E-Book. And if you are searching for info specific to the music business, for artists, and authors, start at Bob Baker's site. Refresh your career goals.

4. Go window-shopping online or in retail stores. Plan ahead to make your music sound better. Make a wish list for new equipment that you are hankering to own. Check out equipment reviews on musiciansfriend.com and even amazon.com. Talk to other musicians about which instruments and electronics they like best. Then, when the money rolls in, simply refer to your wish list, find a rock-bottom price, and make your equipment dreams come true.

5. Enter the zone. Work on some new music, play to your heart's content. Discover a new song to add to your repertoire. Create scores for the tracks for your next CD project. Compose or arrange new tunes. Or dust off some of the old stuff you love to play and get back into it. Call some friends over and make music together.

6. Get thee to a library. Read, read, read. Pick up some books on marketing or just get a fun read. You have free time...why not shut off the computer and learn something new? Park yourself in your favorite café, or sit outside on your porch or deck and become absorbed in the printed pages. Or if you are so inclined, start writing that book that you've always wanted to write.

7. Get a life. Enjoy nature: Sit on the beach or hike in the forest. Pick up a new hobby. Go to dinner and a movie with your sweetie. Play with your kids. Take a break!

Relish the time you have off from dealing with clients. Rethink your marketing strategy and make plans to build your music career. Or don't work at all-- take a vacation from your desk, your computer, your iPhone, and your Blackberry. Shut off the email and do something different. Trust that work will return and you'll feel refreshed and recharged.

New to Gigging?

You've certainly heard the phrase, "Don't quit your day job". But in this economy, many are choosing to leave their day job to do exactly what they want in life, and to make a living doing it. If you're between jobs, plan for your next career step. Whether you are a gigging musician, or a gigging freelancer in another field, I can help you to make a living doing just what you want to do, to find your own happy niche in the marketplace (and to help you manage the inevitable lulls in business).

I'm available for personal consultation and mentoring. Contact me via email to get started. And in the meantime, if you have some fabulous ways to manage the lulls in your business, please share them here.

Cheers, Anne :-)

Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos
(And contact me at anne@celticharpmusic.com for personal consultation and mentoring-
Make a living while gigging)

TV Loves a Good Sport

Last December, I was invited on the weekend Good Day Sacramento show, on KMAX-TV, CW Channel 31, to perform some holiday music on the Celtic harp...Or so I thought.

During email correspondence prior to my appearance, the producer said, "We hear you can play hard rock on the harp. It would be great if you could do that on our show. Is that okay?" Sure, fine with me. Then, I was asked if it was okay if they put me in an elevator to play "live elevator music", so to speak. Sure, that was fine also. Really, as long as I was safe and my harp was not harmed, these stunts were perfectly acceptable to me.

It was all good TV! I had a blast playing Christmas tunes in an elevator as the doors were opening and closing. And then, I was brought into the studio and played "Stairway to Heaven" to the delight of the show hosts, Cody Stark and Kelly Chapman. It was great fun, and it gave me a ton of publicity, on television and online.

I was invited back again on March 14th for another appearance. Before that date, the producer asked me to be ready to play more rock on the harp. That's all they wanted. And I had a feeling they would place me in another strange place....

Sure enough, my first appearance on the show was a shot of me sitting in the TV station lobby, playing the Celtic harp for the security guard and people who were signing in at the front desk. This is when my main interview took place. Cody said, "We received an email from a listener who said, 'It was nice you invited the harp lady back since you guys stuffed her in the elevator the last time she was here.'" Cody loved hearing hard rock music on the harp and brought up the subject of Metallica. Perfect segway, because I was prepared to play a bit of Metallica's "The Unforgiven", just for Cody. It made his day, but the TV crew wasn't completely satisfied until I was filmed playing in as many places as they could think of. I played in the studio, next to the weather desk, while Cody delivered the forecast (I played Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight"). Then I played in the Spanish translation booth (Sting's "Fields of Gold").

They weren't done with me yet-During one of the commercial breaks, the producer's assistant asked me whether I would play inside the shower of one of the bathrooms in the building. I laughed, and said, "As long as it is clean and dry and no one turns on the water while I'm playing."

Yes, I sat in a shower, playing the Celtic harp with a TV camera held just inches away from my hands and face. Since we were only a few days away from St. Patrick's Day, and the broadcast included a video clip of cabbage bowling (I'm not kidding!), the producer was fine with me playing a bit of Irish music. The sound of Irish jigs bounced off those walls with better acoustics than last December's elevator stint.

My finale: The show credits ran as I played "Free Bird" in the studio, to Cody and the entire crew's applause. "We love having you here. You're such a good sport!" And I loved it too. What fun to be challenged in a way that delights TV viewers! After the show, I said to Cody, "I hope you'll have me back. But maybe you're running out of places to have me play the harp." I added that it was too bad that they didn't have a weather helicopter, and Cody retorted with a sly grin, "Don't tempt me, Anne. You never know what I'll think of next."

As I was packing up to leave, Cody handed me an email he received during the broadcast from a viewer who thought it was cool that I could play Metallica on the harp. And would I play for her brother's wedding? I also received several other gig inquiries later that day. I posted links to the broadcast on my website, my blogs, and on social networking profiles. I twittered about them. And the comments keep coming in. So what if I played inside an elevator and inside a shower? Demeaning? Absolutely not. It made for good TV, I had fun, the TV crew had fun, and I can't beat the promotion.

Tips for Musicians:

There will come a time, sooner or later, that a TV or video camera will be focused on you, and not just a fan sitting in your audience at a gig. You could be the subject of an interview and performing to thousands of viewers. It's the best kind of promotion out there, if you do it right.

I have appeared on radio and television interviews too many times to count in my 25-odd years of performing, but I'm always learning something new about the experience. So, I'll give you just a few pointers that have worked across-the-board for me:

1. Most local TV news shows air live, which means if you make a mistake, it airs anyways. Therefore, do as much up-front preparation as possible. Communicate with the producers well in advance, honing in on everything from what they want you to play, to whether they'll want to give your Cds away on-air, to even a possible dress code.

2. Bring more music than is needed. The producers may change their minds about what they'll want you to play at the last minute. Be flexible.

3. Practice that music. Don't prepare music that is too challenging for you to play under stressful conditions. Don't set yourself up for failure.

4. Glue a smile on your face. Be gracious. Act as if that TV set is the producer's living room and you have been invited to play just for the hosts, the camera, and that guy standing behind the camera. If they ask you to sit somewhere unusual to play, you are entertaining special guests in their own home, kindly oblige. Don't act like a diva (the TV magnifies any behavior you convey-even a subtle expression that says, "You want me to do what???").

5. After the airing, watch the videos of your performance and learn from them. Practice makes perfect-You'll do better each time you get in front of a camera. You will also become more comfortable, too.

6. Always thank the crew and the producers and continue to keep in touch.

I'm no expert on all of this, but I'll point you to a great book containing much more information about handling yourself on TV, for musicians and anyone who becomes the subject of an interview. I like this book because it is very instructional and not full of a lot of hype: Full Frontal PR by Richard Laermer, Bloomberg Press, Princeton, N.J., 2004.

How do you get on TV in the first place? Do your homework--Joan Stewart's multitude of PR tips, ideas, and strategies will get you started.

Many more tips are available from my book "The Musician's Guide to Brides". This book is written primarily for wedding musicians, but it's also filled with advice about marketing, advertising, and promoting your business as a working musician. It's available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, Amazon.com, and of course, at my website at www.celticharpmusic.com.

I'm looking forward to reading your feedback about performing in front of a TV camera.

Cheers, Anne :-)

Anne Roos Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos (And contact me at anne@celticharpmusic.com for personal consultation and mentoring-Make a living while gigging)

St. Patrick’s Day Tip to Musicians

Do you have a St. Paddy's Day gig? Arrive sober and leave sober. Everyone knows when you've already had one or two drinks when they meet you. It isn't just your behavior--they can smell it on your breath. Don't start off with a bad first impression. At a pub or concert gig, well-meaning guests may buy you a pint while you are performing. A word of caution if you decide to imbibe--sloppy playing and stupid behavior will not get you booked again for next year. Best to wait until after the gig to party (and of course, choose a designated driver).

If you have a private corporate party or a March wedding gig coming up, avoid alcohol altogether. If your co-workers (banquet captain, wedding minister, event coordinator, etc.) see you drinking, they may spread the word that you were drinking while on the job, putting your reputation in the toilet. Learn more about performing at weddings (with useful info about performing at all sorts of gigs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, Amazon.com, and of course, at my website at www.celticharpmusic.com

NEW! Consulting and Mentoring Available:
Anne Roos' Guidance to Making a Living by Gigging

You've certainly heard the phrase, "Don't quit your day job". But in this economy, many are choosing to leave their day job to do exactly what they want in life, and to make a living doing it. Whether you are a gigging musician, or a gigging freelancer in another field, I can help you to make a living doing just what you want to do, to find your own happy niche in the marketplace. Contact me anne@celticharpmusic.com to get started today.

Different is Good

A few weeks ago, I received a call from Monica from the Tuxtown tuxedo rental shop. Excitedly, told me that she would be launching a full-service wedding boutique in a few weeks and wanted me to perform at the grand opening! The date was Valentine's Day, a day she hoped to attract many couples that are headed to the altar.

Monica's new store, the Wedding Emporium, is located in the Carson Mall in Carson City, Nevada. I was looking forward to performing inside her new one-stop shop for tuxedos, bridal gowns, and photography. But when I arrived, Monica said, "There's a stage set up in the middle of the shopping mall. I think it would be much better for you to perform there, where everyone will see you, instead of inside my shop."

It wasn't what I expected--A lone harpist on a big stage inside of a mall? That was okay for the jazz band, which was packing up when I approached the stage, but wouldn't I get lost up there? Would anyone see or hear the harp? Would anyone be paying attention?

As it turned out, the shopping mall was fairly quiet, even with complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries handed out to patrons who roamed about on this Valentine's Day. For a harpist, quiet is a good thing. The harp music reverberated throughout the mall, and people gathered to take seats in front of the stage as I played a mix of Celtic music and modern popular love songs (view my complete repertoire list to get an idea of what I played).

Shoppers approached the edge of the stage and asked for requests, and I sold CDs that they wanted autographed. Even Monica could hear me performing as the harp music wafted into her store. When I finished playing, she bought CDs to sell to her own customers and took a large stack of brochures to pass on to brides-to-be.

Originally, I had an odd picture in my head of being ignored on a big stage in the middle of a mall, for I am a solo musician, not a band. Happily, I was wrong.

Tips for Retail Store Owners:

These are hard economic times, and that means you may need to be a bit creative about getting shoppers into your store. Many shop owners attract customers by discounting prices on selected items by 50% or more. Instead, what if you invested in a musician to draw a crowd?

In the above story, Monica didn't slash prices at all, but even on a quiet shopping day, brides were parading into her store. Of course, she sent a press release to the local paper. She also handed out fliers to other colleagues in her wedding networking group, Weddings of the West. She cooperated with other stores in the mall, too, and they all got the word out.

You could host your own musical events. I have seen a Hawaiian luau band playing in Trader Joe's grocery stores, pianists performing in music stores, string quartets in hotel lobbies, and jazz trios playing inside mall food courts. Take a cue from the folks at Disneyland-they have live music at all their eateries and even outside of shops where people are milling about. Music serves to make patrons linger, and if they linger, they are more apt to buy.

Tips for Musicians:

Don't be afraid to take on a different gig than you're used to playing. If you have never played in a department store, in a shopping mall, in a music store, in a bridal shop, or even inside a grocery store, maybe it's time to give it a try.

Sure, you may need to offer a discount off of your regular performance fees to land these gigs, but if you have CDs to sell, you will make it up in sales. Plus, you just never know who may pick up your business card and give you a call later for a much more lucrative gig. At the very least, you'll get some free promotion.

Go where you are apt to meet future clients. If you primarily play at weddings, approach bridal salons, jewelry stores, cake shops, etc., and see about performing in these retail outlets to gain exposure to brides who may want to hire you. If you primarily teach music lessons, approach full-service music stores to demonstrate how wonderful their sale instruments can sound with proper practice (you might even win yourself a spot teaching in that store, too). If you have your CDs commercially available, you can also perform in bookstores that are willing to stock your CDs. Actually, performing anywhere that people can sit down and take a listen to you can attract new fans, customers, and clients.

Many more tips are available from my book "The Musician's Guide to Brides". This book is written primarily for wedding musicians, but it's also filled with advice about marketing, advertising, and promoting your business as a working musician. It's available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, Amazon.com, and of course, at my website at www.celticharpmusic.com.

I'm looking forward to reading your feedback about performing in retail stores.

Cheers, Anne :-)

Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos
(And contact me at celticharpmusic@yahoo.com for personal consultation and mentoring-Make a living while gigging)

A Musical School Performance is a Real Education

I visited Minden Elementary School in Minden, Nevada to give a presentation to 4th-6th grade students. But before attending, I supplied Ms. B, the teacher who invited me, with a complete lesson plan. It included what I was planning to teach: an introduction to the Celtic harp in Renaissance England and Ireland, along with a full discussion of the culture and music from that period.

I dressed in full Renaissance period costume (appropriate for a
middle-class musician from that time), and I brought plenty of sheet
music with me, just in case I ran out of what I planned to play.

When I arrived, three boys helped me bring my equipment into the
multi-purpose room where the assembly would be held. Ms. B
even assigned a young lady by the name of Kai, to make an
introduction to the students before I began my presentation.

There were some 200 students gathered. After explaining about
the culture and dress of the 1500s, I performed the following tunes,
with plenty of explanation in between:

1. Early Music-3 French Dances
2. Written by King Henry VIII-"Pastyme With Good Company"
3. Can they name this tune?--"Greensleeves"
4. O'Carolan's music:
"Shebeg & Shemore"
"Planxty George"
"Carolan's Draught"
5. Renaissance Dances:
"My Lady Carey's Dompe"
"Galliard"
"Epping Forest"--waltz
"Abbots Bromley Horn Dance" and
"The Green Man"-Double jigs
"Considine's Grove"-Hornpipe
"Princess Royal"--Hornpipe
6. Can they tell the difference between which is an air and which is a march?
"Carrickfergus" and "Brian Boru's March"

Encore:
"The Water Kelpie"

I instructed the children to hold their questions to the end of the
assembly, and there was a question/answer period the last ten or
fifteen minutes before my hour was up.

Next, I was lead into the library, where I did an additional
presentation for Ms. B's and Ms. Moyer's 6th grade classes. The
students had prepared questions for me to answer as part of their
"Music and Arts Lecture Series". They wanted to know what it was
like to be a working musician, and they asked questions like "Why
did you want to play the harp?", "Where are harps made?", "Where
do you perform?", and "Do you feel unique because you play the
harp?". I finished off the round of thoughtful questions with a few
more tunes.

Next, cookies, chips, and lemonade were served in the library and
they had "Meet and Greet". The kids thanked me and excused
themselves to get snacks. They mixed and mingled like adults at a
cocktail party! The students were all so well-behaved, and it was a
joy to perform for them.

View some great photos in the photo gallery on my website.

Tips for School Teachers and Principals:

Bringing in musical talent for performances and educational
presentations does not have to be a budget-breaker. By utilizing
the local talent in your community, you won't need to provide them
with accommodations or food. Furthermore, musicians are usually
booked up on evenings and weekends, so their schedules are more
open on weekdays and may pass along a discount to you.

Zero in on exactly what they will be teaching and how that
information or performance will fit into your present curriculum. It is
common to ask for a lesson plan and references. However, if you
require musicians to jump through too many hoops to be
considered (submitting lengthy applications, panel interviews, extensive
press kits, etc.), some musicians my simply decide against
applying in the first place.

Once you have invited a musician for an assembly, prepare the
students for the visit. A great idea is to have the students prepare
questions to ask the musician ahead of the visit, as in the above
example. And afterwards, the children can write essays about
what they learned from the visit. Of course, children who have
behavior issues should be warned or simply weeded out of the
classes who attend the assembly.

Take photos and movies of the presentation to share on school
websites and with parents. Make it a big event. Show that you
support the arts in your community. And keep in touch with the
musicians afterwards--They love to hear how their presentations
were received.

Tips for Musicians:

If you are great with kids and have something to teach and share
about your instrument and your music, consider offering school
presentations as a wonderful way to supplement your income and
do something special for your local community. In fact, there are
many musicians who travel to perform for schools far and wide-
performing for kids is their specialty.

The first step to performing in schools is to contact your local
school districts and find out what their requirements are. Some will
simply instruct you to contact individual school principals to see
about their interest, needs and budget. Larger school districts may
have an arts program in place. In these cases, there will be an
application/interview process before you are even considered.

Hone in on what you can offer to kids. Do a Google search on
"lesson plans" and use those outlines and examples to create
some lessons that tie in with your musical performance. Schools
will want to know what you'll be teaching, and sample lesson plans
provide the format for conveying this information to them.

Finally, include a discount for local schools. We need the arts in
our communities, and children need to see people up-close-and-
personal performing for them.

Many more tips are available from my book "The Musician's Guide
to Brides". This book is written primarily for wedding musicians,
but it's also filled with advice about marketing, advertising, and
promoting your business as a working musician. It's available
wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and
through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com,
Amazon.com, and of course, at my website at
www.celticharpmusic.com

I'm looking forward to reading your feedback about performing at
school events.

Cheers, Anne :-)

Anne Roos Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

Bridal Fair Madness!

Once or twice a year, I purchase a booth and exhibit at a bridal fair. I do my homework. I make sure that the bridal fair has had high attendance in past shows, I interview other exhibitors from past shows to find out if they had a good experience, and I make sure my booth will be far away from the booths of other musicians, entertainers, and DJs.

I exhibited at the 21st Annual Fantasy Wedding Faire in Reno,
Nevada, produced by the American Heart Association, perhaps
against my better judgment. Why? Because I broke my own
cardinal rule: Never exhibit in the same room as a fashion show. I
signed up for this show because several other wedding service
colleagues had participated in previous years and successfully
booked a number of weddings from the brides who attended.

The event was held in the Silver State Pavilion at the huge Grand
Sierra Resort. Very spacious and comfortable--the room was well
suited for a bridal fair. Set up was a breeze, with easy load-in, but I
didn't count on walking into DJ Bill McClain's loading cart when I
was setting up. Scraped up my foot! Ouch! Maybe it was a bad
omen?

My booth was located on the opposite wall from the fashion show,
as far away from the fashion show as I could possibly be. But once
the doors opened and the brides entered, I discovered my booth
was beneath five PA speakers in the ceiling. These speakers
belched constant announcements for raffle ticket prizes,
descriptions of dresses and models in the fashion show, and
annoying fashion show music at an astounding volume. Anyone
approaching my booth had to yell to converse with me. And of
course, no one could hear my poor little harp-my amp was no
match against those giant speakers. It was no way to introduce
my services to brides.

I commonly book weddings at bridal fairs, because I always offer a
10% discount to brides who decide to hire me at the fair. But this
show was quite the exception, when people could barely converse
with me. Or perhaps, it was a sign of our economy that a larger
discount needed to be offered for landing bookings at bridal fairs? I
may never know.

At least I do know that many brides were interested in my services,
because they waited in line to talk with me, even though they had
to shout over the din. More than 100 brochures left my table that
day. And I'll be in touch with those who entered my drawing for a
free wedding CD, too.

The networking opportunities were endless. Two very generous
florists donated flower displays for my booth: Hattie Reed from Art
in Bloom and another floral arrangement from Floral Expressions &
Events. I met Kathleen from the Harbor House at Sand Harbor
Beach, Lake Tahoe, and learned about their wonderful wedding
facilities. Maybe she'll start recommending me to brides getting
married there. Kristy Hawke who produces the Nevada Women's
Expo also introduced herself to me. Adjacent to my booth was
Andy and Jennifer from The Pampered Chef and along with my
friends Rolf and Eileen from Starling Video , helped watch my booth
when I had to take a break.

So, even if a bridal fair may look like a total washout on the surface,
the connections between the brides and the exhibitors can make it
well worth attending!

Tips for Brides:

Bridal fairs aren't just about checking out the bridal fashions,
sampling cakes, and winning door prizes. Go there with the idea to
hire your wedding vendors at the show. Here's why: most wedding
services offer budget-saving discounts if you decide to book them
right then and there. Bring your checkbook or credit card, an
envelope for your receipts, and your fiancé, mom, and others to
help you make decisions. If they cannot attend, bring along a cell
phone so that you can call them from the show and help you
decide.

Don't want to make quick decisions at the fair? Then bring
something to take notes. Don't be caught without any way to write
down quotes from a potential ceremony site, florist, or musician.

Also prepare a sheet of address labels, and write your email
address and phone number onto those labels before you attend the
fair. At each booth, you may find a drawing for a prize like a free
honeymoon, free flowers, dinner for two at a restaurant, or a
substantial discount off of particular services. Instead of wasting
your time filling out forms for each drawing, just affix the address
stickers to each entry form you encounter and move along to the
next booth.

Follow up with those you meet after the bridal fair while their
wedding services are still fresh in your mind. The more generous
wedding vendors may extend their bridal fair discounts a few days
beyond the fair, especially if you hit it off well with them. But if you
wait weeks or months, not only will you be paying full price, you
may also find that they are no longer available on your wedding
date.

Tips for Musicians:

Exhibiting at bridal fairs is a huge monetary and time commitment.
The booth price alone is not the only monetary factor-having
brochures and promotional materials pre-printed, electricity for your
booth, and other booth amenities will add to that cost. And you
must plan to perform in your booth. The only way brides will fall in
love with the idea of hiring you for their wedding or reception is to
see you in action, as if they would see you at their wedding. You
may need to put in some extra rehearsal time with your ensemble
before the day of the bridal show.

When choosing to buy booth space at a local bridal fair, you can
ask all the right questions of the fair promoter, hear that the fair was
successful previous years from other wedding vendors, and the
event can still stink. All it takes is for the fair to be poorly attended
(perhaps due to lack of advertising or bad weather), or even
something like being placed under a string of loud speakers, as in
the above example. But there are always other wedding colleagues
to meet, and they could be in the position to send you a lot of work
in the future-the silver lining to participating in a bridal fair.

If a wedding fair was truly a washout for you, look at it rationally and
decide what you could have done differently to make it a better
experience. That's what I'm doing about my experience at this last
wedding fair. Should I be involved with another bridal fair that has a
fashion show in the same building? Should I offer a larger discount
to brides who consider booking my services at the wedding fair,
because of this down economy? Should I make a formal complaint
to the fair producers about being placed under the PA speakers or
should I not bother at all? These are some questions I'm
pondering.

I've only touched on a few of the intricacies of participating in a bridal fair
in this blog. I devote an entire chapter to this subject (including
negotiating booth prices, setting up your booth, etc.) in my book
"The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard
Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers
including sheetmusicplus.com, Amazon.com, and of course, at my
website at Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos.

I'm looking forward to reading your stories, comments, and
feedback. And if you have something new to add about your bridal
fair experiences, I'd love to hear them.

Sending my best, Anne :-)