In the space of 10 days , I had done 2 seminars for a small, intimate wedding industry conference in St. Louis produced by Wedding Market Expo and supported my partner Alan Berg at Wedding MBA in Las Vegas, the wedding educational event supreme.
There is something to be said about the cohesiveness of a conference where everyone shares the experience of each session. Producers Bev Egidi and Linda Smith created an enjoyable experience and also put an effective spotlight on the vendors of the trade show. There was an impressive group of speakers including Charles Oster of MyWedding.com, Allison Howard representing Wedding and Event Institute and Cherie Ronning of Wedding Network USA. Attendees had many chances to take short breaks and catch their breath. The Fox Theater was a wonderful venue to be inspired and absorb learning.
Wedding MBA continues to produce a dynamic educational event with top industry speakers including Alan Berg, Andy Ebon and Tammy Elliot. There were many more speakers covering a variety of topics, mini Wedtalks and other breakout sessions. Attendees were encouraged to attend as many seminars as they could, but feel that some attendees could have benefited from a better balance of trade show time and being more picky about seminars attended.
My suggestion is to try both formats and most importantly prioritize the ideas. It is far better to implement one great idea than to collect a bunch of them. The value of attending events like these are just as much about having the opportunity to talk to other wedding businesses and develop business friendships, as it is to learn from the experts. You’ll have to wait till next year for the next Wedding MBA but you can go to a Wedding Market Expo conference in Denver from 10/21-22 and Nashville 11/11-12.