to think that at least one person could have turned up?

[pamelat]

My SIL had an event today, she and her friend run a small photography business (weddings and children). They hired the village hall and spent £100's on promotional leaflets and no one turned up.

It was a free photo shoot (I know a lot of people offer this now a days) and they thought it was good timing for Christmas.

They were offering no obligation photos with framed prints starting from £25.

I had got my antenatal friend to sell her books there too and a large provider of childrens toys was also there selling things for Christmas.

Do you think this is the credit crunch? or would you not have gone regardless?

It was 10am - 3pm and I left at 2pm and not one person had turned up, other than our friends to have a cup of tea with us.

I know big photography companies (won't name names) are very popular at the moment but she really is as good as those

My MIL had baked 80 fairy cakes for the children too and 10% of profits were to a childrens charity.

Maybe a village hall wasn't the right venue? A shame, though.

what a shame. who were the leaflets given to? was it advertised?

am amazed no-one turned up

what a shame

did she do much publicity? how much notice did people have?

maybe she is better going along to big wedding fairs and the like, rather than trying to arrange it all herself?

So sorry for you, MIL and SIL. Can't think of anything else to say in way of explanation but, school photos have just been done, it is a busy shopping weekend, weathers bad etc.

Did it clashed with something else in the area ?

The weather has been awful today so maybe some people think twice about going out especially if money is tight.

What a shame though.

I know. She had never done anything like this before (and has a different village hall booked for tomorrow too ).

Its difficult because they are so in to it, but the competition is so strong from the bigger companies. I know one photography company that has a waiting list for childrens photos and they charge a fortune.

She (and I) have leaflet dropped about 200 houses locally, and put leaflets up in super markets, baby friendly cafes etc.

I wonder whether they were all scared of being ripped off but she isnt like that, she really did intend for it to be a children orientated thing, she had cut out pictures to be coloured in, bought balloons etc.

We had asked about 20 friends with children to come along too but they weren't very interested, maybe they will all go tomorrow.

It was a bit embarassing

Speaking for myself, amd i would guess some others feel the same, any 'promotion' or 'freebie' from a photography company is not to be touched with a barge pole.
I understand they probably thought it a generous idea but so many people will have had the bad experience winning a cometition or being offered a free studio session and then you realise its just a cynical marketing con. so I think in general peole are a bit wary and seen-it-all-before.
And free session or not £25 a photo is still a lot of money.

the leaflets have been circulated in the last 3 weeks or so, more so in the last fortnight. Maybe not enough notice?

I wonder whether saturday is a "doing" day and tomorrow might be busier?

Sorry - that reads harsher than i meant, i was just trying to say that the faux competitions that the bigger photography comanies have bombarded everyone with over the last however many years will have left al ot of people feeling a bit jaded about this kind of promotion.
Sorry though, you all must feel very deflated. Good luck for tomorrow.

i think to get any sort of decent turn out you have to do 1000s of leaflet drops.

i thikn if she stuck to better organised wedding fairs etc she would have better luck, people go looking to book a wedding photographer and are in a spending frame of mind IFYSWIM

I would have instantly thought 'con', I'm afraid.

There is a saying - "you only get free cheese in a mousetrap"

I have come across stuff like this before - have X for free - then you get there and are pressured into buying X, Y, Z....

It's a shame if this wasn't what she was doing, but I bet that's what folks thought.

Like that Venture thing - free session, free teenyweeny photo, then thousands of pounds worth of lovely pics you can buy AND finance available AND feeling like a bad person if you don't buy (what mother doesn't want lovely pics of her child?)

Astropop, mabe they all thought that.

I wonder whether the only way to succeed is to work via recommendation only.

On the plus side, my 10 month old was the star attraction and I will be getting lots of free pics of her, but its still sad that no one believes the offer.

Basically they said it was free and were prepared to email small pictures around (for nothing) and if people were interested then they could book to see them. I dont think that my SIL and her business partner could do sales pressure if they tried, they are just nice people.

I guess no one would make the effort just to have the small pictures though so there is still some obligation/cost there in knowing you'll be paying out????

Venture is the one with a waiting list around here!!

i'd have been very wary.

dd has photos done at nursery, ballet and two playgroups. that's 4 different photographers, all independent. they just show up for the day or the session, snap away, either posed or candid, then you get your pic of the snaps, no obligation to buy hundreds.

i've also seen photographers advertise sessions at soft play centres. so you just show up on the day and your child can play while they wait. again, no obligation.

if i were your friends i'd be contacting the likes of jo jingles, baby ballet, etc etc and get in that way.

good luck to them - £800 for a photo.

Fuck. That.

I think Hecate's right. Unfortunately the photography business has been really damaged by those awful companies.

Hey why don't you stick a small business ad up on here for tomorrow's event?

I wouldn't touch a "free" photo session with a barge pole. I might go to one that cost £25 but only if I had an appointment. There is no way I would turn up at a village hall with the family all dolled up on the off chance. I think your SIL needs to look at her marketing model.

Yeah I think you are right, I think people were wary of it. It can be the only explanation really.

Maybe they should have put "no photo will cost you more than X" rather than the starting price.

I don think that they will want to spend any more money advertising, will ask her, its a bit late in the day now.

The village hall cost them £90 which is a lot to them.

I think that Astropup and Hecate have the right thinkning there - I have been caught by one of these "win a free studio session and a print - value £135" promotions and of course you end up spending more money, but I did look at it that we got one free photo and would never have paid the studio fee in the first place! BUT - we aren't going to do it again. Or get caught again. Once bitten and all that, and people are likely to be in the same position as me.

do you have plenty of leaflets left?

can you spare an hour to go and stand outside your local tesco/aldi/asda this afternoon actually targeting those with kids and explaining what its about? maybe get people to book appointments for the shoot (like pixiphoto do at boots), and offer them a free print?

They should def def do wedding fairs! Do they have a website?

i think rather than doing it5 all themselves, they should have done it someplace like a school christmas fair. or, with the pre school classes that children tend to go to. or even at a mother and toddler group, somewhere in the corner.

Sorry this happened, I hope tomorrow is better.

Fwiw could she advertise in the local paper? With a token to bring along or something?