Annual Fair 22 MAY 2016
PAGE
1
THIS PAGE & COVER
Gown: On A Whim Jewellery: Rohan Jewellery Makeup: Milla Makeup Hair: Kayla Marshall Hair Bouquet: Some Kind of Wonderful Image: Kremers Photography
Let 's do this thing!
CURATED FAIRS IN CHARACTERFUL SPACES. made ESPECIALLY FOR CREATIVE COMPANIES in the PLEDGE & PART y industries. PAGE
2
First Comes Love
(and then comes marriage) is for Western Australian folks planning pledges and parties – chock full of sweetness and sass, inspiration and independent retailers.
of-water at the big brash expos and wondered if other independent retailers felt the same? The answer was a resounding “Yes!”. So we created an alternative. For people like us. And people like you.
First Comes Love celebrates creativity and pooh-poohs carbon-copy weddings. The aim is to help people who are planning the most personal days of their lives, seek out perfect pairings with goods and service providors of awesome.
Now in its sixth year, First Comes Love shines a light on folks in several ways – through our much-anticipated annual fair, through our smaller satellite events, on our social media outlets, and via our online directory and blog.
As stationery designers in our other life, we found ourselves a little like fish-out-
So. Want to come join? Find out how you can. Read on, friends, read on… Best, Angela Mitchell & Leah Dent
PAGE
01
e v o L s e m o C t s ir F SUNDAY 22 MAY 2016
MOSARTS • mosman park
MosArts in Mosman Park is a grand old dame of a theatre. The original 1921 Edwardian town hall received a sexy Art Deco do-over in the late 1930s, transforming it into the curvy gal it is today. The venue on the hill has character and personality: super-high ceilings and shiny-shiny floorboards, a theatre, two large reception/exhibition rooms, many balconies, a brick patio, a walled lawn (the outdoor cinema Camelot) and those curves to die for.
ABOVE
Venue: MosArts Caravan bar: The Travelling Jaspers Image: Ilkka K Photography
OPPOSITE
Venue: MosArts Image: Kremers Photography
PAGE
02
There is a cafĂŠ and a bar and heh, what could be nicer than a glass of wine with which to while away some wedding-dedicated hours?! Not to mention tasty treats. Folks can fill their bellies, then fill their glass and fill their afternoon ambling about the venue meeting the people that will help them make their own event amaaaaazzzing, darlings. The nearby parking is free and MosArts is a short walk away from both bus stops and the train line. There is easy access to the exhibition rooms and ample time for exhibitors to set up. Let the show begin!
PAGE
03
ime to shine… t s ' t I HOW YOU CAN EXHIBIT AT FIRST COMES LOVE FAIR
550
$
incl. GST
FULL DISPL AY
Oodles of room at the fair to show off your wares, chat to folks all day long about what you do best and get lots of fuss and attention all year online. Includes one year’s FREE membership to our online Directory. This package is ideal for retailers of awesomeness such as florists, fashion designers, film-makers, hair and makeup artists, photographers, planners, shopkeepers, stationers, stylists and vehicles. Size: 2.5 metres by 2 metres (the size of a trestle table and chairs with a little wiggle room around it)
450
$
PAGE
04
incl. GST
HALF DISPL AY
Not everyone needs a whole lotta room to shine at the fair. This package is ideal for celebrants, photographers or planners with small portfolios or laptops or iPads, hair and makeup artists who don't wish to demonstrate or book trials, and venue representatives. It also includes one year’s FREE membership to our online Directory. Size: 1.50 metres by 1.5 metres (the size of a card table and chair with a little wiggle room around it)
FREE!
$
But that's not all, you also get (no, not steak knives)… All FULL DISPL AY and HALF DISPL AY exhibitors at the fair also receive one year’s FREE membership to the directory (normally $275 per year). Members receive a dedicated webpage at firstcomeslove.com.au including: • a link to your website • a description of your business • four large clickable images that link to your website • icon links to your social media sites • links to any FCL blog posts you’re featured in Each member will also receive an Instagram shout-out throughout the year, as we love to share news about our First Comes Love alumni on social media. Our blog posts and any news we share appears on Facebook and Twitter and we like to mix alumni's work in amongst our Pinterest pins, ensuring we get the word our about Western Australian wedding wonderfulness. We love to create value for folks attending our events and if printing a little something for the public such as The Field Guide to Westralian Wedding & Event Wonderfulness, we include the directory members’ details at no additional cost. Value for everybody!
MUSICIANS & ENTERTAINERS
For folks who would like to perform for a portion of the day, but don’t require an accompanying half display stand, just ask us how you could be involved.
PAGE
05
PAGE
06
PAGE
FIRST COMES LOVE FAIR 2015
Venue: MosArts Images: Ilkka K Photography & Kremers Photography
07
? e m r o f it in s ' t a h W WHY APPLY TO EXHIBIT AT
THE FIRST COMES LOVE FAIR
LET OUR PREVIOUS EXHIBITORS TELL YOU…
“Thank you for another wonderful FCL event… you’ve pulled it off again. The highlight was the incredible venue and the girls from Darling Music being models for the day. It was a lovely idea. Boy can they sing.” “CONGRATULATIONS on such an amazing event. It was beautiful to see the whole building come alive.”
PAGE
08
“It was an amazing day and had the best energy of any market I have ever participated in. You could feel it talking to the people and it was practically bouncing off all of the vendors.” “I just wanted to tell you again how grateful I am that you had me at FCL this year. I knew it would be the perfect place to re-launch but I certainly didn't anticipate the success that would come from it. I already have 7 new clients from it, which is almost my quota done for the entire season!”
“Thought I'd drop you a line. It’s been two months since First Comes Love and we’ve just received another booking (we’re up to 6 now). This wasn't even from the day but a girl who got the book from a friend and visited the website.” “Thanks again for putting on an amazing event. We were so lucky to be a part of it and we met so many other amazing exhibitors that we can include in our professional network and now call our friends!”
“Thank you so much for organising yet another “The fair suited our aesthetic beautiful and fun fair… I perfectly and we met the had a great day (so much right kind of clientele, which chatting and cake eating). was ideal. Big kiss!” And we've already received a couple enquiries directly from the fair.”
5 annual fairs held 22 musical acts
SOME SERIOUS STATS about our fairs for you
28 fashion parades & fashion-on-the-floor walk-throughs 132 hair & makeup trials 218 independent businesses involved since the fair’s inception 223 comments posted on the FCL blog (and 130,842 pesky spam comments – yeesh!) 658 is the Pantone number for FCL16’s feature colour
1,161 website views per day (on average) 1,740 cups of coffee served at the 2012 fair at St George’s (!!!) 2,000 pocket directories printed annually 2,349 Facebook followers 2,411 Instagram followers 3,102 gorgeous images on the FCL website 6,823 likes on pics posted on Instagram (since the account was established in August 2013)
35,000 promo postcards 719 fair attendees per day distributed annually (on per event (on average) average)
SOCIAL MEDIA followers GROWTH
2.5k
2.0k
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
1.5k
1.0k
0.5k
PAGE
09
is not like the ‘Yellow Pages’ of wedding retailers in expo form. Our fairs are carefully curated and designed, promoting the cleverest of the creative folks we have in this town, to the oftenfrustrated couples who are trying to find them. First Comes Love
WHY APPLY TO EXHIBIT AT THE FIRST COMES LOVE FAIR?
established in 2010, was the first bridal fair of the alternative kind in Western Australia and has a loyal following. It was made for folks who have undoubtedly been heard to say, “I wish I could find {insert something wonderful here} in Perth”. Well, you can, you know. First Comes Love,
brings your target audience to you, which is lovely, isn’t it? Not only will hundreds and hundreds of people be coming to see your wares and engage with you in an appropriate venue, but you’ll also meet like-minded retailers of complementary services and products. First Comes Love
BELOW
Cake: Stacey Ollerenshaw Image: Kremers Photography
OPPOSITE
Gown: On A Whim Makeup: Milla Makeup Hair: Kayla Marshall Hair Cake: Stacey Ollerenshaw Image: Kremers Photography
provides you with an opportunity to display your wares in their best light in an amazing venue – a grand old Art Deco theatre is a much nicer blank canvas to start with than a corporate booth, don’t you think? First Comes Love
is serious about style and loves local designers of goodness, rather than importers of ickiness (an official term) – we like people who craft their product and make it perfectly personal to the pair getting hitched. First Comes Love
is designed from top to bottom and promoted heavily by media experts (did you know that Studio Bomba have been multi-award winners in the Australian Design Biennales and international design competitions? And one of our founders is a national design judge?). First Comes Love
PAGE
10
To ensure FIRST COMES LOVE is a success, we become busy little worker bees in the lead-up to the event.
SO, HOW DOES FIRST COMES LOVE FL AUNT ITSELF?
Although it may differ from year to year, this is the kind of thing we get up to in the name of public relations (which is really just a fancy schmancy term for being big blabbermouths and showponies)… • Updating the website and blogging • Promoting exhibitors through social media channels • Regular e-mail newsletters leading up to the event • Media releases sent to print journalists • Media releases sent to appropriate blogs • Online banner advertising • Listing the event on tourism and directory sites • Print advertising in targeted media • Postcards distributed in cafés, shops and venues
MEDIA VALUE
• Street posters
In 2012, $122,500 worth of media coverage was achieved through editorial-style print articles alone.
• Large scale banner signage at the venues
Public Relations Campaign Report Muse Bureau, 2012
• Interviews and sponsored editorials
• Small scale directional signage during the fair
PAGE
11
girlbosses e h T WHO IS FIRST COMES LOVE? Designers Angela Mitchell and Leah Dent are the founders of first comes love – an independent and privately-run event. And it is not their only gig. This is what they do for the rest of the year… studio bomba
ABOVE
Angela Mitchell (left) and Leah Dent (right)
studiobomba.com.au A creative agency of curious souls who like to play nicely with others. The preference is to work with lifestyle brands and retailers, publishers and arts organisations. Clients have included Baci, Blind Corner, Frankie, Fremantle Press, Fringe World, Rooftop Movies, Silvana Coffee and Vasse Felix. mitchell & dent
mitchellanddent.com.au Following the purchase of their beloved 1905 Chandler & Price letterpress (dubbed ‘Herbert’), M&D was founded to create event stationery, greetings and artworks.
OPPOSITE
Gown: On A Whim Jewellery: Rohan Jewellery Makeup: Milla Makeup Hair: Kayla Marshall Hair Image: Kremers Photography PAGE
12
Angela and Leah love Perth and are super-excited about the creative folks here, who can find it difficult to find an audience in their own town. First Comes Love is all about ganging up and showing WA the goodness right here at home. firstcomeslove.com.au instagram.com/firstcomeslovefair facebook.com/firstcomeslovefair twitter.com/_firstcomeslove pinterest.com/fclfair
PAGE
13
PAGE
14
ome join? C APPLY TO EXHIBIT AT THE FAIR To apply to exhibit at First Comes Love at MosArts in May 2016, go to firstcomeslove.com.au/registration
VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE
The information that you supply when you register your interest will be used to promote your business in printed and online media, should your application be successful - so do be careful with your typing and spelling! And ensure you have the appropriate permissions to use any images that you supply. Due to the limited space available and the very careful curation of the First Comes Love fair, not all applications will be successful. Whilst we would dearly love to invite gazillions of Perth peeps to participate, First Comes Love is designed to be an intimate, personal and creative little fair – it is the boutique bridal fair equivalent of your favourite high street, as opposed to a giant shopping mall.
Successful applicants will be notified via e-mail and issued with a tax invoice. To secure your placement, full payment or your first direct debit will be required (depending up how you choose to pay – we offer a monthly direct debit option over 12 months). We really look forward to receiving your registration. Do be sure to let us know how you would like to be involved and don’t hesitate to e-mail should you have any questions. hello@firstcomeslove.com.au
PAGE
15
SO, WHAT COMES NEXT? C LI C K H E R E TO A PPLY
FIRSTCOMESLOVE.COM.AU/ REGISTRATION
PAGE
16