The reason why I'm giving her the time of day is I guess on some level I'm hoping that people will take notice of the centerpieces and ask who did those and I'm sure most of the 350 people who are there might not of even heard of us, nor think we do arrangements and stop in or call or want to check us out, but I see from a majority of the posts here that probably won't be the case, but got to give it a try. How do you advertise that you do can do nice event work if you are never given a chance? How do you advertise this service? I mean for wedding work, vendors can go to a bridal expo/show. No one listens to radio ads or reads newspapers anymore because tried both to no luck. We are located on a busy street corner where we can be missed with hectic traffic. Once customers stop into our shop they comment on how nice our shop is that they've never seen a shop as nice as ours with that much of a selection. We don't have wreaths all over the walls or silk dried product everywhere. We sell flowers and display them all over our shop.
If we turned everyone away with a low budget we'd have little to 0 business. We have no corporate accounts and haven't had much to any event work. At this time we don't offer billing. We want to be paid on the spot and not have to hunt people down for money. So far it's been a fairly quiet Jan. for us so we've been able to get a good jump on Valentine's day and planning all that.
I just really want to grow weddings, events, etc...the places where people supposedly have the money.
Honestly, I don't think you are very far off at all. Personally, I think alot of the other posts on might be, but at the same time I understand where they are coming from. There is a big difference between how to market yourself in a big city vs a small town. Over my career I have had the opportunity to do both, in multiple different industries, and I can tell you with certainty what works in one, doesn't work in another. When you are in a large city, you can tick a few people off and its no big deal. There are an infinite number of other customers you can market to. In a small town (our town is less than 7k), ticking off one person can be the difference between thriving and going out of business. It sounds like this lady is extremely difficult to deal with, and yes that makes it frusterating, BUT odds are this is also a lady that knows everyone in town and is very vocal about her experience. Sucking it up and making the best of it will very likely be good for your business. Since the event is also for the local hospital, odds are it will be filled with your prime customers (doctors, lawyers, businessmen or women and local dignitaries). Also keep in mind that there is no instant gratification with this type of marketing. Its not like a coupon or daily special where you instantly see the result (or lack there of). This marketing strategy takes time, and commitment. The pay-offs are long term and much bigger than any coupon or advertisement, but it is also the most work for your physically, emotionally and mentally. For this reason, it is easy to dismiss as a waste of time, or not worth it, but in reality you need to ask yourself if you business can afford not to do it?
If I were serious about building my business I would first off forget completely about even trying to make a profit or even break even. IF I were to do this event, I would view it as a marketing expense and proceed accordingly. (It amazes me that florists will hand over tens of thousands of dollars to WS for "marketing" that takes their business from them, yet are so reluctant to market DIRECTLY to their PRIME CUSTOMERS because it will cost them a hundred bucks). Now that doesn't mean it needs to cost a fortune, I would create a modest budget and stick to it. (most of it would be labor/your time) I would also be at the event and use the event to showcase your work, meet people etc. In a small town its all about who you know. The only way to get to know them is to be front and center, to be involved in the community, and to support the people that you want to support you. When I was in a big metro area, I used much different approach to marketing, but in a small town this is critical. It works. I would also suggest joining some service clubs if you don't already; Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Big Brother/Big Sister, Chamber of Commerce--whatever interests you the most.
As far as dealing with the difficult lady, I would NOT send her packing or tell her "no". I would just very kindly give her options. Tell her what you can do, and explain that you really appreciate being a part of this event but if you don't have the ability to fulfill her needs you understand. That you enjoy working with her and support her cause, but if she needs to go elsewhere you understand as well. Leave the choice up to her. (Odds are, that will bring her down a few notches--I've used it a few times) If she keeps spitting out ideas, suggest that she give it a few days to think about it and when she decides exactly what she wants to come see you. Explain that once you commit to product orders, they can't be changed, so you want her to be confident in her decision. The more decisions SHE makes, the happier she will be, and the less room there is to blame you!
A fellow business owner in town (VERY successful--and rather wise), who is also very involved in the community was at a meeting with me a few months ago. A similiar conversation to this occured and his advice was that he "never says no". Nomatter what someone asks for he always tells them that he is sure that he can help somehow and gets their contact information. He said he then goes back to his office and stresses about about what he CAN do to help and proceeds accordingly. Again, I can tell you it works. His business volume keeps growing, and they expand every year. He is a part of the fabric in the community and that is very important to being successful in small towns.
I copied and pasted an excerpt from another post/blog because I think it sums everything up very well
5. Don’t fall victim to charity. Charities are like vultures: they smell a dying business from miles away and assure that it will perish. I know several of my readers just gasped. Let me console you. I believe charity is the backbone of life, not just business. I am so anti-corporate and pro-small business that I think charity is one of the important things that differentiate us from big corporate (the United States of Walmart). But charity starts at home as the saying goes. Adapt this principle to your marketing plan: give back to the organizations that contain customers. If an .org wants your charity, does that .org have any employees who do business with you? Consider only donation requests that originate from a personal customer who works for that charity. And to turn this item from the list of marketing don’ts to marketing do’s, here’s the key: your own presence at the event that you are contributing to. Your presence with your product/donation is essential to a donation becoming a marketing tool. If you think enough to donate to a charitable event, make sure your donation is reciprocated with tickets and not a printed thank you in the program (useless). 
