In the competitive landscape of photo booth and event photography, how do you not only retain clients but attract new ones? For Jamie Cobb, owner of Photoville in Edmond, Oklahoma, the answer lies in premium add-ons. Her educational session, “Maximizing Profits with Premium Add-Ons for Event Photographers and Photo Booth Entrepreneurs” at Imaging USA 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, will cover her tips and tricks on the topic.

Add-on items like trading cards, key chains, buttons, magnets, and mirrors can spark conversation and trigger nostalgia. They make the guest experience more memorable, which can generate new bookings and command higher prices.

Premium items also create lasting value for guests, keeping the event top of mind. Instead of tucking a photo away in a drawer or on a camera roll, guests leave with a key chain they use every day or a mirror that stays in their purse. These items become part of their daily life, reminding them of the event.

CREATE A WOW FACTOR

A big part of differentiating her company has been creating the wow factor that gets people talking at an event, explains Cobb. If a product can create buzz at an event, it can also generate new business. “In one weekend, if you have three or four events, you may be in front of 20,000 people,” she notes. “If you market yourself right and do a great job, people will notice.” The goal is for every event to generate two new bookings.

CONTINUALLY EVOLVE OFFERINGS

A steady stream of new premium products keeps clients coming back. “I have clients who have returned every year for over 15 years,” Cobb says. “We can’t just deliver the same products.” To keep the offerings fresh, Cobb continually does research to find new and interesting products. “I watch a lot of craft videos. I look for anything that can be done with photos. You don’t have to come up with a good idea; you just have to recognize a good idea.”

One strategy she’s embraced is to offer a new twist on a vintage item. Cobb’s childhood memories of the View-Master she received at a theme park in Oklahoma City inspired her to re-imagine the concept. The new View-Masters are smaller, sleeker, and more modern, while still sparking nostalgia, making them popular at events.

TEST BEFORE DEPLOYING

Once she finds a product with the wow factor she wants, the next step is to evaluate its practicality to give out at an event. “Not everything I try gets in front of clients,” Cobb notes. She tries out new ideas at industry events with trusted vendors to ensure the workflow functions well in practice. That testing determines whether an idea becomes an offering.

Cobb’s goal is to get a tangible product into a guest’s hands within 45 seconds. No matter how impressive or splashy a product might be, if it takes too long to produce, it’s not improving the guest experience.

PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED

Cobb notes that because premium add-ons can be so popular, she keeps extra inventory on hand for last-minute bookings. She recalls an event when a guest “was blown away by the quick turnaround on the magnets and the buttons. She had her own event the next day and wanted to book us at the last minute.” Luckily, her team could meet the demand with the product they had on hand. Cobb recommends holding additional inventory, or working with vendors who can get new items delivered quickly—even overnight—to avoid having to turn down new clients.

Good planning also means ensuring you have more of each item than you think you’ll need at an event. While the expectation is that each guest might take one of each item, it’s common for people, especially executives or large donors, to want five, 10, or even more. “We don’t say no,” she says. “We smile and say yes.” Her team also sets aside an area to store those items so the guests can pick them up later, which keeps the line moving.

PRICE FOR SUCCESS

Because premium items are unique and tangible, they command a higher price than digital images or even prints. It’s important to calculate prices by considering all the costs, including storage, transportation, and possibly even extra personnel. Cobb notes that every market is different, so costs for any item may vary by area. Knowing your unique costs is the key to pricing these items for profitability.

SERVE YOUR CLIENT WHAT THEY NEED

When add-ons are involved, Cobb believes the best results are not from trying to sell specific products, but from truly understanding the client’s needs. Sometimes what the customer thinks they want isn’t what will work best for their event, she notes. Ask the right questions to dig deeper into their desired results, which allows you to move beyond simply selling to creating real value. That willingness to care for the customer means they will trust you and hire you in the future. Making sure you not only offer the right premium add-ons but offer them at the right times to the right clients is what keeps clients coming back year after year.  

Janet Howard is a photographer, author, and coach based in Atlanta.