The ribbon-cutting is perhaps the most thrilling part for entrepreneurs at their opening business event. To ensure a successful turnout at your opening event, you must be creative and avoid mistakes. First impression counts the most – so, take some time to plan the grand opening business party, to finally introduce your business to the world. As much as you would not want to believe it, this grand opening event is an important part of your presentation plan and shouldn’t be skipped. This is your best chance to get to know your audience, gain customers, and ensure that your company starts off effectively. In this article, we’ll show you how to plan the grand opening event for your business, and how to get the most out of the experience.
Set goals for the occasion
Every business person should consider some goals, so your grand ceremony shouldn’t be an exception. Before planning the event, set realistic goals, such as getting as much information possible from your potential clients to raise your brand awareness. Grand opening ideas, goals, marketing budget, and more. These are the clear, comprehensive, and actionable steps for small business owners. A successful grand opening event induces interest and excitement. It’s a great opportunity to showcase your industry to your friends, family, potential customers, and also connect with other local businesses. What benefits are you going to experience?
- Create awareness
- Create positive experience
- Create excitement
- Build relationships
- The big opening ceremony is your first and top marketing tactic. You not only want attendees to your event, but the whole city to get to know you. “Grand Opening” is indeed something that makes people curious and thrilled about it. For this reason, your event must be appealing enough to win over cynics. Also, if your business is new to town, then you have reasons for giving out some additional activities, such as giveaways, drinks, food, etc. Also, make sure that the entrance is attractive enough to make a first good impression. The moment when you will cut the curling ribbon should be spectacular and unforgettable.
- You do not only want to attract potential customers. You want people to get to know, like you, and ultimately use your services. Big openings are the perfect opportunity to build relationships with local people. Start positive with your neighbors and build tactical relationships with them. They’re the closest ones who could call your services first.
- Regardless of how engaging the event is, you must take into consideration other aspects, such as parking spots. Creating a positive experience for your guests is mandatory, as you want them to leave your party satisfied and willing to try out your services and products. Make sure you prepare beforehand a large space for the staff members, but especially for your guests.
Choose an event type and start planning early
Grand openings should be prearranged as early as possible, because it takes too much time for taking care of all the details to be organized. Preparing is vital for your grand event. To make the event memorable, you should allow yourself sufficient time to make sure that everything runs as planned. It’s important to have just as much fun at the event as your guests.
Besides creating an event that suits your company’s purpose, you must also create a party you like to attend. Sharing these events is like sharing your most personal dreams to the rest of the world. Choose a clean and inviting venue, with lots of activities to enjoy. You can hire modeling agencies in Dallas and they will help you make your event a great success. It will lead to the successful event you dreamed of for so long.
Considerations for your event
Stick to your budget – setting aside some money for your first grand opening event is essential because you’ll want to not spend all your savings at once. At the same time, you do not want to create a low-priced event; your guests are going to sense it and probably talk about it in the future. Plan ahead your grand opening party and allocate yourself enough money to host the greatest festivity.
Advertise your community – a couple of weeks before the big event, make sure that you start advertising your community through whatever you believe it’s worth it. If you can’t decide, you could promote your business event through the following platforms:
Radio – Indeed, most radio stations make you sign long contracts, but others might allow you to showcase your business event for several weeks.
Social media – You’ve probably lived under a rock before if you didn’t know that putting all your efforts into promoting your business through social media platforms is the most beneficial thing to do. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and many more are guaranteed to help you target the right audience for your business.
Email – Sending direct emails can be expensive, but it’s the most effective way to make sure that your audience is aware of your future grand opening event.
Flyers – It might sound like an old-styled method, but printed flyers are still effective for letting people know about your business party. You can post the flyers on community boards, or simply hand them to people on the streets. Also, there are several local stores that can allow you to post ads for your business and other events. Make sure you make the most attractive flyer designs that attract the maximum amount of audience.
Infographic created by FIRST
Why should people attend your business event?
To ensure that your event is successful, you must give people reasons to attend it. What’s most entertaining for people other than free gifts? For example, free food and drinks is the best to start with. Let’s be honest, most of the people will go out for a free meal and a drink. However, this will depend on the audience you choose. If you open a restaurant, for example, you could show some of the meals that will be included in the menu.
Otherwise, you can choose more simple menus, such as hotdogs or cater food from a local restaurant. This will help you save money, but also you won’t allow your guests to starve. Depending on your audience, you might as well select some entertainment for the event, such as a fun band to sing or other family-friendly options, such as face paintings. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to plan your opening grand event, you can still host a successful party. Just make sure you remain friendly throughout the event, and follow up your guests after the party is over. Maybe you can convert them into loyal clients.
