You’ve toiled and labored through the ups and downs of expanding your company and you’re finally ready to throw open the doors of your new corporate space. You deserve nothing less than to be congratulated publicly during your special Grand Opening party when all eyes are on your success and all mouths are talking about your business!
Hosting a Grand Opening is a high-profile way to court new customers by introducing your venture as the new business in town. If you invite your new corporate neighbours, they get to know what you do and refer business to you because you’re nearby. And if you invite your existing clientele, you’ll flatter them by thanking them publicly and inspire them to talk to all their business colleagues about you, and at the same time confirming in their minds that you’re the right business for their needs.
But throwing a Grand Opening is not as simple as putting an ad in the paper and then unlocking the doors. This is a very rare opportunity in any company to unashamedly declare your own success, so you want to make sure you get it right. Here are a few quick points that Bright Ideas has learned over the years on how to optimize your Grand Opening.
Keep focused
It’s a party, but it’s not a carnival. Don’t have too much going on, distracting people from the point. Keep any décor, entertainment, or activities in-line with your corporate vision and clientele. Bright Ideas finds that the most fitting Grand Openings are classy, professional gatherings where people can learn about you and your new corporate location, mingle, network, and participate in theme-appropriate activities.
Agendas might include a musical group, preferably from your new neighbourhood, a tasteful cake-cutting or ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by speeches from prominent community members such as the Mayor, the company CEO, or the local MLA, and then food and product stations for guests to freely satisfy both their curiosity of your products or services as well as their growling tummies!
Suitable Space
Whether you want your guest list to remain cozy around 50 attendees or blossom to 500, make sure your new location suits those numbers. Just as you can’t possible cram hundreds of people into a storefront on Main Street, 50 people in a warehouse looks lackluster. Both will sap the energy out of your guests as quickly as they arrive, because they begin to feel awkward and out of place.
Lots of Everything
Just as an inappropriate number of people in a particular space can turn guests away almost at the door, so too can inadequate parking. Think about the kinds of people you’ve invited and how far they are traveling to help you celebrate, then plan accordingly. Likewise, don’t go easy on the food! One of the main reasons why people leave early from an event is because the food has run out, so by all means necessary, never run out of food. And nothing can turn people off more, not just from your Grand Opening but for life as your customer, is if they learn they are expected to pay their own way at your party. Remember, this is your debut in this marketplace and it is on you to be as hospitable as possible. Your community will, in turn, decide how welcoming to be.
With the assistance of Bright Ideas Events, you will have planned a wonderful Grand Opening to showcase your success. We’ll help you show off your new location, earn a few new customers, get some publicity and advertising, and build ties and bridges amongst your new neighbours. Call us today and make your next Grand Opening a huge success!
~~~
You might also enjoy reading the following blogs:
