Let’s begin with the easy one.  A Client Appreciation is an event hosted to celebrate those who keep you in business.  Those individuals purchasing your goods or services.  If you’re a Department Store selling many items, your clientele is the General Public and so you should plan on a rather large gathering.  If you’re a Credit Union, Garage or a Rental Company, your market is a little more niche and so your guest list should reflect that.

Deciding what kind of an event to host is an extremely important topic.  If you’re that Department Store hosting an event for your customers, you likely want a theme that’s family-friendly, like a Carnival or Disney, with lots of multi-aged activities like rides, games, crafts, and photo booths.  But that Credit Union may choose to host a cocktail party with canapes, a signature drink and a swanky jazz band.

No matter the setting, you want to make sure you’re taking advantage of this opportunity – your most important customers are all here so make sure the event is all about them, but in a way that puts your company at the centre of it all.  For example, at the pinnacle of the event, take a moment to deliver a quick and snappy announcement about what’s coming up for your company, and make sure your brands and slogans are absolutely everywhere!

For most companies, it will make most sense to host an event right in your shop or office or the Grand Atrium of your building.  This proximity to your place of business will only serve to deepen your clientele’s sense of your hospitality and appreciation.  It’s also a great cost-savings measure, since you already own or rent the venue.

If you do have to rent a location to host the Perfect Client Appreciation Event, Bright Ideas will help you make sure the venue suits the needs of your event. Some venues allow you to bring your own food and beverages, some provide rentals and some insist that they do all of it in house. It’s best to have an event planner guide you through the process of selecting a venue. They know all of the secret venues in the city!

When

It is Bright Ideas experience that companies thanking the general public, like department stores, do well to host their events when families are already looking for fun things to do because children are off school. That might suggest a day-long Carnival event during summer or an afternoon of traditional holiday fun once kids are out for Christmas.

Alternatively, that Credit Union hosting a cocktail party would do well to host a late afternoon affair, right after work when guests are already in office attire so they can just swing by after work, and in early Spring when your guests have surfaced from the holiday season and are about their finances in the long-term. They’ll come, take in a drink, a tuna spoon, and your key message along with your thanks, and depart with a renewed sense being appreciated.

Why

Word-of-mouth has repeatedly proven itself as the very best form of advertising or client recruiting.  If your customers have no complaints, then they’ll tell their friends that whenever the topic comes up.  And better yet, a customer who’s had a positive experience with your company is more likely to actively suggest that their friends switch their patronage.

So, for the simple expense of hosting the Perfect Client Appreciation Event once or several times a year, you are not only reinforcing your bond with your existing clientele, you are giving them reasons to speak highly of you in their social circles, conversations that translate into a growth in your customer base over time.