Regardless of what type of business you’re opening, making a great first impression is vital to creating buzz and driving repeat business. The idea of a grand opening is to make such a fuss and spectacle that everyone passing by can’t help but notice, but you can also bring in people that don’t just happen to be in the area if you offer enough activities to draw their interest. Your grand opening is not something that you want to skimp on, so here are so way to go about enhancing yours and bringing as much attention to your business as humanly possible.
Live Band
One of the easiest ways for everyone in the area to know there’s something going on is to hire a live band to play music in front of your business. Since the sound will project for several blocks in all directions, people living in the area around your business will flock to see what is going on, and the best news is that these will be your regular customers. Just make sure that the music your band plays is family-friendly because you don’t want to create a negative buzz around your business; even if it mainly caters to an adult crowd.
Food and Drinks
Another great way to get people to your grand opening is to offer free food and drinks for everyone who shows up. You don’t need to hand out filet mignon and caviar; some hot dogs, bratwurst, and cans of soda should do the trick. But even if a person doesn’t think they will ever utilize your business’s products or services, getting them in the door with some free food and drink can give you the chance to win them over at your grand opening.
Family Carnival
Whether your business is family oriented or not, having a family carnival can really create a good name for your business in the community. Many people have their kids with them at pretty much all times, so making your grand opening family friendly can dramatically increase the number of people who show up. You can have some small games like a ring toss and milk bottles that are easy to play and win for the kids, and you can give them some fun little prizes like LED balloons that flash different colors or plastic rings in the shape of frogs or other fun animals. The games don’t need to be complicated and the prizes can be cheap, but the kids will love the fun and the parents will adore your business for the effort.
Charity Raffle
Lastly, having a charity raffle is a great way to generate some buzz about your grand opening while doing something good at the same time. There is a large group of people that otherwise wouldn’t show up that will come to buy raffle tickets to win items and benefit your chosen charity. On top of that, you can usually rely on other local businesses to put items in the raffle which means you can build some ties to other pillars of the community. By having a charity raffle at the grand opening for your business, you can have the best of both worlds; more potential customers and also doing something good for the community.