How to Prepare for Your Business Grand Opening 

A grand opening is a necessary endeavor for opening a business. You might have a lot of ideas for it, but don’t know where to begin. Having a plan of action guarantees that your grand opening will best represent your brand and company as well as make a fantastic impression on the people who matter. We will take a deep dive into the benefits of a grand opening and some tips for a successful launch so you can be on your way to a lucrative future.

The Benefits

Yes, planning a grand opening for your company will take time and money, but think of it as a long-term investment for your business. It is a way to start your company in a positive and effective light.

First, it garners attention and thrusts your business into the spotlight, alerting people that a new business is available in their area. Second, it is a way to introduce your branding to the public and show what your business stands for. Last, it means getting to know the people in the community and building connections. You might not get a lot of sales during your grand opening but meeting the public is a way to establish partnerships and the first step in creating customer loyalty.

Grand Opening Tips

This event needs a lot of planning to make sure it runs smoothly. You are lifting the proverbial curtain and showing your brand off publicly for (probably) the first time and you want to make a fantastic first impression. Figure out what your focus will be, research, and make sure staffing, marketing, and your budget are set way before the grand opening to ensure things will run efficiently. The following are specific tips to help you keep on track.

Budget

Setting a budget is fundamental for your business. Most likely, you don’t have a lot of extra funds because you are just starting your business up, so be sensible about the expenses for your grand opening. You might not be able to do everything you want on the list, but some things to consider include decorations, performers, prizes or gift bags, additional product samples, advertising and marketing, and signage outside your business to guide the public to your event.

One way to attract attention to your grand opening is by placing Feather Flags in front of your business. Flagdom offers stock Feather Flags with a “Grand Opening” design on them, or you can custom print the flags with your company and message them. These flags can direct the public to your event and create more foot traffic. Feather Flags can be purchased from Flagdom at: https://flagdom.com/feather-flags/custom-swooper-feather-flags.

If your finances won’t be able to throw the biggest event of the year, learn to scale back, prioritize, or think of other options. If you can’t hire a full-piece band, try a local DJ to play at your event. You always have alternatives to choose from.

Special Events

During your grand opening, you want the attendees to enjoy what your business has to offer. This includes the services and products that you sell. Many grand openings will do specialty events to bring people in and make a lasting impression. Things to consider would be discounts and sales for your guests, product samples, food and drink, tours of your company, demonstrations, and ribbon cutting in front of your business. Another cool idea would be to pair with a business in the same area and feature some of their wares at your grand opening.

Timing is Everything

Of course, you will want to throw your grand opening sooner than later, but you don’t want to rush it, especially if you are unprepared. You will need to figure out the schedule for your event and figure out what time will be the best. This includes taking into consideration other events that might pull focus from your grand opening (both locally and otherwise). If you are getting performers for your event, make sure they are available for your opening before you advertise that information.

Staff

Bring in your main staff way ahead of your grand opening because that will give you ample time to train them. You can also create a training program to make sure everyone will be efficient, and the event will run smoothly. You want to give your employees the time to learn about your business, brand, products, and services beforehand.

Licenses and Permits

You can’t forget about legal matters when it comes to your grand opening. You need to ensure that you have all the proper permits and licenses for your business. You don’t want legalities to turn into problems forcing you to cancel your event.  You may even need proper licensing for your use of music. Check this out before you get anything else set up; you may need to invest in something like a SiriusXM music experience for businesses before you can truly entertain your guests at the opening. If an inspection of your place is necessary before you open your company, do it way before the party.

Spatial Organization

You will need to make room in your space for the people attending your grand opening. You want people to be able to walk easily through your business. Where are you going to set up your demos, displays, and events? Consider both inside and outside spaces. If people are going to buy things from your company, think about additional checkout points for customer convenience.

Supplies and Inventory

Double-check everything, but make sure you will have enough products, supplies, and inventory for your grand opening. It would be embarrassing and leave a negative impression if you ran out of things right at the beginning of your event. Think about other crucial items like receipt rolls and bags or if you are a food company, silverware and napkins are a must. Think specific to your type of business. Have additional stock readily available so your staff can restock quickly and efficiently (if necessary).

Advertisements and Promotion

You can begin advertising for your grand opening a while before the actual date. You can promote, tease, and show your preparations for your grand opening on your website and social media. Interact with your followers online to build excitement for your event. Different methods can be implemented to advertise and reach your intended audience. When you do promote your grand opening, make sure you have all the information needed (location, date, and time). Some marketing ideas for your grand opening can include local press releases, online ads, print ads, brochures, and flyers,

The Personal Touch

People like to feel wanted, so think about personal invites to people. You can extend an invitation to people who are known in the community such as bloggers, influencers, news, and radio entertainers. Do you already have an email list? Potential customers can sign up and get updates that way, as well as, receive a personal invitation to your grand opening. This will not only make them feel noticed but will help the chances of them coming to the event.

Other Considerations

All the plans in the world can’t prevent slight mishaps from happening. You can’t anticipate everything but having some contingency plans for your event is a good idea. Let’s say you have an outdoor space or event happening, you will want to have an alternative option if the weather turns bad. Always be thinking of hypotheticals that might ruin your day and think of how you can resolve those issues quickly and efficiently. Some people even participate in a soft opening before the big event. This is a way to see everything and everyone in action and gives you a chance to augment things to make the grand opening even better than you thought it could be.

Rupali Gupta

Rupali Gupta is a blogger and professional writer who loves to write about technology and entertainment. Techzimo is one of her successful websites filled with great tech news, Know more about her on Youtube Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram