20 grand opening ideas for your new business
You’ve worked tirelessly to get your business up and running. Finally, it’s time to celebrate your opening day. A grand opening celebrates your accomplishments, kicks off your next customer-facing chapter, and shows your new community and potential customers what they can expect from your business.
Whether you’re opening your first brick-and-mortar storefront, celebrating a grand re-opening following a renovation, or toasting the opening of a new location for an established business, it’s worthy of a grand celebration.
Not sure where to begin? Paperless Post is here to help, with invitations and features designed specifically for professionals.
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Why should you host a grand opening?
A grand opening is an incredible way to advertise any business, from clothing stores to beauty salons, new restaurants, and more. Throwing a successful grand opening will require dedicated marketing and promotion, which will not only raise awareness and interest for your event, but in turn for your new business as well.
In addition to acting as an efficient marketing tactic, a grand opening can also drum up press if your event ends up featured in a local newspaper, magazine, or social media page. You’ll also connect with and learn more about members of your community, generate leads, and gather contact information that will come in handy for follow-up communications.
There are many different ways to throw a grand opening party, depending on what type of business you’re promoting, who your ideal customer is, and what you’re hoping to achieve. But all openings have shared goals in common: build buzz, establish your brand, and foster meaningful connections with your community.
To let your future regulars know how fabulous your clothes are, how silky your organic skincare is, or how dedicated your personal trainers will be, get the word out with our list of grand opening event ideas for a gathering that marks the first chapter in the exciting story of your business.
20 grand opening ideas for any business
As unique as your business’s ideas and innovations are, your special event will need some details that are specific to your offerings—and the exciting vision you have for your business’s future. You can use the ideas below based on your industry, or mix and match any that make sense for your budding business.
1. Organize a photo contest
To keep guests active, arrange a photography contest. Have event attendees snap pics of their full shopping carts and tag your business on social media. Select one winner for a grand prize you’ll announce on your social channels later. Winners or losers, contenders will become much more familiar with your product line.
2. Map out a scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunts are a blast for kids and adults alike—who doesn’t like hunting for treasure? You can tease it in advance of the grand opening on your social media or in your grand opening invitations as an extra perk for your loyal followers. Hide an object or product somewhere in your store, and offer a prize to the most sharp-eyed treasure hunter.
3. Partner with a community business
Double the star power of your grand opening by involving an already-loved business in the community, like a historic bakery or trendy smoothie shop. Feature their goods at the grand opening and make sure to tag them all over your social media to pique the interest of their followers. Thank these partners by highlighting them in a Sponsors Block on your grand opening invitation’s event page.
4. Hire a local muralist
If you have a brick wall to spare and a flexible city ordinance, show your community pride with a mural painted by a well-known local artist. An outdoor mural will draw the eyes of passing pedestrians, while an indoor mural is ideal for attracting social media attention. Make sure the artist signs their name on their artwork and snaps a selfie to share with their own social network.
5. Enjoy the outdoors
If your new restaurant is equipped with outdoor space, pop up the sun umbrellas, put out the bean bag toss, crank up the barbecue playlist, and stage games throughout the event to keep the atmosphere lively and inviting. You can even blend up a special icy cocktail on hot days to show off your bartender’s mixologist chops.
6. Bring guests to the kitchen
There’s a growing population of foodies out there who would love to feast their eyes on a sparkly new stainless steel kitchen. A behind-the-scenes tour of how some of your restaurant’s soon-to-be-famous dishes are made is an unforgettable experience that guests will tell all their friends about.
7. Hand out free samples
The grand opening party is the time to get your guests clued in on how amazing your products are. Give away samples like mini mascaras, lotions, and soaps. Don’t forget to put them all in an adorable canvas tote emblazoned with your business logo. It’ll double as their shopping bag the next time they stop in!
8. Give a free gift to the first 100 customers
Beauty and wellness products are a lavish treat and often feel like an indulgence for those who don’t buy them often. So what better than a free product to bring people through the door? Keep the item a secret, but let social followers know that a gift awaits.
9. Give away branded gear
It’s especially advantageous to choose workout-related gear as giveaways for your empowering small business. Think water bottles, drawstring bags, and yoga mats. Chances are, your sporty guests will use them often—meaning more advertising for you.
10. Provide free consultations
Hire a dietician or personal trainer (or provide the services yourself!) and give free 15-minute consultations to grand opening guests. This is a superb way to grow new business and get to know your new clients’ unique needs. Plus, it shows your community that you care about their health.
11. Build buzz on social media
Make sure to start generating excitement for your grand opening well in advance of the big day. If you don’t have an active social media presence already, create accounts for your brand on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and any other platform that makes sense for your industry, and begin following other local businesses and influencers.
Post content leading up to the launch that gets future customers excited for opening day. Encourage followers to share your posts, entice them to tag friends for potential giveaway prizes, and share behind-the-scenes photos of everything coming together.
12. Embrace a theme
Who doesn’t love a fun theme party? Decorate your space in line with a festive theme of your choosing, play music that fits the bill, and have everyone dress up in themed outfits or costumes to make the day stand out. Let guests know in your invitation details or on social media that the party will be a wild western-themed romp, a groovy ’70s spectacular, a nostalgic ’90s vibe, or any theme you think your target clientele would connect with.
13. Offer a demonstration
Demonstrate the service you’re offering or how your product works to get everyone familiar with your business. If you’re selling skincare products or makeup, show everyone a real-time before and after transformation; if you’re opening a hair salon, consider letting everyone watch a great haircut take place before their very eyes. They’ll leave having a better understanding of your services and will be even more excited to try it for themselves!
14. Provide light bites
Any successful event includes refreshments. If you’re opening a restaurant, the food and drink offerings should be a no-brainer, but even shops, salons, gyms, cafés, and boutiques should provide appetizing snack and drink options for their grand opening guests. Small, handheld appetizers are best for events where guests are standing and mingling, and an open bar is always a crowd-pleaser.
15. Make it a kid-friendly affair
Guests will love that they can bring the whole family to a grand opening party that offers kid-friendly activities or entertainment, especially if your business will be enjoyed by children, like a toy store or ice cream parlor. If you have the outdoor space, rent a bounce house or ball pit. Offer face painting, hire a clown or magician to perform, or provide a gaming area for kids to play while parents check out the business.
16. Pump up the jams
Liven up your grand opening event with some music. Hire a DJ, showcase a live band, or simply create a fun playlist to keep the energy up. People will be drawn to the upbeat vibes and curious to check out what’s going on. Bonus points if you hire a band or DJ: they’ll want to promote their performance at your event as well via their own networks and socials.
17. Give out coupons
Keep clientele coming back after the opening by handing out coupons offering generous, limited-time discounts. You can also hand out loyalty punch cards that provide an incentive to come back multiple times (after 10 purchases, get 1 item for free). Providing promo codes to grand opening guests is also a good idea if you’re also selling your products online.
18. Host a VIP guest
Build excitement with a VIP guest in attendance at your grand opening. Whether you have connections to a celebrity, an influencer in your industry, or a local politician, the chance to mingle with this guest of honor will draw a crowd. You can offer a meet and greet with the VIP guest, ask them to give a speech, have them snip the grand opening ribbon with you, or simply have them attend and be seen. Let everyone know about this special guest by providing their photo and information in a Speakers Block on your invitation’s event page.
19. Make it a fundraiser
Partner with a charity organization for a cause you want to align your business with. Encourage grand opening attendees to donate to the cause or donate a portion of your event’s proceeds to the organization’s efforts—or both. The publicity will benefit both your business and the charity and will generate goodwill for your brand among socially conscious clientele.
20. Throw a soft launch
Want to make sure everything is absolutely perfect before officially opening your doors to the public? Host a soft opening party with friends and family, your vendors, or a select group of guests and their plus ones. Keep things as intimate or bustling as you like, whatever you feel would benefit your business before the official opening. Set a maximum capacity on your Paperless Post invitation to ensure you have enough supplies and space for everyone. Gather feedback from the soft launch guests on what could be improved, and implement any changes before the big day.
Host your business opening in grand style with Paperless Post
It’s time to twirl into this celebratory triumph of all your hard work coming to life. With Paperless Post, you can have your congratulations cake, eat it, and watch customers come racing back.
Our grand opening invitations are unlike any others. Include customizable Blocks to ensure every unique piece of information is accounted for and send additional event information like a schedule of events, photo gallery, links to external websites, or promo code information. Upload your brand logo to any invitation, event page, and email for a cohesive invitation experience. Customize your event page’s colors with specific hex codes to perfectly match the “NOW OPEN!” sign on your door. We’ve also got you covered for any event you need invitations for, whether it be a casual cocktail party or an office Christmas party.
The best part? You can send our invitations with virtual convenience through email, text message, or a shareable link. Once RSVPs begin to trickle in, you can view advanced Analytics—including deliveries and opens—to help you better visualize your event details. Get ready for your business to make its grandest entrance yet.
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