10 grand opening ideas to make your new business shine
You’ve worked tirelessly over the last few months—no, years—to get your business up and running. Finally, it’s time to celebrate your opening day.
Of course, a grand opening both celebrates your accomplishments and kicks off your next customer-facing chapter. A grand opening party shows your new community and potential customers what they can expect from your business. Not sure where to begin? Paperless Pro is here to help, with features designed specifically for professionals.
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, you need grand opening celebration ideas that sparkle—and when it comes to event planning, “sparkle” happens to be our middle name.
“Modern Brushstroke” by Paperless Post.
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10 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 social media contest
To keep guests active, arrange a photo-taking contest. Have event attendees snap pics of their full shopping carts and tag your business on social. 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.
“Orbit” by Paperless Post.
2. Map out a scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunts are a blast for kids and adults alike—because 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 the 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 standing on the wings of 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.
Image by Rezha Ramadhan; “The Great Pyramid” by Paperless Post.
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 nosh pad is equipped with outdoor space, pop up the sun umbrellas, put out the bean bag toss, and crank up the barbecue playlist. Employ your friends and family to 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.
“Forsythia” by Paperless Post; Image via Diana Light.
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.
Image via cottonbro; “Tall Horizontal (Photo)” by Paperless Post.
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 far more often than during workout sessions—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.
“Storefront” Flyer by Paperless Post.
How to encourage attendance at your grand opening
Your opening day won’t be too grand if guests don’t show up. That is to say, you need to invite people! Call on friends, family, colleagues, business contacts, old college roommates, and anyone in your network, and invite them out for your big day in order to increase your brand awareness. This is your chance to show people why you ventured into this business, what inspired you, and what makes your products or services special. Opening a business is a big deal, and we guarantee they’ll be honored to get a personal invite from you.
Here’s how to get their attention:
- Invitations: Speaking of personal invites, a well-designed invitation can go a long way. Our grand opening and launch party invitations are customizable to fit your unique party needs. Be sure to include the date, time, and address of the event.
- Social media: Don’t underestimate the power of social media to hype up a grand opening. For a truly dazzling event, start posting on social media a month or two in advance. Peep renovation photos, hint at giveaways, and give your followers an exclusive look at what they’ll find at the special event. Remind them of the date of the big event often. You can even share a link to your invitation so your social media followers can RSVP.
- Decorate with your brand in mind: Channel the inspiration that drew you to start your business. Think about what colors, textures, and emotions you associate with your services or products, and let them guide the way. Perhaps your scarves evoke colorful nostalgia that warrants a groovy ’70s theme. Or maybe your wellness facility will feel clean and inviting with plenty of neutrals.
- Provide light, one-bite snacks: If you’re opening a restaurant, we’d hope your menu is a tad more expansive, but for retail shops and boutiques, give out some light bites to keep hungry guests satiated. Think small and poppable, like cheese cubes, fruit, chocolates, or small pinwheels.
- Supply plenty of energetic music: Have you ever walked into a silent event? It can be a little awkward. Set the fun energy as soon as attendees come through your freshly painted doors with a playlist full of upbeat tracks. If you don’t have a sound system installed, don’t fret. Grab a powerful Bluetooth speaker or two, or go old-school with a rented jukebox for your grand opening day. Just don’t go too loud, or people won’t be able to mingle without shouting.
- Hand out coupons and punch cards: Your grand opening attendees are your future loyalists—the ones who’ll shout your brand’s name from the rooftops. If you reward them, we guarantee they’ll hit the top floor with a megaphone. Hand out coupons for 10% off their next purchase or set up a loyalty program to incentivize repeat visits to create loyal customers.
- Harness the power of free stuff: A grand opening event is also a unique chance to create walking advertisements for your new local business, so don’t skimp on the merch. Everyone loves free stuff, so load up on pens, cups, apparel, blankets, magnets, matchbooks, and tote bags with your business name and logo printed visibly for passersby to see and Google later.
- Document the day: Don’t forget to document the day’s festivities. For one, you’ll want to indulge in nostalgia on your 10th anniversary. But also, successful grand opening photos and videos make for fantastic social media content. Real people enjoying themselves in your store? Those assets are a social media manager’s dream.
Image by Karolina Grabowska; “Southampton” by Jonathan Adler for Paperless Post.
Host your business opening in grand style with Paperless Pro
It’s time to twirl into this celebratory triumph of all your hard work coming to life. With Paperless Pro, you can have your congratulations cake, eat it, and watch customers come racing back.
Our grand opening invitations are unlike any others. Customizable event detail Blocks ensure every unique piece of information is accounted for. Upload your curated brand statements, like logos and backdrops, and customize colors to 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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