GrandOpeningHelp.com

While there are no firm statistics, professionals have noticed that the majority of businesses that close within the first two years did not have an official grand opening event. Those same pros continue to surmise that if you create a successful grand opening, you’ll set the pace for the weeks and months ahead. This has never been truer than it is today, as we see company after company closing its doors or downsizing. But what can be done for your particular business? Which types of grand opening ideas can draw the attention of customers as well as the media?

Bring in the Big Guns… or Cups or Tacos or Puppies or…

Here’s a phenomenal grand opening idea: Create a giant inflatable balloon of your product or logo and place it on the rooftop of your business. For instance, a Mexican restaurant could place a giant, inflatable taco on its roof with a banner that reads, “Now Open.” A local veterinary clinic could put a massive, inflatable puppy or kitten on their rooftop with signage declaring, “Grand Opening!”

Why giant inflatable balloons? Because they attract attention of all sorts. People busily going about their routines don’t even notice most of the advertising that comes their way. According to the Newspaper Association of America, Texas A&M University and the Journal of Concerned Scientists, Americans are exposed to well over 3,000 advertising messages each day from a variety of sources. Our senses are on overload and, therefore, most of the ads we view are blocked out.

However, place a 30-foot-tall giant taco up on the roof (higher than most of the other clutter like billboards, storefront banners, etc.) and drivers down your street suddenly wake up and smell the guacamole.

Gain Press Coverage

Your business can make good use of this second grand opening idea: Use inflatables to bring the press to your location. Inflatables are an exceptional way to garner media coverage. While yet another Mexican restaurant grand opening might not be considered news, a restaurant with a giant taco on its roof that drew in massive crowds is. Likewise, while a photo of a restaurant storefront isn’t an overly exciting picture, that massive taco is definitely a photo opp just waiting to happen.

Bring the Crowd Inside

Unless you’re hosting a sidewalk sale, having a crowd of customers outside your
door won’t do you much good. You have to bring the people inside your business. Grand opening idea number three is to use smaller, sealed inflatables as giveaways.

For example, sticking with the same Mexican restaurant theme, you might say the first 100 customers get a free, miniature, inflatable taco. You could create practically anything you want: inflatable mariachi singers, inflatable sombreros… the list is endless. Because everybody loves to get something free – and because they can be branded with your business name and address – sealed inflatables make the perfect giveaways.

As a business, you can’t neglect the importance of your grand opening. Use ideas that create a buzz in your community and that will attract the press. When you do it right, you’ll find that word-of-mouth advertising kicks in and the business just keeps on coming!

Stephanie Meacham is Vice President of Landmark Creations who has designed and manufactured custom inflatables since 1986. Looking for business grand opening ideas? Visit Landmark at http://www.landmarkcreations.com today.

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This post was submitted by Stephanie Meacham .

Make the Grand Opening Sale Special

No matter if this is your first or your 100^th store grand opening; people will expert some type of sale.  In fact most store grand openings use sales as a tool to lure in customers, but be creative in your sales marketing and reap profit and create loyal customers.

Many businesses try to discount the entire store thinking this will give them the greatest

exposure and the largest variety of customers.  This works great if you’re a convenience store and not specializing in a horizontal market. If you’re a specialty store, you want to make sure you attract customers who will use the products you’re selling and develop loyal customer base.  Understanding your consumer demographics is as important to your grand opening, as well to the success of your business.

Sale items should be clearly marked and should show savings.  Make it easy for the customer to see the saving you’re offering.  If you offer repair services, show a comparison chart of your rate compared to competitors.

Become creative in your grand opening sales.

• Offer useful products on sale that will brand a particular product or service to your store. The goal is to generate sales, but also create loyal customer base who will retune for future sales.
• Offer discounts on multiple product if purchased the day of the grand opening.
• Offer discounts on related products purchased together – Snow shovel, salt, and door mate reduce greater if purchased together.
• Offer free assembly or delivery on large ticket items, if purchase at grand opening.

Making your store grand opening profitable is not difficult, it just take serious planning.  The sales planning you do now; will pay off in future sales.

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A vendor is a business associate who will be working with your company and by developing a close relationship will make it easier to do business with. Provide a special vendor grand opening, typically done after store hours or before the store officially opens and allows vendors the opportunity to view the store prior to customers and see their product displays and how products will be marked throughout the store.

A vendor grand opening is a business casual event and a formal meal is not required. However, business professionals would enjoy a spread of hot horderves and beverages. Consider your typical hot finger food options.

• Hot wings
• Little hot dogs
• Bagel bites
• Little tacos
• Chicken fingers

But don’t forget the simple horderves like

• Crackers
• Cheese
• Nuts
• Fresh Fruit
• Veggies & Dip
• Chips
• Pretzels

Provide silverware, napkin, plates, and cups.  Don’t go cheap on the accessories, purchase inexpensive silverware, plates, and real glass cups.  The look alone will increase the presentation 100% by removing paper products and Styrofoam products.

If catering the event, hire a professional wait staff to serve horderves and drinks.  This will allow staff to mingle with vendors and keep clean up to a minimal.  Strategically place recycle bins and trash receptacles in highly visible locations while reducing trash from being discarded among the store products. The goal of the vendor grand opening is to create a warm, friendly atmosphere where the store is the focus and the food and beverage is there to subdue hunger.

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I have attended many grand openings and feeding guest, vendors, and employees varies from each grand opening event.  Let’s first consider the employees working the grand opening.

Feeding the Employees

The preparation for a grand opening starts hours before the doors open and will continue throughout the day.  So it is critical that staff be fed and given regular breaks to insure they have enough energy and keep their enthusiasm at peak levels.  Assign an individual to oversee the employee break room is stock with food, beverages and is neat.

The employees are the troops that will make your grand opening a success, so invest some time and money into making them part of the grand opening celebration. Here are some grand opening food ideas for employees.

• Beverages – Fresh coffee, cold bottled water and soda
• Morning break – Donuts, coffeecake
• Lunch – Pizza, Catered meals or gourmet sandwiches
• Afternoon – Fresh fruit
• Night Crew – Warm meal, cookies and cakes

Keep in mind some of the managers and employees will be working all day and having a good meal in them will prevent mood swings from occurring.  Don’t make the grand opening all about a business opening, but instead a joint venture between employees and the company to make a successful business.  Make good will with employees, start at the grand opening.

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