Whether you have opened your business or a shop or a museum, you want to get people talking about it and maximize the number of prospects who come to your place to obviously increase your chances of having a turnover that takes off. as quickly as possible.
The steps to a successful inauguration
Step 1: determining the objective
First, you will need to determine your goal. Eh yes! An inauguration can be used to attract customers, but you can also prefer to invite influencers: the people who will talk about you, and who will ultimately ensure that there are a lot of people at your place.
Business Setup In Dubai allows you to invite the press to talk about you in the local or sectoral press media that interest you. You therefore understand that you have to be clear about the choice of your main objective. If it is multiple, we may need to organize several inaugurations: a first cocktail mode, grandiose for people of prestige, for prescribers, the press, etc.; a second for prospects and customers that looks more like an open door.
Step 2: defining the style
Once we have determined the main objective and decided on the number of inaugurations, we will have to define the expected style of each of these moments.
Do we opt for a convivial style? On the contrary, do we aim in a spectacular style because we want to impress the people who will come to associate the image of your company with something grandiose. Again, it depends on what you’re selling. Of course, it has to stay consistent with your job. No need for fireworks or a magic show if you sell bread. Instead, create a huge loaf and start a contest to guess the weight of the loaf!
Step 3: determination of needs
Once you have defined your style, you will determine for each of these inaugurations, your needs. Perhaps for the convivial inauguration, you will simply need an appetizer, a small pleasant buffet for your guests with a simple sound and light atmosphere.
And then, for another inauguration, you want to book a magic show, or you want to hire the service of a traveling bar that does quite extraordinary cocktail demonstrations or hire the services of juggling bartenders. I have a sensational memory of an evening with this type of entertainment. Here is a photo to see what we are talking about.
Depending on the expected style, you will therefore determine your needs. You have to think about the decoration, what there is to taste and drink.
Step 4: setting the date of the inauguration
The fourth step is to set the date(s) of the inauguration. So don’t panic, an inauguration is done quickly after the opening, generally in the first week but if the calendar does not lend itself to it, we can postpone it as long as we stay in the month of launch.
Pay attention to the national calendar, holidays, family celebrations or religious events that may prevent your guests from coming.
Step 5: preparing the invitations
If we have two inaugurations, we prepare two invitations with a distinct style:
> How about a very formal invitation card for the spectacular inauguration? Before handing over the official invitation card, you will telephone each person in their own name to invite them in person to your inauguration and tell them how much you want them to be present.
> And for the other inauguration a Facebook post that we will publish on your wall, in local and sectoral groups and that you will be able to sponsor for a small advertising budget in your geographical area.
Step 6: reservation of the elements of the inauguration
The sixth step consists in reserving the elements of the inauguration: reserving your decoration, your activities according to the date, the possible caterer, etc.
Step 7: preparation of the staging for the big day
What do we call staging? The staging of D-Day, if there is no external entertainment, consists of having prepared a speech.
In this speech, it will be necessary to think of:
- thank the people who are important,
- explain the history of your project,
- say how you got there,
- specify when did you start this adventure,
- tell your life story telling fashion … because people like to know all these things, people like to have crisp anecdotes to share. So much the better: they talk about you afterwards like this! It’s free advertising!
For the staging, we can organize a discovery game, riddles, encourage your guests to get to know you better and move around the shop.
Step 8: welcoming guests on D-Day
The eighth step is D-Day, we will welcome each of the guests. You have to try to welcome each person individually, with a little word so that everyone really feels part of the adventure. It is the quality of your welcome that sets the tone.
Step 9: the speech
The next step is step number nine where you are in full fire of the inauguration. At some point, you will have to give your speech if you have planned one! Remember to train in the right place to fit in your decor and remember to check in to see what’s going well and what’s not! You won’t be able to start over on D-Day!
Step 10: Event Tracking
And then, step number 10, once everything is over, is to follow up on the event. We will thank the people who came and who were important, especially the prescribers.
We can also send a small thank you gift to some members who came to the inauguration.
So much for the ten key steps to a successful inauguration. Let’s move on.
Inauguration idea to stand out from the crowd: 7 great ideas!
Do you want original ideas to have a different inauguration? Or do you have to do something different because circumstances force you to? I am thinking of all those who have to carry out their inauguration during this particular period of Covid (lockdown, post-lockdown, social distancing).
First of all, bear in mind that in a complicated period linked to the coronavirus pandemic, we are not obliged to remain in the traditional format of the inauguration. We can do otherwise, and one idea that seems very interesting to me is to switch the traditional scheme of the inauguration evening into inauguration week. If you switch to inauguration week, you will open a lot of doors for yourself: a lot of things will be possible on social networks to get people talking about you despite this difficult situation and in real life to make a success of this moment.
Inauguration idea no 1: setting up a virtual visit
First thing, the first technique I want to offer you is to set up a virtual tour of your store. Babeth did this to launch her wonderful Mademoiselle France boutique in Nantes. You will check in with your smartphone and you will take a virtual tour of the boutique. You will be able to post it on social networks, with of course a nice story, a mini speech, an anecdote…
Inauguration idea no 2: make a video of the members of the company
Second step, you could consider making a video of each member of the company or shop if there are several of you. It is interesting to show that there is a team in a good mood, happy and enthusiastic and who want to welcome you.
Inauguration idea no 3: make a behind-the-scenes video
Idea number three is to make a behind-the-scenes video of things you never see. Why don’t we send a video behind the scenes, a video of the warehouse where everything is stored, a video where we are making a tasty dish in the kitchen. It can be very nice.
This video doesn’t have to be long: keep it simple! For example, it could look like this:
“Today I decided, for the opening week of boutique X, to take you behind the scenes. Here is Didier our chef who is preparing such a cake… (and then we make him talk for 30 seconds and that’s enough!)”
Inauguration idea no 4: make a time lapse video
Another idea that is really impactful is to make a time lapse video that shows off your craftsmanship. What is a time lapse video? It’s just a sped up video. Initially we used it for construction sites, we took a video or photo of a construction site from A to Z. Afterwards we made a video, very short from 30 to 300 seconds, where we show all the stages of the realization in accelerated.
If you are a florist, you could show a time lapse of creating a stunning flower arrangement.
You will film yourself choosing each of the flowers, put all your flowers, make your composition, etc. And then we speed up everything for a very trendy result!
Inauguration idea no 5: an inauguration system every hour
The fifth idea is to implement an hourly grand opening system. You welcome 10 people per hour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the opening week.