After months – if not years – of planning, your new business venture is ready to announce itself to the world. For most entrepreneurs, the most effective way to manage their company’s debut is to organise a launch party. If you decide to follow the same route, here are three areas that can sometimes be overlooked during the planning process, but which can greatly contribute to your event’s eventual success…
#1 – A draw
Business launch parties are fairly common, and unfortunately, some have a reputation as being rather tired or quiet events that are unlikely to be seen as the most important fixture on a person’s social calendar. To counter this, you’ll need a draw; something that sets your event aside and suggests your event will be a fun event in and of itself, with the fact it is a business launch just part of the overall plan. Music can be your best friend when seeking to reach this goal; you can visit this page to browse through all the entertainment options available, and it could also be worth looking for a local comedian or performance group who might like to participate, too.
#2 – A personal touch
One of the reasons that business launch parties can be a little underwhelming is because they have a tendency to be rather impersonal. If people arrive and are greeted by graphs, charts, projections, and a hard sell for the company and its products or services, it’s not much fun for them – even the keenest of potential customers can be put off by such an aggressive, business-only approach. While you will, of course, want to use your launch to promote your company, build a customer base, and network with the local business community, it’s also important to put a personal touch on the evening. You can, for example, give a speech explaining your motivation for starting the company and why it is important to you; personalise the event and give your guests something to connect to on an emotional, human level.
#3 – A social media focus
It is often easy to see a business launch party as an event that focuses on the people that attend, and to an extent this will always be true. However, a launch party can also be a chance to create a buzz about your company – particularly on all-important social media. Ensure that you have your business accounts for the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram setup prior to the event and post pictures throughout the night. In addition, you can also enhance the buzz even further by asking attendees to post photos on their own accounts using a specific hashtag created for the event – a simple #YourCompanyNameLaunch should be sufficient.
#4 Doing the right marketing before your event
As well as focusing on social media, you need to do more marketing before your event. The aim is to make as many people aware of this as possible. Contact the local press and get them involved as much as you can. This will lead to news stories, making more people aware of the launch. Likewise, use things like digital signage near the event location to tell the public about it. People will walk or drive by and see the signs, making them intrigued. If the event is open to all, this is a wonderful way of delivering more foot traffic. As a result, your launch party is packed – which is way more impressive than an empty room with just a handful of friends and family in attendance.
In conclusion
A business launch party is a great opportunity to draw attention to your company, impress the local business world, and even start to develop relationships with potential customers. By ensuring you include the often-overlooked elements discussed above, you should be well-placed to plan an event that meets your goals, and sets your business on the path to future success.
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