Nibletz Staff
If you’ve just finished producing your brand new products, you will most likely want to throw a launch party – here’s what you should know.
Get a team together
If you know that you will need some helping hands, other than yourself, assign one person the job of managing all the details. That will take a lot of the pressure off yourself, and you will be able to focus on more areas regarding speaking to your guests and networking. Just make sure that everyone knows exactly what they’re doing throughout the day.
Plan it out well
Have a sit down with all the people that will be helping you on the big day, not only your employees but the catering staff too (if you have any.) Walk through every step of the day from start to finish. Think about all the little things like where and how the chairs will be placed, to what guests will see when they enter the room, and even how the napkins will be folded. It’s a good idea to think about hiring security too, as you never know how people may end up behaving.
Create a budget
Once you start seeing how you want the event to look and feel, write everything down, with what they are going to cost beside it, then add it all up and see if this is realistic or if you need to scale back a little. If you do need more money, other than taking out a loan, see if you can find a sponsor for the event, or even sell tickets well in advance.
The right insurance
Now that you’re starting to make a name for yourself, it’s even more important to get the right insurance for your business. You want something that can cover you in all possible situations, and throwing a product launch party is one of them. Speak with a few different companies and ask them for a contractor insurance quote if you haven’t already thought to do so. You want to cover yourself for any theft or damage to your goods, as well as if someone gets injured at an event of yours.
Have a goal in mind
What is your purpose for launching this party? Did you want to gain more exposure, create awareness to something you consider important or sell some products in bulk? Once you have an idea of why you’re doing all this, you can make sure your needs are met, and how you can achieve that.
Figure out the scope of the event
If this is your first time throwing an event, you don’t want to go too overboard and risk it looking disorganized or unprepared – you don’t ever want people to think that of you, so only bite off what you can chew. When you have figured it out, you can start thinking about whether you want food and refreshments, public speakers, entertainment, and so on.
Get the date right
Before you go choosing dates, it would be wise to speak with other businesses and even look online for any other upcoming events within your industry, as well as any holidays. You don’t want your date to clash with anything important otherwise no one will come.
Alert the media
Having the local media attend your event is a necessary way to build awareness about your party within the community. So get some reporters and bloggers a front row seat and invite them to cover your event. The publicity will be a great tool for giving your day even more exposure.
Create a marketing plan
And when you have one, make sure you have enough time to get the word out. There are many ways you can get in touch with people whether that be through direct email, the radio, online and more.
Using social media is a great way to connect with your target audience and let them know about your event. It’s all about building the buzz, so don’t put all your cards on the table too soon. Tease the event in advance with little pictures and posts about your preparations – then start inviting customers to the event. Think about giving the option of a VIP entry ticket too, as well as the standard ones. It makes everything sound a lot fancier, and will intrigue your consumers.
Make sure you get some of your team to take lots of photos and videos throughout the night – they could even go live on social media to keep people tuned in.
