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Hosting Your Own Red Carpet Events
By: Nicole Standley
Issue: 2009nov
These self-promotion ideas take the trendy gift bag from the Walk of Fame to your front door.
Distributors looking for creative ways to promote their products and services and create the kind of buzz that closes big deals shouldn’t overlook the power of a self-promotion party. Next spring my company plans to create a major buzz by hosting a high-fashion, Hollywood-style party to promote our retail website launch and many of the great promotional products we plan to highlight throughout the upcoming year. The guest list will include celebrities, corporate buyers and m¬ajor publications including InStyle and Martha Stewart Living. While distributors outside Hollywood or New York City may not be able to create an actual celebrity event such as this one, making your clients feel like celebrities might just be the ticket to increasing sales and growing your business.
Creating a glamorous event is an investment of time and money, but it’s a great way to reconnect with clients that may have lost touch, get your current clients excited and convince prospects to make that first purchase. A party environment builds instant credibility for your business as new clients begin to see the caliber and quantity of clients you already serve and have a chance to gather recommendations and feedback from them. In addition, a party allows you and your team face-to-face time to gather information and make personal connections.
“This all sounds great,” you’re thinking, “but I don’t live in Hollywood and there won’t be any celebrities in my town any time soon.” While this may be true, you can recreate the excitement of a celebrity party by getting creative and planning your own local event. Promotional events should primarily be social, but they’re also excellent ways to demonstrate your products and services. One of the best ways to do this is with a new product showcase or product preview. Work with suppliers to get samples of branded items and create a showcase. Your event could center on seasonal celebrations, or it could simply be your own themed event—think promo safari or pajamas and promo.
The trick is to create a fun-filled event that entertains clients and puts your products in full view, which is where the gorgeous gift bags come into play.
The key to hosting a Hollywood-style self-promotion party is harnessing the power of the gift bag. In Hollywood, it’s the No. 1 way to show celebrities you appreciate their attendance at your event. Gift bags can be filled with a number of high-end items or one especially expensive or valued item, but regardless of what’s inside, it’s all about the way the bags make recipients feel.
As clients leave with their beautiful gift bags full of self-promotion or personalized items, they walk away with all the tools and motivation they need to order products from you for their own upcoming events.
Sounds great doesn’t it? And it is, as long as you get it right. There are lots of important considerations that come into play when planning a successful promotion event. Everything from the type of invitation to what time of day to hold the party can play a major part in the overall success. A few clients sitting in the backroom of your office eating box-lunch sandwiches will not cut it as a Hollywood-glam self-promotion event. By the same token, a gift bag full of plastic pens, lanyards and notepads probably won’t cut it either (not that those aren’t great products in many situations).
Here are six tips for getting the promo party right and maximizing the impact of your takeaway gift bags.
1. Time It Right
There are multiple times during the year that a self-promo party can shine through successfully. My favorite is June. This is a slow month for the industry, but it’s the beginning of summer and a great time to remind everyone about products available in the fall. Additionally, it’s a good time of year to make a high-impact gift bag without spending your entire budget. Brand a cinch bag, a beach ball, a high-end water bottle and everything else your client might use on the beach. It’s okay if the products in the bag aren’t the products you’re hoping to sell your client. This kind of bag is all about helping your clients enjoy the summer and motivating them to purchase from you soon.
If you’re thinking of centering your party on the holidays, the first step is to call it a “holiday” get-together. This may seem like the obvious, politically correct move, but sometimes people get so excited they forget a Christmas party will exclude some clients.
When planning a holiday party, it’s important to schedule it much earlier than the actual holiday season. One idea for a self-promotion party is a “holiday open house,” where you showcase upcoming holiday products. Form a co-op with a vendor or two to get reduced prices on high-end self-promotion items for the gift bags, and be sure to use holiday decorations and holiday treats.
While you want to avoid some especially busy times of the year, such as early December and the weeks surrounding the April income tax deadline, when to host your party is up to you. Just be cognizant of local events and your clients’ schedules. For example, it wouldn’t behoove you to plan your self-promotion gala when your best client has a sales convention.
2. Morning, Noon Or Night?
Once you have the perfect month or season in mind, consider the specific date and hour. Unless your event is the highlight of the business social season, avoid the weekend. Weekends are off-limits to many working people who are only willing to concentrate on office matters Monday through Friday. Remember that Friday evening is often considered part of the weekend, making the best days for your event Monday through Thursday (or Friday morning).
Once a date is chosen, it’s time to zero in on the time of day. While there are many options, hosting a self-promo event at lunchtime is not ideal. Lunch often seems like the best time because folks can get out of the office, stretch their legs and grab a bite to eat at your party instead of paying for lunch.
Unfortunately, most people are on the clock during their lunch hour and may feel rushed. Some employees are required to clock in and out for lunch breaks, and if your guests are rushing through to grab some food and go, you won’t have time to socialize or teach them about your products.
The best time for a party is either after work during happy hour or during the breakfast hour. For a happy-hour event, plan on starting right after work, around 5:30 or 6 pm. If the party is too late, guests will feel like they have to go home in between and may not make it back out. Start the party early and leave the end time open so guests can spend as long as they’d like catching up, enjoying cocktails and snacks and scoping out products.
Breakfast can also be a highly successful time. Host it at the local café or a breakfast restaurant with a private space or room—or right in your office. Make sure there’s plenty of coffee for everyone because you’ll want to start early—around 7 am. Attendees may be able to organize a late arrival to work because they are attending your breakfast event. Try something fun such as making it pajamas optional—just ensure there’s a spot for folks to change into their business attire.
3. Location, Location, Location
Where should you hold the event? It depends on the budget. If you have a smaller budget but want a great location, look for a naturally beautiful spot with tall windows and a great view. Hosting it in a hotel ballroom means you will have to dress up the location, but in a big room with a great view you can save the decoration budget and focus on other elements such as food and drink. And this is just one consideration.
First, take a look at your budget and figure a per-person cost. Then consider the number of invited guests. Sure, it would be great to have 200 people at your event, viewing your product showcase and taking notes about what they’d like to buy. On the other hand, hosting 200 people can be extremely expensive, requires a large space, lots of food and prevents you from making the one-on-one contact that’s crucial at these events. Chances are a 200-person party would end up clearing out early after the food started to disappear. This type of event also wouldn’t necessarily have the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood party. In the end, you must balance your guest list with the venue and other costs. You can make a bigger impact by hosting 30 people at a beautiful lounge with a view than you will by inviting 200 people to a stuffy hotel ballroom with a few scattered decorations and one hors d’oeuvre per person.
Remember, a Hollywood party makes an impression because it’s slick, chic and fun. That said, you can turn almost any venue into a chic spot if your budget is big enough. If you’re unable to find a convenient location, consider your office. Just remember that you’ll have to provide a sense of glamour through lighting, decorations and party accessories. A better alternative might be the local dance club’s private room that may already have the look you are going for at a reasonable price.
Consider nontraditional locations as well. Host a bowling-themed party at the bowling alley or rent the presidential suite at a swanky hotel. A suite will give the party a very exclusive, high-class feel without breaking the budget. Other location ideas include the local country club, upscale restaurants with semiprivate spaces and even the party room at a miniature golf course. It all depends on your theme and budget, but no matter where you decide to host your party, make sure to provide background music. You never want guests to have to contend with uncomfortable silences.
4. Food, Glorious Food (And Drink)
The food for your party is inextricably linked with the location. If you’ve chosen your location, you may be required to cover a certain amount of food cost in lieu of a rental fee, which can occasionally be helpful. First, put your guest list together and consider what food is most appropriate and affordable. Most people don’t expect dinner at a happy-hour event, but they will appreciate substantial hors d’oeuvres that tide them over until they can get something more filling.
My best recommendation is to keep food light and have fun with it. For example, if you are hosting a holiday preview breakfast event, serve hot chocolate with whipped cream and candy canes as stirrers. You can serve them in a branded travel mug that guests can take home with their gift bags. If you’re hosting a happy-hour event, order glow-in-the-dark ice cubes customized with your company logo and ask the bartender to use them in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. If your food is high-quality and well-prepared, your guests will enjoy and appreciate it.
While you are not expected to know everyone’s dietary restrictions, give a thought to your audience and what they may need. Try to have vegetarian options on the menu. I also recommend considering alcohol carefully. Some may avoid an event altogether if they know the party will center on drinking. Even if you plan to offer alcohol, brainstorm creative alternatives to alcoholic beverages such as a great juice or smoothie bar. The safest bet is always a cash bar, which keeps guests from drinking too much because they pay for their own drinks. If you know that one or more of your clients have serious challenges with alcohol, consider a breakfast event where alcohol would not be expected.
5. Making The Guest List
First, make a list of all the people you can think of whom you might want to invite. Also, get an idea of how many people are ideal for your budget. Then break your original list down into three categories: people who definitely must be there to make the event successful; people who would be nice to have in attendance, but the event doesn’t hinge on it; and people who do not have much bearing on the success of the event.
If the list is much bigger than your budget, start by cutting the third group altogether. If you need to go from a beginning list of 200 down to a list of 40 or 50, it’s likely you’ll have to make some tough decisions about which people to invite. Depending on the number of guests you’re able to eliminate, you may elect to change your event or location to accommodate more people. If you just can’t reduce your list to the number most desirable, play with other elements of your budget. It’s something like a wedding—what is most important to the bride? Maybe she’s very intent on having a great, professional photographer but couldn’t care less about the DJ or the brand of alcohol. Figure out what parts of your event are most important to success and find ways to save on other elements.
In addition to inviting buyers, consider inviting their managers as well, or the CEO of their companies, depending on the structure and size. Often management personnel will not come to your event, but the gesture of inviting them is seen as a positive. In a previous life, I recall my manager not allowing me to attend a similar event because she felt snubbed by not being invited. She wouldn’t have attended either way, but getting the invitation was important.
There are many recommendations online and elsewhere on predicting how many people will not show up. They say things such as, “If you want 50 people, invite 100.” While this is sometimes true, anomalous things can happen—for instance every person RSVP’ing yes! Be sure you can afford the total number of people invited, even if it means making some concessions on your location or refreshments. If not, you could be stuck with an unexpectedly big bill.
6. Invitations And Follow-Up
Your self-promo event needs its own communication plan, and this starts with the invitation. You can plan the best, most stylish and trendy event ever, but no one will show up if your invitation isn’t well designed. The invitation is your party’s first impression, and it’s crucial to create a good one. Send a beautifully designed card and be sure to include all the pertinent information, including the hosting information, location, date and time and a description of the event. Always mention the food and the fact that guests will leave with a gift.
Allow your guests to RSVP by e-mail, but do not send invitations via e-mail. This robs the invitation of the sense of “specialness” that you want each recipient to feel. The whole reason for this event and the gorgeous gift bags are to make your clients and potential clients feel special.
After the party, it’s important to follow up. Send a quick e-mail or note the next day to thank guests for coming, but wait at least five to seven working days before placing any formal follow-up calls. The call should be light and friendly. Start by asking if they enjoyed their gift bag and which products they liked best. This is important information for you to make your future parties more attractive to clients. Then, ask for an appointment to discuss their product needs.
Tips For Gorgeous, Glamorous Gift Bags
Giving the perfect gift bag is essential to making your Hollywood-style self-promo event a hit. Here are some tips for getting it right from packaging to the product offering.
1. Go For Quality
Resist the temptation to stuff the bag with lots of inexpensive items. Quality is much more important than quantity. Choose items associated with words such as “expensive” and “luxury.” You can self-brand them or personalize them for clients, depending on the number of people attending your event. Even if you choose just one high-ticket item and place it in a beautiful box, it will have a bigger impact than a menagerie of budget products.
2. Choose Unisex Items
It’s easy to make these bags more feminine or masculine, but your challenge will be to create a great co-ed package that everyone loves. Also consider the guests’ ages in making product decisions. Themed bags are often a great way to go. For a great budget bag, brand microwave popcorn, Jones Soda, a cute lunch tote and some newly released DVDs. If you’re stressed about appropriate unisex promotions, remember that items such as candles can easily be re-gifted by men who receive them.
3. Go Wild With Packaging
The psychology of packaging is very important when it comes to Hollywood-style gift bags. You either want the packaging to be so incredible guests can’t wait to see inside (this is very Hollywood) or so plain that they are thrilled to find something great inside. Can you remember getting a shiny foil envelope in the mail and being disappointed to find just an advertisement inside? Now, think of a time when you got a plain envelope and something exciting was inside. If you use an attractive package, make sure the product inside is as exciting as its wrapper.
4. Creativity Is A Must
Get creative with your gift bags by pad printing clear tackle boxes with your logo and filling them with branded candies for the holidays. Purchase a large clothes hamper and fill it with yoga supplies, a hand massager and a stress ball for a “relaxation station” kind of feel. Or, get private-label wine bottles filled with merlot or sparkling cider and create a winery theme.
5. Pair The Theme With Your Event
Tying your bag in with your event can give you great ideas. If you’re doing a “bowling chic” event, purchase a custom bowling bag and fill it with great bowling items including socks for the participants to wear during the party. Pairing your bag with your event will help clients remember the event and the great time they had when making their product decisions.
Nicole Standley is president and owner of Newport Beach, California-based distributor The Perfect Swag (UPIC: SWAGBAG). With 15 years of experience in the industry, Standley is also involved in the high-fashion retail market and uses her experience there to enhance The Perfect Swag’s corporate offering. Contact her at nicole@perfectswag.com or www.perfectswag.com.
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