You are just going to give wings to your dreams to fly; you are gearing up to make your mark in the business world; you have finally decided to launch your startup business that you have been planning for quite some time now.
You have spent countless hours figuring out the nitty-gritty for starting a business with professionals as well as with your closed ones. So why not to invite your friends, family and well-wishers to witness this epic moment of your remarkable journey henceforth?
Startup launch party is indeed a big event. A careful planning and execution will not only give you a happy start, but you will be greatly benefited by it as well. There are many essentials that need to be considered here, for example, catering, venue, promotional items, advertising, etc. Most importantly, this launch event provides you with a good opportunity to find potential customers, interested investors and brand advocates.
So how to make your startup’s launch party a truly spectacular phenomenon.
Here are some important tips for you:
1. Select a perfect venue: Choose a venue that is extremely convenient to reach and easy to accessible in time. Plus, it should have a positive ambience and comfortable to sit in for your guests. It should be at a place where logistics won’t create any hurdles for you. So, plan for areas that have food and beverage stations.
Since budget is very crucial at the start of a new business, therefore you have to be conscious not to exceed it too much. In light of this, you should always ask about the hidden costs. You can also surprise your invitees by picking a unique location that nobody would be expecting. By picking something that isn’t what people might be expecting, you’re on the way to creating a memorable experience.
2. Give it a purpose: The launch party should not have to be just an entertaining gala event for your invitees. Since it marks a new beginning, it has to have a purpose. This is the perfect moment to raise your brand profile by educating the market what you do and why you are coming with a difference.
While you launch party could admit only a limited number of guests at a time, it is also a fantastic way to build an email list that will help you in the days to come. Prior to the event, you can talk openly about what the purpose and objective of this event will be. This is a good time to blow-off steam after a stressful preparation.
3. Marketing and promotion: Make your launch party a marketing super bowl. Find or create branded decorations that are great for raising your brand awareness among people. A step-and-repeat with your company logo and message (and a hashtag) is great for social media sharing.
To create more curiosity and interest in your audience, make sure you give away something useful. In order to impress more people and to stay on top their minds, you can distribute things like chargers, earphones and flash drives, etc. It would be even better if you have planned local media coverage.
That way, a really large audience base will get to know about this event, and hence your brand.
4. Invite the right guests for the occasion: Even if it is a launch event full of entertainment and interaction, you shouldn’t just invite high-powered people. Journalists and influencers are fine, but make sure your guest list includes right people for the occasion as well. For example, get your sales team on board and invite their contacts.
In order to get right people at your event, you can take help from social-media friendly event management tools. For example, EventBrite is one such a tool. Furthermore, don’t hesitate to send out invites to your fans, contributing artists as well as industry influencers in technology, social media and startups.
5. Give a good dose of entertainment: Without a bout of entertainment, no launch party is complete. Give everyone an opportunity to hit the dance floor and show some moves. A good dose of entertainment is another way of making a noise about your brand.
You want to keep guests engaged not only in the party, but in your product as well. So, live bands, contests, keynote speakers and raffles would be excellent ideas to make the day of your guests.
6. Don’t forget to thank everyone: Make sure to give a speech thanking everyone for coming, and reminding them why you’re throwing the party. Tell them how forthcoming was it on their part to present in this milestone moment of your life and helping you start your inning with the best foot forward. You need to arrange a wide variety of food and beverages for your guests.
You can thank your special guests with a toast of signature drinks, or hot cocoa party favors and let them know the importance of their presence. Finally, point to the future of your startup and tell everyone how your business is going to bring value in the lives of people. You can ask them to be part and reason for your success story.