Hi event planners, I m Melanie from Event Planning Blueprint and welcome to Facebook
Live.
Today, we are going to be talking about 10 Tips to Plan a Launch Party.
I know a lot of you are out there drumming up business and planning launch parties for
your clients, so you definitely want to tune into this.
In the comments, after you watch this video, I would love to hear your thoughts and what
other steps you d add.
So let s get into it.
Like I said, we're going to be talking about 10 Tips to Plan a Successful Launch Party.
Tip #1 Know Your Event Objective
Your event objective is the purpose of your event.
Is your objective to get clients for your own launch party?
Are you planning a launch party for your clients to introduce a new product or service?
Or maybe it s to increase ROI (Return On Investment?)
Tip #2 Know Your Event Budget
Like any event that you're planning, you need to know what your budget is, and if you don
t know what that looks like, I strongly encourage you to get a copy of the Event Toolkit which
is a digital program we offer on our site at eventplanninblueprint.com.
Included in the Event Toolkit is an event budget that you can use for absolutely any
event that you're planning.
Tip #3 Use a Unique Venue
Venues come in all shapes, sizes, and forms, and you want to pick a venue that is not only
right for your personality but also right for the brand that you're representing.
To help you out, we have several blog posts on choosing an event venue.
Tip #4 Know Your Audience and Build Relationships
It s important to know your audience, but it s equally important to invest time in your
relationships.
If you have been with me, and watching my Event Planning Blueprint channel for a while,
you know that I have talked about this a number of times. Investing in those relationships
is extremely important as an event planner and as a business owner. That s really where
a lot of your business credit comes from.
You need to do this in order for people to like, know and trust you. So make sure that
you're taking the time to get to know your audience, and investing in those relationships.
Tip #5 Create Your Event Invitation
There s a few critical things to consider when creating your event invitation, like:
- Including a map of where the event is taking place. If it s a hard copy invite, then include
a printed map, and if it s digital, include a link to the venue in addition to the digital
map.
- Make it easy to read, and visually pleasing.
- Include contact information, like a phone number or email address.
- Get creative, so it s memorable.
I recall an invitation that I received for an event that was in winter, and it was quite
cold at the time, but it was going to be the best party of the entire winter.
It has celebrities showing up, and it was in a mansion on a very exclusive street in
the city, so the title on the invite was So Cool It s Hot. Very clever and memorable.
So, get really creative with your event invites because it s not just the pertinent info you
want to include in there.
Tip #6 Make Your Event (Seem) Exclusive
This isn't always necessary, but you can create a sense of curiosity around the event by having
people bring their event invite, and telling them that their name is going to be on the
guest list.
Those are just a couple ways of making your event seem exclusive so that curiosity is
created.
This will also increase the number of event attendees that you will have to show up because
they will be curious about what s going to happen.
Tip #7 Hire Event Staff
This one is really important. I don t know about you guys, but I love delegating, and
when I m throwing an event I want to make sure that I do all the planning, and then
when I'm at the event I focus on taking care of my client.
So, I have the events staff or an event team doing everything else around me. They actually
run the event. My job is essentially over, other than taking care of the client, which
is the most important piece of that.
So it s important to hire event staff to take care of all of the pieces around the event,
like running the event and troubleshooting, making sure that they know what's going on
so that you can focus on your client.
Your event staff should reflect the brand and the image that you're going for. If there's
a specific product or service that you're representing then your event staff should
reflect that from the smallest detail, like their clothing, to the type of people that
you're hiring altogether.
Tip #8 Giveaways and Gifts
Who doesn't love a good gift?
No matter what your budget is, you can get creative with how you give gifts, and what
type of gifts you give for a launch party.
I really want to encourage you to stay away from cheap, kitschy things like pens or t-shirts
that typically never be used, or end up in the garbage.
So here are a couple of ideas:
A bottle of wine. Buy a nice bottle of wine, and don't skimp on the price. Make sure you
know that it s something people will like, so you need to get to know your audience a
little bit.
What I would suggest doing when it s not a cold bottle (and does't have condensation
on it,) is get some custom labels printed, and cover up the back label
on the wine bottle.
This can be a great giveaway for either the client or the attendees at the event when
they are leaving.
It s a memorable gift, and it s something they will definitely drink or regift or use
at a dinner party.
They'll be reminded of your event, the launch, and/or the product or service you are promoting
because you have that custom label on there.
Another great giveaway are these small boxes of handmade soap that I received. As soon
as you open the box, there s an incredible smell!
And on the box is the company s branding, which includes all the ingredients, the brand's
story, and a little bit about the product itself.
One says a crisp lemony scent with luxurious coconut milk, and who doesn't want luxurious,
right? And it actually feels luxurious.
I am always talking about tapping into the senses when you're planning an event. So when
you are planning an event, think about what people are going to see, smell, taste, and
touch.
And, together, these two gifts, tap into all of that.
The taste comes from the wine. The smell comes from the soap, which also looks & feels beautiful,
and is nicely packaged.
And the overall package that the soap came in was stunning. The nice thing about the
back is that it tells a little story. People are really drawn to stories, and it doesn't
cost a lot of money to do, but it makes a big impact and that's the most important thing
to focus on when creating giveaways.
Making an impact.
Stay away from kitschy types of things that everyone else gives away, and go for something
a little more creative that really speaks to your audience and speaks to the products
or services that you're promoting.
Of course, make sure that they have the contact information on there as well.
Another great giveaway that I've done at an event was a Tiffany vase. Because they are
so gorgeous, even though they weren't completely branded, people are going to remember where
and who they got them from whenever they see them.
Sometimes branding isn't necessary. It depends on how it s going to make it look. I tend
to stay away from things that are overly branded, or branding that will take away from the actual
product itself.
If it makes sense to engrave or emboss something on the product (depending on the material
of the product,) then please, by all means, do that. But don t go overboard. It really
has to look classy for people to keep and remember it.
Tip #9 Invite the Press
A lot of people don t think to invite the press, but it s a really important piece of
building your event business, as well as gaining exposure for your clients and their products
or services.
So inviting the press is an important piece to remember when you have a launch party.
You want to remember 5 things when you're inviting the press - the 5 w s.
- Who - Who is going to be there? - What - What is the event about?
- Where - Where is the event going to be? - When - When is the event happening?
- Why - Why is the event happening?
The why and what might crossover, but if you can give them more details about the event
in a different way, you will get more engagement.
Tip #10 Celebrate Your Team
This includes your vendors, and it s really important to say thank you to your team and
celebrate them.
If it's in your budget, I would encourage you to throw them an after-party to say thank
you. If it s not in your budget, then just give them an acknowledgment at the actual
event. Reward them for all of the hard work that they did to put that event on.
Those are your 10 Tips to Plan a Successful Launch Party.
I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Let me know what other tips you would add to these 10 tips if there is one, or if you
don't have a tip that you want to add, which of these 10 tips was your favourite, and which
ones are you going to use for your next event launch party?
Thank you so much for joining me here again on Facebook Live! It s great to see you guys,
and we will see you again for another topic.
Thanks so much. See you again.