In our last post, we started talking about open houses, and we thought we’d follow up with an example. The host in this “case study” is a manufacturing company, and the open house was held in their production center.
The day itself was split into three segments. In the early morning, the company hosted a Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting in the shop, which brought about 40 people into the building. They were all in and out before the doors opened for business, and more than half of them took a full tour of the production center. Every guest was given a map of the shop, and the various stations in the production process were identified by number. At each station, the attendees would either hear a brief presentation by one of the staff, or have the opportunity to look at explanatory graphics.
Between 8:30 AM and 3:00 PM, another 50 or so prospects and customers stopped by. For the most part, they came from a group of approximately 400 “low priority” customers and prospects who were sent invitations to “drop by” any time during the day for refreshments and a look at the shop. This group did not get formal shop tours, since the employees and equipment were at work.
From 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, almost 40 more people came by, and these were all “high-priority” customers and prospects. Their invitations were specific to this time period, and the refreshments were a little more elaborate for this group. The shop tour was back in effect as well.
All in all, this was a very successful event. Hopefully this case study will get you thinking about whether an open house would be a good strategy for your business. If you’d like to talk about the possibilities, just give us a call!
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