30 Events in
30 Days!
A fun exercise just so we can see what's possible...
30 EVENTS IN 30 DAYS
This is an exercise that Stretch Zone corporate took management through to shift a paradigm on local events - there are so many and it can be so easy! You'll be surprised how many places we can pop up at no charge and get in front of just the right people that need us!
Once you have seen how simple it can be to set up 30 events in 30 days for your studio, pull back and start with 1-2 events per week that would be the most productive and begin! Ideally each studio is hosting or going out to at least one event per week for flowing organic lead generation. It also gives us lots of fun info and images for social media!
Exercise: Take out a sheet of paper and draw a rough calendar on it for one month (or pull up a digital calendar). The goal is to search out existing community events AND brainstorm events we could initiate either inside or outside of the studio to get in front of new prospects.
What GOALS does this help us achieve?
-
Get into the habit of participating in our community through events to BRING IN NEW LEADS in the process
-
We begin to foster partnerships that become long term with like-minded businesses.
-
We develop a cadence... if it works once, set it up as recurring! Then before you know it we have an automatically full calendar year round!
HOW?
Start with a local Google search of existing local events that would be relevant for us to participate in, and add them to the calendar by date. Often these events are free and organizers are delighted if we would show up and hand out free passes to add value to their day. Look for events at all times of the day and also on Saturdays. Sales Associates that plan ahead can set their schedule to leave the studio to participate. Ideas could include;
-
local Chamber of Commerce events
-
meetups
-
health and wellness seminars
-
small business bootcamps or networking meetings
-
does your studio email get notifications for local events? add them to the calendar
-
local sports events or tournaments we could have a booth at (maybe just info, maybe also a stretch table)
-
Community fairs, movie nights
-
Local business open houses, grand openings (we can show up as a vendor to bring energy and online promo for their big day!)
-
Do our members tell us about things happening locally? Ask them!
-
In addition to what events are already happening, we can create our own- both inside and outside the studio!
Examples of events we could organize and host in studio;
-
Seasonal holiday parties (or any excuse!) like "Galentines", summer, 4th of July Freedom (to move) Fest!
-
Client appreciation day / night (bring a friend in with you to stretch together!)
-
Lunch and learn: short "brown bag" seminars with 5 minute sample stretch (and invitation to full demo) for professionals
-
Small business bootcamp: We can offer our space as a venue to organizations that serve our ideal clients that want to create their own meetups (their people walk through our doors!)
-
Wellness seminars with guest speakers
-
Wellness seminars that we teach (we have MANY qualified and knowledgeable employees that would enjoy sharing): Smart Aging, balancing blood sugar, mobility, eating for movement, stress management, etc
-
Girls or Guys Night In!
-
Birthday parties - arrange a time & invite friends to come stretch with you! (more details to come)
-
Host a Wellness fair with local business partners (every other month?)
-
Private client appreciation function: if you are a member for 6+ months, (or reach 100 stretches logged, or other milestone) we close the studio for 2 hours, bring 5-10 friends, we’ll provide food, and snacks, pick a slow time, weekend
-
Sip and stretch party (with sodas, coffee, etc and sample stretches... "wellness networking")
-
Host community speed networking for businesses (every business owner has a body ;)
-
Online contests for reviews, referrals, follows, etc
-
Contests: touch toes, how much progress, how much consistency, beat your best, etc
Examples of events we could organize and host OUTSIDE the studio;
*Always make sure to have waivers ready... Get outside events approved with your regional manager before committing to them*. Click here for details on how to do offsite events.
-
Canvas (drive around during SA white space), introduce yourself & Stretch Zone, and build a partnership connection with the goal to co-host an event. This can also be done via social media.
-
Pro teams: go to games, stretch players if set up ahead of time, with a public booth area to say come by and check us out
-
Local breweries often host events
-
Festivals seem to do well
-
In some cases a home party (Mary Kay style) - with approval
-
HOA events, private clubhouses
-
Health fairs for community or for large employers (this can be great, especially seasonally. Learn more on the Business To Business page).
-
Hospitals have many different divisions that function almost as separate businesses. Often, each department can be approached separately.
-
Senior civic centers, has bingo (donate gift card), assisted living centers
-
Some businesses like Lulu Lemon, Whole Foods and more post about their own events 30-45 days ahead. Watch for other businesses hosting events too.
FAQs
How far out to book events? Ideally, we like to have the upcoming month's calendar planned two weeks before the month starts. This helps us be sure we can have staff coverage both inside and outside the studio before member appointments begin coming onto the calendar. For larger events think 6-8 months ahead if there is expense, limited booths, lots of prep required.
Can this be repeated? Yes! An example is a group of 9 wellness businesses that formed an alliance and each Saturday they would rotate which business everyone would show up to. One week they would have an open house at the chiropractor, then next week at the juice bar, the next at the pilates studio, etc. Each week all 9 businesses would show up at the mini fair, and the hosting would rotate through all 9 locations, then start over again and run all year. This could be adapted smaller or larger scale.
Here are event MORE event ideas...