Customers are an asset for any business. They’re what make a brand what it is and oftentimes, you can forget to pay a little “thank you” to the people who matter to you a lot. So, if you want to show your appreciation to your customers, then plan a cool event where you hire a venue, AV rentals, and other décor to make things look amazing for your customers. Here is everything you need to know about planning a customer appreciation event.
Customer Appreciation Event Planning
Pick A Date
The first thing you want to do when you’re planning a customer appreciation event is to choose a date. You might think that you can pick any date on the calendar. It’s 365 days, so 365 choices, right? Well, not so fast. You want the date to have a meaning behind it. Why do you want to choose a specific date? Was it the first day you guys ever got your first customer? Was it a particularly special day when a customer placed their second or multiple orders with you? Was it the day you guys started your business or brand?
There are so many special dates that you can choose from and there is so much more depth and appreciation when you dedicate a special date to the special people that made your business what it is today. So, pick the date wisely.
Make It Special
A customer appreciation event has to be special. You need to make every single customer feel like they’re the main character – the MVP of the event if you will. You want everyone to feel included and special and for that, you need to do something more than just the basic stuff. This is something that you need to work hard on and figure out what the customers love.
Are you teasing a special product or service for the event? Are the customers going to get a fat discount or special access to the product or service? You need to look for customer appreciation event ideas. Scratch the surface and dig to the core to make your customer appreciation event special.
What’s Your Budget?
The next thing you want to go over is the budget. With every event, you need to ensure that you’re staying on top of the finances. Sure, you want to show your customers due appreciation, but it can be done in a financially sane way, without you tossing all of your money into the fire.
This is why creating a budget is crucial. You need to sit down, get a spreadsheet, and go crazy with the numbers. Afterward, you can go back and tweak things as you please.
The Venue Matters
The next thing you want to think about is the event venue. Depending on the number of people you’re inviting and the general expanse of the event, you want to ensure that you’re getting a venue that will fit all of the guests without making things too cramped.
So, this is why you want to tour a bunch of different venues and if you’re not too picky, then consider indoor and outdoor options too. This is going to give you a ton of options and you know which one to go for, depending on the vibe and of course, the budget you have.
Don’t Forget The Activities
Um, it’s an event, so it possibly can’t be boring. This is why you want to focus a lot on the activities and base your activities on different things and enjoyable experiences. They can include games, lucky draws, raffle, and even bingo.
These are just some of the options and depending on your budget and the balloon of appreciation in your chest, you can get as fancy as you want with the activities. Performers and live circus, anyone? The event is your main stage, so don’t shy away and make use of every ounce of creativity, because you’ll need it.
Take Ideas
If you’re stumped for ideas and don’t know what to do for your customer appreciation event, then you can turn to the very people who you are appreciative of – the customers. Make some polls and some questionnaires and ask the people what their ideal customer appreciation event looks like.
Bear in mind that some ideas will be wild, but you want to get a refresher on the ideas from different people. It will give you a new perspective and you will end up finding a good chunk of things for the event, which is exactly what you need. Hire an event production company Maryland who can take care of most of the things for you.
Have Giveaways
Who doesn’t love a whole bag filled with goodies from their favorite brands? It is like a goodie bag but for adults. And appreciation will hit different when it comes to these bad boys. So, if you think that your customers deserve a little something extra, then prepare those goodie bags.
They are going to plaster a smile on everyone’s faces and they will be gobsmacked at these kind and amazing gestures. So, if you think your event is missing something, then this is probably it. You won’t regret showing your appreciation this way.
Roll Out The Food
No event is complete without food and appreciation or both, if there’s no food, then the guests will not appreciate it at all. So, you want to go over the menu quite a few times to get it right. If you want to win hearts and make your event the most favorite one ever, then make sure to include dietary restrictive foods too, like gluten-free options and vegan foods.
This is going to be a unique way of showing that you care and that you stepped up when it comes to food. People will not forget this kind gesture.
Make It Entertaining
Besides the entertainment, the event itself should have an entertaining and upbeat vibe. It shouldn’t be too stiff or very professional. Sure, you don’t want the event to turn into a frat party, but you want it to feel more relaxed and chill. This is unlike any corporate or brand event, so you want to put the customers at ease.
You want every corner of the event to have some sort of activity for the guests. This is going to turn the event around for the better and your guests will have a blast from the get-go.
Feedback Is A Must
Towards the end of the event, you want to make it a habit to ask the guests – the customers – for feedback. Look, there is going to be an area where you messed up or didn’t live up to the expectations and that’s okay.
You don’t have to have everything down perfectly from the get-go and this is why feedback is so important, because if you didn’t notice it in the event, no one will and you might never be able to fix that tiny mistake in future events, so this is important.
Conclusion
A customer appreciation event can go many ways. There are just so many different things you can do, ways by which you can show your gratitude to the customers, so, it’s time to hit the drawing board for some ideas. And don’t forget to hire audio visual rentals MD for an engaging experience.
