You’ve invested tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars into starting your own gym. You’re almost there, only one hurdle left, the grand opening party. Most gym owners like to think that their grand opening party is going to be a celebration of their future success, when in reality, it turns out to be a few friends and Aunt Cathy showing up to give you a pat on the back and drink some of your fruit punch you put out. What type of grand opening party would you prefer to have for your business? A kickass event that people talk about for weeks to come, or an event that barely draws a handful of people? You gotta learn to throw a party like a professional. Follow these three tips and your gym’s grand opening party will be one to remember.

Give Yourself a Healthy Marketing Budget for the Event

You’ve already spent thousands of dollars opening your gym, what does spending an extra $500 hurt? If you’re going to have a good grand opening party, you’re going to want a variety of beverages and also a good amount of food. Food attracts people and gets them to stick around and chat with your staff. Second, you’re going to want to start putting out some marketing flyers to tell your city about your grand opening party. If no one knows about the party, how are they going to show up? Lastly, you should definitely be holding a free membership raffle, as well as a merchandise raffle. Spend a couple hundred dollars on workout equipment that you can raffle off to people who sign up.

Team Up with Local Businesses to Generate Word-of-Mouth

If you’re a functional fitness workout center, like a CrossFit, it’s a good idea to spread the word among local yoga and pilates studios that you’re having a grand opening party. Lots of yogis like to get their exercise in via CrossFit and then stretch out their limbs at the yoga studio. If you’re willing to offer a discount to these yoga studio members, there’s a good chance you’ll get a lot of them coming by your facility’s grand opening party. Draw them in with a free membership raffle and some healthy snacks, and you’ll have nice extra group of people at your party.

Make It a Social Event, Not a Sales Event

Last but not least, don’t make your grand opening a sales event. It will already be a sales event, without even trying. People who are interested in signing up with your gym are going to be asking you about prices, classes, etc. There’s no need to make the event any more sales-driven. Try to focus on having a fun event that people like. Maybe rent a DJ for the night. Set up a little dance floor, get your future members talking to one another. Your goal is to get people to want to stick around at your grand opening and connect your gym with a good time. If you can do that, you’re going to have a very successful fitness business in the very near future.

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