Dental Office Open House Tips and Ideas |

Hello Friends,

One of the most asked questions that I receive is ideas for hosting a dental open house event. So if you have an open house planned for your dental office or are considering hosting an open house event, here are some ideas to help make your open house a huge success!

Consider adding a theme to your event.

Event Theme Ideas:

Luau
Winter Wonderland
Back-to-School
Hearts – We “Heart” our Community or We “Heart” our Patients
Decades (ex: 50’s)
Spring – Flowers (Thank you for helping our office grow)
Celebration of Health
Fall
Women’s Night Out
Office Anniversary Celebration
Spa/Pampering
Shopping (w/local vendors)
Carnival
Cocktail Party (Wine & Appetizers)
Superhero

Target Audience:

Determine in advance who is your target audience.

Professionals/Specialists
Community (Local Businesses/Non-Patients)
Current Patients

Cross Marketing Opportunity:

Team up with local businesses!

Hair Salons, Specialty offices, Restaurants, Etc.
Display a thank you board/sign listing the local businesses involved in the open house.
Have an area that they can display their business information
Have them donate a prize to be raffled off or used in a drawing.
Ask them to advertise your event at their place of business.

Word of caution, make sure that if you choose to team up with any other local businesses that it doesn’t distract the guests away from your office.

Advertising your Event:

Invitations
Local Newspaper (Invite them to the event!)
TV News (Invite them to the event!)
Radio (Invite them to the event!)
Social Media Sites (set up a Facebook Event)
Website
Current Patients (Ask them to bring a friend for a prize!)
Newsletter
Email
Online Local News Sites
Local Chambers
Local Businesses (Library, City Hall, Day Cares, Salons, Restaurants, Schools, EVERYWHERE)
Employees (Make sure the entire team is on board w/the event and talking about it)
Flyers
Banner on building

Call To Action/Community Support:

Collect Donations for…

Winter Gear (Coats, Gloves, Scarves & Hats, Blankets)
Books
Canned Foods
School Supplies
Aluminum Can Tabs (Ronald McDonald House)

or offer:

Complimentary Oral Cancer Screenings
Smile Makeover Contest

Give-Aways:

Welcome letter/flyer (Include in it: Info about the office, services offered, a special call to action offer & a thank you for coming in)

Items imprinted with your office information, such as:

Toothbrush Bags
Lip Balm (www.lipbalmexpress.com)
Tote Bags
Pens
Coffee Mugs
Water Bottles
Flower Seed Packets
Magnets
Keyrings
Xylitol Products
Umbrellas

My favorite company to use for imprinted giveaway items is: Bizarre Marketing – www.promostuff4u.com

Activities:

Face Painting
Photo Booth with photo props
Balloon Twisting
Bounce House
Craft Table
Games
DJ/Karaoke/Live Music
Dental Health Presentations

Drawing/Raffle for Prizes:

Having a drawing(s) allows you to collect the names and contact information of the guests. Be sure to collect Name, Address, Email & Phone #.

Prize Ideas:

Electric Toothbrush
Teeth Whitening
$/% Off of a Dental Service
Gift Cards
Television/Tablet
Bicycle
Waterpark, Sporting Event, Concert, or Theatre Tickets/Passes
Gift Baskets

Team up with local businesses for contributions/donations of Prizes. Be sure to remind them that their name will be included in your advertising for the open house.

Offer an incentive (such as; gift card) to the first so many people who RSVP to your event.

Office Appearance:

The office must be clean and clutter free!! (Inside & Out!)
Restrooms – make sure they are checked during the open house for cleanliness and that they are well stocked)
Decorate the Office
Music Playing (recorded or live)
Have stations/displays set up throughout the office to encourage a tour of the entire office.
Monitors set up in reception room and treatment suites playing videos of services offered. Before and After Photo Slideshow.
Display “About Our Office & Services” Brochures

Team Members:

Well dressed and groomed
Name Tags
Friendly & Outgoing
Specific assignments (designated greeter, tour guide, speaker for dental presentations, etc.)

Food/Drink Ideas:

Bottled water with an office label
Punch/lemonade/Tea/Coffee/Wine/Beer
BBQ Foods
Appetizers
Wine/Cheese
Desserts
Ice Cream Truck (great for outdoor events)

You may be able to get a local business to donate cookies, cake pops, cupcakes, sandwich trays, fruit and vegetable platters, etc.

Day of the Event:

Smiling faces
Name tags for your guests
Give tours (Depending on the size of the event you could set up tours as a scavenger hunt)
Be ready to schedule dental appointments
Greet everyone
Take lots of pictures
Record a video of the event. Consider doing a Facebook live during the event.

After the Event:

Send Thank you’s to all of your guests and any businesses that participated in the event.
Send a follow-up article & pictures to the local paper.
Call prize winners to come into the office and collect their gift – be sure to take their picture(s).
Post pictures of the event on social media sites.

Remember, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

To-do lists are your friend! Include a timeline & who is responsible for what & when.

Your goal should be to make your guests feel welcome, special, and appreciated. No one wants to show up to an event where they are not welcomed or confident they’re even in the right place.

Make it a Fabulous Open House Event my friends!

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave me a review/recommendation on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month! Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your email each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address (to bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Yours for Greater Success!

~Betty

P.S. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest stop by and say hello.