How To Organize Your Own Gold Coast Grand Opening Event

CeremonialSupplies.com have attended our share of openings and, wouldn't you know it? We've learned a thing or two about planning a Grand Opening Event. With many clients operating out of sunny Miami, Florida, we've prepared some tips on how to organize your own Gold Coast Grand Opening Event - from planning, to the day of, these pointers will help make your event an unforgettable and fun experience:

red carpet stanchions scissors and ribbon

Is Andy Garcia Coming To Your South Florida Grand Opening?

Talented 'Godfather' actor and favorite Miami son Andy Garcia has been known to make special appearances in a community that boasts residences of top A-listers like Jamie Fox, Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, Gloria Estefan, and Matt Damon. The first thing you should determine is whether you want a private grand opening, or will you be inviting the public? For a public event you'll have to advertise at least 2 weeks in advance to those you'd like to have attend. You can advertise your grand opening on the radio, TV, newspaper, and on-site. The Miami New Times is a great paper for advertising public events in South Florida and covers the area from Key West, Monroe County to Miami, Dade County, Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County up to West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County. The Miami New Times is a weekly publication available everywhere. South Florida has many Spanish speakers that can be targeted through the Spanish paper Diario Las Americas, and similarly with local Spanish TV stations. A private function is not necessarily a small affair, just not open to the public, and publicizing the grand opening is something that can be done internally by sending an email, making a phone call, or mailing an invitation. The invitation and the form of delivery can range from a napkin to a box, or a scroll, and is something you can get extremely creative with, just remember that most people will not keep it.

Publicizing Your Grand Opening Event

It's easy to build a social media presence through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where you can advertise and promote your grand opening event and activities. You can also use the local South Florida section of national forums like Eventbrite, and Meetup, but announce your event for people within the South Florida community, stretching from as far South as Key West, Homestead, Miami, Miami Beach, Hollywood, Hallandale, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and north to West Palm Beach. From your social media channels you can advertise your event, and also promote your pages to increase your online network - which is always good. Link to other pages that will be involved in your grand opening event. For example, if you'll have the event catered, link to your caterer. Look for ways to create buzz for your grand opening! Link to the city mayor's page, or your local government representative's page for additional exposure especially if you've extended invitations to official government local representatives. They are used to making appearances and speeches for dedications and grand openings, especially Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez

giant scissors on display stand

Organize A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

People everywhere love grand openings and a ribbon cutting ceremony, but South Florida is especially fond of new openings and activities, and this is where CeremonialSupplies.com comes in! Our selection of ribbon, colors and sizes is the best offered online. We have pre-printed "Grand Opening" ribbon in an assortment of popular widths, and pre-printed "Grand Opening" scissors, and our personalized ribbons  of the finest, silk blend quality, and customized ceremonial scissors are available in giant 25" or 30" sizes in a variety of handle colors that include red, whitemaroon, tealblue, black, green, yellow, pink, and orange to match your logo, your company colors, or to complement the ribbon color. The ceremonial scissors are available with gold or silver blade, and can be customized on the blade. Typically, the printing area for the blade is 10" across by 2" deep. If you prefer a stylish golden handle regular sized scissors, our is a great alternative. For easy set up and convenience CeremonialSupplies.com offers a choice of kits that include: The Essential Ribbon Cutting Kit that comes with a 4" x by 25 yards ribbon, 25" giant ceremonial scissors, and a giant bow. There's also the Ceremonial Stage Grand Opening Kit that includes 2 stanchions, pre-printed ribbon with 2 bows and a giant 30" ceremonial scissors, or you can choose all the trimmings with the Full Suite Grand Opening Kit that brings pre-printed "grand opening" ribbon - available in red, blue, orange, and green, 2 stanchions, 30"giant scissors, two giant bows, and red carpet. In grand opening ceremonies, stanchions are used to hold up the ribbon. We also offer display cases for the 30" giant ceremonial scissors, the 25" size and the standard size scissors, that will preserve and display a piece of the ribbon from the ceremony, the ceremonial scissors, and provide space for a photograph, the original invitation, or a newspaper clipping of the event. The ceremonial scissors should be held in a display stand when not in use during the actual ribbon cutting. The display stand can be placed near the official photograph area, such as a step and repeat backdrop and red carpet.

giant scissors display stand

Inspiration For Dedication Speeches At A South Florida Grand Opening

The history of Florida's Gold Coast goes back to the Spanish conquistadors, and there are plenty of references and anecdotes about the florid and lush landscape to inspire and weave an interesting dedication speech that can be delivered by the owner, or the CEO of the company. In a grand opening event, the history of the location, where it stands today in relationship to where it was in the past, for example, or the history of the family and how the business was started, or how a company came into being, are all worthy elements to consider for a dedication speech at a grand opening ceremony. South Florida is a vibrant, busy environment for tourism and vacationing, and themes like beach and sand, ocean, and cruising are popular and perfectly blend in with a grand opening celebration.

What's The Perfect Entertainment For A Grand Opening in South Florida?

Consider hosting a reception offering refreshments and food for your guests. Provide information leaflets, brochures, and/or hand out special coupons if you'll have products for sale. If you will be offering coupons, do make them special for your one-time grand opening. Perhaps consider a raffle, or samples of your product. If your company is offering manufactured products or services, having a demonstration is a great way to engage the audience and coupons will enable them to try out a product they may not have tested otherwise. If the grand opening is for a manufacturing facility, you may wish to include a tour.

You will want photographs of the grand opening to post on your social media, circulate in a company newsletter, or just as a keepsake for historical purposes. A popular photograph area that also serves as general decoration is to set up a red carpet entrance with a step and repeat banner that will make your guests feel like pampered celebrities! This is an excellent idea if there will be videos of the event or if the media will be present. If you created social media pages for your business or brand, make sure you post the best photos of your event and ask your guests to tag you on their photos. This is a way of spreading the news around!

giant scissors red handle gold blades

One thing you can be sure of in a great event, is that everyone will want to take home something! Keepsakes and gifts specifically created for the occasion but that are also useful, create the best memories. Personalized ribbons of various widths, printed with the date of the event can be used for decorating anything from tables and chairs, to tastefully draping the room; and people love to hold on to ribbons because they have so many uses! The owner or CEO is the person presented with the gift display case that commemorates the occasion with a sample ribbon and the ceremonial scissors that were used. Others who participate with dedication speeches receive a commemorative plaque, a medal, or if suitable they're presented with keys to the city. CeremonialSupplies.com has a variety of commemorative keepsakes appropriate for grand opening events that can be found under the heading "Awards."

If you want to include unique elements of entertainment, first consider the type of business and a cross-reference activity, for example, the grand opening of a new tattoo shop in South Beach may include a section where guests can get temporary tattoos. Smoke and tobacco lounges are making a big comeback in the Coconut Grove area and an entertainment idea for a cigar shop grand opening would be to have tobacco rollers rolling cigars for the guests. Other ideas include having a caricaturist, a fortune teller, a harpist or a string trio providing classical music. The grand opening for an urban clothing store for young people in the Kendall, Florida area included a duo of break dancers and graffiti art! The possibilities are limitless, and CeremonialSupplies.com wants to help you create a truly memorable grand opening. Shop our crafted quality products at budget friendly prices, and let our attentive and knowledgeable customer service personnel answer any questions or give you more ideas. CeremonialSupplies.com ships conveniently and efficiently everywhere in Florida and the world! Click here for a shipping quote.