Nothing surpasses the satisfaction of seeing a project come together. But what happens after you complete your office build-out or redesign? The final phase is to generate excitement, build relationships, and ease staff transition. You can ensure that your business gets off to a strong start by attentively planning a grand opening celebration and selecting a few engaging activities to draw a crowd. Continue reading to learn how a grand opening can help your business, what to include on the big day, and some ideas to increase engagement.

Why Should You Have An Office Grand Opening?

A successful office launch event can help a business in multiple ways. When you decide to have a grand opening, you are setting up a foundation for a strong start. Employees are sometimes apprehensive about shifting to a new office space because of the organizational, functional, and cultural changes that come with it—something that not all employees are prepared for. However, a well-planned office launch can positively impact the transitional process. Holding an event to introduce staff to the new space can improve their connection with it and boost their confidence in its application. Here are some benefits of a well-planned office grand opening:

Generate Buzz

A grand opening can create excitement among employees and the community. When opening a new office space, it is critical to inspire excitement among employees. Still, it can also generate interest among clients and the surrounding neighborhood. It is an excellent opportunity for your organization to create a splash and generate newsworthy coverage about your company. Moreover, an event that draws in new customers who otherwise may not have known about your business, makes it a perfect marketing ROI.

Build relationships

A grand opening is an excellent chance for you to network with neighbors, suppliers, the city, and potential clients. Opening your launch to more than your staff broadens your network by attracting new customers and helps create strong relationships with the surrounding neighborhood. If you can find ways to include the community, you are showing that you want to add value to the wider community. Furthermore, by setting up partnerships with other businesses, the municipality, and community members, you position your organization as a valuable part of the city.

Facilitate Change Management

Change management is the process of managing employee engagement when organizations change how and where work is done. A grand opening can help to ease change management. According to a study conducted by Cornell University’s International Workplace Studies Program, investing in transition management results in higher employee satisfaction with their new workplaces. When you introduce your team to the new space and train them to use the workplace properly it helps optimize staff work experience and increase productivity. Moreover, a central part of this approach is keeping open communication and implementing processes to help your team transition and thrive in the new work environment. Incorporating a grand opening into your office move process allows you to enhance employee participation and emotional investment in the new space.

What To Include In Your Office Grand Opening?

Organizing a large-scale event can be daunting; but, to aid with the planning process, we have compiled a list of things to think about before the big day.

Showcase Company Culture

An office build-out or redesign often signifies an organizational, functional, and cultural shift in your company. This transition is an excellent opportunity to focus on your company’s culture. Your grand opening, like your office design, should best represent your company’s values and allow the larger community to know who you are. An excellent method to highlight your organization’s identity is to have someone from your company deliver a speech or make an announcement.

Community Engagement

As previously said, a grand opening is an excellent opportunity to build relationships with adjacent businesses and the city. Partnering with local restaurants or breweries for catering is one method to increase community engagement. Local restaurants are generally willing to partner with companies because it benefits both parties. Your business gets catering, while the restaurant or brewery gets exposure and promoted to potential customers.

Charity Participation

In relation to displaying your company’s culture, if your firm supports charitable acts and is a key-value to your corporation, it is a promising idea to explore the notion of donating partial revenues to a charity. This opens the door to attracting customers and investors that value and wish to promote goodwill practices.

Who Should Attend The Office Grand Opening?

The guest list for your event is critical. When organizing an office grand opening, you want to have an equal balance of staff, employees’ relatives, clients, neighboring businesses, and media. If you invite too many news outlets or media personnel, it can take away from the staff and client experience. Here is our list of people you should consider inviting to your office launch celebration:

• Employees
• Family & friends
• Current & potential clients
• Neighboring businesses
• Key city officials
• Recruiters
• Suppliers
• Influencers
• Media & news outlets

How To Prepare For The Big Day: Event Checklist

Set objectives – What do you hope to achieve during your grand opening?

Choose the event type – Ribbon cutting, Presentation, CEO/ leadership remarks, Group photos, Space tour, Awards

Set the agenda – Determine a time and date, as well as the programming for each event.

Figure out Food and Beverages – Partner with restaurant/ hire caterer, Liquor license, Bar service/ brewery/ winery, Serving staff

Entertainment – Music, Photoshoot (props/ signs, decorations), Games, Giveaways

Media – Pre-event press release, Photographer/ Videographer, Marketing, Social Media coverage

Rentals – Tables and seating, audio/ visual setup, Decorations

Other – Permits, Insurance, extra personal/security

Final Step

Office buildouts or redesigns take a long time and years of preparation to fully complete. Once the office is ready and the most difficult parts of the journey are over, it is time to display it to the community, clients, and, most importantly, staff. With a well-planned grand opening and careful consideration regarding attendees, catering, and entertainment, the launch is sure to be a hit.

Back to Our Blogs