Host a Successful Holiday Open House: Tips and Ideas for a Memorable Event

[FromMaria'sKitchen]

Has anyone tried doing a holiday open house? How did you do it, was it successful, and would you do it again? I have some ideas, but I'm not sure whether it would be worth doing?

 

[mrssyvo]

I am having one at my house, with 4 vendors. Each of us are committed to sending 100 invitatons each

 

[smilesarepriceless]

I want to do something like this as well..

I'm leaning towards November..but rather than doing with other vendors, I was thinking more so of just me...and during the day..geared towards many of the stay at home moms I know..And of course their kids are welcome...I'd do it when my daughter is in preschool..like 10-1130am..and low stress..So worst case scenario if it is low turnout, I'm just out the money I spent on ingredients, and a little time setting up...

 

[lockhartkitchen]

I did an open house a few years ago, got everything decorated, sent out invitations that were really pretty and had only a handful come. I don't know if it was the date I chose or what. I decided to invite other vendors this year and have it as a holiday bazaar venue. I rented a local grange and invited vendors to rent table space. The cost of their table covers advertising the event too. I have had a big response. I think I am at 9 vendors joining me now. I am having them invite their clients as well.

 

[ahammons]

I'm hoping to have one this year. One of my good friends just started selling Lia Sophia, so we're going to try a combo open house before Christmas. We still need to work on all the details, but I think it will be a lot of fun - hopefully it will be successful!

 

[stacywhitlow]

I have one the end of November. I focus on gift giving. I have the food already prepared & let guests come anytime betwenn noon & 8p. I usually get $300-400 in sales. Not too bad. I would like it to be more since I send out so many invites. I also have it online for out of towners to order. I am trying again this year (will be my 3rd). I am hoping for a better turnout...however, I live in the middle of nowhere...literally!

 

[chefkristin]

I am trying to set one up for Novemeber. I am in the process of getting in touch with different vendors. I will be renting the Fish and Game in the town I grew up in.

So far I have:

Tastefully Simple
Avon
Silpada
Lia Sophia

I want to get some kind of purse vendor and a body Shop vendor.
And whoever else I can find.

 

[dwyerkim]

I am also doing one in November. I have a Silpadda rep, a Discovery Toys rep, most likely a Souther Living rep, and a friend who does handmade mosaics and photography and sells at craft shows. I am looking for maybe one other person, a candle person probably. I'm doing it for two hours on a Sat (10 to noon), and I'm inviting all my in state contacts plus neighbors, friends, etc. I'm asking the other vendors to invite people but not requiring them to do so. I'm asking each vendor to bring a dish to share (finger food), to donate 2 door prizes in the $5-10 range, and to set up their sales as a home show with me as the hostess. I am going to get postcards from vista print with all the vendor info, then I'm doing a bunch of specials: bring a friend and get second door prize entry, get a door prize entry from each vendor you visit, book a show with me and get extra entries (not sure how many yet). Then I'm doing order $36 or more from me and get a free season's best, and probably order $136 or more and get something in the $10 range (the show is going to be on my 36th birthday!). I am also doing it as a hostess appreciation event, so all of my hostesses from the past year will get their phd plus an additional 10% off as a gift from me.

 

[hperschnick]

I'm doing one with 2 girls I work with - Homemade Gourmet and Avon. We are focusing on gift giving and doing it right after work - like 5-7 or something. We are each sending out invitations to our clients and anyone else we can think of as well as advertising it at work. We are going to have a doorprize with each of us donating something then we will have individual ones for people who order from us specifically. Don't know what I'm giving yet but I'm thinking about a cookbook and some spices. I'm also thinking about getting the SS saute pan on sample and using that as an order incentive for the month of Nov. Like each guest at my shows gets an entry for every $30 in orders... Still thinking about it though.

We are going to have finger foods already done and I would love to have a ton of orders but I'm going to focus on bookings also. I hope it goes well.

 

[tinat51796]

save. These are some good ideas and I don't want to lose them! thanks!

 

[amerrigan]

I did an open house a few years ago, got everything decorated, sent out invitations that were really pretty and had only a handful come. I don't know if it was the date I chose or what. I decided to invite other vendors this year and have it as a holiday bazaar venue. I rented a local grange and invited vendors to rent table space. The cost of their table covers advertising the event too. I have had a big response. I think I am at 9 vendors joining me now. I am having them invite their clients as well.

How did you find different vendors? I dont know many other home consultants through other companies. How did you find people willing to do?

Also, when is everyone doing their open houses? I never know how close to Christmas to have it. November?? October??

 

[tinat51796]

I wondered about scheduling too. I was thinking the second weekend in November. The first weekend here is already full with at least two Christmas bazaars around here (big ones!). If you do a holiday open house do you have your house already decorated? We normally wouldn't decorate it that early but if it would help... I was also thinking about whether or not to do this at my house, it's not that big. My friend lives in an apartment, maybe I'll see if we can use their clubhouse. Thanks for letting me bounce ideas off of you ladies. Maybe one of these days I'll be one of the ones with the answers and not just the questions. Tina

 

[obxchef]

I have done several in the past. I have a better response when I have other venders there. The other venders invite their clients and that way you have more customers that you are coming in contact with. I have noticed if I have more cash and carry items I do better sales. I use the openhouses as ways to get more contacts. Just make sure you set a goal that you want to acheive so you will know exactly what you want.

 

[ChefChris]

I did an open house in May for the end of my 90 days. I did about $500 in sales. I am planning on doing one on Friday, Nov 16th in the evening. I post it on my website so people can order that way also. I will be doing the Mystery Host and gearing this towards Christmas. In the past my director has done a Holiday Open House and offered gift wrapping. I may do that also don't know yet. I also will be offering 10% off and an extra 5% off for past hosts. I will have door prizes every hour (need to be present to win) and also with the Mystery Host I will have at least 2 winners of that. They need to order over $50 or bring an outside order with them or book a show and their names goes in for the drawing.

We will try it this year and see how it goes.

 

[tinat51796]

If you have an open house but don't have the product on hand then obviously the customers will have to order them. My question is if you have several vendors that means the customer is paying shipping fees several times. Does that usually work out ok? Or do customers not order since they don't want to pay for shipping? I'm just trying to figure out how to make this work so I can organize an open house for next month, but since I'm so new I dont' have any extra products on hand to sell. Thanks! Tina

 

[Morvin]

I am having a "vender Blender" open house tomorrow with a purse lady, mary kay, & pure romance this is my first open house that have ever tried.

for those of you that have had them should a take any cash and carry or just focus on bookings and orders???

I have been struggeling with this all week!!!

Thanks
Heather

 

[chefkristin]

I love that name "Vendor Blender"!! Do you mind if I steal it?

I have one set up for November 3rd. I have 10+ vendors coming and a caterer and a doula. We are having it in a hall with a bartender. The caterer is bringing
samples of hot appetizers so all the vendors will bring a dessert. I am thinking of having hot apple cider. I am so excited!!!! I got the hall for FREE along with the bartender!!!!!

 

[amerrigan]

I love that name "Vendor Blender"!! Do you mind if I steal it?

I have one set up for November 3rd. I have 10+ vendors coming and a caterer and a doula. We are having it in a hall with a bartender. The caterer is bringing
samples of hot appetizers so all the vendors will bring a dessert. I am thinking of having hot apple cider. I am so excited!!!! I got the hall for FREE along with the bartender!!!!!

What vendors are you having? So are people paying for the drinks, or are you footing the bill??? How did you get the hall for free and the bartender???

Will you have the food the vendors bring all on one table, or on each of your individual tables???

Are you charging the vendors a table fee to cover the expense of things? If so, were they all ok with this?

One last question...did you send out the same invite to all 10 vendors customer list, or did each of you make your own invites???

 

[amerrigan]

Does anyone have their invite done? If so, I would love to see how you organized it. Is it on a postcard size, or full sheet of paper?

 

[reba515]

I did one the year before last alone to be honest it was a complete bust and I was out a ton of $$.
Last year I did one with a Body Shop rep, Silpada & At Home America we had tons of people (alot of my customers which suprised me!) and we all did at least $1000 in sales.
We all got together a few weeks before and made 1 (8x10) invite for us all to send out + did the same evite as well. I can't remember if it was a weeknight or not but it was only form 6:30ish -10

 

[amerrigan]

I have had several open houses in the past too with just me, and they are never great. I just must pick the wrong nights. I am so excited about doing this vendor night, I hope I can get it organized!

Any more tips or examples of invites would be great!

 

[Betsy Moyers]

I did an open house with several other vendors last November at a Tea Room in our downtown. I was a beautiful setting and all the vendors sent invitations. It was very successful. It was also advetised in the paper which helped.

 

[PCSarahjm]

I will be having an Open House the first Saturday of November. My grandmother has sold Avon since the being of time and always does a Christmas Open House so we are pulling together. This is my first open house. I hope all goes well. It is from 9-4.