One of the best open houses that I’ve ever 
attended was hosted years ago by my colleague, friend, and attorney, Rebecca Covell in Dallas, Texas. It was a class act from beginning to end. She had thought of everything, made everyone feel welcome, and managed to introduce her guests to each other all while showing off her own legal practice.
I’ve attended quite a few open houses since then and I can tell you that I’ve been to some amazing ones . . . and I’ve been to some lousy ones that should have embarrassed the hosts. If you are looking for a terrific way to introduce or re-introduce you and your office as a resource in your community, hosting a memorable open house can work really well. Here’s some things to consider . . . .
Send Invitations Out Early – In today’s busy world, many professionals book out weeks ahead of time so I recommend that you send your invitations out 4-6 weeks early if you really want people to come. Ask for, but don’t expect to receive, RSVPs one week prior to the event.
Clean Up – This is not the time to sweep the dust under the rug. Consider hiring professional housekeeping to come in and clean your office – baseboards need dusting, windows need washing, mirrors and bathrooms need to sparkle. Whether you hire this out or do it yourself, you’ll want your office to look fresh and inviting!
Spruce Up – Inside and out you will want to take inventory of what needs sprucing up and attend to it before your open house. Is there painting to be done? Woodwork that may need repairs? Dripping faucets or hinges that need to be fixed? Do the shrubs need trimming up or do the weeds need pulling?
The Sound of Music – Sounds matter. You may use a DVD player, a pianist, or a small trio of musicians. Whichever you choose, make sure that you have soft and flowing music that is conducive to helping folks mingle. What you don’t want is music jamming so loud that people have to shout. Nor do you want to be playing music that offends certain groups.
Scent Sensitive – Consider the odors that are present in your office space. I’ve been to offices that smell like old garbage and I’ve been to those that smell like a garden. Burning a candle or two in a neutral scent can add to the ambience that you are trying to set. (Vanilla, by the way, is the most popular scent in the USA.) However, you also need to consider if you have scent-sensitive individuals that may be attending. If that is the case, then you may need to forego the candles. Just remember that it needs to smell pleasant when they walk in the door!
Parking Issues – Don’t forget to consider where your guests will park. If you share a parking lot with other tenants, take the time to inform them of your plans, invite them to your open house, and ask them for permission to pack the parking lot with your guests’ cars. If you only have access to street parking, check in with your local law enforcement to let them know of your open house. Find out if they have any concerns about such an event. And, invite them to your open house, too! If you believe that you are going to have enough guests to create a traffic jam or hazard, you should consider hiring an off duty police officer to direct traffic. Valet parking may also be an option for you to consider. In any case, make sure that your guests know before they arrive where they can park their cars. (Put the info in the invitation.)
And, Don’t Forget the Food! – Yes, I said food! Free food brings out the crowds and a crowd is what you are angling for! Better yet, make it free and memorable food! This is your opportunity to show your colleagues that you are different. Find a caterer (or head to the local deli) that can provide finger foods to WOW your guests. There’s no reason that beverages need to include alcohol but I have attended some open houses that did provide an open bar. The point is not to feed them a full meal and get them drunk. Appetizers and a choice of beverage is sufficient to make your guests feel cared for and special.
Next Thursday, I’ll let you know how to put the finishing touches on your open house!
Really great article! I have a question about open houses in general: is it appropriate to invite past/potential clients in these cases? Wouldn’t that be a privacy issue? Or would you just focus on potential business connections & community leaders? Thanks!
Stephanie, that’s a great question and you are exactly right. This is not the time to invite your clients. You are likely to have your colleagues from mental health, the legal system, community leaders, and educators, too – all potential referral sources. This is the time to focus your energy on them and their needs (rather than having former clients show up and want to “catch you up” on their latest adventures).
In fact, my personal policy is . . . once a client, always a client because you can never fully level that playing field when you have been privy to so much intimate information and you client knows so much less about you.
Thanks for asking the question, Stephanie!
Great timing on this article Tamara! I’m moving my office this weekend and am considering hosting an open house in October. Looking forward to the finishing touches article. Oh, and I’ll send you an invitation too!
Hi, Barb! So glad to have your voice back here and that my timing is on target! Looking forward to your invitation and the BIG EVENT! Thanks for taking time to drop in!
Wow, you must have a much larger office than I do! If I tried to host an open house, I’d have to pray that no more than 3 or 4 people came at any one time. But I like the general idea. Does anyone have any ideas along these lines for someone who has a smallish single office?
– Peg
Hahaha. I see your point, Peg! So . . . if you’re office is in a building with several other therapists, consider co-hosting the event. You might join together to combine your lists of who to invite, send one invitation for all the therapists, share expenses and have folks roam from one therapist’s office to the next (even if they are floors apart) similar to a progressive dinner.
Or, if you do office in a tiny little space by yourself, consider extending the hours of your open house to an all day affair! Although, many of your guests would appreciate the opportunity to meet and greet (and scope out) our colleagues, you could let folks drop in all day long to visit with you in a more intimate setting.
And, if there’s just no way to physically host an open house but you still love the idea, check out this invitation (from realtor, Lesley Lambert in Westfield, Massachussettes) I received via Twitter last winter. I think this is a terrific idea to play around with – a virtual open house!
Thanks for including the example invitation. The article is great. I am planning one for solstice/ christmas. We are all ready for a break at that time and ready to celebrate in the dark of winter!
Best, Emma
PS is there a way to print the article without the images,
Hi, Emma! Welcome back to Private Practice from the Inside Out! I’m so glad you like the article. And, I adore holiday open houses! Virtually everyone is ready to celebrate in the dark of winter and the holidays provide a perfect structure and theme! I hope when you send out your invitation, you’ll send me one, too! Santa Fe is only 6 hours away and I’m always looking for an excuse to drop in!
As for printing the blog post . . . . I don’t know that it’s possible to print it without the images. I’ve tried before but my tech-challenged brain hasn’t been able to figure it out. Anyone out there got a suggestion for Emma?
I was just thinking that I needed to start planning an open house when I saw your post. What perfect timing! I’m thinking an open house for this fall, so the idea of a hot chocolate open house was great too. Bringing up parking concerns was nice, I need to think more about where my guests can park….
Yet another timely article. Thanks Tamara!
Hi, Desi! OK, so I’m looking for your feedback as you plan and host your open house! I’m sure we can pick up some tips from you and perhaps some of our readers will show up too! Where are you? If I get an invitation, I just might join you there!
I’m in San Antonio, TX – a bit far away though I’d love to have you out! I’m originally from Colorado though, so it’s fun to hear from so many people in Colorado.
I’m originally from TX and do try to get back there (Dallas-Fort Worth) at least once a year. I do love San Antonio, though – especially in March when all the Chaste trees are blooming! (And, I’m always up for a road trip:)
I wish this would send me an email when there are follow-up comments. Just something that would be helpful for running conversations! 🙂 I’m currently setting up my website (through BlueHost and WordPress per suggestions on your site) and will have to look into that feature.
I’ll definitely let you know when I host my open house! I signed the contract on my new office space today! Now to buy some furniture and get my address updated with the city, on my cards, and up on my website. More information to come!
Thanks for the great website. You have been covering very timely topics and I feel a greater sense of community to the field outside my own local network because of your work!
Desi! Thank you! That’s such a wonderful and touching thing for you to say! I think my practice and yours will be stronger because of the community we build!
I’ve asked my favorite geeks, Beth Hayden and Michelle Panulla, about a plugin for follow-up comments. To date, haven’t been able to find one. If anyone out there knows of such a plugin for WordPress PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
Great article. I am moving to a gorgeous new space in 2 days! I am so excited. I was thinking of having another LMT come to the open house and do chair massage. Is that a good/bad idea? She is the one who will be working with me when we do couples massage.
Who would I invite? Nurses, Doctors, Large Businesses (I also do onsite chair massage in the work-place). Any suggestions would be helpful.
Inner Light! Welcome to Private Practice from the Inside Out! I’m so glad to have a Licensed Massage Therapist in our community here! Hosting an open house for a massage therapist’s office is great idea – and one that I don’t see very often. I would hesitate to recommend having another massage therapist come to do massage since it is your business, hands, and skills that you are wanting to show off – especially since you also provide chair massage.
Instead, how about providing “goodie bags” to your guests that include a complimentary chair massage (or hands or feet massage) with the purchase of any hour long treatment? Or, a coupons providing a 15% discount on your guests’ first visits? Or, their third session free? Or, certificates that they can pass on to their own clients for a 50% discount? Other things that might go in your goodie bag could include a small bottle of water, a relaxing CD, a notepad pre-printed with reminders about self-care, a tea light candle in a calming scent, a FAQs sheet about working with you, a fabulous piece of chocolate, and business cards.,
Nurses, doctors, and large businesses are excellent guests to invite to your open house. Other folks you might want to consider include mental health professionals, chiropractors, dentists, educators, hair stylists, and small business owners. These folks are often overlooked as potential referral sources and also can make great clients, too!
I hope you’ll let us know how your open house turns out so that we can learn more do’s and don’ts from you! And, feel free to send me an invitation! New Hampshire is a long ways away but I’m always angling for an excuse to be in New England in the Fall!
,
Your voice has been missing from our conversations so I hope you’ll drop back in often to chat and bring your colleagues, too!
Thank you! Very helpful suggestions! I’m shooting for October but not sure since we’ll be moving Sept. 16th. The space itself is going to be gorgeous. The small space I have now is really nice too. You have some awesome suggestions, so glad I asked! My daughter is a chef so I’m going to try and let her cater for me.
I love the goodie bag idea!
Should I host it on a week night or a weekend? I was thinking from 4 to 8 on a weeknight but not really sure. Do I just send out postcards to everyplace or a select few? Should I put it in the newspaper, on my website or blog?
I would send out postcards and and email to everyone that you have a professional relationship with or would like to have a professional relationship with. I would not put it in the newspaper because you want your guests to feel “special.” An invitation on your website or blog would be OK but a better idea would be to put the details (or even the entire invitation) on a password-protected page on your website. That way, you can reference the webpage in an email invitation or on your postcard as a “reminder.”
I definitely wouldn’t host your open house on the weekend. Most of us really like to forget about work on the weekend. And, to a lesser extent, I think that is also true for evenings. My preference is to open an open house mid-afternoon . . . maybe 3 p.m. to 6:30 or 7 p.m. That allows you all day to get ready. It also allows all your guests to end their work days a little early, if they wish, or show up right after work on the way home. I doubt many folks are going to show up as late as 7:30 or 8 p.m. and you will be ready to close up shop by then, too.
I love the idea of getting your daughter to cater for you. She might even want to throw in a culinary “donation” to the goodie bag along with her business card. Better yet, is she’s into catering, she really ought to split the costs of the open house with you and share her mailing lists, too! Now that could be a party! (And, I’m so disappointed that I won’t be in attendance!) You might also want to document this by having someone function as photographer! This party just keeps getting better!
Are post cards okay to use or should I go the distance and send an actual invitation in an envelope? Do I send them to the HR department if they have one?
How can I make the invitation eye catching enough to get them to attend or get their attention? I sepcialize in Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Hawaiian Hot Stone, and Maya Abdominal Massage. These modalities are NOT familiar to people. How can I work that to my advantage?
Invites have been sent to 150 local businesses. Since its an open house I didn’t put a RSVP on them. Out of 150 how many should I expect? Need to plan the food. There must be some method to determine how many might show up. 10%? I made the invite specific to health care and insurance companies since I seem to get chair massages at insurance companies. I also thought inviting medical professionals was a good idea as well. The invitations look spectacular. The nice thing is that Vistaprint generated the list, I edited it and they are sending them out! I’ll keep you updated.
Inner Light! I’m so glad you dropped back in here today to share the progress you are making on your open house. I would love to see a copy of your invitation. Maybe you can send me one via snail mail or send a scan into email?
I’m sorry you didn’t include an RSVP. It’s the only way you will have any idea how many of your colleagues will actually show up. I typically add 10% to the total number that RSVP when planning for food, printed materials, and parking.
Looking forward to the big day, Inner Light! Hoping you have a big turnout and make some new friends, too!
could you email me your snail mail address? I’ll send an invite. On the back of the card I added a $10.00 off coupon, hoping this will encourage attendance.
Hi, Inner Light – Bonnie? I think? Welcome back! You can send anything you wish to Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC, 6222 Lancaster Avenue, Castle Rock, CO 80104-3279. Although I’m a bit far from New Hampshire, I’m always looking for an excuse to make it to the Northeast and I may be up there by the end of the year. Would love to reconnect if I’m in your area for sure! Hoping you’ll send phootos of your open house, too!
I couldn’t send just one invite, hopefully someone will bring one in and I’ll just send it or post a picture. I’m hiring my daughters friend to help and take photos. Hopefully I’ll get a good response.
Its on the facebook page. I couldn’t send just one or 2 more postcards so I had to take the pic using print screen so I’m sure the actual postcard invite looks nicer. http://tinyurl.com/3mo4tgl
Thanks for all the help, I’ll be re-reading this again and again until the actual open house.
Bonnie! Thanks for including the link to your Facebook page – I just checked out your invitation! It’s lovely! Exactly what I would want to receive from a massage therapist – and I love the $10 discount that you offered on the invitation! NICE JOB and GREAT EXAMPLE of how classy a postcard can look. Have a fabulous open house. I look forward to hearing all about it and what you can pass on to the rest of us!
Here are some pics of the goodie bags. Preparing now because I have a busy week coming up. A music CD, a pen, a B-card, a candle (apple scented) and raspberry lindt truffles. I used small paper bags in orange because its kind of a fall theme.
http://tinyurl.com/6cj59p3
Menu: Hot apple cider (or red wine), cheese shaped like leaves with wheat crackers, goat cheese truffles (covered with maple flavored peacans), pumpkin shortbread cookies, butterscotch gingersnaps. Simple and fallish. I think the hot apple cider will make the house smell good without being overpowering.
If I have any goodie bags left, I’ll send one to you.
I’m having a drawing for 4 things, one is a 4 cd set of relaxation music, a 45 minute reiki session, a 50 minute massage session and a head, hands and foot session for 30 minutes.
Now I just hope people attend.
How fabulous! I love how thoughtful your goodie bags are and that you have tied them directly to what you do. Nice! That fall menu has me yearning for the Northeast so I’m sure it’s going to be a hit. And, a drawing, to boot! Sweet! Can’t wait to hear how it goes and I’m sure you’ll have terrific numbers in attendance. When you drop back in to report, perhaps you can let us know how many you invited vs. how many showed up . . . .
Hello! Thanks for the wonderful article.
As far as invites are concerned, how do you send these out?
I made flyers to leave with businesses, but I did not want the add the expense of physically mailing them.
Would faxes be acceptable for other medical offices that I wish to establish contact with?
Thanks in advance!
Hi, Carolina! Welcome to Private Practice from the Inside Out! Faxes, flyers, phone calls, emails, and snail mail are all acceptable forms for your invitations. And, you may want to use a combination of these. Perhaps there are 20 influential people that are worth the dollar or two to send beautiful invitations via the post office. Feel free to do do that! But email invitations or faxes are also good to use because they can be forward to the recipients’ friends and colleagues for an even larger turnout!