Introduction
Organising an open day is a great opportunity to promote your institution, company or institution. Whether it’s a school, university or company looking to attract new customers, this event must be carefully planned to ensure success. Let’s find out how to organise a memorable and effective open day.
1. Set goals for your open day
Before you start organising an open house, it is essential to define your goals. This will help you plan your event effectively and then measure its success.
- Promotion of an institution or business : attract new customers, promote a new product, or build your reputation.
- Attract new visitors, clients or students : recruit new students for a school, university or training center, or a company, generate qualified leads and increase its customer base for a company.
- Present your programs, courses or services : it is the ideal opportunity to highlight what differentiates you from your competitors.
- Recruitment of new talents or students : convince potential future students to choose a specific training for a school, or recruiting new employees and retaining its partners for a company
- Strengthen your brand : by offering a positive and user-friendly experience, you create a special connection with your audience.
2. Prepare the event beforehand
Planning and Coordination
It is essential to start by establishing a detailed program that includes all the planned activities for your event. This may include guided tours, conferences, workshops, or any other activities that may interest your participants. Each activity must be carefully planned to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. At the same time, it is important to clearly define the roles of each member of your team. This clear distribution of tasks facilitates coordination and ensures a seamless organisation.
Choosing the Date and Times
It is important to select a day when your target audience is most likely to be available. For example, if you are organising an open day for a school, a weekend will probably be more suitable. In contrast, for a business, a weekday may be more relevant. The times must also be carefully considered. Make sure they are appropriate for your audience and that they are clearly communicated in advance. Also, specifying the time slots for the different activities allows participants to better organise their visit and optimise their experience.
Organisation of Space
It is important to design each area to provide a pleasant and seamless experience for visitors. Plan dedicated stands for different activities, conference rooms for presentations, interactive spaces for workshops, as well as a clear and well-structured visitor route. You must use a visible and understandable signage to easily guide participants from one point to another.
Preparation of Materials and Equipment
Start by making a complete list of everything you will need : furniture, decoration, signage, brochures, flyers, audiovisual equipment, etc. Ensure that each item is available, in good working order, and set up in advance. Conduct technical tests to verify that the audiovisual equipment (microphones, projectors, computers) is functioning correctly.
3. Event communication and promotion
Create an effective communication strategy
To ensure the success of your event, it is essential to establish a communication strategy developed several weeks in advance.To achieve this, use a variety of media to maximise your visibility. Social media plays a crucial role: regularly post engaging content, share key information, and interact with your audience. Posters and flyers are also excellent ways to reach a local audience. Also consider personalised invitations sent via email or mail, which add a professional touch to your approach. Finally, don't forget newsletters, which are particularly effective for informing an already engaged audience.
Use various media
Sponsored campaigns on social media, such as Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads, allow you to reach a specific audience based on well-defined criteria : age, location, interests, online behavior, etc. In parallel, sending personalised emails to your prospects is a direct and effective way to attract their attention. Segment your contact list to offer tailored messages to each target group.
Creating attractive posters and visuals
Visuals play a crucial role in your communication. Well-designed posters instantly attract attention and convey a professional image of your event. For this, it is essential to use a consistent style guide that reflects the identity of your brand or organisation. Choose appealing colors, readable typography, and high-quality images. The message should be clear and concise, highlighting essential information.
Do not hesitate to adapt your visuals into different formats for multi-platform use : printed posters, visuals for social media, banners for your website, etc.
Use of social networks
Social media not only allow you to reach a wide audience but also to interact directly with your prospects. Create a Facebook event to inform your audience of all the practical details and allow participants to confirm their attendance via an RSVP. Regularly share video teasers that showcase the behind-the-scenes preparations or highlight the key moments planned for the event. Countdowns are also a great way to generate interest and maintain excitement until the big day.
Finally, encourage your community to share your posts, use specific hashtags, and mention your official account. The more your event is shared, the more your visibility will organically increase.
4. Documentation and information materials
At an open day, it is essential to provide visitors with informative and attractive materials. These materials allow participants to leave with concrete information on the establishment, services or training offered. It’s also an effective way to prolong the impact of your event.
Distribution of brochures and flyers
Brochures and flyers must be available in open access at booths and reception areas.
They must contain key information, such as :
- Presentation of the institution or company
- Programs, courses or services offered
- Contact details
- A summary of the day’s program
Consider providing digital support for those who prefer digital versions.
Creation of digital media
For a modern approach, offer QR codes to scan. They can lead to :
- Video presentations
- Downloadable PDF documents
- The institution’s website
- A feedback form
This approach reduces paper printing and facilitates access to information.
Feedback form
At the end of the day, invite visitors to complete a feedback form. This will help you gather their impressions and identify areas for improvement for your next open day.
The form may address:
- The quality of reception
- Clarity of information provided
- The value of the proposed activities
- Possible areas for improvement
5. Tips for the open day
Take care of the reception and conviviality
Form the welcome team and create a welcoming atmosphere
To ensure a warm and effective welcome, it is essential to assemble a well-trained team. For quick identification, each team member should wear a badge, uniform, or distinctive clothing. Set up a centralised welcome stand where visitors can obtain a site map, a detailed program of the day, and explanatory brochures. Also, plan for comfortable relaxation areas where participants can rest, chat, or ask questions. Offer snacks, coffee, or refreshments to create a friendly atmosphere.
Anticipate the flow of visitors
To improve the flow of visitors, establish an online registration system in advance to reduce waiting times. The use of badges, bracelets, or name tickets not only facilitates visitor identification but also helps manage flows. This system is particularly useful for tracking entries, controlling access to different areas, and gathering valuable data on attendance.
Provide engaging demonstrations
Offer hands-on workshops, demonstrations and guided tours
Organize demonstrations that showcase your products, training, or services in a concrete manner. For example, a school can offer trial classes or project simulations. A company can organise real-time product demonstrations or hands-on workshops allowing visitors to test for themselves. Offer thematic pathways tailored to each type of audience: students, parents, professionals, or potential partners. Entrusting these visits to qualified and trained guides allows for the transmission of clear, precise information tailored to the expectations of each audience.
Invite relevant speakers
Planning conferences led by experts or recognized speakers in your field is an excellent way to lend credibility to your event. These presentations can address specific topics related to your offer or discuss current themes that interest your audience. Involving inspiring witnesses, such as former students, renowned professionals, or esteemed partners, enriches the program and generates additional interest.
Facilitate traffic with clear signage
Create a coherent and intuitive route
Upon their arrival, visitors should be able to easily orient themselves thanks to clear and well-thought-out signage. Install directional signs at strategic points: main entrance, reception, conference rooms, workshops, booths, dining areas, restrooms, etc. Each sign should include precise, readable indications and ideally be colour-coded for different areas or activities. Colour-coded markings on the floor or walls can also help visitors quickly find their way.
Distribute plans
Providing a clear and precise map to each visitor upon arrival is essential. This map should indicate not only the locations of the various activities but also the schedules for conferences, workshops, or guided tours. Also, consider providing a digital version of the map accessible via a QR code, so participants can view it on their smartphones.
Encourage interactions and questions
Schedule question-and-answer sessions
At the end of each conference, guided tour, or demonstration, allocate time for questions. This not only helps clarify points that may not have been understood but also shows your availability and openness to dialogue. Encourage participants to ask their questions live or through anonymous question boxes, if some people prefer to remain discreet.
Train your guides and presenters
It is essential that your speakers are well-prepared to answer questions accurately, courteously, and empathetically. Offer them training sessions in advance to enhance their communication skills and manage interactions with the audience. They should be able to convey complex information in a simple and understandable way while being attentive to the concerns of the visitors.
6. Follow-up and review of the open day
After the event, it is essential to conduct a thorough evaluation to measure its effectiveness and to prepare future editions more efficiently. This analysis allows you to determine if your objectives were met, identify the strengths of your organization, and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Analysis of the feedback form
One of the first steps in your evaluation is to compile and analyse the responses to the feedback forms you distributed. Take the time to carefully review the comments and suggestions provided by participants. By identifying the elements that worked well, you can replicate them during your next open day events. Similarly, identifying weaknesses will help you make targeted corrections.
The feedback from your team is also valuable. Organise a post-event meeting to gather their impressions, difficulties encountered, and suggestions for improvement. An internal evaluation often helps to uncover issues that you may not have necessarily noticed.
Compilation of attendance statistics
The number of visitors is a key indicator of the success of your event. Compare this figure with the goals you set beforehand. For example, if you aimed for a certain number of registrations or ticket sales, measure the gap between your forecasts and the results achieved. If your open day aimed to recruit students, potential clients, or to raise awareness of your organisation, also calculate the conversion rate. This corresponds to the percentage of visitors who took the desired action: registration, membership, purchase, etc.
Analysing these statistics allows you to concretely assess your return on investment (ROI). A successful event typically results in high attendance and a satisfactory conversion rate relative to the efforts made.
Post-event communication
Once the day is over, it is important to thank visitors for their participation. Send a thank-you email with links to photos, videos and possibly a summary of the exchanges.
Do not forget to post a summary on your social networks to share the highlights of the day.
Conclusion
Organising an open day requires careful planning, effective communication and flawless execution. By following these steps, you can offer your visitors a memorable experience that will encourage them to come back or collaborate with you. Do not neglect any detail and do not hesitate to collect their feedback to constantly improve yourself.
Q&A
How to choose the best date for an open day?
Choose a suitable weekend or period for your target (school holidays for schools, weekdays for professionals). Avoid holidays, summer holidays and public holidays
How can I attract more visitors to an open day?
Promoting the event on social media, distributing personalised invitations and offering interactive activities are effective ways to attract a wide audience.
How to manage a large number of visitors?
Online registration, multiple welcome booths, differentiated routes, dedicated guides, relaxation areas.
What are the essential communication materials for an open day?
Flyers, posters, brochures, online ads, social media, personalised invitations and detailed programs are essential to inform and attract visitors.
How can we measure the success of an open day?
Analyze the number of participants, collect reviews via feedback forms, and evaluate the impact in terms of recruitment or conversion of prospects.
