Want to know what will put the "grand" in your grand opening?

Find out from some of the biggest and best franchises in the country. Here's what they are saying will assist franchisors and franchisees in having a successful and profit-producing grand opening. And read what some of their "star" franchisees have to say as well.

Kampgrounds of America (KOA)

Franchising since 1962, KOA has over forty years of experience in owning, operating and supporting the largest system of campgrounds in North America. There are more than 450 campgrounds in the KOA system in the U.S. and Canada. Communications Director Mike Gast had this to say about planning a grand opening:

What franchisors can do to plan a successful grand opening:

"Involving the local community is key. We use our marketing staff in our Billings, Montana home office to make contact with the local chamber of commerce for mailing lists, and to produce newspaper advertisements, radio, TV and newspaper news releases and posters. In the case of franchised campgrounds, we will point the campground owners in the right direction, but they will be the ones who need to make the local contacts."

What franchisees can do to assist in maximizing the success of their grand opening:

"We've got several tools available to help our franchisees. For instance, each franchisee has access to a database of campers who have stayed at their campground or at other campgrounds in their region. This database can be used for direct mail or email to market their grand opening.

"We actually have a system that will produce and send direct mail postcards to campers for 50 cents per unit with a 48 hour turnaround. That has worked well for many franchisees. We also have a Hot Deals system whereby franchisees can offer immediate special deals to campers via direct mail, email and the koa.com website. Franchisees often set a special Grand Opening Hot Deal, such as buy-one-night/get-one-night-free to get campers to give them a try."

KOA franchise owners Pat and Kathy Kennedy, owners of the Bristol/Kingsport campgrounds in Tennessee, have done a great job of marketing, says Gast. So much so that they were awarded the Rising Star Award by KOA, as well as the Founder's Award and President's Award by their campers.

In talking with Kathy Kennedy, it becomes evident just how their campgrounds have become a hit. Enthusiastic, devoted to her "campers," and full of phenomenally fun ideas, she even managed to get this writer - a self-admitted non-camper - wanting to pack my bags and head for Kennedy's Kampgrounds in Tennessee.

Now in their third year of operations, the Kennedys have had a "grand opening every weekend" since they first opened: Hippity Hoppity Easter Weekend, Alien Space Weekend (Aliens Get One Night Free), and Western Whodunit Weekend, to name just a few. And their most popular weekend yet? "Survivor" Weekend.

Through the use of their newsletter, campsite database, chamber of commerce and other means of "shouting out to the local community," Kennedy says their approach of novel and new themed events -- and lots of fun for the whole family -- has brought back their customers time and time again.

Kennedy says they are looking forward to a very successful year. For others who are looking for grand opening success, she says it's critical to know what you're going to do and to make a plan. Then get the word out... and tantalize your prospective customer, getting them interested and curious.

Super Suppers

Franchising since 2004, Super Suppers now has nearly 200 locations. Founder Judie Byrd created this meal assembly franchise as a healthy, delicious and easy way for busy people and families to spend more quality time around the dinner table. Franchisee Marketing Specialist Tammy Bieker talked about some of their grand opening tips:

"Each grand opening is specific to that franchise's market and their needs. It is essential that franchisees always communicate with their market. Every week, they should have a list of churches, schools and organizations to go out and speak with. They need to constantly collect business cards and contact information.

"In addition, it is important that they give their potential customers something to remind them about their business. This may be a flier, coupon or business card. Beyond this community involvement, franchisors should remember to be active in their local chambers and always, always, always ADVERTISE. This is critical during the soft and hard grand opening.

"Another great idea is to choose a charity that is near and dear to the franchisee's heart. Tiffany Hayes, franchisor of East Wichita Super Suppers, chose a charity where she and her mother volunteer. They donated all of their proceeds from grand opening day to this charity. All of their employees also donated their time. She had an incredible grand opening. Her store was packed and all guests had a magnificent experience."

When asked about her grand opening, Hayes said, "It was great and went extremely well." For Hayes and her business partner mom, "it [the grand opening] was all about raising money for charity." Through their efforts, their grand opening raised over $2,000 for Heather's Camp, which provides an opportunity for blind and visually impaired children to experience the joy of a camp program.

In addition to raising money for a cause near and dear to Hayes' heart, this Wichita franchise owner was thrilled to report that 70 patrons made food-assembly purchases on grand opening day, and they were visited by many other guests as well. Some of the marketing methods used included visiting and bringing food to radio stations in person (resulting in on-air time), sending out over 500 invitations (getting names through the Chamber of Commerce, other associations, previous customers and contacts). Or as Hayes put it, "Getting the buzz going -- Going out there and talking."

A successful grand opening, says Hayes, takes time, planning and hard work. "But it's well worth it."

Snappy Auctions

Snappy Auctions is a leading franchisor of eBay consignment services. In the last 18 months, they have opened 54 locations, and Director of Marketing Toby Compton was pleased to share with us Snappy Auctions' strategies for their grand openings:

What franchisors can do to plan a successful grand opening:

"As a franchisor, we take the time to teach our franchise partners the steps necessary to have a successful grand opening. As our franchisees come through our training process, we spend time talking about and going over grand opening strategies.

"Most people have no clue about how to do them or all they've ever seen is a 'big box' retailer type of Grand Opening, which is dramatically different than what ours typically are. We veer away from a cookie cutter approach or some Grand Opening template. We let each franchise partner tailor the event for their individual tastes and needs."

What franchisees can do to assist in maximizing the success of their grand opening:

"Here's a few quick points that we go over in training with our franchise partners about Grand Openings:

Plan with the end in mind and develop a specific goal. We get our franchisees to think about this by asking probing questions like: What is the compelling reason to have a Grand Opening? What do you want (or expect) to accomplish? Do you really think throngs of people are going to come out to an event? Who is the event for? What's it worth? Can you get away with signage and PR?
 
Develop a strategy, timeline and budget. Big or small, every business has a Grand Opening. Snappy Auctions is a small boutique service business and our events tend to take the smaller, more subtle route. Still, planning is the key.
 
Don't go overboard. Sometimes a simple straightforward ribbon cutting type media event is the right ticket. At other times, a Grand Opening might take the shape of something much bigger. Regardless, don't go nuts over something that is very likely a one day event. And, we always emphasize that people should follow their plan, and specifically their budget. I never want to see someone blow their entire quarter's marketing/advertising/PR budget on one event. We try to teach that the Grand Opening should be the vehicle for the next marketing/advertising/PR campaign and a way to tell folks the doors are open.
We've had some people try larger more elaborate opening, but they were oftentimes met with mediocre success. Our best openings are typically smaller and targeted events tailored to garner the attention of their neighbors and the media.

There's a lot of time and effort that can go into the Grand Opening. Knowing what the goal is and having a plan makes the execution and fulfillment easier.

Author: Patricia Schaefer
Source: Franchise Trade
Copyright 2006, Attard Communications, Inc.