Product Launch Event Tips
Creating the Perfect Product Launch Event!
A product launch party is exciting yet stressful. This is the first impression of your new product to your customers; you want to put your best foot forward. That means creating event ideas to showcase your product in the best light possible and create a fun night for your guests. Before the promotion of the event comes you must plan.
Of course, a product launch party is all about your brand and products coming out but adding fun product launch event ideas that might not necessarily be entirely about your event product but make sense with the theme you have going makes guests enjoy your event more.
Theme and Venue: These are the first things you should focus on. Once these are figured out, the rest falls into place.
A theme will be simple to create because you base it on your product and target audience. If it is a healthy snack launch, make it a cooking night out. If it’s a makeup item, have a makeup artist there to teach your guests how to use and pair the item with others properly.
The Venue also follows the theme; you would not do a cooking night on a boat or in a park, just like you wouldn’t host a makeup class in a kitchen environment. Keep those things in mind when picking a venue but also think out of the box. If you are launching exercise clothing and want to host a class for your product launch party, it does not necessarily need to be in a gym; it can be on a rooftop or on the beach. Give your loyal customers an experience they typically cannot find for your product release!
Some exciting venues include:
Museums-
a venue that also serves as entertainment, allow guests to wander around the different exhibits. This fits well with a themed release, let's say you are coming out with a product that gives the look of being vintage. Plan an event that has your guests feeling like they are stepping back in time.
Amusement Parks-
a creative product launch could be renting out an amusement park or planning an event after hours to create a fun, exclusive guest experience. This could be worked into any launch if launching a colorful product this fits right in or a fun new snack for children. If there is enough attention to detail anything can work with this venue, as long as your company also works with the theme as well.
Arcades-
another venue serving as entertainment as well, guests can play games and win prizes! This is a two-in-one deal, a venue, and entertainment. Not having to worry about what guests will be doing at your event or trying to find the perfect form of entertainment is a huge weight lifted off your shoulders.
if you are launching a fitness product, why not host a workout at the beach? You can rent out a stretch of sand or even build a mini obstacle course. Give out a sample of your product as well to let your guest test it hands-on first.
Rooftops-
a classic rooftop venue is always a crowd pleaser. Try planning your event during golden hour or sunset for the best views. This is also a venue where you can practically hold any launch here. Typically, rooftops don't have much of their own decorations so you can bring in anything to create the theme you want for your event!
Arboretums-
many people go to relax, work out, take a walk, and take in nature at arboretums. This is the perfect venue if your brand is laidback, and nature based. For example, a yoga brand can host an event at an arboretum and have a free yoga class as a type of entertainment.
Airport Hangars-
if you are launching a product that has the slightest bit to do with travel or vacation is an excellent idea if you can get your foot in the door at an airport. This will create a memorable experience no one will forget. And no, it doesn’t need to be O’Hare or LAX; a smaller airport also has hangars.
Estates-
a beautiful estate is never a disappointment for an elegant event venue. It creates a more intimate experience and allows guests to warm up to each other more. This is great for big or small parties as well. You can open up all the grounds if it is a larger group and let guests explore or if it's a smaller group have it focused in one area.
Green/Glass Houses-
similar to an arboretum but less natural, hosting a product launch luncheon or tea party would be a great idea to host in a green or glass house filled with greenery and flowers.
Distilleries-
you can visit many different types of distilleries, beer, wine, and more. Pick the one best for your brand and launch event. This is something that can go with your product or have nothing to do with what you are launching but you can incorporate it with a little extra planning.
Sports Fields-
very rarely, if ever, do you get to go on a professional sporting team’s field looking out into the thousands of empty seats while having your event on the field is a once again a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some.
After you have the theme and venue picked out, it’s time for décor. You can go in many different directions with this, keeping it simple and clean and letting your venue and product do the talking or adding even more to a venue to create an additional wow factor.
The clean, sleek look is taking over the décor industry, but there are just as many trends involving over-the-top decorations as well. It is your choice; either will do great if you execute the trend correctly.
Entertainment: Nowadays, companies develop the most creative entertainment aspects at their events. Standing out, especially at a product launch party, will help tremendously create talk around your product.
Many entertainment aspects don’t necessarily line up with products but the theme and atmosphere. For example, Steve Madden did an event in New York and had a semi-permanent tattoo artist at the event. Tattoos had nothing to do with his shoes; it was all part of the atmosphere that wanted to be presented at the event, fun and spontaneous.
Keep it authentic to you and your brand, do not just have a specific entertainment type there just because it is trendy or others are doing it. It won’t make sense. Do what you know is right for your brand and event.
Other entertainment launch ideas include:
Virtual Reality-
incorporate your product into a virtual reality game to make it your own. Incorporating your brand or product into VR gives a personal spin on something that is very popular right now that will set you apart from other events having this as well.
Wine tastings-
there are many wine lovers out there. Get a sommelier, do a tasting, and let guests take home their favorite bottle.
Product testing-
what better way to sell your new product than to let guests try it out for themselves? This lets people form an opinion right away about your product. You are throwing an event to show everyone how great your product is, why not let them try it?
Interactive party favors-
set up different stations where guests can make their party favors; it could be a make-your-own bouquet while adding in your product. This is a more interactive, hands-on experience than giving away generic things that everyone can purchase on their own.
Ear piercing-
this goes hand and hand with the Steve Madden event we talked about; if your event has a fun theme, bring in some different exciting entertainment ideas. Maybe even semi-permanent hair extensions, something that is out of the box that some people typically wouldn't do.
Mini pop-up stores-
this allows for cross-promotion between both brands! Most brands will set up a pop-up for free as well because this gives them more of an opportunity to sell and promote their items or service as well. It doesn't have to be a product either it can be an esthetician doing facials or someone giving manicures.
Photo booths-
who doesn’t love a photo booth at an event? This also encourages attendees to post on their social media channels while at your event because they will have a lot of content from the event. Which then gives your content for social media posts. Consider adding an event hashtag to your photo booth props so potential customers can click on it and see your upcoming product!
Fortune Teller-
not many people regularly go to a fortune teller; this is a different form of entertainment that guests aren’t used to. It will definitely make your brand and product stand out from the rest.
Interactive food and drink stations-
create craft mock and cocktail pairings for different cuisines. This will defiantly set your brand apart from the typical fish or chicken served with a wine menu.
Pre-Event Launch Ideas
Product launches are stressful events, especially for startups. You're trying to set expectations about what people can expect during an event where you'll unveil your latest creation. And you've got to do it while keeping your audience engaged and excited.But there's another important part of the equation: promoting your event. There are many ways to go about doing this, including creating a blog post announcing the event, posting on social media, sending out emails, and even putting up posters around town.
You know how marketers talk about "driving awareness," "building brand affinity" and "creating demand"? Well, those terms apply just as much to promote your event as they do to selling products. So, think about your event like you'd think about launching a product — it's about building buzz, getting attention, and driving interest.
And remember, you don't necessarily need to promote your product directly. Instead, you can focus on marketing the event itself. This includes everything from setting expectations about what people can experience at the event to encouraging attendees to spread the word about the event themselves.
Post-Event Launch Ideas
After the event, you can create thank you letters or packages to send out to attendees. Sending a thank you email as well with a virtual gift like a gift card, information about the actual release date for the product, and some fun photos from the event is also a great email marketing tool.Some ideas are to send thank you flowers. You can even add the event product that was at the launch if you did not include swag bags at the end of the event. Sending the “swag bag” after the event to the attendee’s home or office is a great alternative to handing out bags at the end of the event. The ending of an event is typically hectic; sometimes people don’t remember to take their bag, others take more than is allowed, people leave before the event is fully finished, or even have other events to attend, so they cannot take a bag.
Sending it with a thank you also remind your attendee of your event. This helps with exposure because receiving a package of flowers and free products typically encourages your attendee to post about it. This is now more than just one post, assuming the attendee posted at your fantastic event you threw!
A product launch is crucial for the success of your business. We hope this insight helps you plan a successful product launch event that will set you apart from your competitors and give your attendees an experience to remember.
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