Hillsboro Downtown Partnership

Grand Opening Support


Opening, expanding, or relocating a business is a lot of work. When it comes time to having a grand opening, many business owners do not have time to think about all the details. If you are opening a business in Downtown Hillsboro, Hillsboro Downtown Partnership is here to support you.


PICKING A DATE

We suggest two to six weeks after soft opening. You really do not need to schedule a grand opening until you are actually open. This will give you plenty of time to work out all the kinks that are inherent with business openings and expansion.

Once you are open, narrow down a couple of days (and time of day) when your target clientele and biggest supporters (friends and family) can be there. If you are targeting the Downtown workforce with your product/services, consider an early morning on a weekday. If your clientele will be dual income households, hold it in the evening or over the weekend.

If you are a Hillsboro Chamber member or plan to become one within a few months of opening, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can coordinate with them.

YOUR TO-DO LIST:

OUR TO-DO LIST:

  • We will reach out to City Hall to coordinate the Mayor or another City official to be there to cut the ribbon and welcome your business to town.
  • We will confirm the date/time when we can best support your event
LEADING UP TO THE EVENT

Once we’ve settled on a date, now it’s time to focus on the event planning.

YOUR TO-DO LIST:

  • Set up a Facebook event and invite HDP to be a cohost.
  • Set up a meeting with HDP to create a press release and create an event schedule.
  • Invite your friends and family.
  • Plan some light snacks and/or refreshments.
  • Schedule as many of your staff as feasible.
  • Recruit friends and family members to be your support crew for the day. Give them each a job: greeter, food, door prize, etc.
  • Coordinate a door prize for products or services that best represent your business that folks can sign up for with a form or a business card drop. If you haven’t started a customer list, this is the first step.
  • Practice your elevator speech and/or prepare a speech.

OUR TO-DO LIST:

  • We will accept the invitation to cohost your event on Facebook.
  • We will add your event to our Downtown online calendar and list it in any email newsletters we send out.
  • We will write a press release and send it out to local news outlets, officials, and influencers.
  • We will invite a volunteer photographer to capture the moments.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:

  • Book some acoustic entertainment. Ask a friend who would be comfortable performing solo throughout the event. Or ask us for a list of recommended performers.
  • Consider partnering with a non-profit to show your support for the community to your new clientele and to bring their supporters in as customers. Ask us for recommendations as to which one may be the best fit for one time or to develop an ongoing relationship.
DAY OF THE EVENT

Your big day is here. Time to live up to the hype. We will be there to help you with the last-minute details.

YOUR TO-DO LIST:

  • Eat a meal and stay hydrated. You are going to be talking to a lot of people today.
  • Give your employees and other supporting crew a rally of enthusiasm. (Also remind the schedule, key components of the event, and a message that you want to get across to everyone.)
  • Pick up and set out your snacks and/or refreshments.
  • Have your door prize signup ready to go.

OUR TO-DO LIST:

  • We can provide any of the following items, depending on your event: giant scissors and ribbon; grand opening A-frame; balloons; grand opening banner; sparkling wine/juice and cups; name tags for your support crew.
  • We can run last-minute errands, print a few last-minute signs, or bring a tool that you are missing (ex: step ladder, vacuum, hammer).
  • We will provide a live feed of the ribbon cutting.
  • We will share any photos of the event that we take with you.
We are here to help, and these are all just suggestions that we have seen as components of successful grand openings. But we also know that each business and entrepreneur is unique, and if you have your own dream of how you want to launch your business, just let us know how we can best assist you.