We have been talking about client events — how to host them and how to make your event successful. I have shared several ideas and event planning tips to get you thinking about your next event. There was a comment left by Dotty Coats on the last post. Here is her question: “How would a one-person nail salon go about holding some type of event?” This is a good question and I am going to make it part of my post because Dotty raises a good point. What if you are not a big spa or multi-department, mega-staffed salon? How do you hold an event? I know that many of our readers are employed at big spa salons, some rent space, some are in nails-only salons, etc. So, I want to address this question for the smaller salons. Just because you don't have the square footage or the staff, doesn't mean you can’t hold an awesome event. You still can....

So, in answer to Dotty's question, you could go about this two ways: One would be to get other nearby businesses involved and have each business set up a table. Make up some kind of score card with a box for each table on it. Tell your guests when they arrive that they have to make a stop at each table and get your card initialed by the table spokesperson. This forces your clients to stop at every table and talk to each business. Have a drawing for all of the cards that are completely initialed. Each table should give away a prize. Have the prize on the table with a sign saying, “You could win this!” If there are six tables, have six prizes. This way it's not so much pressure for one person. It also helps your neighbors get business too.

The second way is to just host an open house. Get the help of your friends and family first — you are going to need their help. As one person it will be hard to be the greeter, hand out refreshments, and talk with clients. Just do an open house where clients come by, enjoy refreshments, enter prize drawings, and see product and service demonstrations. Ask your local distributor if they could have someone come by to do product and service demonstrations. Have a drawing every 30 minutes for gift certificates, products, and services. There are plenty of creative ways to do this for a one-person salon.

There are other event ideas you could do too — teen night for instance. There are a lot of teens with jobs and disposable incomes. They like the spa services just as much as their moms do! Teens and tweens love gel-polishes, rockstar/glitter toes, hair feathers, and hair color chalks. We turned up the volume and played popular music, had refreshments, and did color consultations. Our teens received gift bags, gift certificates, and complimentary trendy hair and nail services. They had to sign up and bring a friend. This was a great event. We contacted local schools and used social media to get the word out. Summer and fall are great times to host a teen event.

Try other ideas like a gel-polish event. We had complimentary gel-polish applications at our Top 100 event. This was a HUGE success! We got so many clients from this service alone. Many customers and their friends had heard about Shellac, but never tried it. This was a great opportunity for those who had questions. So many people thought that gel- polish was an artificial gel nail. We clarified the difference and explained the benefits including long-lasting wear without chipping. It was a major success. We got so many returning clients that were happy with the wear, lack of chipping, and new nail growth.

If you have any ideas that you think could help others, please post them! Sandy and I would love to hear from you. You never know when your comment or question could end up in our blog like Dotty! Help us to help you — what do you want us to write about? Keeping you up to date by hosting a client event — one more way to help you stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

— Jill