How to organise a successful Open House in 10 moves

1. A special location

In our case we were in Via Margutta, a small street in the heart of Rome's historic centre. It is particularly picturesque and is called the street of artists. If you don't have such a beautiful location, don't worry, but keep in mind what makes it unique will make your invitation attractive.

2. Cooperation

The more the merrier - Involve your colleagues, they will be happy to help you if you let them do what they love best. I was lucky to have among my colleagues two young bodybuilders who helped me with heavy transport, an extraordinary photographer and several ultra dynamic PR people.

3. Inspection

Inspect the house, preferably with a home stager, to find strengths and weaknesses. Reflect on these to decide on the theme of the event. In Via Margutta we had many strengths but there was a small armchair that risked completely ruining the atmosphere. We decided to turn it into our strength.

4. Partners

Choose partners who can help you turn weaknesses into strengths. In our case, the terror was that small armchair and we knew it had to be covered. So we walked down Via Margutta and found a very cooperative person in the furniture fabric shop, Nuova Anteprima. So we set up a fabric exhibition at the Open House and, covered in colours, our small armchair was very much appreciated. The partners also became multipliers by spreading the event to their contacts.

5. Invitations

Make a nice invitation and send it by email, also print it out though. Always take about 20 copies with you and personally invite everyone you meet, describing the location with its special features and mentioning the partnerships. We had two partnerships, one with Cantine Martinengo which offered a wine tasting, a universally appealing activity, and the other with the furniture fabric shop which attracted a very specific audience. Make a list of those who have confirmed attendance so you can see how many people will come. A phone call the day before will further ensure attendance.

6. Target

Selling or renting the house where the Open House is held is only secondary to the purpose of the event. The first objective is to get in touch with owners who can entrust you with their homes to sell or rent. From the moment you start organising the event you will meet and talk to many people involved in the preparation, don't miss the moment when they say 'my cousin/son/friend has to sell his house'. During the organisation days I met five owners who invited me to evaluate their houses to sell or rent. during the event two people booked a second visit because they wanted to rent the house where the Open House took place. Obviously the purpose of the Open House is also to promote the brand and yourself.

7. Fun

Have fun during the event! Don't be nervous or stressed. smile and make sure everyone has a good time. When a person comes to the Open House they should feel a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere. In our case, perhaps also thanks to the wine tasting, everyone was smiling and chatting happily.

8. Communication

Take nice pictures of the people, the house and the partners' products. Spread them through the website and digital channels by tagging participants and partners, commenting, describing what happened and who was there. I was lucky to have a very good photographer among my colleagues so we could share very nice pictures and everyone was happy to have participated by responding with many comments and likes.

9. Thank you

Call, text or email everyone who helped with the organisation to thank them and to share impressions of the event. I was looking forward to talking to those who helped me throughout the preparation, I wanted to know their feedback. I thanked everyone who helped me and sent a special communication including photos to the partners.

10. Analysis

Analyse the event: how many people came, were they mainly colleagues, customers, invitations from partners, friends, passers-by. What they said about the event and the house. A book at the entrance will be useful to fix impressions of the moment. Check how much people liked the event and how much it was shared on social networks. Think about what you will do differently next time to make your Open House even more successful.

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