Tips for Planning and Marketing a Special Event in Your Tanning Salon

One way to attract new customers while showing current clientele how much you appreciate them is by holding a special event in your tanning salon, wellness spa or health clinic. But in order for your special event to be successful, it’s important to do a bit of planning and come up with the right theme. Here are some ideas to help you do just that.

What Kind of Event Should Your Tanning Salon Hold?

First, it’s important to come up with a theme for your special event, something your customers will enjoy and find important enough to make time in their busy schedule to attend. While every tanning salon or spa probably has regional attractions or local customs to build on, there are some themes that work well in almost any market. From interviewing several of our tanning salon customers, we’ve heard lots of great ideas for special events. Some of these include:

• Tanning for a Cause – advertise that a portion of proceeds from tanning and body wraps on a specific day/night will go toward a worthwhile cause. This can be any cause, but a local charity is always a good choice because your customers can relate to it.
• Girls’ Night Cocktails – make it a special girls’ night out by adding cocktails or mocktails to your list of regular services for one night per week or month (Thursday is a good choice).
• Pre-Holiday Party – there are many holidays when people want to look their best; capitalize on this by hosting a special “pre-holiday” event where patrons can try all your different services to look great before the big day.
• Anniversary/Birthday Parties – celebrate your store’s anniversary or birthday with a big bash that includes door prizes, package promotions, food and beverages and quick, try-before-you-buy tanning and body wraps.
• Now Announcing… – after you get your FIT Bodywrap© system installed, plan a special party to introduce this new service to your clientele; offer event-only special package pricing.
• Tropical Theme – this works especially well in the dead of winter, when everyone is dreaming of sunny beaches and cool cocktails. Decorate your salon or spa with all the appropriate trimmings, play reggae music and hand out leis at the door.
• Fashion Show – women love to view all the latest fashions and this works really well with a tanning salon since your patrons will be anxious to look their best in their new clothes. Partner with a local department store to share the cost of the event.

Special Event Planning Tips

Once you’ve got a theme in mind, it’s time to do the hard work of planning your special event. Here is a short list of the things you will need to accomplish to ensure your event is a huge success:

• Decide on a date/time (this might change if you are hiring outside services but you have to start somewhere).
• Meet with any partners who may want to co-sponsor your event.
• Prepare a schedule of events.
• Hire any outside services, such as a band, photographer, caterer, etc.
• Decide on promos/giveaways/door prizes/contests.
• Order decorations and supplies.
• Schedule enough employees to adequately cover the event.
• Design invitations – these can be either digital or printed but both is probably best.
• Order advertising in your local newspaper, radio, magazines, etc.
• Mail/email invitations and post notice on social media.
• Have a staff meeting to go over the schedule and each employee’s role. Make sure you designate a photographer, social media poster, someone to take new memberships, etc.
• Remind service providers of the day/time of the event and let them know when they are expected to arrive.
• Do a deep cleaning of your facility and straighten the lobby/waiting area.
• Decorate your salon the day of the event, during the least busy time of the day. Be sure to place extra trash cans around the facility for paper cups and plates.
• An hour before the event starts, be sure all service providers and employees are in attendance; put out food, drinks, door prizes, props, flyers, etc.
• Watch your tanning salon get crowded and enjoy the attention – this is your time to shine!

Special events are an especially useful tool for slow periods when you could use additional revenues and new customers. With a bit of forethought and planning, you can create a fun event that will be remembered for years to come – and make some extra money while marketing your business! For additional marketing tools or advice, please contact us; we’re here to help.