While many families love online registration, hosting a registration event can be an effective recruitment tool for your classes and program. Registration events allow you to meet new families and their children, allow families to tour your facility and allow for you to share about your classes, teaching philosophy and what to expect as they enroll.
Here are 6 tips for making your event a success! .
1. Create a plan for advertising your event. Will you spread the word with paid ads? Social Media? Email marketing? Referrals from families? Posting on your personal facebook page? Plan to promote your event for at least a week (2 weeks is even better) prior to your event.
2. Guide your families! Parents love to know exactly where to go and exactly what to do. Uneasy parents create unhappy parents so provide exact directions on how to get to your facility or location. For example, the entrance to our facility is kind of tricky so we provide these directions.
When you pull into the parking lot, follow the parking lot road and make a left right before the circle drive, the driveway will turn right and you can park anywhere across from the children's playground. Enter those lower level, double doors and we will have a sign right outside the door so that you will know you are in the right place.
3. When your families arrive have someone available to greet them immediately and provide direction on what they should do. This might be a great place to have an Open House checklist for them to see certain things or better yet have someone personally walk them through and share what you want families to know. If you have someone helping you, be sure you provide them with an outline or script on what to say.
4. Once you have shared all of the great things about your classes, offer a bonus for enrolling at the event. Bonus ideas are a free t-shirt, free shoes, baton, water bottle or a bonus class.
5. Create a welcome gift with information about your classes. People love having something in their hands as they get to know you so this can be something that you give to families as they arrive. My welcome bag includes:
Our 5 Core Values, Current Class Schedule, Meet Your Teacher for our 3 Teachers, a bun kit, stickers and a plastic/glitter baton (I got these in bulk a few years ago and I'm still trying to give the all away). ;)
6. Create a registration table and get parents set for the year. Registration forms (or a computer for online registration), sizing kits for shoes or batons, bags, studio t-shirts. Parents often like to get everything at once and be ready for classes so offer these add-ons and your families will leave happy and ready for the new year!
Have questions on registration events? Join our Facebook group for more great ideas.