Each Memorial Day, Heritage Funeral Home in Spokane, Washington hosts a community event on their premises. Yes, a community event is held at a funeral home. They choose a theme and host a celebration with live entertainment. In the retail world that’s called Shoppertainment — that wonderful intersection where business and entertainment meet. It’s a perfect vehicle to introduce your business to the community and it could be exactly what you need to generate new clientele.

The first step in creating a community event is to find other business people to partner with. Connecting with like-minded business owners in your area is a great place to start. Check out websites like MeetUp.com that connect you to people who are willing to get involved. Using the search term “community and environment,” you will generate hundreds of opportunities to choose from. Once formed, you can list your group on there as well.

Next, get together and talk at a local restaurant or salon. It’s kind of like a first date, so make your first meeting a meet and greet. Casually get to know one another before you begin to plan the first event. What do your fellow business people want to accomplish? Serve refreshments, play a game or hold a drawing for a door prize — just have fun learning about one another.

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