Host a Business After Hours

What it is

A member opens their doors after the working day — usually around 5:30 to 7:30 — and the association brings the room. There is no agenda, no head table and no presentation. People arrive, look around, and talk.

For a guest it is an easy evening. For the host it is something harder to buy: a room of local owners standing in your premises, seeing how the work is actually done and meeting the people who do it. A contractor who has walked your shop floor remembers you differently than one who has seen your website.

What the host provides

• The space, and enough of it for people to move around in
• Light refreshments — this does not need to be catered
• Someone from the business to greet people at the door
• A few minutes at the start to say who you are and what you do
• Anything you would like to demonstrate, if that suits the business

What the association provides

• The invitation list, and the invitations
• Name tags and a sign-in table
• Listing on the events calendar and in the newsletter
• Promotion before the event and a write-up after it
• Someone to run the room so the host can talk to people rather than manage the evening

Practical questions

Does it cost anything? No. Hosting is open to members at no charge. The host covers refreshments; the association covers everything else.

How many people? That depends on your space, and you set the cap. Tell us what the room holds and the invitation goes out accordingly.

What if my business is not a showroom? Most are not. A workshop, an office, a kitchen or a warehouse is often more interesting than a showroom, because most people have never seen one.