How to throw a launch party for a new business

So your business is all set up, what next? A launch party can be a great way to introduce your brand to the public and earn your first customers when starting a new business. It’s an opportunity for you to meet potential customers, face-to-face and help grow your audience. But if you haven’t thrown a launch party for a new business before, you might not know where to start.

That’s why we’ve created this ‘how to’ guide, to give you a baseline of how to throw a launch party for a new business. The main points to be aware of are:

• Why your business needs a launch party
• How to throw a launch party for your new business
• How to plan the details of your event

Launch parties are a fun way to build interest in your business. Depending on the industry you’re in, who you invite, and your budget, it can attract attention or help build connections. 

If you’re entering a competitive market and want to give your business a boost, then consider throwing a launch party.

Launch parties do take some work to organise, but it helps if you already know where to start. Keep reading our guide to learn more on how to throw a launch party.

One of the most important things to keep in mind, plan your event well in advance. If you try to throw together a party in just a few weeks, it might not work out the best. You’ll probably want to give yourself at least a few months to find the right venue, organise the event and the guest list. Your guests will also want enough notice to make sure they can come.

Business launch parties should be organised and designed to achieve a specific purpose. If they don’t do that, then it’s just a party. So think about what you want to get out of this event and establish a few measurable and realistic goals. For example, you may want to sell a certain number of products or get a certain number of sign ups to your newsletter.

Businesses open and close every day in the UK, so make yours stand out. Even still, your theme should relate to your business otherwise, attendees will be confused and your party will lose its impact. 

An indie game studio, for instance, may choose to follow the same theme as one of their games. This would create a nice connection between the business and the launch party. 

Choosing the right venue is one of the most important elements of throwing your launch party because the venue helps to convey the image you’re trying to portray. For example, if your business is ‘outdoorsy’, you might want to host your event in the woods.

But finding the right venue can be difficult because it might be hard to match your business to a venue. If you can’t find the right match, go with your gut and choose the venue that you feel works for your event.

This follows quite closely with having a goal in mind. The goal you choose will reflect who you invite to your launch party. 

If your goal is building public interest, you may want to invite influencers in your industry. Just like having a relevant theme, your influencers need to be relevant to your business too. 

Picking influencers with higher follower counts is less important than you might think. Did you know that nano and micro-influencers have the best user engagement? Take a close look and all different kinds of influencers to find the best fit for your business.

If your goal is to look for investment opportunities, then you’ll want to research potential investors. While it’s not always best to pitch at a launch party, settings like this can help you build relationships with the right people. And once you’ve developed a relationship, it can be easier to receive investment in your business. 

As a start-up, you might not have a lot of funds to work with. But if you can find the money for it in your budget, it’s good to invest in some promotional items to hand out at the party. Make sure you pick items that work in synergy with your brand. For example, if you’re a make-up business, you’ll probably want to hand out something beauty-related.

With all the groundwork done, all that’s left is to set a date and throw your party! Exciting times. As you meet and greet people at your launch party, keep your goal in mind. Don’t forget to hand out business cards or promotional items so people have something to take away.

After the party, it’s best to follow up with guests to thank them for coming along. This is also a great time for you to remind them of what your business does and how you can help them.

A successful launch party can bring in a stream of clients, so you’ll need somewhere to manage the money for your new business. But financial management can be stressful and difficult to manage when you’re busy running your business (and planning launch parties!) That’s why thousands of business owners like you use Countingup to manage their finances.

Countingup is the business account with built-in accounting, tax and financial management features to help you manage your business finances in one place. Packed full of small wins like automatic expense categorisation, invoicing on the go, tax estimate and a tax pot to save it in – you can keep on top of your business finances wherever you are.  

Download the Countingup app and try for 3 months with no subscription fees.