Ribbon Cuttings

Determine when you want to hold your ribbon cutting ceremony. SCWCC will hold your ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday because these days have shown to have the highest attendance. We also recommend late afternoon (3 p.m. or 4 p.m.) because more people are able to attend by ending their workday early. Having it later in the day allows other business owners to complete most of their workday prior to attending. Having your ribbon cutting later in the day prevents attendees from having to rush back to the office after the ribbon cutting and contributes to them having a more positive experience at your establishment. If it is a social event with refreshments, they will be more likely to stick around to learn about your services, as well as give you more time to build a relationship with them.

Decide who you want there and who you would like to speak at the event. Make the invitation to those important people who need to be at the event ASAP. Decide who will be featured. Who will make remarks to inspire the attendees or engage the community?
Generate an attendee list that you will use for sending out invitations. Invite neighboring businesses, vendors, family, and friends to attend. You have accomplished a lot leading up to this event. Getting the word out and providing ongoing positive experiences are important for generating repeat success.

Please provide three dates for your ribbon cutting on the attached request form. We recommend holding a ribbon cutting ceremony on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, as these days provide better attendance at your event. We recommend a happy hour social with refreshments and drinks for attendees, as this will garner the highest number of attendees.

Make your ribbon cutting interactive. Take this opportunity to tell everyone about your business and your services and to provide those in attendance with information they can share with others in the community. The more engaging your ceremony is the more likely people will want to come back and be willing to spread the word. You may want to include door prizes or promotional items.

Set up a program for the event schedule and share that with SCWCC in order that we know how best to support you. The event schedule should include a welcome, introductions, speeches, ribbon-cutting, recognition of contributors, and closing. Find a way to thank everyone who worked hard to allow this ribbon cutting to come to fruition!

SCWCC will be coming to your business. This is a photo and marketing opportunity, so think about it in advance: what do you want it to look like? Where is the best place to take the ribbon-cutting ceremony photo? Who would you like to be in the photos? Choose carefully. This is a big opportunity and a great way to market your business.

SCWCC will post your ribbon cutting on our website calendar, send out an announcement to all of our members, and post it on our social media. You should send out invitations to your mailing list a couple of weeks in advance with an explanation of what you are celebrating, where it will be held, and a specific time noted for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as any special guests or speakers that will be in attendance. Use an online site to e-vite your guests and include an RSVP request so that guests who plan to attend will notify you. This is especially important if you are serving refreshments, so you can plan accordingly. Post the event in your local paper a few days before the ceremony, and SCWCC will post it on its website.

This is your chance to WOW the attendees. At the beginning of your ribbon cutting ceremony, you will be asked to spend a few moments communicating to those in attendance about your business and services. Please take a moment to plan what you would like to say. This is your opportunity to tell SCWCC what you would like communicated about your business to the community. This is your chance to maximize the conversation about your business in the community so GO FOR IT!

Contact local media organizations (newspapers, radio, and television stations) that can publicize the event. If you are a not for profit, this may be a great opportunity to include your event in those public service announcements that you have going. Contact each group and fill out the necessary forms.

If you want people to learn about your business services or the people you serve as a not for profit, prepare the information in the form of a handout that will be easy for attendees to take with them.

Print posters or flyers and place them in prominent positions around town: in schools, grocery stores, post offices, and other places with foot traffic. Target the audience that will benefit from what you have to offer.

Design an invitation, which should include the name of the event, date and time, location, and any distinguished guests. Also include RSVP information. E-mail the invitations out and keep track of the RSVP replies.