Bunco Night/Spring Products Open House?

[Jennie50]

I would like to have an Open House the first week in March to introduce the new spring line. My director (who lives 1 mile away from me and has many of the same friends/connections in our small town that I do) plans to a Mystery Host show the last week in February. I'm concerned that no one will come to mine a week later because
1) They may have just been to hers.
2) I have just completed my 90 days and my friends have hosted and ordered from A TON of shows in the last couple of months, so I know I've about tapped them out (some have said they just don't know how much more PC they can buy).
3) The last week in Feb, one of my friends (inviting most of the PC groupies that I mentioned are already pretty tapped out) and two of my neighbors are hosting shows, thus taking a lot of my normal guest list.
4) I don't want to do a Mystery Host, because I would REALLY like to get the March cookware special for myself.

Have been racking my brain, trying to figure out a way to get enough folks to an Open House to place orders, when they have been inundated with PC recently. I'm toying with the idea of integrating Bunco. Normally, when we play, everyone pitches $5 in at the beginning, and the pot is divvied up between the overall winner, the loser, and sometimes other prizes are awarded (50/50, etc). I thought about having a few of the new products as prizes instead (or in addition to?? should I still have them pitch in $5 and do cash prizes too?).

Anyone attempted a Bunco event? How'd it work for you? I don't want to do a show, 'cuz I don't want to take away from Bunco time, but I DO want people to order. Concerned that they'll come, eat the free food and drinks (will probably use the margarita and mojito mixes), try to win the prizes, and if they don't, leave without ordering. What's been your experience? What prizes would you give?

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Jennie50]

Bumping to see if anyone has any suggestions or experiences to share! ☺

 

[Rhonda-Roo]

My first Pampered Chef show was a Bunco show. The consultant was horrible! She didn't explain anything about Pampered Chef or the products. She had products out on a table & her girlfriend made a dessert in the kitchen where we couldn't see her & nothing was explained. (Which is mostly why, after my very first show, I decided to become a consultant) LOL We played Bunco & the prizes were different amounts. The way it worked was... we all paid $10 for Bunco. We had to have at least 8 people to play. Immediately, she had $80 in sales because the consultant is paid in the beginning for the Bunco & the prizes were "PC credits" in different amounts for 1st, 2nd, 3rd & boobie prize. We received our "credit" when we ordered after Bunco was over. ALL money goes back to the winners to be used for products. I've tried to book shows with Bunco & people are hesitant. It hasn't worked for me. Maybe it just takes certain people that like Bunco already. I don't know. The Bunco is what interested me in going to the show in the first place because I used to always say that Pampered Chef was too high & I couldn't afford it. Since I won 2nd place I ordered the Mix N Chop & I was hooked.If this doesn't make sense to you let me know & I will try to explain better.

 

[Jennie50]

My group, and a lot of the ladies in my area, in general, love Bunco, which is why I thought it'd hook them with it. I didn't totally understand the way that your consultant worked it, but did it annoy you to pay for the prizes for someone else to win? Initially, I thought that was pretty weird, but that IS how Bunco normally works...someone wins the pot. I actually never thought of doing it the way you described, but I kinda am now, as it sounds less expensive for me, even if I only took $5 at the beginning.

I was thinking of just GIVING away some of our new products (purchased on a sample order, 'cuz I got up to the $3000 level free) to the winners...

Winner - BBQ Pizza Pan
Loser - Brownie Pan
50/50 - Itty Bitty Bev mix
Buncos - one of the sauces?
Mini Buncos - one of the spices?

Then, I was thinking of having the Round Covered Baker as a drawing to give everyone another opportunity to win. Place a $60 order and get a chance, book a party and get another chance, etc...

I dunno, what do you think?? Doing it the way I had brainstormed, where there was no charge, the show would cost me $55 for the giveaways, plus the cost of food/drinks. I just wanted people to come and be introduced to the new spring line (though, honestly, I hadn't planned to talk a lot about them either, other than to do a quick introduction of the prizes, and have a table set up with all the new products on display), and hope that the orders and bookings would be worth what I paid out. Now, I'm thinking I would pay $5 (the going rate at most of the games in our area) to play, eat, and possibly win a cool new product...would you??

 

[babywings76]

My only fear for you is that people will just come for the fun and freebies and not buy, especially if they have been exposed to so many parties lately as you mentioned in your first post. But maybe they will, it depends on the crowd I guess. Are you inviting those same friends you mentioned might be tapped out? Perhaps you could encourage them to bring a friend and have a prize drawing for that? Not sure how that works with your numbers needed for the game though.

 

[Jennie50]

My only fear for you is that people will just come for the fun and freebies and not buy, especially if they have been exposed to so many parties lately as you mentioned in your first post. But maybe they will, it depends on the crowd I guess. Are you inviting those same friends you mentioned might be tapped out? Perhaps you could encourage them to bring a friend and have a prize drawing for that? Not sure how that works with your numbers needed for the game though.

Yes, there have been A LOT of parties in my group (my friends helping me have a good 90 day start). I would probably invite people from my mailing list too, as well as others who I know like to play Bunco, but I did hesitate to put a lot of money into it, for fear that I wouldn't make it back up in business.

I'm really thinking about this idea of collecting $5 for "the pot," which would be the prizes I mentioned above. How would people react to that, do you think? I'm tempted to call a few of my friends this morning and just ask them.