Need Help! Community Center Open Evening!

[Muppetgal]

On December 6th one of our local community centres is holding an open evening and I've managed to get myself a booth.

I don't have my kit yet, should arrive on Wed or Thursday as I've only JUST signed up.

My aim is to highlight the "fundraising" shows, as most of the people who will be there will be groups from the center already. I've been told that there are quite a few youth groups, so expect a lot of teenagers with their parents too.

What kind of demos can I do using MY STARTER KIT, that don't involve an oven? I may be able to borrow some kit from my upline too.

The manager of the center has also expressed an interest in running "kitchen shows" at the center from time to time to raise funds for them, and wants to get together after the New year to have a brainstorming session to see what we can come up with (one idea was a baking/cookie decorating day for one of his youth groups).

How can I make sure to turn this into sales? Was going to have a draw for something free, had thought of a batter bowl but my upline reckons that's too expensive a gift to be giving away right at the start.

Have read here about free kitchen shows....what does that mean? That I would supply the ingredients for the show?

HELP ME WITH IDEAS!

 

[PCAbby]

how about the brownie or cookie pizzas? You bake them ahead of time, and decorate as your demo?

 

[pchefinski]

~ A Free Kitchen show means that you bring the ingredients for the recipe. [Or I've heard of consultants giving choice of either the recipe ingredients or sending the 40 invites (that's over $9 in stamps alone!) for the host.] Personally, I wondered if my advertising a drawing for a "FREE Kitchen Show" was turning people away, as they might think "Oh, you mean it costs me something to host?" Instead, I've tried advertising a drawing for "$15 Pampered Chef Dollars!", and people have been jumping on the chance to get that. When I can draw someone into hosting by focusing on the benefits and rewards of it, buying ingredients for a recipe (probably about $15 or so) doesn't seem like anything to them.. because they're only focused on what they're going to get out of it..
~ I've been told that when you go into something like this, you should really pick something to focus on--sales, bookings, etc. You already mentioned that you wanted to get some fundraisers booked, so it seems like maybe you should focus on bookings. You might not get as much in sales, but the bookings will bring sales, for sure. Remember, January's host special is awesome, and if people are too busy in December to host a show, you could pack January with bookings and your sales will be awesome! (Of course, try to get December booked up as well!)
~ To try to nail down your first few shows in December, maybe put up a sign that says the first 10 bookings get a gift, and go into a drawing for a free show.. And you can pick how many people win that free show--everyone's show can be free, it's up to you. And your "gift" for booking can be something as simple as a Season's Best cookbook or you can even make up a Batter Bowl Gift to give to them at their show.
~ If you have your classic batter bowl, and access to a couple others, you could make up the 4 different batter bowl mixes and have them displayed so people can order them as gifts for the holidays. Take their payment at the order (the going rate I've seen on this board is $15 each). Maybe take orders for them for another couple days, and then submit the batter bowl orders as a show. This will get you both sales and a show, and helps people see that Pampered Chef can be used for gift-giving as well!
~ I don't think that the classic batter bowl is too expensive of a drawing prize. I mean, if you're thinking about doing a free kitchen show, the ingredients will probably run you about $10-15, so the classic batter bowl isn't any more expensive than that! plus if you gave that away, you'd actually save 20%, so you'd only pay $10.40 for it--and it'd be considered a biz expense, so it's a write-off at tax time.
~ Also, something else I'm doing, which seems to be helping in boosting my sales. "For every $25 spent, enter to win a $50 gift certificate!" It pushes people to spend another $10 (for example) just so they can get another entry for a possible $50. And I'm doing a drawing of one winner per 50 entries. At 50 x $25, that's $1250, and I'll get 24% commission off it, so I'll get $300 from those sales.. I can sacrifice $50 (which it won't really be $50, it'll be $40 with my 20% discount) to drum up some sales and bookings. It probably won't go for a long time, and I know I've heard a lot of people say that you shouldn't have to give anything, because Pampered Chef gives a lot as it is, but I'm new both in the biz and in my area, and this seems to be working for me right now. (I'm promoting it as one of my Grand Opening Specials) My last two catalog shows were over $500 each--and that's just my catalog shows!! (one of which was out of town and I only was able to coach her over the phone once!)
~ Can you borrow a Easy Accent Decorator from an upline or a friend who has one? If so, you can make the 2 ingredient (choc chips and frosting) fudge, and put little florets of fudge into those mini cupcake liners. If you can borrow a chillzane server or two, you can freeze the insert, and then after you put the fudge in the liners, you can put them inside the chillzane to cool them (and showcase another item!) Or you can bring them something that's already made ahead of time, and just do the potato demonstration to showcase a bunch of items.

Anyway, now I'm just rambling.. hope you do well. Let me know if you have any other questions or need help with something else.

 

[tpchefrebecca]

Truthfully when you give away a batterbowl, you can use the free product value to purchase it. That way you are out of nothing. If you enter the show as a regular kitchen show and put yourself as hostess you can do this. If you are entering it as a fundraiser, you can make a personal order and get 20%off the batter bowl.

Sometimes when I offer to buy ingredients it is more than the extra $15 free value. I prefer to give an extra $5.00 off.

 

[Wildfire]

Hello! Congratulations on securing a booth at the local community center's open evening. It's great that you are already thinking about ways to showcase the fundraising shows and engage with the various youth groups and their parents.

With your starter kit, you can do a variety of demos that don't require an oven. You can demonstrate how to make delicious dips using our mix packets and simple ingredients, show how to make quick and easy meals using our cookware, or even showcase our versatile kitchen tools that make food prep a breeze. And if you can borrow some additional kit from your upline, that opens up even more possibilities!

As for turning this into sales, one idea is to offer a special discount or promotion for those who book a fundraising show that night. You can also set up a raffle or giveaway for a smaller, but still enticing, item such as a mini spatula or a jar opener. This will not only attract attention to your booth, but also give you the opportunity to collect contact information for potential future customers.

A free kitchen show means that you would supply the ingredients and any necessary equipment for a cooking demonstration in someone's home. This is a great way to introduce our products to a group of friends or family, and potentially gain new customers.

For the brainstorming session with the center manager, think about what types of events or activities would appeal to their specific community. Perhaps a themed cooking class or a cooking competition could be potential ideas. And don't forget to promote the idea of hosting a kitchen show as a way for the center to raise funds.

I hope these ideas help and good luck with your booth at the open evening! Remember to be enthusiastic and passionate about our products, and that will surely attract potential customers. Let me know if you have any other questions or need more ideas. Happy selling!