There is something special about the holidays – the weather, the music, the food, time with family, the traditions & of course Resident Events. Because it is such a busy time, we really have to step up our game to get residents to come to our events. A successful resident event goes beyond the idea, it's all about execution. You spend a lot of time and energy on these events and WANT the residents to show up! Here's some things to remember ~~

1. Spend a lot of time on marketing the event, put flyers everywhere, send emails, put it in the resident portal. Try to view every resident event as a marketing opportunity — take photos and videos, create stories, and share, share, share!
2. Incorporate social media into your pre and post event plan
3. If your event needs an RSVP make it easy for residents
4. Invite prospects to these holiday resident events
5. Get pictures from the events
6. Ask for online reviews after the event.
7. Partner with local businesses to donate food or prizes for your events.
8. Give every attendee a survey, asking what events are their favorite, what days and time are good for them, if they would like to volunteer to help, etc.

Below are some suggestions for events.

1. Of course we have Food drives and Toys for Tots at this time of year. The holidays are a great time for people to give back to the community and a canned food drive is a great way for people to get involved while staying socially distant and safe. Depending on the size of your community, you could have a competition between floors or buildings for who can collect the most.
2. Make winter wreaths or garlands. Oriental Trading is a great place to get inexpensive items for making the wreaths. For residents, there's nothing better than free holiday home decor that will take under 30 minutes to make. It also creates an opportunity to do a community-wide giveaway when you post pictures of each wreath to social media. The wreath that gets the most likes wins the prize. Have Holiday cookies, coffee, tea ~~ keep it simple
3. Santa Meet & Greet with pictures. Again keep it simple.
4. Donuts & Decorating. Have residents help you decorate the club house.
5. Cookie Decorating or Cookie exchange
6. Gift Wrap Station. Have everything needed to make pretty packages.
7. Card Making. A twist on this is to have a night of making cards with thank you messages inside. Take them to your first responders, with some goodies.
8. Caroling Karaoke with Mrs Claus. Don't give Santa all the glory, Mrs Claus needs some love too!
9. Hot Cocoa and Muffins. A Hot Cocoa & Muffins Power Hour holiday resident event is extremely simple to pull off – get some hot cocoa or chocolate, get some muffins and let residents do the rest.This is a nice event that you can make a regular event during the holiday season.
10. Light up the Community ~~ door, patio balcony decorating. This is a great one for Social Media. Post pictures. The one with the most votes gets a sweet prize.
11. Have a Holiday Potluck. Ask each person to bring the receipt on an index card. Take pictures of the dish and post the receipt on Social Media. You could also put together a cook book for everyone who attended.
12. Because it is a crazy busy time of the year, how about a Meditation & Sound Healing Event? What better time to promote relaxation and health? Sound healing classes are gaining traction and offer a more immersive and interactive way to help promote guided relaxation in conjunction with healing. The concept involves sound bowls or tuning forks which are chimed at various preset frequencies, said to provide different healing effects on layers of the body and physical ailments. Sound healing is a great format to help entertain residents interested in more alternative and emerging forms of meditation and healing modalities.
13. Winter Fitness Classes. Give your residents a chance to recover from post-Thanksgiving and holiday party indulgences with a one-hour sweat-inducing, calorie-burning, social fitness class. Followed by breakfast, a quick grab-and-go of protein bars and a healthy drink.
14. 12 DAYS OF HORS D'OEUVRES. This party centers around appetizers, and lots of them. With a night centered around hors d'oeuvres you won't have to spend big bucks. Provide simple to make–but delicious to eat–appetizers combined with holiday music, and you've got yourself the makings of a festive party that everyone will enjoy.For entertainment and added cheer, consider making it a tree-trimming party as well! Set an undecorated tree in a prominent area of your party room, organize ornaments in multiple baskets and let your residents decorate with their neighbors and family.
15. Snowman Making Party. No snow, no problem. Use styrofoam balls of different sizes to make your snowman. Have all the extras ready, like buttons, hats, etc,
16. Spice Up Your Coffee Bar. Put out some pumpkin spice or cinnamon-flavored syrups, peppermint sicks, etcIf you're feeling extra generous in the holiday mood, grab some delicious sweet treats, like muffins or donuts, to go along with your new setup. Snap a picture & share it with your residents on social media or in an email blast, inviting them down for some Holiday-flavored fun.
17. Hold a Kid's Night in the clubhouse to allow parents to finish their Christmas shopping in the early evening and not have to worry about getting a baby-sitter. Have holiday crafts and games, kid friendly goodies.
18. Sip & Shop. Ask local vendors and crafters to create a pop up shop in your community. Include local bars by asking them to donate beverages. Serve wine, hard cider and beer for sipping, strolling and shopping.
19. Hot Chocolate Bar. Have toppings like cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and more. Let the cocoa brew in a slow cooker; it'll stay warm all day.
20. Pancakes and Pajamas Party. Ask your residents to put on their favorite holiday onesie and sink their teeth into soft, fluffy pancakes for one of the most laid-back parties you'll ever host. Encourage residents to wear their wackiest Christmas pajamas and see who can outdo each other. The winner gets a fresh stack of pancakes with their favorite toppings (okay, fine, everyone's a winner at this party!).

Remember that Social Media is interactive. Like the posts, encourage your residents to comment and like posts. Every LIKE puts your post back in the newsfeed and gives you more exposure! Remember, I am here to help you, create graphics, videos, whatever you need. Remember that Social Media is interactive. Like the posts, encourage your residents to comment and like posts. Every LIKE puts your post back in the newsfeed and gives you more exposure!