Outdoor Movie Night
I know we’re moving in to that crazy super busy leasing season (or at least we all hope that we are), and I remember from working on site exactly how draining some of these upcoming days can truly be! The last thing we want to do is to add anything more to our already overflowing schedules, but I want to encourage you to work in some resident retention time.
Remember, it’s STILL cheaper to retain them than to turn even one apartment, and working the retention angle is one of the more fun things that we get to do in the world of property management. It’s all about making real and personal connections, and that starts with getting your residents out of their apartments and socializing with each other. Here is my top idea for the month of May.
Outdoor Movie Nights!
This is a really fun idea that doesn’t have to cost you a ton of cash. I have seen properties do everything from projecting the movie on the side of a building, to showing it on a bed sheet, to (my personal favorite) showing the film in the swimming area, letting their residents swim and view the film at the same time. If you think about going with the last idea there, have a little fun with it by showing a water-based movie like The Little Mermaid or something a little more sinister like JAWS.
And you can almost be assured that with proper marketing to your residents, they will show up for this one. Do you know how much an average night out at the movies costs? Box office sales in America are up 10% this year overall, but the cost per person at some of these theaters is going to jump roughly 8.3% when 3D movies become more common, making this an event idea that not only can be a lot of fun, but can also be a huge money saver for your residents, which is something almost everyone cares about these days. Allow them to bring a friend and you’ve just make the smart leap from in-house resident retention to property management marketing!
Popcorn is cheap and one of the easiest things to make, so I’m going to suggest to you that you pass on making the microwave kind and go for air popped. This plays well to almost everyone, since air popped popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks out there (only 60 calories for 3 cups popped!) and if it’s plain you can always incorporate a “popcorn buffet” idea into your gathering, where you set out different toppings and let people design their own dish of popcorn. Here are some of the suggestions that I use when I do this kind of a gathering with my friends:
Cheese powder
Ranch powder
Butter or Butter spray
Parmesan Cheese
Caramel Syrup
Chocolate Syrup (the stuff for sundaes)
Cinnamon Sugar
Italian Spice Mix
Or anything else you can think of that might be tasty on top of popcorn! Remember, you’re only limited with this idea by your own imagination and willingness to execute the idea.
When can we connect, CALL FOR DETAILS!
