Promoting Your Open House and Demo Meeting

One of the best ways to boost membership is by sharing the benefits of the Toastmasters program with others. Whether you are looking to grow your club through an open house or build a new club through a demo meeting, it’s important that you market the event well to attract guests. Here are eight ways to promote your event in your community.

1. Promote a community kickoff meeting via word of mouth, personal invitation, and social media. Post fliers in busy places, such as libraries, stores, university areas, gyms, cafes, and community bulletin boards. Use branded templates for fliers from the Toastmasters website.
2. Post your event on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media channels. Create a short promo video on YouTube and link to it in your posts. Use Meetup or other networking or event sites to promote the open house or demo meeting. Leverage your personal connections to spread the word. Use Eventbrite or other registration-tracking services to keep count of RSVPs.
3. Invite past club members and visitors. Connect with people who have large networks or strong influence. Encourage them to share the details of the event with others to reach more people.
4. Use low/no-cost media outlets to market the event. Reach out to smaller community publications, trade magazines, or local access television channels. Offer to do live interviews with a media outlet or podcaster.
5. Enlist the human resources department or managers at your organization. If you are marketing a corporate club, promote a kickoff meeting through the company’s internal channels, such as a company-wide email, closed-circuit video, or by posting or distributing fliers.
6. Use personal, heartfelt invitations. Invite your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Mention the event at a party, church, school, gymnasium, community gathering, and while running errands.
7. Repeat and layer as needed. One post, email, or flier is not enough. Use multiple strategies to promote the open house or demo meeting. Make sure to space out when and how you will market the event so it doesn’t become irritating or pushy.
8. Use the club marketing resources from Toastmasters.
   • Demonstration Meeting Sample Agenda
   • Membership Application
   • Open House Fliers
   • Open House PowerPoint
   • Membership Building Kit

Adapted from an article in the July 2017 issue of the Toastmaster magazine.

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