You can feel it in the air, summer is right around the corner! This means many things to your residents such as making sure their AC is blowing cold, spending more time outdoors on balconies and patios, and of course POOL TIME!
Throwing a pool party to officially kick off the summer can be a great way to both show your current residents how much you appreciate them and show potential residents what a fun community your property is.
An apartment community pool party is an easy event to pull off, however there are some very important things you want to make sure you have covered. Below we have listed out the 5 steps you need to take to throw a successful pool party for your residents!
1. Food
It isn’t a party without some snacks! There are two ways you can go about providing munchies for your party goers. The first way is to do it yourself by setting up a table with snacks purchased at your local grocery store. This way is by far the most complicated because you have to do the shopping and clean up yourself. The easier way is to get a local restaurant to cater the event. Because the event will expose the restaurant to potential customers, you may be able to get the catering for free or at a deep discount. Make sure you shop around restaurants in your area that might be interested in partnering with you to serve your residents.
2. Games
Games are a great way to break the ice for residents that may not know each other. If your community is family-friendly, you will want to have a time slot where the games will be geared towards kids. You can let residents know on the flyer when will be the best time to bring kiddos and when it will be more adult friendly.
Great kid’s games include “Marco Polo”, water balloon toss (line children across from one another and have them toss a water balloon to their partner, each toss taking a step back, until all the balloons break. The last team standing are the winners), and the “Frozen T-Shirt” contest (wet a t-shirt and twist into knots, then put it in the freezer the night before the party. Give each team a shirt and the first one to get it untied is the winner).
Adult games include a water-volleyball tournament, a golf-ball putting contest, the biggest cannon-ball splash contest, or a Hula-Hoop contest. However, the kid’s games can go over very well with the adults later on too!
Make sure you have prizes for all the winners!
3. Music
Music is essential for getting the atmosphere at the pool into party-mode. You can either set up an I-Pod and rent speakers yourself or hire a DJ. Either way, as long as there are tunes, the party will go on.
4. Staff
You will need your staff members to attend the event to make sure it goes smoothly. Jobs that need to be taken care of are clean up (both during and after the event), game-master (the person or people running the games), contact person for the caterers and DJ, and possibly someone walking around to visit with attendees to ask them about any suggestions for how you can make their community better. This event is a great opportunity to connect with your residents!
5. Marketing
Marketing is a big step for throwing a successful apartment pool party. You have to let the residents know in advance the event is happening so they can invite their friends (aka “potential residents”). A simple flyer that you put on their doors will accomplish getting the word out.
You will want to include information on the flyer that will entice residents to attend the party such as what type of food will be there, the name of the DJ if you got one, prizes that could be won from the games, and when it’s best to bring the kids. A fantastic incentive would be to have a raffle for one month’s free rent at the pool party that only party attendees can win. Also make sure to post the flyers all around the property in public places and possibly hand out to “potential residents” that come into the leasing office. You will want to market the event for at least 2 weeks before the party date.
There you have it! The 5 steps to throwing a successful apartment pool party. Make this the best summer yet for you and your residents!