Start planning at least two months in advance. All good events take time to plan, and if you’re patient and take that time, you’re always going to be happy with the results. Pool parties are great and all, but they’re super easy and don’t take much time to throw together. Most things require preparation, budget planning, shopping, and creating! Put your creative side to work and put the effort in to create something more detailed to draw your residents’ interest. A good event takes two to three months to plan out properly and make sure that every single detail is just right.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise. You can’t expect people to show up if they don’t know something is happening, and mentioning it in a newsletter isn’t enough. Put a spread in your newsletter, mark it on your calendar, send out flyers AND invitations. You should start this process a month in advance, starting with a mention in the newsletter. Send out door flyers two weeks in advance to keep it fresh in their minds. Then send out invitations one week in advance. Make them super fun and eye catching! A few days before, start sending out text messages or emails reminding them that there’s going to be a super fun event going on and being there is so worth it! Remember to target the property as a whole, not just the small percentage that usually show up to events. Tunnel vision can create a divide, and make some residents not feel welcome at events geared towards a specific set of residents.

Make sure your event is fully staffed. It’s always necessary to make sure that you have enough staff to cover an event. It should be expected that all office staff should attend and participate, because one bad apple can sour the mood for everyone. Maintenance should be encouraged to volunteer, but not required unless absolutely necessary. Without staff, a successful event can quickly unravel into a mess of disorganization and chaos.