How to Plan a Pop-Up Event for Your Salon: A Checklist

Hosting a pop-up event can provide a little something different for your salon and for your clients. Not only does an event like this allow you to get your name out there to those who may not yet be familiar with your brand, but it’s also a great excuse to experiment and try something new. Pop-ups are sprouting up all over the place; they’ve grown to a $50 billion-a-year industry. Is your salon ready to capitalize on the pop-up trend? Here are a few things you should know and what you’ll need for success:

Why a pop-up?

Pop-ups provide a fun and different experience for customers that’s difficult to recreate in the typical, physical salon location. A one-off event gives you a chance to try something new! A pop-up lets you try out new trends and techniques within the salon industry to help you decide if you should add new services to your actual salon menu.

Common types of pop-ups:

• Kiosks and booth spaces: These are some of the most popular pop-ups. You might find booths or kiosks at shopping centers, local outdoor markets, festivals or other events.
• Store-within-a-store: This type of pop-up provides a great cross-promotion opportunity and can help store owners with a little extra room offer something new for patrons.
• Trucks and mobile options: These are super versatile and allow you to set up your salon pop-up nearly anywhere.

What you'll need:

• A location: Consider where you’ll host the event. Will your pop-up take place at a new venue, within a partner’s store or at a booth at an industry event?
• Licensing, permits and insurance: Certain venues might require a permit or specialized insurance. Check beforehand with local governing bodies to make sure your pop-up doesn’t get shut down.
• Rentals: Depending on the space, you may need to rent a canopy, lighting, tables, platforms or other equipment to showcase your merchandise. Get these rental items in order at least a week, if not further, in advance of your salon’s event to make sure everything you’ll need is available. Pop-up events are all about creating a fun, albeit fleeting, experience. Music, decor and refreshments can add to the atmosphere!
• Staff: Make sure you have a few extra hands present to help man the booth, discuss offerings with customers and ring up purchases.
• A way to follow up: The point of your pop-up is to drive additional business. Make sure you have a way of contacting those who stop by. Think about offering a discount to those who sign up for your email list. Be sure to send a thank you email after your event.

Consider themed pop-ups!

• Make your pop-up feel like a special occasion by aligning it with holidays.
• Weddings, proms and other holiday events can offer the opportunity to collaborate and cross-promote with other local businesses. Local florists, makeup artists, food vendors and the like can provide additional services to enhance your pop-up salon.

How to market the event:

• Create a buzz in advance: Publicize the event at your regular salon locations, on your own website and other local event pages, and consider strategic, local payper-click advertising.
• Promote the day-of: Because many will make an impromptu decision to visit the pop-up, it’s important to nail day-of marketing with print flyers in nearby, high-traffic areas.
• Leverage social media: Choose a hashtag and publicize the event on Facebook, Instagram and other key social media outlets to raise awareness and drive more traffic. Creating an atmosphere that’s conducive to photo ops can help extend your reach on social media the day-of. Consider offering branded freebies to people who share on social media that they’ve visited your event.