Ribbon Cuttings
Congratulations on having a reason to host a ribbon cutting!
Whether you are just opening your doors or expanding to a new location, it’s a very exciting time for your business or organization.
Ribbon cutting ceremonies are the perfect way to celebrate a:
• Grand opening
• Expansion/ Renovating
• Anniversary (We celebrate in increments of 10 Years!)
Ribbon Cutting Guidelines
To make your experience as smooth as possible, we have a few guidelines we ask you to review and follow.
- Advanced Notice:
We recommend scheduling your ribbon cutting at least two weeks in advance, preferably longer, to ensure that the Chamber staff, City/Town Officials, and State Elected Officials can attend.
It’s much easier for us to pick a week or month and then work with City/Town officials on a date, rather than you give us a concrete date and time because there are a lot of schedules we need to coordinate.
- Time:
We schedule ribbon cuttings Tuesday – Thursday typically at 5 p.m. This ensures that Chamber Board members and Elected officials can attend.
The Chamber is not able accommodate late night or weekend events.
- Coordinating With Town:
The Chamber will invite local Town and State elected officials to attend your ceremony. - Supplies:
The Chamber will bring ceremonial scissors and a large red ribbon for you to cut.
- Marketing & Promotion:
The Chamber will take a photo at your ribbon cutting and share it on our social media pages and include it in the following Chamber member Newsletter.
Preparing For Your Ribbon Cutting
- Think about who you would like to attend your ribbon cutting. The Chamber will focus on local officials, board members and Chamber members; anyone else you’d like to invite is up to you.
- If you choose to make this a grand event, think about your pre-event marketing. Be sure to share the event on your social media (including creating a Facebook event), your website, and your email marketing lists.
- The best spot to cut the ribbon is in front of a sign, door or wall that has your company name or logo. This makes for a great photo opportunity.
- You may want to have a few words prepared to say to your guests before or after you cut the ribbon.
- Think about who you would like to be in the photo with you. The business owner or manager will be the person who actually holds the scissors and cuts the ribbon. Chamber representatives, Town/City officials and any State Legislators in attendance are typically included in the photo. Family close friends and invited guests are also a welcome addition and add a personal touch.
- Some businesses like to provide refreshments and a tour for their guests. This is not a requirement, but it’s a nice touch. Sometimes it is better to plan a Business After Hours about 6 months after the business opens.