Think open houses are an old, dusty idea – like some boxy, antique IBM computer sitting there waiting for a floppy disc to give you the info? Yeah, I used to think that too…Until a few years ago when we took this old-school concept and gave it a facelift. 

The best part? It actually worked!

I hosted my first-ever open house for my gym in 2020, nine years after we opened. At the time, we had an easy online registration process, a great website, and several front desk staff at the gym all day long. Why would I add a whole event to my already chaotic schedule? 

Truly, because I wanted to test it out for all of you. Luckily, my staff knows we’ll take risks to find what works and what doesn’t…so we pushed forth.

And honestly? It blew my mind.

That first open house brought in 26 new enrollments. In one day. Since then, we’ve made it a annual event (sometimes even twice a year), and we consistently pull in anywhere from 19 to 26 new athletes—plus we get buzz that no Facebook ad could replicate.

Here’s the deal: some people still want real connection. They want to meet you, walk around your gym, and see the vibe before handing over their kid (and their credit card). I’d probably be the same.

If you’re gonna do an open house, here’s how to actually make it worth your time—and not just another thing on your to-do list.

1. Make It a Big Deal (Because It Is)

It’s not “just” an open house. It’s a whole thing. Treat it like one.

  • Create a Facebook event and share it in local parent groups.

  • Email your leads list and message people on Facebook and Insta who once inquired and then went silent. (Yes, even the ones who ghosted you six months ago.)

Pro tip: Host it during a class night if you can. Let visitors see a packed gym and get a feel for the energy. It’s the best kind of marketing: real people, doing real stuff. I know it feels like it will be chaotic, but a little bit of encouragement from your own gym parents can go a long way to help your sales.

2. Make It Look Like Something’s Happening

You don’t need to drop $500 on Oriental Trading. A little effort goes a long way.

  • Balloons in your gym colors (if you’re fancy, use a helium tank).

  • A big banner with changeable dates = reusable + cute.

  • Dollar store finds that scream “back to school” (without screaming “we ran out of budget”).

Set the tone the second they walk in: “Hey, something fun is happening here.”

3. Staff Like You Mean It

People don’t remember balloons. They remember your people. So make sure they’re awesome.

Assign an Open House Event Host — someone who can organize, run the show, and follow up like a boss.

Here’s our basic flow:

  • Welcome Table: Smile, grab their info, figure out what program they’re interested in if you have multiples, and just be friendly. Then hand them off.

  • Gym Tour: Even if your gym is tiny, a guided walk makes it feel bigger and more exciting.

  • Quick Assessment: Give the kiddo a quick skills check to place them in the right class. They’re almost always going to be beginners, but this will also affirm to the parent that the child will like the classes.

  • Front Desk: Sign. Them. Up. Right. There. Don’t let them leave with “we’ll think about it.”

4. Keep It Moving (Especially If You’re Short-Staffed)

If you’re not running a full team of extroverts that day, stagger your flow.

  • Offer separate hours for younger vs older athletes.

  • Use something like Sign Up Genuis to schedule open house time slots.

Just don’t get too clever with it—families will bail if it feels like booking a dentist appointment or making a huge commitment for a free event.

5. Follow Up Like a Grown-Up

Your job isn’t done when the balloons deflate.

  • Do a quick after-action with your team—what worked, what didn’t, what you’ll do differently next time. Write it all down, because by this time next year, you’ll forget.

  • Follow up with anyone who didn’t register. A quick call or text message can go a long way.

  • Set a reminder to check back in 2–3 months if they’re not ready yet. Timing is everything.

6. Do It Again (and Again)

Once you’ve got a system, rinse and repeat:

  • Fall – Back-to-school vibes.

  • January – When families are recovering from the holidays and realizing they need structure. This one is slower for us, but I’ll host a mini open house all day to get 8-10 new kids!

  • Summer – We do this one as a way to plug our summer daytime classes, camps and clinics.

Bottom Line

Open houses aren’t dead. They just need to be intentional.

When you treat them like a real event, give them a little sparkle, and make it easy for families to say “yes,” you’ll not only get signups—you’ll build actual relationships. And that’s what keeps people coming back.

If you’re hesitant because you tried it before, and it didn’t work, I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t have unicorns for parents. This has worked for hundreds of gyms we’ve worked with, and it can work for you too. Perhaps you picked the wrong date, wrong time, too close to back-to-school or just didn’t market it enough. Do it again, and this time, do it better.

So go ahead: pick a date, hype it up, and run it like you mean it.

If you’d like to listen to the podcast where I did a full episode on Open Houses, click the links below!

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-houses-arent-dead/id1763244914?i=1000721908794

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cP2ypVV25OBUQY79H5DrJ?si=eb586835cba74791

I live in 1999, and I need to listen via the World Wide Web: nextgenowners.com/podcast

Don’t just skim the highlights—watch the episode start to finish on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kVMs7S3-yVE