One day this little old man pushed his walker over to my desk, turned around to sit down and made himself comfortable. He said “life goes by in a blink of an eye, look at me stuck in this walker—the love of my life for 70 years is gone…just like that…I have nothing now.” Right then, I knew it was my duty to make a difference and bring purpose back to his life. The event planner’s social calendar sometimes can make a big difference and it can be the one factor that sways the decision when it comes to selecting an apartment, especially when it comes to selling to “active” seniors! Here are some out of the box ideas that you can dress up or dress down depending on the wants and needs of your community.

1. YARD SALE

Host a fall yard sale! Assign residents parking places and let them use their cars as the selling “spot” or set up their very own tables. This is a great event that you can tie in with an open house in your leasing office while marketing it to the outside community!

2. JACK-O-LANTERN CONTEST

Have your residents bring their carved pumpkins to showcase outside of your leasing office. Have your staff judge based on most creative, scariest and funniest!

3. HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL BASH!

Costume contest, food trucks, fortune teller, caricaturist and make your own games. You can have carnival like food -popcorn, corn dogs, and cotton candy! You can add a Fall flair with beverage classics such as spiked apple cider!

4. PATIO DECORATING CONTEST

This can be applied to any season! You can have a Autumn, haunted, or winter wonderland theme! Residents love
to show off their patios and why not reward them for their hard work. Always remember to keep your residents informed as to exactly when the judging will occur, so they know when to have their lights on!

5. MASQUERADE BALL

Have a night where your residents can dress to impress! Provide the masks (Oriental Trading website is one good source) DJ, and light fare. Have a staff member at the entrance with a red carpet to capture the moment that will last forever! It is a night your residents will not forget! You can turn this into a Winter Wonderland holiday party if closer to December!

6. C-O-F-F-E-E TASTING!

Come play scrabble and taste all different types of coffee from around the world. It is stimulating to the mind, entertaining, and a great social event! Seniors love coffee- so a win, win!

7. WHO’S ON TAP? PUB TRIVIA

Host a happy hour and tie trivia into the time of the year and have it pertain to football, current events, holidays, etc. Reach out to your vendors and local businesses for donations to give away as prizes or you can take money off of their rent!

8. “GOT TALENT?” NIGHT

Host a resident talent evening where you will uncover all the raw talent you have your community! A little friendly competition and a panel of judges makes for an evening for the books. Purchase trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place that look like Oscars!

9. GOT THE BLUES?

Host an evening of jazz & poetry! Have your residents recite their own poetry or their favorite poems and hire a jazz player to play during intermission for a time to be merry and socialize!

10. BURGERS & BREWS

Have residents submit their favorite burger recipe and chose one to make and distribute out of your leasing office! Dinner on the go with a fresh brew!

BONUS!!! NOT YOUR AVERAGE WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY!

Host a holiday food drive, pack donations while you serve wine to your residents. Have a winery come in to do a tasting and residents can then purchase the bottles – all while giving back to the community!

Just remember to keep things exciting and never let your calendar get repetitive. Let your passion
shine through your events, and your excitement and enthusiasm will surely spill over to your residents. They will certainly appreciate your efforts and your property will feel that much more like home!