Grand Opening Ideas: Attract Customers With Live Caricatures
Planning a grand opening? Whether you're launching a luxury hotel, opening a neighborhood coffee shop, or celebrating a grand reopening, you want people to show up, have a great time, and remember your business long after the festivities are over.
There are plenty of grand opening ideas to choose from, but what if you could entertain your guests, attract potential customers, create opportunities for sales, and send everyone home with a personalized souvenir featuring your company logo?
That's what I do!
I'm Kathy Buskett, a professional caricature artist with more than 27 years of experience entertaining at corporate events, grand openings, trade shows, and private celebrations. During my ten years in Las Vegas, I worked with major companies including Samsung, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Verizon, and Cirque du Soleil. But whether I'm entertaining at a high-profile corporate event or a neighborhood grand opening, I love the excitement! I'm a bit of a chameleon when it comes to the energy around me, so put me in the middle of an enthusiastic crowd and I'm right there with them.
And there's a lot more to live caricatures than just drawing funny pictures.
Grand Opening Entertainment Ideas
That Actually Help Your Business
When you're planning a grand opening, your entertainment should do more than fill time. It should help create the kind of experience that makes people want to visit your business again.
Here's why live caricatures work so well.
Attract Customers and Draw a Crowd
There's something about watching a caricature artist at work that makes people stop and look. Guests gather around my easel to see what I'm drawing, and before long, there's usually a little crowd watching the fun.
For public grand openings, I can also help spread the word beforehand. I often do livestreams telling my followers where I'll be and inviting them to come get a free caricature. I've actually had people show up specifically because they saw my announcement.
That's an additional way to bring potential customers to your business.
Laughter Breaks the Ice and Opens the Door to Sales
This is probably my favorite benefit. Caricatures make people LAUGH!
Friends tease each other, strangers strike up conversations, and everyone wants to see the big reveal when I turn the finished drawing around. Even people who aren't getting drawn enjoy watching the reactions.
All that laughter creates a friendly, relaxed atmosphere where people feel comfortable talking to one another. Your employees and salespeople have a natural opportunity to introduce themselves, answer questions, and build relationships with potential customers.
I've seen this happen countless times, especially at trade shows. Sometimes I even help answer basic questions about the business and direct customers to the people or products they're looking for. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family, and I take customer service seriously.
Give Customers a Branded Souvenir They'll Actually Keep
Businesses spend a lot of money on promotional giveaways. Pens, keychains, magnets, and stress balls certainly have their place, but how many wind up forgotten in a drawer?
A caricature is different because it's personal. It's a funny, flattering drawing of YOU, created right before your eyes.
People show their friends, share photos online, and often display their drawings at home or work. I've had people tell me they still have caricatures I drew decades ago!
For grand openings, I can have the drawing paper preprinted with your company logo, website, QR code, slogan, or other promotional information. That means your guests leave with a personalized souvenir that also reminds them of your business.
And unlike most promotional giveaways, they get to enjoy the entertainment while their souvenir is being made.
Include Your Employees in the Celebration
Your grand opening is a celebration of the people who helped make your business possible, too.
I love drawing employees at these events. Sometimes a business will schedule time before the doors open so staff members can get their caricatures without taking time away from customers.
It's a fun way to thank your team and give them something special to remember the occasion.
More Than a Drawing: The Experience of Live Caricatures
One of the things I love about my job is that I'm not just drawing people. I'm interacting with them, getting them to laugh, and making them feel welcome.
My caricatures are flattering, recognizable, and funny without being mean. I don't make people look bad on purpose, unless they ask me to!
I also draw fast. After more than 27 years of working at live events, I've learned how to capture a likeness quickly while keeping the experience enjoyable. That means more guests get drawn, and more people get to participate.
And I don't limit myself to individuals and couples. I love drawing families, coworkers, and larger groups together. Those drawings often get some of the biggest laughs because everyone gets to share the experience.
If you're planning a themed grand opening, I can work with that, too. I've drawn everything from superheroes and sports characters to circus performers for a Greatest Showman-themed corporate event. Tell me your theme, and I'll come up with something!
Will Live Caricatures Work for Your Grand Opening?
One of the biggest concerns event planners have is whether everyone will get a chance to be drawn.
I typically draw 20–30 people per hour when doing quick black-and-white caricatures. That's roughly two to three times the speed of many traditional caricature artists. More elaborate drawings and color take longer, but for busy grand openings, I generally recommend black and white to keep the line moving.
Another common question is whether guests have to pay for their drawings. They don't! Your business hires me for an hourly fee, and the caricatures are free to your customers. For fundraisers, organizers are welcome to charge guests or accept donations, but I don't collect those payments myself.
I also don't need much room. My setup consists of an easel and three chairs, so I can fit into a relatively small space without requiring a table or a large footprint.
And if you want branded paper, I make that easy. I'll design the layout at no additional design charge, or you can send me your own artwork. You can handle the printing in-house, or I can arrange it and charge you what the printer charges.
I especially like colorful company logos printed on paper for black-and-white caricatures. The branding stands out beautifully without competing with the drawing.
Grand Opening Ideas in Action: Three Real Events
I've entertained at grand openings for businesses of all sizes. Here are three recent examples along the Gulf Coast that show how live caricatures can work for very different celebrations.
Embassy Suites by Hilton: A Corporate Grand Opening in Gulf Shores
When the beautiful new Embassy Suites by Hilton opened in Gulf Shores, Alabama, they went all out. The hotel was gorgeous, with elaborate decorations, entertainment, and an upscale VIP reception attended by government officials, business leaders, and other well-connected members of the community.
I was stationed upstairs with the VIPs, but my evening actually began an hour before the festivities started. Embassy Suites wanted me to draw their employees first, which I thought was a wonderful way to include the people who would be working so hard to make the hotel a success.
I also drew DJ Lee Connor before things got busy. He loved his caricature so much that he gave me a video review afterward, telling everyone to "Hire her for all the events!"
The hotel had its logo preprinted on my drawing paper, so every employee and guest who received a caricature took home a personalized souvenir featuring the Embassy Suites branding.
The event was a beautiful example of how live caricatures can fit into an upscale corporate grand opening while providing entertainment for both employees and VIP guests.
Read more about the Embassy Suites grand opening.
Bad Ass Coffee: Small Business Grand Opening Ideas That Brought in Customers
Not every grand opening involves a ballroom full of VIPs. Sometimes it's a neighborhood business trying to introduce itself to the community and attract its first loyal customers.
Bad Ass Coffee in Orange Beach, Alabama, hired me for two consecutive weekends to help celebrate its grand opening. I set up outside under a tent near the street, where passing customers could see me drawing.
Before the event, I did a livestream telling my followers where I'd be and that they could come get a free caricature. Several people actually told me they came because they followed me online and wanted a drawing!
I spent the weekends drawing customers and employees whenever the employees could get away, which wasn't very often because they were BUSY. I also answered basic questions about the coffee shop and encouraged visitors to go inside.
In other words, I was helping promote the business while entertaining its customers.
Bad Ass Coffee also had its logo printed on the caricature paper, giving customers a fun souvenir and a reminder of the business. It was a great example of how grand opening entertainment can help attract people, encourage them to come inside, and make their first visit memorable.
The Brennity: Grand Reopening Ideas for an Established Business
Grand openings aren't just for brand-new businesses. A renovation, expansion, or fresh start can be a wonderful reason to celebrate, too.
The Brennity, a retirement community in Fairhope, Alabama, invited me to draw caricatures at its grand reopening following renovations. I entertained residents, their families, and staff members as they celebrated the remodeled community.
One of the people I remember most was a woman who was over 100 years old. She had such a twinkle in her eye and kept herself so busy that she didn't seem nearly that old. I love meeting people like that!
Caricatures are especially fun at multigenerational events because people of all ages can enjoy them. I can draw grandparents, parents, children, and entire families together, creating a keepsake that celebrates their time together.
For an established business, a grand reopening is also an opportunity to thank the people who have supported it over the years. Including residents, families, and employees made The Brennity's celebration especially meaningful.
What You Get When You Hire
Caricatures by Kathy
When you hire me for your grand opening, you're getting more than someone who sits in a corner drawing pictures.
You're getting a professional entertainer with more than 27 years of experience, fast and flattering caricatures, and someone who genuinely enjoys interacting with your guests. I'm happy to help welcome customers, answer basic questions about your business, and encourage people to check out what you have to offer.
I'm also experienced with large corporate events, small businesses, trade shows, and private celebrations. I'm professionally licensed and insured, and I provide a booking agreement so everyone knows what to expect.
You can customize the paper with your company branding, choose traditional or themed drawings, and include employees, customers, families, or VIPs in the fun.
And because I can draw 20–30 people per hour, I can accommodate a lot of guests without requiring a large setup area.
Planning a Grand Opening? Let's Talk!
Whether you're opening a luxury hotel, launching a neighborhood business, or celebrating a renovation, I'd love to help make your grand opening a success.
I'm based on Alabama's Eastern Shore and regularly travel throughout the Gulf Coast, including Mobile, Fairhope, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Pensacola, Biloxi, and New Orleans. I'm also available for events nationwide.
I generally book only one event per day, so it's best to contact me as soon as you know your date. A booking agreement and 50% retainer secure your reservation.
Flattering. Fast. Unforgettable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grand Opening Caricatures
How much does it cost to hire you for a grand opening?
My standard corporate rate is $300 per hour, and my small-business rate is $250 per hour. There's a two-hour minimum, with a four-hour minimum on Saturdays. Travel and optional printing costs may be additional.
How many people can you draw per hour?
I typically draw 20–30 people per hour when doing quick black-and-white caricatures. More elaborate drawings, themes, and color may take additional time.
Are the caricatures free for our guests?
Yes! Your business pays my hourly fee, and guests receive their drawings free of charge. For fundraisers, organizers may choose to charge guests or accept donations.
Can we include our business logo on the drawings?
Absolutely. I can include your logo, website, QR code, contact information, slogan, or other promotional details. I provide the layout design at no additional charge.
Can you draw employees, families, and groups?
Yes! I draw individuals, couples, coworkers, families, and larger groups. Group drawings are one of my specialties.
Can you customize the drawings for our theme?
Of course! I love themed events and can create caricatures featuring costumes, characters, or other elements related to your celebration.
How much space do you need?
Very little. I need enough room for my easel and three chairs. I don't require a table or a large setup area.
How far in advance should we book?
As soon as you know your date. I'm in high demand, especially on weekends, and I generally book only one event per day.
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