Businesses begin to reopen in the Bluegrass State and CeremonialSupplies.com has 5 tips for Kentucky groundbreaking ceremonies during Covid-19. Businesses and shops in Kentucky - and everywhere else for that matter, were particularly affected as all gatherings came to a halt, including sod-cutting ceremonies which are customary in the construction industry to mark the start of a building project. These tips are a handy resource!
Tip #1 - Prepare an Essential Guest List
Until Kentucky returns fully to normal mode (and it will), it's best in the interest of everyone's health to limit the number of people to events such as groundbreaking ceremonies, or grand opening functions. Everyone loves a big bash, but not at the expense of health, so you'll have to trim down the guest list, and still make sure not to ruffle any feathers or leave out people who were absolutely vital to the development of the project.
Local government officials, celebrities, and the press are external contacts who add prestige to the groundbreaking ceremony and also attract big audiences. Since an unnecessary big turnout is what you're trying to avoid, local celebrities and/or local personalities that under any other circumstance would have been peachy to have, will have to be put in the back burner until you have a firm grip on the local government officials who will be present at the groundbreaking ceremony. The Mayor, and in many cases the Governor, are all big personalities that will attract the media - which will enhance your advertising efforts! Prepare a good guest list that will include local government officials, and make sure to obtain confirmation of their attendance. Fill in those spots that do not confirm with the next up on your guest wish list.
Tip #2 - Personalized Invitations Rather than a Press Release
Press Releases are a way of communicating to the mass media. It is a tool to expand reach, and whilst it is an advertising technique, for the time being and until Kentucky has fully left behind the shadow cast by Covid-19, limit your mass communication and adopt the old-fashioned approach of personalized invitations and pour your creativity into a unique, personalized request of attendance that will carry as much weight as a Royal summons!
An excellent idea for personalized invitations would be to include some of the items that the new social distancing protocol now mandates. For example, a boxed kit that includes a standard customized safety vest, a breathable mask, and a pair of latex gloves along with a fun design invitation that simulates a zoning hearing announcement would be a creative way of reaching out to those important VIPs, government officials, and the media contacts. CeremonialSupplies.com offers customizable breathable masks that provide protection and are comfortable to wear, and we carry a varied style selection of lightweight safety vests that are easily personalized with the name of the groundbreaking Kentucky business. If you want to take this kit up a notch, consider including a customized hard hat and a groundbreaking miniature shovel! CeremonialSupplies.com has a popular assortment of miniature shovels that are 26" in height and 6" wide at the blade. These miniature shovels are available with colorful shovel blades in blue, green, red, yellow, orange, pink, and teal and can be customized on the blade or the stem (or both) with your logo or company name. Kentucky has a reputation of noble, well-bred ancestry and class; the men are gentlemen and the women are ladies, and everything in the Bluegrass State is always a cut above in elegance. Groundbreaking shovels are the stars of sod-cutting ceremonies, create an unforgettable event starting with an invitation kit that holds the essentials for today's social distancing mandates, and include a customized safety vest, hard hat, and mini-shovel as souvenirs along with an appropriately designed personalized invitation. A small intimate crowd will make quite a stir of it!
Tip #3 - Simple Decoration and Essential Crowd Control Posts
Keeping up with Kentuckian class, crowd control posts to guide and maintain social distancing standards should say something about the building or the construction that will take place. Matching the style of Frankfort new capitol building, or the old Kentucky State Capitol, the Kentucky Governor's Mansion and other Frankfort hallmark buildings and museums, CeremonialSupplies.com recommends our classic stanchions and rope. These crowd posts are elegant and functional and come in three styles and finishes: the brass dome-top stanchion, the polished chrome urn-top stanchion, and the black matte flat-top stanchion. All three styles include a 4-way disk to adjust the rope in as many configurations as necessary. The brass dome-top crowd post and the polished chrome urn-top crowd post are each available as a single piece, or as a matching pair that includes a velvet rope. The black matte flat-top stanchion is sold as a single piece only. Groundbreaking ceremonies in Frankfort deserve the elegant style of CeremonialSupplies.com classic stanchions. Streamline the flow of people and maintain social distancing with our stanchions and 6' velvet ropes!
Other styles of crowd posts are the hitching post plastic stanchions that are extremely light weight and easy to transport and carry, and the retractable belt stanchions. The weatherproof plastic stanchions have a 14" diameter hollow base that makes them light to ship or transport and when it's time to use they can be filled with sand or water for strength and stability. The hitching post crowd barriers come in black, yellow, and white and are sold as a set of 2 with their own matching link chain. Perfect for the western frontier style or Kentucky architecture found in Loretto, Louisville, and Lexington.
If you are planning on a food and refreshment station, consider using a tent and the crowd barriers. This will guide people in the formation you wish and maintain the required 6' social distance. Groundbreaking ceremonies usually take place over the land where the new construction will be built. A wide carpet runner will not only look stunning and classy, it will also keep the people from walking around in the dirt, and exactly where you want them to be. CeremonialSupplies.com has a striking selection of deluxe ceremonial event carpet runners available in deep, rich hues of blue, red, black, green, purple and pink in widths up to 6' and lengths of up to 50', or our standard event carpets available in blue or red which come in your width choice of 3' or 4' and lengths of either 10, 15, or 20 feet. Your choice!
Tip #4 - Stage the Perfect Setting for Photos
It's how the pros do it! Staging a scene for photos is the best way to create the image you want the world to perceive. For a groundbreaking ceremony you want to feature the most important elements - the groundbreaking shovels and the people doing the first sod-cutting. If you've done your work, by this point you should have company VIPs and top ranking government officials on hand. On average these can be anywhere between 4 - 8 people, which means the same number of groundbreaking shovels. Choosing the right ceremonial shovel is important, and it depends on the style you want, and your budget. All of our ceremonial shovels can be customized with your company logo and name. CeremonialSupplies.com is the best online shop for quality crafted groundbreaking shovels all at wallet-friendly prices. If you have chosen the brass, golden color stanchions for crowd control, you may want to maintain the consistency of the gold accent with our VIP Ceremonial Groundbreaking Mirror Gold Shovel. Or if your decoration accents are in silver, you can choose the Standard Chromed Stainless Steel Groundbreaking Shovel, the Deluxe Ceremonial Groundbreaking Chrome Head Shovel, the super stylish VIP Mirror Chrome Ceremonial Shovel, the traditional long stem shovel, or any of our full size colorful ceremonial shovels. We have a style to fit your budget. Whatever ceremonial shovel you choose, take the time to include a shovel stand for each. This will allow you to "dress up" the shovel with a hard hat and matching bow. When placed on the stands make sure the customized logo and/or company name aren't covered by the bow. You can place the stands on the carpeted area of the canopy, or you can place them near the actual ground-cutting, but wherever you put them you are creating the stage for the official photos or videos. This area can be further highlighted with a step and repeat backdrop.
Tip #5 - Follow-up is Key!
Remember to acknowledge all who attended, and thank those who delivered a speech to commemorate the occasion. This can be as simple as an email, or as elaborate as presenting a groundbreaking shovel plaque for the Mayor or other government official who participated, or a groundbreaking shovel keepsake display case for the owner or CEO to protect and display their sod-cutting ceremonial shovel! Were the local papers present? The Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington Post, the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Kentucky Post? Remember members of the media are swamped with invitations to events that want coverage in newspapers or on local tv stations. They do tend to be present at events where government officials participate so if your event was attended by members of the press, thank them and acknowledge them with a small token of appreciation such as the groundbreaking shovel lapel pin if possible, but definitely with a follow-up email and phone call.
We will get back to normal, but in the meantime, don't stop the celebration of accomplishments and important events. Groundbreaking events are a meaningful part of the life of a company and there are creative ways to continue the tradition and be a civic minded participant who respects those around you. Whether you live in Kentucky or any other State of the Union, shop CeremonialSupplies.com for the best quality ceremonial products at budget friendly prices, attentive and knowledgeable customer service, and fast and efficient shipping wherever you are. Click here for a shipping quote.