What can you do to bring the public to your dealer location? Dealership events are a great way to build community loyalty and activism.

Many car dealers host events throughout the year to keep the public aware of their presence and show they are a community partner. If you’re not hosting events or involved in the community, your location won’t be the first one that shoppers think of when they need a new or used vehicle. Let’s change that with some great event ideas.

How Are You Showcasing new Models?

There are brand-new names and models in the market every year. If your dealership has some new models coming, a great way to introduce them to the public is with an event. You could have door prizes for the first 100 people through the door and give a complete tour of the new vehicle. Let them touch it, sit in it, and enjoy what it offers. This is a great way to get shoppers used to a new model, which could translate to more sales for you and your team.

Where are the Freebies?

Spend one weekend every quarter or six months and give your customers a big “thank you.” Have a freebie event where they can bring their car in for a free car wash and detail service over the weekend. Get them excited about this event by sending out mailers that can be traded for these services. You might get some sales out of the event, but the main purpose is to thank your customers for their support. You could offer your customers some free coffee and snacks in your waiting area while their cars are being detailed.

Take Advantage of Tax Return Time

If you want to get really creative with your dealership events, you could be a location where one of the tax preparation services is located. Customers that want to use their tax return as a down payment could have their taxes completed in your showroom and turn around and hand you that check as a down payment on their next vehicle. This will take some planning, but you could get the word out and see a serious uptick in sales during the springtime.

Host a Test Drive Incentive Event

When you want to get right into the meat of what shoppers want to enjoy, you can give them an incentive to test drive your cars. Make an event out of it and ask them to bring a friend. Offer gift cards, free oil changes, car washes, or branded merchandise just for taking a car for a test drive. You could offer a voucher for $50 or $100 off the sticker price of the car they test drive if they buy it. This could be an amazing way to boost sales at your dealership.

Be Active in Your Community

Whether you host fundraising events, canned food drives, or get your team out in the community, you want to see your name at community support functions. One of the most engaging dealership events you could host is a 5K. Lots of people love to pay to participate in these events and if you donate the money to a local school or charity, that’s even better. Think of ways you can be active in your community and get the word out.

Bring in the Ride-Share Drivers

Sometimes the Uber and Lyft drivers in your area don’t feel like car dealers support them. Show them that you do by hosting special incentives for these driving professionals. Add a few freebies to their deals like tire discounts, service vouchers, and gift cards when they drive customers to your location. You could host some special ride-share hours during your slow hours of the week, which is also likely their slow time for driving.

Let New Parents Know You Care About Them

One of the best dealership events you can host that shows the community that you care is a car seat safety check event. This could be a monthly scheduled event on a certain weekend every month. Invite police and firefighters to perform the safety checks and instruct parents how to install their car seats properly. This is an excellent way to show these new parents that you care about them and give them the desired peace of mind to know their child is properly secured in the seat.

The Holidays are a No-Brainer

If you’re not hosting events at your dealership location during every holiday, you’re missing out on the sales you should capture. The holidays are the perfect time of the year to make sure you sell more cars. It seems like we’ve got at least one holiday every month, which means you’ve got at least 12 events scheduled before you begin. The winter holidays should bring the biggest push for those shoppers searching for a special gift for themselves or loved ones.

Have a Free Gas Day for Your Loyal Customers

This could be an event you add to the ride-sharing and food delivery customers. Separate the free gas from the car wash events and let your customers know that if they’ve bought a specific vehicle they can come in and get some free gas. If you don’t have the gas pumps to support such an event, partner with a local gas station to make it work. Of course, as we move toward more electric vehicles, you could offer free charging for some vehicles as well.

Host a Kids’ Day as a Themed Event

It can be challenging for parents to shop for a vehicle without dragging the kids along with them. It would be nice for the two parents to spend time talking about the vehicle they might drive without kids tugging on them. Host an event with free child care, or babysitting, while customers shop for the vehicle they want. Put a theme to this event and let everyone have a great time. This could turn out to be one of the most successful dealership events you host all year long.

Will you put a few of these dealership events to work for your company? These events help keep your team engaged with the community and pique public interest.