Yelp hosted its sixth open event, a free gathering targeted to its community of business reviewers, for 550 guests on Thursday night at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Staged at a different venue each go-round, the party serves as a way to bring together the social review site’s online community with the local businesses they write about.
“For us, this event is not to make money but purely connect people with business in the area,” said Yelp’s local community marketing manager, Tara Lewis. “It’s a great promotional vehicle for [sponsors], as well as us, to go directly to the consumer and showcase what they offer in hopes that [the writers] come back for a full experience at their restaurant or business.”
The night began with a private hour-long reception for Yelp’s Elite Squad, the top 200 reviewers in the area. Though the main event attracted more than 3,000 RSVPs, the venue’s capacity limited Lewis to 500 guests tops. To keep control of the door, Lewis sent attendance confirmation emails to the first 500 to RSVP and separate wait list emails to the rest. Her team also worked with museum staffers to stagger the general admission entry and subsequent flow through the three floors of exhibits.
Lewis reached out to businesses surrounding the museum, as well as those new to Washington, to sponsor food and beverage service for the night. Companies like Barefoot Wines and Bubbly, Honest Tea, fitness center Studio 310, and the Suite Barbershop—along with nine restaurants and other businesses—set up serving tables and interactive displays at strategic locations throughout the museum to assist in traffic flow.
