I have found that the businesses you work with and the networking groups you are involved with would love to attend an open house to meet more potential clients for themselves. For example, our dog groomer came to our summer bbq with her logo on her t-shirt and just mingled and generated good conversation and buzz about her small business too. A win-win situation as long as you don’t make it like a tradeshow. Clients will read right through that.

I love using the Healing Rhythms biofeedback system for open houses and wellness fairs (http://tinyurl.com/mhu5sf) . It’s a great way to make tangible the mind/body connection for people (and a wonderful way to engage them at the event). You just hook up sensors around three fingers, and they go through a session led by leading CAM practitioners like Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra and others. People can then see the body’s relaxation response on the system as they move through the techniques like deep breathing and progressive relaxation.