6 Community Event Ideas Your Residents Will Love

Discover 6 of the best community event ideas to bring something special to your residents. Read on.

Whether it’s a head nod in the hallway or holding the elevator doors, neighbors are here to look out for each other. When a community comes together, support systems are reinforced, stress is reduced, and positive social bonds are formed.

So why not consider bringing your residents together with a community event as part of your normal resident services?

Whether you’re managing a downtown high-rise or sea-side condominiums, you can add value and retain residents with potlucks, fitness classes, and so much more. Read on to discover the six best community event and resident retention ideas to start entertaining, impressing, and inspiring your residents.

#1 In-House Beauty Treatments

Offer your tenants the opportunity for sparkling skin, relaxing massages, and some much-needed self-care — all without leaving home.

Enlist a beauty company for this community-wide event idea, with options for:

• Pool-side or rooftop facials
• Targeted treatments
• Long term skin-care advice

The results of in-house beauty treatment are more than skin-deep. While each resident attendee may look their best after an afternoon at the community spa, they’re also likely to feel serene and happy to spend some time with their neighbors in a relaxed setting.

For the easiest way to implement beauty-focused luxury concierge services check out Alfred. With our partners at Glowbar, you can offer 30-minute professional facials from certified estheticians to all your residents — sounds beautiful, doesn’t it?

#2 Community Carwash

Soap up the sponges and set up a carwash for your residents. While it’s certainly not necessary for you to do all the washing yourself, it may be fun to get the brush out and demonstrate how to really get a vehicle clean.

Either way, a little soap, water, and elbow grease is a great way to impress residents. Who doesn’t enjoy a free car wash?

When putting together your plan, consider offering specialty services such as:

• Detailing
• Air-fresheners
• Wiper-fluid replacement

The key is that everything remains fun, easy, and free for every community member, kind of like a block party! While it may cost a little to set up, in the end, it’ll be well worth it when you’re watching the paint job sparkle in the sunshine.

#3 Fitness Classes

Encourage your residents to sweat it out with their neighbors. There’s no better option than community fitness events for building a seriously strong community.

There’s a range of potential fitness programs to offer up, including:

• Yoga
• Pilates
• Strength training
• Zumba

You can even inspire your residents to lead a class of their own, creating more connections that can last a lifetime.

#4 Cook-Off Potluck

Food is a universal path to connection. Whether breaking bread with strangers or passing dishes to family, people bond over food. So, when you’re planning a food-related resident event, why not double the fun of a community potluck by introducing a competitive cook-off component?

The key to a good cook-off is picking a dish everyone can agree on. Popular options include:

• Chili
• Chicken wings
• Mac and Cheese

Whatever dish you pick, encourage everyone to get creative with their culinary masterpieces. Let the residents judge the best dishes and then share in all the deliciousness. No matter who wins, everyone is going home happy after this social event.

#5 Community Karaoke

Ready to belt it out with the best (and the not-as-great)? Give your residents something to sing about by hosting a community karaoke night complete with quality lights, sounds, and a magnanimous host.

It may take a little coaxing to get some residents onto the stage, so consider adding the following aspects to this resident event idea to make the night an even greater success:

• Prizes
• Costumes
• Delicious food & drink

Turn the event into a full-on party with a dress code, personalized decor, and theme. A themed event is exactly the kind of event that keeps neighbors talking for weeks, months, and even years to come.

#6 Start a Community Garden

Build an urban oasis for residents to show off their green thumbs. A community garden can improve air quality, impact the urban microclimate, and help eliminate neighborhood food waste.

To begin, all you need to do is designate some outside space with plenty of light and easy access. After you’ve completed the initial landscaping, it’s time to throw your garden party and other outdoor events!

Invite the whole neighborhood to your community garden kick-off. This lavish event wouldn’t be complete without:

• Free seeds
• Naming ceremony
• Outdoor picnic (maybe featuring ice cream?!)
• Face painting, a treasure hunt, or other kid friendly activities

Consider children’s plots for young neighborhood planters, seasonal harvest events, and opportunities for botanical and agriculture classes. Encourage your residents to plant some real roots.

Build a Better Community with Alfred

Are you flipping through your Rolodex, contemplating your contacts, and scanning through the web to find the best way to begin planning community events for your residents? Stop trying to be a professional event organizer and simplify the process with Alfred.

At Alfred, we’ve designed property management software that allows you to bring a luxury experience to your residents. Craft bespoke events with local businesses that cater directly to your community. Since partnering with international community engagement provider HOM, Alfred has expanded its fitness, wellness, and entertainment services.

The opportunities for connection are only growing. At Alfred, we’re making every day an event.

Request a custom events proposal for your property today and a member of Alfred’s Community team will be in touch shortly.

Sources:

Green Leaf Communities. The many benefits of community gardens. https://greenleafcommunities.org/the-many-benefits-of-community-gardens/

Western Connecticut State University. Community engagement. https://www.wcsu.edu/community-engagement/benefits-of-volunteering/

Cision. Alfred acquires HOM. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alfred-acquires-hom-301301104.html