A strong tenant engagement program is key to building a vibrant, connected, and satisfied community within your commercial property. But even the best tenant engagement strategies won’t make an impact if no one knows about them!
To maximize participation and create lasting value, you’ve got to market those initiatives. From not-so-average happy hours to collaborations with Beyoncé (more on that later), there are countless ways to generate excitement around your program.
We have some seriously creative clients. These commercial real estate teams have successfully promoted their tenant engagement programs, forging stronger connections, supporting corporate sustainability initiatives, and improving overall tenant experience.
Keep reading as we share some of our favorite real world examples of successful tenant engagement promotion tactics!
1. Host a themed happy hour
Happy hours are a classic for a reason. They’re a casual and natural way to bring your community together and give people a chance to connect. It’s a great kick-off for your tenant engagement program.
To make it an event to remember, try adding a theme! At Cushman & Wakefield, they really leaned into the bee theme by serving up a “bees and brie” charcuterie board.
Bees and brie event hosted by Cushman & Wakefield
We’ve seen some creative honey-infused cocktails, too. “The bees knees”, a sweet and zesty drink, is a crowd favorite. In the case of the Arizona Biltmore Resort, their chefs whipped up “The Golden Delicious”: an autumnal cocktail sweetened with honey syrup from the resort’s bees. The drink even scored them a mention on Forbes’ Top 10 Fall Cocktails From Luxury Hotels And Resorts Around The World!
The Golden Delicious cocktail from the Arizona Biltmore [source].
2. Collaborate with your community
Give your tenant engagement program a local flavor by getting other community members and organizations involved. We’ve seen our clients commission local artists, like FIVE Houston Center who worked with a muralist to turn their parking garage into a beautiful art piece inspired by the bees.
Five Houston Center’s honey bee inspired mural.
We’ve even seen collaborations with local breweries! An exclusive honey brown ale – made from your own building’s honey – for your next happy hour, perhaps? The Residence Inn by Marriott in Calgary collaborated with local brewpub Trolley 5 to create Hops & Honey: a lager featuring honey from the hotel’s onsite beehive.
Hops & Honey lager by The Residence Inn by Marriott in Calgary and Trolley 5.
3. Create a show-stopping installation
How do you make sure your tenant experience initiatives remain top of mind for your building community? Set up an eye-catching installation in a public area like your lobby. It’s an opportunity to introduce your program to anyone who might not know, and continue to educate and inspire.
We’ve seen property teams create interactive installations featuring fun facts about bees and honey that are as educational as they are photo opp worthy! A well-placed installation serves as an ongoing tenant experience solution.
The Halifax Shopping Centre let all of their tenants and visitors know about their urban beekeeping initiative with this interactive, educational, and beautiful installation.
Halifax Shopping Centre [source].
4. Make connections with cultural events
Is there a special event coming up that’s got everyone talking? Join the conversation! Of course, this could look like a tenant event tied to Earth Day or World Bee Day (fun fact, we typically host workshops for over 16,000 participants during Earth Week alone). But what about something a little more…unexpected?
One of the most unique tenant engagement strategies we’ve seen took place at Smith Tower in Seattle. The night Beyoncé was in town for a concert, the building hosted a “Queen Bee Cocktail Hour” before the show. Their rooftop patio offers a view of the stadium where she was performing, so attendees were encouraged to pose for a photo with Queen B and the Queen Bee buzzing within their hive. Many attendees began their night at Smith Tower’s event, before walking over to the concert.
Smith Tower’s “Buzzing with Queen Bee” cocktail hour, complete with an educational presentation on bees and skyline photo opp.
5. Make it newsworthy and invite the local media
When you’ve got a buzzworthy tenant engagement program on your hands, shout it from the rooftops! That’s just what many of our clients do, and with great success. We’ve seen clients leverage their program to get featured in the news or in viral videos, driving positive PR and visibility for their building.
The Empire State Realty Trust team knows how to get the media’s attention. Their bees have been featured in viral videos from accounts like Time Out New York. Their hive has even been spotted in the pages of the New York Times!
Leveraging media coverage is a smart property management marketing tactic to showcase your program’s impact.
The ESRT bees were featured in this New York Times article: Who Has the Best View of the Chrysler Building? These Bees.
6. Host a contest
Sometimes the best way to get your tenants’ attention is to bring out their competitive side.
A fan favorite of Alvéole clients is the Name The Queen Contest. When your honey bee colony arrives at your building, give your queen bee a proper welcome by naming her. You can hold an official vote, allowing your whole building community to have their say in Her Majesty’s name.
We’ve attended coronation ceremonies for Queen Beeatrice, Elizabee, and more than one Beeyoncé. Cagan Management Group in Chicago held a welcome party for Queen Barbee after her name was chosen by the residents.
Cagan Management Group’s “bee day party”.
At the Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands, the team hosted a community-wide art contest to design their honey jar label. It was an effective way to spread awareness for their tenant engagement program and foster a deeper sense of connection between the community and the bees.
The Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands’ winning honey jar label design.
When it comes to commercial real estate tenant engagement, the possibilities are endless
With a little creativity, there’s no shortage of ways to market your tenant engagement program and create meaningful experiences for your building community – no matter your budget.
Whether through workplace experience trends like themed events or ESG tenant engagement initiatives such as sustainability-driven activations, the key is to make participation easy and engaging.
By finding unique angles, leveraging local partnerships, and tapping into cultural moments, property teams can drive long-term success through their tenant engagement programs. Your efforts will pay off in increased satisfaction, stronger relationships, and a more connected building community.
