Is an Open House Good for Business?

It's a good idea...
In my experience most engineers view most visits sales staff as a waste of time.
Unless they have been requested for a specific purpose.
I see one guy who insists on delivering samples by hand...I dunno why, I have nothing to say to him until I've tested the samples (other than maybe 'I hope they are to drawing this time')
Del

I think it's good idea. If nothing else, depending on who the customer is, they will quickly realize that parts don't just make themselves out of thin air.

Definitely a good idea in my mind. I always try to take a full tour of the customer/vendor/manufacturer i'm about to work with. Do they keep a clean and organized shop, with good workflow, or is it a dirty mess? Seeing their facility might give you other ideas of their capability, or needs that you might be able to utilize, or help with. Maybe it will be an eye opening experience, that causes you to find another source, or maybe they will impress... It is always good to know who you are working with to avoid any issues or complications. It goes back to a good handshake, and a meeting over lunch, and the "old" proper way of doing business.

A while back, we held open days and they were highly valued for multiple reasons and the customer interface was relatively minor.

It allowed family and friends to see where we worked, and to understand in some way what we were faced with at "work".

It allowed shop floor to visit the offices and vice versa to enhance company wide understanding.

It allowed local people to come and see what was done inside the factory and how we contributed tot eh local economy.

It allowed local city council and politicians to come and see just how many people were involved (and how many votes) in keeping this enterprise in this district.

It provided staff with a different opportunity to develop skill in "event management" that would not have been available. These days were often arranged by shop floor staff with management support.

It provided a reason to "freshen up" all areas of the facility.

They were great times.

I always insisted on visiting any facility that I planned to use as a supplier to my customers. Judging their ability to meet the demands of some contracts cannot be done by a sales person. Some manufacturers will quote their ability to produce in volumes that would completely overwhelm their capacity.

From my point of view an on site visit or open house is priceless. It can take me three days by email or 3 hours by phone to find out exactly what a client is importing/exporting/making/selling or whatever. But it will take me 3 seconds if you put one in my hands. People who enjoy what they do always enjoy showing it off and it helps me greatly if I know what they do. I also usually get to meet the guy who has all the answers and I call him next time I need info, not the accounts payable clerk they tell me to call.

My company reguarly has customers shown around the factory, but we don't have open days. It helps to improve customer relationships if they can see how we are improving and what we are doing to solve any issues they may have had with the products. Each department has it's own Visual Management board, where information can be found on what visitors to expect through the week.

Customers who visit the factories probably feel better about where their items are being made - if your inviting them in, you have nothing to hide from them, surley that has to help improve the customers confidence in the company.

I personally don't think that an open day, where the general public can come and have a look is a good idea. I also can't see them being at all interested in the company, as a lot of people in the area have worked here and we aren't that far from a beach, which has to be a more intersting option.