Rehab and Prehab Coach Open Day and Event Promotion

Running a rehab and prehab coach open day and event promotion is one of the most direct ways to fill your pipeline with qualified leads. People who show up in person to a free screening or open house are already motivated enough to take action on their pain or movement limitations. Your job is to make the event easy to attend, valuable enough to build trust, and structured so your VA can convert attendees into booked assessments in the days that follow.

This playbook covers every operational step from four weeks out through the final follow-up sequence.

Four-Week Planning Timeline

A successful open day needs roughly four weeks of lead time. Here is the week-by-week breakdown your VA can execute against:

Week 1 - Foundation:

• Pick the date and time. Saturday mornings (9 AM - 12 PM) tend to draw the most attendees for rehab and prehab audiences. Avoid holiday weekends and major local events.
• Define the event format. Two options work well:
  • Free screening event - You and any staff perform brief movement screens or joint assessments. Each attendee gets 10-15 minutes of hands-on time.
  • Open house with mini-workshop - A 30-minute educational talk (e.g., "5 Signs Your Knee Pain Needs Prehab, Not Rest") followed by facility tours and one-on-one conversations.
• Book any additional staff or guest presenters. If you are partnering with a local physical therapist, orthopedic office, or sports medicine clinic, confirm their participation this week.
• Your VA creates the event in GoHighLevel as a campaign, sets up the RSVP landing page, and drafts the confirmation email sequence.

Week 2 - Content and Promotion Assets:

• Your VA designs the event flyer and social media graphics in Canva. Keep the design clean: event name, date, time, location, "Free - RSVP Required," and your logo.
• Write the landing page copy. Lead with the problem your audience has ("Dealing with a nagging shoulder issue that will not go away?"), state the offer ("Free 15-minute movement screening"), and include a simple RSVP form (name, email, phone, primary concern).
• Your VA sets up the RSVP form in GoHighLevel or Google Forms if you prefer a simpler tool.
• Draft three email sequences: RSVP confirmation, one-week reminder, and day-before reminder.

Week 3 - Active Promotion:

• Post the event announcement on Instagram, Facebook, and any local community groups. Your VA schedules posts for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
• Send the first email blast to your existing list.
• Print physical flyers if you have a brick-and-mortar location. Distribute to local gyms, yoga studios, and physician offices that refer to you.
• Your VA reaches out to local physician offices and physical therapy clinics with a professional email inviting them to share the event with patients who might benefit.
• If you run paid ads, launch a local awareness campaign on Facebook or Instagram targeting your city, ages 30-65, interests in fitness, physical therapy, or sports medicine. Budget as low as $5-10 per day can work for local events.

Week 4 - Final Push and Logistics:

• Send the "one week away" reminder email and a "last chance to RSVP" post on social media.
• Confirm headcount with your VA. Order any supplies: printed intake forms, branded name tags, bottled water, signage.
• Your VA prepares the day-of logistics checklist (covered in the next section).
• Do a final walkthrough of your space to ensure it is clean, well-lit, and set up for the flow of attendees.

RSVP Management and Day-of Logistics

RSVP management:

Your VA should monitor RSVPs daily starting in week 3. Here is the process:

1. Each new RSVP triggers an automated confirmation email from GoHighLevel with event details, parking instructions, and what to wear or bring.
2. Your VA adds the RSVP to a tracking spreadsheet with columns for name, email, phone, primary concern, RSVP date, and attendance status.
3. One week before the event, your VA sends a reminder email and a text message to all registrants.
4. The day before, send a final reminder with a link to cancel or reschedule. This reduces no-shows and gives you an accurate headcount.

Expect a 50-70% show rate from RSVPs for free local events. If you have 40 RSVPs, plan for 20-28 attendees.

Day-of logistics checklist:

• Signage at the entrance directing attendees to the check-in area
• Check-in table with a printed attendee list and a sign-up sheet for walk-ins
• Intake forms (health history, liability waiver) - pre-printed or on a tablet
• Screening stations set up with any equipment you need (goniometer, resistance bands, treatment table)
• A designated "next steps" area where attendees can book a full assessment before they leave
• Water, light refreshments, and business cards or branded handouts
• A photographer or designated phone to capture photos and short videos for social media (get verbal permission from attendees)

Your VA can manage the check-in table, hand out forms, and help attendees book follow-up appointments on the spot using your scheduling system in Jane App or Practice Better.

Social Media and Email Promotion Strategy

Promotion is not a one-post effort. You need repeated, varied touchpoints across channels.

Social media cadence:

Your VA handles all scheduling, graphic creation in Canva, and caption writing. You review and approve before posting, or give your VA a brand voice guide and let them run with it.

Email sequence:

1. Announcement email (3 weeks out) - Introduce the event, explain what attendees will get, include the RSVP link.
2. Value email (2 weeks out) - Share a quick tip related to the event topic. Example: "One simple test to check if your hip mobility is limiting your squat." End with the RSVP CTA.
3. Social proof email (1 week out) - Share a brief client story (with permission) about how a screening led to a breakthrough. Include the RSVP link and current headcount ("32 people have already registered").
4. Reminder email (day before) - Logistics only: time, location, parking, what to bring.
5. No-show follow-up (day after) - For registrants who did not attend: "Sorry we missed you. Here is a quick summary of what we covered. Want to book a free 15-minute screening this week instead?"

For more ways a VA supports your marketing and event operations, check out What Is a Fitness Virtual Assistant.

Post-Event Follow-Up Sequences

The real ROI of an open day happens in the five to seven days after the event. Most attendees will not book on the spot. Your follow-up sequence is what converts interest into appointments.

For attendees who booked an assessment at the event:

• Confirmation email with appointment details (automated through Jane App or Practice Better).
• Day-before reminder text via GoHighLevel.
• Post-assessment, your VA sends a recap email with the recommended plan and pricing.

For attendees who did NOT book:

• Day 1 after event - Personal email from you (drafted by your VA): "Great meeting you at the open day. Based on what you shared about [their primary concern], I think a full movement assessment would give us a clear picture. Here is my booking link."
• Day 3 - Text message follow-up: "Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Business]. Just checking if you had any questions after Saturday's screening. Happy to chat - just reply here."
• Day 7 - Final email with a limited-time offer: "Book your assessment this week and get [specific bonus - a take-home exercise plan, a follow-up video review, etc.]."
• After day 7 - Move non-responders to your general nurture email list in GoHighLevel. They will receive your regular content and hear about future events.

Tracking results:

Your VA should update the RSVP spreadsheet with these columns after the event:

• Attended (yes/no)
• Booked assessment at event (yes/no)
• Booked assessment via follow-up (yes/no)
• Converted to paid client (yes/no)
• Revenue attributed

This gives you a clear cost-per-lead and cost-per-client number for future event planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many attendees should I plan for at my first open day?

Aim for 20-30 RSVPs, which typically translates to 12-20 attendees. This is manageable for a solo practitioner with one VA handling logistics. You can give each person adequate attention during screenings and still have time for meaningful conversations. Scale up once you have the systems dialed in.

Should I partner with other practitioners for the event?

Partnering with a local physical therapist, sports medicine doctor, or nutritionist adds credibility and draws a wider audience. Each partner promotes to their own list, which multiplies your reach. Keep the partnership simple: agree on roles, time slots, and how leads are shared before committing.

What is the best way to handle walk-ins who did not RSVP?

Welcome them. Have blank intake forms and a walk-in sign-up sheet at the check-in table. Your VA adds them to the CRM after the event. Walk-ins are often highly motivated - they saw your signage or heard about the event from a friend and showed up on impulse. Do not turn that energy away.

How soon after the event should follow-up emails go out?

Start the next day. The longer you wait, the colder the lead gets. Your VA should have the follow-up email templates ready before the event so they can personalize and send within 24 hours. Aim to have all first-touch follow-ups out by end of day Sunday if the event is on Saturday.

How do I measure whether the open day was worth the effort?

Track three numbers: total attendees, assessments booked within 14 days, and clients converted within 30 days. Divide your total event cost (ads, supplies, staff time, VA hours) by the number of new clients to get your cost per acquisition. Compare that to your other lead sources. Most coaches find that open days produce some of their lowest-cost, highest-quality leads.