Think like Donald Trump.

The groundbreaking ceremony for your building is a chance to celebrate your success in a public, attention-getting way. It’s an opportunity to point with pride, hare the credit, and tell the world.

Make it a real event, like Trump does.

The breaking-of-ground ceremony is an ancient ritual, as old as prehistory and found in every culture. It started as a rite of offering as a means of sanctifying and protecting a site.

Today we use the groundbreaking ceremony to signify the end of planning and preparation and the beginning of action—actual construction. We’re saying, “Our project is now a reality!”

Like any other part of your project, the groundbreaking should be carefully planned.

Foremost, strive to make your groundbreaking ceremony a true celebration—make it fun and enjoyable, something people will remember. Think about providing music, refreshments, flowers, colorful balloons, maybe even some fireworks.

When should you hold it? Usually it’s best to schedule the groundbreaking a few days after construction actually starts. There will be equipment on the site and evidence of work being done. This provides a more dramatic visual backdrop for the ceremony.

What time of day works best for the people you intend to invite? If you’re interested in attracting news media coverage—and you should be—take news deadlines into account. From mid-morning to mid-afternoon usually works best for making the evening television news or next day’s newspaper.

Be sure to coordinate your planning with your builder. Your builder can help you with the traditional groundbreaking props—hardhats, ceremonial shovels, even a bulldozer.

It’s natural and fitting to have one or more speakers to comment on the significance of the occasion. Someone from your company can talk about how the new building will help you achieve your business goals. Perhaps the mayor or a state representative can speak about the benefits to the community. Create an agenda and choose a master of ceremonies. Keep the ceremony to a total of 20 minutes or so.

Start your guest list with representatives of the companies or organizations that have had a hand in your project—the architect, the builder, your bank, and so forth. Consider local officials who have been instrumental in the process, such as members of council or the planning commission. How about local business leaders, such as Chamber of Commerce officials? Send out the invitations four to six weeks in advance. Include directions to the site and whom to contact for further information or to RSVP.

Send out a news release or advisory to the media outlets in your area about a week in advance. Make sure to explain why the event is significant and newsworthy. Provide contact information. Make follow-up calls to the media the day before. Also, send out a news release immediately after the event. It should describe what happened and include remarks and comments from those who took part.

Don’t forget to hire your own professional photographer to document the groundbreaking. You may want to provide photos to attendees as mementoes. You may also want to make your own video as well.

There are other details to keep in mind. Will you need a tent? What about chairs? A sound system? Use the groundbreaking checklist below as a guide and starting point to make sure you don’t miss anything essential.

Make your groundbreaking special. After all, as former New York Governor Al Smith said when he launched the Empire State Building, when you’re breaking ground for new construction you’re joining the “march of progress.”