IAAPA Benchmark: Despite Diversity There IS Much to Be Learned from Fellow FECs

by | Sep 20, 2017 | Sales

 

IAAPA has just published our new IAAPA FEC Benchmark Report. The report is based on FY 2016 data and covers demographics, admissions, attractions information, guests, parking, and financial such as pricing. The results are broken out by FEC location, attendance, and type (indoor, outdoor, mixed). The report concentrates on metrics you can use when reviewing your own operations.

As expected, our results show a very diverse marketplace. We found that 42% were pay-as-you-go, 41% were pay-as-you-go with some attractions ticketed separate, and the rest (15%) were pay-one-price. When looking at type the two largest respondent types were indoor/outdoor FECs at 39% and 36% identified as all indoor FECs. 45% of respondents are from single FECs, but the average number of facilities owned is 4.5 showing many FECs are part of a large company.

All the complexity in the market can make it difficult to compare facilities. One of the metrics we found effective for comparison across all facilities was pricing. We asked for typical pricing for a series of activities at FECs. We found the average pricing for individual activities was between $5 and $8 with a bumper boat ride the lowest average at $5.81 and an hour of a ropes course being the highest at $7.64. The two most common activities were one game of miniature golf and a single laser tag game, which averaged $6.63 and $7.36, respectively.

We asked about which individual activities generated the most revenue based on a list of the top 28 activities found at FECs. Arcade games, laser tag, outdoor miniature golf, and go-karts generated the most revenue for the FECs surveyed. We also found that birthday parties remain the most lucrative special events.

Staffing is another common metric for all FECs despite any size, activities, or format differences. All FECs struggle with staffing and we found facilities are seeing only a 50% retention rate on an annual basis on average. The average age for all employees is 25.7 years with 65% of employees between 18 and 30 years old. The facilities with a smaller staff tend to have a higher ratio of full-time employees to part-time compared to facilities with a larger staff. Staffing is also a large investment for FECs with payroll being the largest expense for FECs averaging 33% of total expenses. FECs also reported 1% of expenses going towards training of staff on average

Guest demographics are very important to successful marketing and for planning market expansion. We asked FEC a few key questions about their guests. On average, the respondent’s guests come from 25.6 miles away with most coming from under 10 miles away. The average length of guest visit is 2.7 hours, the average guest age is 20 years, and guests visit 2.8 times a year.

There is much more detail about the metrics covered in this overview and about other metrics in the report. The report is available to IAAPA members as part of their membership and non-members can purchase it. More information is available at www.IAAPA.org/Research. Or email research@iaapa.org with any research questions.

A Heart as Big as Texas

by | Sep 7, 2017 | Marketing, Personal, Service

I love Texas!

Really what I mean by that is I love my hometown of Houston. I was born and raised here and tell people all the time I live in the greatest city in the world! If you have turned on a TV in the past week, you have seen the devastation that hit the Gulf Coast. Yes, not just Houston but the 52+ counties affected by Hurricane Harvey.

During the past week, we have seen people from all over our state and, quite frankly, our country, come together. They’ve helped with rescue, demo of homes, and clean up. They are working shelters, bringing in donations of food, water, clothing, and other much-needed supplies. It truly has been amazing. I wanted to spotlight some of the work that’s been done and then give you ideas on how to give back to your community, particularly with the holiday season coming up.

Bowling Center Opens Doors to Hurricane Refugees

Our dear friends at Max Bowl in Port Arthur, Texas opened their doors and became a shelter for those seeking refuge from flood waters. Not only did they open their doors, the café was feeding everyone, too. This story literally brought tears to my eyes. Opening their doors was an overwhelming example of how the bowling and FEC community gave back to their community.

Local Trampoline Park Donates Proceeds to JJ Watt Hurricane Relief Fund

Another amazing example is Urban Air in Spring, Texas, just a few miles from my house. For two days they donated all proceeds to JJ Watt’s Foundation for Hurricane Harvey Relief. It was a great way to get the kids out and let parents have time for clean up as the neighborhoods around the corner were severely flooded.

School Supply Drive to Support Gulf Coast Schools

Here at TrainerTainment, education is a huge priority for us. We are educators in every sense of the word, so we started a school supply drive. In Houston ISD, 52 schools were severely damaged and another 27 had damage that could be repaired within a few months. Port Aransas Texas schools have been so damaged, they do not plan on opening for the rest of the year and are diverting students to other districts. These students are our team members. They are our party hosts, cashiers, ride operators, and game room attendants. Our goal is to provide school supplies so we can get kiddos back in school and have some sense of normalcy.

Ideas to Give Back to Your Community

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking of all of our friends and clients in Florida who are getting ready for Hurricane Irma. People there will have the same needs. Here are some ideas of how you can help with either recovery effort.

  1. School Supply/Food/Toy Drive – These types of drives are easy to set up and don’t require a lot of work. Advertise you are collecting food, school supplies, or even toys for an organization. Have a special offer such as a free attraction or maybe even a BOGO for donating an item.
  2. Plan a fundraising night. It’s fun and easy. Encourage people to come in your center and then give a portion of the day’s sales back to the organization.
  3. Create a special package – You can run this for a night or an entire month. Create a special package that includes food, drinks, and fun and give a portion of each package sold to the organization of your choice.
  4. Match Grant – Allow local organizations to host a fundraiser and match it! Set the amount you are willing to match up to giving them the opportunity to double their fundraising efforts.
  5. #GivingTuesday – Show your support for a local organization. Have your team members bring in donations. Use social media to let your fans know you support the specific organization, that you are collecting for them, and encourage them to participate.
  6. Go Big! Host a bowling tournament or big event at your center.

I hope this will give you ideas on how you can help. If you would like more info on how to execute one of these ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Just shoot an email to rosie@trainertainment.net.

TrainerTainment Sponsors School Supply Drive for Gulf Coast Schools

by | Sep 1, 2017 | Press Release

Dallas, Texas – The Texas Gulf Coast Region suffered significant damage from Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey. TrainerTainmnet is a Texas-based company with a heart the size of Texas. In an effort to help our community, TrainerTainment is hosting a school supply drive to assist schools in the Gulf Coast Region with recovery.

“We grow people and businesses and we do it in that order, people first!” says Beth Standlee, Founder & CEO. “We are educators in every sense of the word and we want to do everything we can to help.”

Director of Marketing Rosie Salas is located in Spring, Texas and has seen first hand what the devastation has done. “We are so blessed that our home is safe and we are high and dry. We have seen massive devastation here. People are donating clothes and food but it will be important for us to get our kiddos back in school to have a sense of normalcy while the adults do what they need to at home.”

Many schools in the region are closed and other school districts are stepping up to enroll as many students as they can. There is no doubt an overwhelming number of schools have lost everything.

People wanting to help and donate can click on our wish list through Amazon and purchase products. The TrainerTainment staff will work with schools to make sure supplies are delivered to those in need. You can find the list at http://bit.ly/HarveyReliefSchoolSupplyDriveTrainerTainment is encouraging family entertainment centers to host their own school supply drives.

 

About TrainerTainment: TrainerTainment focuses on training and coaching to enhance leadership, business strategies, promotions, sales, group events, birthdays, and company party programs. Developing people, implementing business processes that get results, and teaching teams how to create a thriving sales culture through great service are our primary goals. TrainerTainment is located in Texas and has worked at facilities in the United States, Canada, and Australia and has spoken at events worldwide.

 For more information on TrainerTainment, please visit: www.trainertainment.net

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