Recently I ran into two completely different “booking” philosophies regarding birthday parties. Check this out…
Center number one has a firm policy in place that you must book your birthday 48 hours in advance. You are welcome to come on in and celebrate your birthday tomorrow but you can’t book one of their fabulous birthday party packages. Many times a center can’t book a party that late because there are no party spots available. Center number one put this 48 hour rule in place primarily because it is too difficult to get a party pro for the party in the ninth hour.
Center number two has a two hour policy. Can you imagine that? Literally, you can call the center two hours in advance and if the space is available they will accommodate you. I found this fascinating and had to know more.
Center number two was serious about growing their birthday party business especially during the summer time. They decided they needed a system that supported their growth philosophy. They knew, like center number one, that the only problem (if space was available) with booking a last minute party was finding a party pro to cover the party. Since they were obsessed with growth they wanted to be in a position to book a party any time they could. So they got together with their Party Pro team and decided how to solve the problem of “no host” for last minute bookings. They developed an “On Call” Party Pro position. This position pays $3.00 more an hour as a bonus for those who volunteer to be on call. If you are the “On Call” Party Pro you are required to answer you phone or respond to a text within 5 minutes of being contacted and arrive at the center one hour after you’ve been called in order to receive the wage bonus.
Could this “On Call” Party Pro system work for you? What concerns would you have implementing this type of program? Many times you may be too booked for this to even be an issue. However, what about those last minute cancellations? Maybe you are primarily an indoor facility that could accommodate someone who had an outdoor party planned on a day that rain interrupts the original plan!
In the spirit of full disclosures (because I know someone will ask), I made up the Center Number Two scenario because I’ve always thought this was a good idea. I’m really interested in whether or not you think this could work for your center and if it would make a difference in the number of parties you hold.
Listen, if it happens only once a week that’s 52 more parties per year; and can you imagine the gratefulness of that last minute mom or dad? I just want to challenge your thinking about the “rules”. Many times we put rules in place and then can’t remember why they are even part of the system.
