Laura Cañellas is the Marketing Manager at Party Center Software. She is passionate about creating content that equips business owners with the tools they need to succeed. Check out more of Laura’s article on the PCS Blog.
The holiday season is the perfect time to wow your guests with an incredible experience at your family entertainment center.
What better way to spread holiday cheer than to decorate with your customers in mind, prepare your facility in advance, and train staff to manage the holiday rush!
All of the elements above come together to not only make managing this busy season a breeze, but to also help make customers feel welcome, safe, and excited to partake in all of your attractions and activities.
3 Tips for Creating a Phenomenal Guest Experience During the Holiday Season
If you’re a FEC owner or operator looking for tips on how to create a phenomenal guest experience, you’ve come to the right place!
Here are our top 3 tips:
1. Decorate with Your Customer in Mind
Ask yourself: What holidays does your local community observe? Are there any local traditions you can loop into your holiday decorating?
Celebrate diversity by decorating for each upcoming holiday!
You want to make sure that every guest feels welcome. Customers will appreciate seeing their holiday represented and highlighted throughout your facility.
To make things fun, host an “After Hours” holiday decorating party for your employees. Play music and order pizza and drinks. This is a great way to get things done, while also showing your staff you appreciate all the extra hours they’re putting in to help you during this busy season. Remember, a happy staff equals happy customers!
2. Check or Test Your Facility and Attractions
Be sure to document a process for your staff to check and test facility attractions. Schedule maintenance checks as frequently as necessary.
When’s the last time you checked if the heating works in your facility? What about the pipes?
To make sure your family entertainment center doesn’t run into any unexpected issues this holiday season, run a thorough maintenance check on your facility as well!
Ensure that everything is running smoothly and will not only be able to withstand the cold winter months, but also provide hours of safe enjoyment for every guest coming through your doors.
3. Make Sure Your Staff is Trained
Is your staff trained to manage the holiday rush? Schedule frequent check-ins with team members and make sure that veterans assist in training your new staff on all “holiday-rush” best practices!
You may want to consider scheduling training sessions or refreshers throughout this period. It never hurts to go over any process your team might need more training or information about!
Additionally, ask yourself whether you might need more staff during this period. If so, consider hosting a job fair at your facility to hire extra short-term staff. You’ll be well-equipped to provide your guests—especially those paying a premium for private events—with a more enjoyable and memorable experience.
Bonus Tip: Ask for Feedback
Before your customers leave your facility, be sure to ask them for some feedback.
How did your staff perform? Did they enjoy their time at your facility? Did everything go smoothly? How can you improve?
Consider creating a quick questionnaire form and ask guests to fill it out before they leave. Or, email the form to them afterwards! You may also consider offering a discount or a chance to win a gift card if they fill out your survey.
Resource: Event Planning 101
Hosting parties and events is an integral part of your operation. Parties generate the most revenue for your business and are an effective way to market your offerings and attractions.
As a leader, you have to equip your staff with everything they need to focus on delivering an incredible party and guest experience.
That’s why it’s so important to automate some of the process to relieve your staff of the stress that comes with event planning.
In our Event Planning 101 guide, we outline the major party planning areas to consider as you prepare to host your next party. Click here to download our Event Planning 101 guide today!
