Betson Enterprises, the amusement equipment, parts, and service distributor, has been sharing some top tips on how to create birthday parties and other events that will result in loyal guests who come back again and again.
There can be a lot of pressure on the event organiser, for example a parent arranging a birthday party for their child, to create an above-and-beyond experience. Taking this into account, Amber Lambert, regional sales representative for Betson Enterprises, asks:
“What are we doing in the entertainment industry to help parents ease that pressure? Have you educated your staff on what these parents are feeling in terms of pressure and expectations when they are booking these parties? Many younger staff who do not have kids are not aware of how these parents are feeling or how to react to these feelings and guests.”
The power of party games
Lambert goes on to stress that the experience that FECs provide often comes more from the staff than from the games or attractions:
“Several years back, at an IAAPA seminar, I remember someone discussing the analogy of if there were two FEC’s next to each other and one had all the latest, greatest games, equipment, and attractions, yet a boring or subpar staff and the second FEC had older and fewer attractions but an engaging staff, many people would likely visit the first FEC. Still, many more would visit and return to the second FEC. That return visit is enormous.”
In most markets, FECs play a minor role in the entertainment options landscape and mostly depend on repeat business. And it is the FECs employees that create the experience that they are selling. Lambert says, when it comes to what these FECs can do to enhance the party experience, there is a lot of potential in adding party games.
“One night when my friend Sheryl Bindelglass of Sheryl Golf, Inc. was visiting my center and helping me out,” explains Lambert. “She showed me a game called Stuff It, where kids (and adults) stuff balloons up oversized shirts that two of the kids wear.
“I thought that no kid would want to play this game. Sheryl caught this family as they were checking out at Redemption, and she asked them if they wanted to play a quick game. At first, they were pretty disinterested. The parents looked exhausted and tapped out, and the kids just wanted their prizes. But in Sheryl’s way, she convinced them to play. Once they started playing, the kids and staff got into the game, but what was more was the expression on the parent’s faces changed. They not only started to smile and enjoy watching this fiasco of balloons, but they also wanted to get pictures of it.
“I required my staff to play games with the kids every day after that day. The sillier, the better. Stuff It is still one of my favorite games to this day.”
There are many additional minute-to-win games and other brief yet entertaining games available for players of all ages, and there’s no shortage of places to find inspiration.
Personalised experiences
Lambert’s advice is to make sure that FEC staff know several games, and that they are felxible enough to switch direction quickly when necessary:
“I have yet to see any one party run the same way, so one of the critical qualities of a great party host is how to read customers and how to be flexible with their schedule and their plans to create an experience that caters to the guests, not to an arbitrary program.”
What else can you do to set your parties apart? Lambert adds:
“We gave each party kid a special shirt with our logo on it for a while. Sure, many places do this, but we took it to the next level and turned it into an activity. We created a tie-dye station at our entrance, and it was an activity that the party host and the guest of honor would do while awaiting other guests to arrive. We gave them a white shirt with our logo and found a spray-on tie dye so any kid could do it without a big mess.
“By the end of the party, their shirt was ready for them to take, and it was always presented to them when the bill was introduced. I loved seeing those shirts all over town; the kids loved making them. We had many people ask to make a shirt, but we decided to keep that as a particular activity only for kids who booked a party with us. By doing this, we encouraged more booked parties and fewer walk-in parties.”
There are many original ways that FECs can make their events stand out and assist parents in throwing the greatest party ever for their children.
“You need to think outside the box, do your research and planning, and make sure you have the best-trained staff that is flexible, prepared, and can communicate well, as that will make more of a difference to how parents and kids perceive the party went than any other thing in your center,” says Lambert.
“Remember, even if you don’t have the greatest, newest attractions, your guests will return….or they won’t, based on the experience that your staff provides.”
Last month, Betson Enterprises announced that Rick Murphy has rejoined the company to support its growth in the Georgia gaming market. Murphy has now taken on the role of regional sales representative, having previously worked for Betson for 12 years as a sales account manager.
