5 Private Party Tips for Your Family Entertainment Center

Are you a family entertainment center owner or manager who lacks confidence in the success of your private parties?

Don't be!

Private parties are the perfect way to increase revenue at your FEC and can lead to more private event bookings via referrals in the future.

From Sweet 16’s, wedding showers, milestone birthdays
to team-building and corporate events, the possibilities for hosting successful private parties at your facility are endless.

5 Private Party Tips for Your Family Entertainment Center

Here are 5 private party tips to help you make your FEC the number one place for guests to book their next big celebration.

1. Plan for Success: Make Your Private Parties AFFORDABLE!

One of the best things you can do to ensure the success of your private parties is to make them affordable! Don't price yourself out of the market. Ideally, you’ll want to offer a standard option for each party package alongside potential add-ons (or, package tiers.).

You can even offer free return passes to your facility as an added benefit to booking a private event. Full service, exclusive events don't have to break the bank. Your responsibility as an FEC owner or operator is to make the value of the party outweigh the cost!

Tip: Make sure you always have a list of what’s advertised as included in each private party package handy, as well as the featured add-on options. As the facility responsible for giving customers a great experience, you never want to over-promise and under-deliver. Having the list handy allows both you and your staff to see what items need to be regularly ordered and stocked.

2. Effectively Market Your Private Party

How are you going to let potential guests know that you offer private parties? You need to meet your audience where they are: online!

To increase your chances of booking the most private parties possible, you need to give customers the ability to book parties online at their convenience.

Communicate your ability to offer intimate smaller events or rocking parties on Facebook and Instagram. Share images of groups having drinks, laughing, and having a great time at your facility. 

(*Note: Add photo and video consent to your digital waivers to make this process seamless if you want to use images of guests in your marketing efforts!)

What about loyal walk-in guests who visit your facility often? Share promotional offerings on table tents and stands inside your FEC as well as in entryways to let people who are already at your facility know about additional special services you offer. You might want to even consider extending a loyalty discount to regular customers if they book a private party with you!

Have your dedicated sales team reach out to those who have booked parties with you in the past, letting them know about any specials you may be offering and how committed you are to making their party experience the best you possibly can.

Regardless of the avenue of communication, get the word out! Letting your audience know your family entertainment center is the perfect venue for their upcoming private party is the key to a full calendar of party bookings.

3. Up-sell Private Parties via Online Booking

How do you book parties now? Do you have a group of select staff members responsible for answering inbound inquiries about private events?

If so, train them how to professionally speak to your offerings and how your facility is dedicated to catering to a customer's every need.

Let inquisitive guests know you offer a wide variety of pricing and services that will be able to fit their idea of the perfect private party, no matter how big or small.

The more knowledgeable your staff is about your private party packages, the greater ability they have to sell!

One of the best ways to increase guest satisfaction and revenue potential for private party bookings is by directing your guests to your online booking tool.

After choosing an available date and time for their event, your customers have the ability to browse and select exclusive add-on options such as custom themes, party favors, bottle service, and food and beverage items that are reserved offerings for private party bookers.

It’s important to remember that encouraging guests to book their party online isn’t meant to eliminate the staff involved in the process. Once a booking is made, connect with your customer and discuss each aspect of the party to make sure they’ve accurately selected their preferred choices, and bring up any additional ideas/add-ons for purchase they may not have considered.

Your job is to think of things the guest won't. What will they need during this private party? WiFi passwords? AV equipment for presentations? Specialty linens or a specific room set up?

Having a member of your FEC staff review private party booking details with upcoming guests will not only increase their confidence in the event being a success but will also increase your staff's confidence in event planning.

4. Seamlessly Execute the Perfect Private Party: Make Your Guests Feel Special!

After proper preparation, it’s time to execute! To pull off a flawless event, make sure to check well in advance that all items purchased as part of the booking have been ordered and delivered. You can use the checklist in your facility management software to make this process seamless.

When guests arrive at your family entertainment center, have staff available to welcome them immediately and guide them to their private event space.

Attention to detail and offering small extras that they didn’t purchase or request can go a long way in exceeding guest expectations.

Consider putting down a red carpet on the way to a photo backdrop wall where you offer to take your guests’ picture. Collaborate with your party-goers to create a hashtag for their special event at your facility to encourage social sharing.
What better way to promote your private parties than to have guests share their unique experiences on social media! (#partywithPCS)!

Go above and beyond the “norm” to make private parties at your FEC incredibly memorable and you’ll end up with more positive reviews!

5. Observe and Reflect: How Can You Improve Your Private Parties?

After each private party, it’s important to look back on how it went. Did you or a member of your staff notice anything that could be done better next time? Consider hosting short debrief meetings with your party hosts right after each event.

Make notes about things you forgot, what could have been improved, and what situations arose that you need to be better prepared for. Review them with your staff, and educate them on how to right the "wrongs"!

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