Summer is undoubtedly filled with an endless list of opportunities and as the new owner of your own gaming theatre, it’s up to you to ensure that by the time the school bell rings for one last time before the start of summer, you’re prepared for the potential of being booked out every day for all sorts of seasonal events.
In the months leading up to summer, you should be collecting the contact information of your local summer camps, schools and any fundraisers that may be taking place. Contact local parenting magazines, parenting bloggers and research upcoming local events that celebrate the end of the school year, grad parties, back to school expos, July 4th and more. Find out who is in charge, get all of their information and create your own database to periodically send out newsletters, reminding them of your next level gaming units, perfect for EVERY occasion.
Consider working with local mommy bloggers and offering your services in return for some exposure of your business. Perhaps offer their readers a promo code for $10 off, so that you can monitor how successful this sort of marketing strategy works for your business and later can decide if it is something you should continue using during peak seasons.
Another option is to contact schools before graduation season begins and suggest a midnight or after-hours party, which takes place after their graduation celebration. This sort of event encourages a safe environment for students to celebrate the end of the school year, while having fun with all of their friends.
To work with summer camps, you may need to register with your local school district. We suggest introducing yourself and finding out the requirements months ahead of the time, as you may need to have your staff screened and fingerprinted to receive badges, which will allow them on the school grounds. This is an advantageous marketing point, as you will find that several vendors in your area will not go through the steps of being accepted as a local vendor by the school district, thus being turned away. School districts may also have an after-school program which you can apply to be part of and sign up to join their annual vendor day, or submit your brochures and pricing list for them to distribute to their different programs.
Consider different pricing packages for summer or encourage a ‘Summer Madness’ promo where you throw in a free 30 minutes or an additional service like bumper balls and laser tag. Remember that it is always smart to plan ahead so that when the madness of summer hits, you’re prepared to have a successful peak season. Most of all, have fun and use this as an opportunity to ensure that the rest of the year is just as successful.