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 Like many family entertainment centers (FECs), Swaders Sports Park in Prince George, Virginia, must be extra careful with its spending these days. However, that doesn’t mean it had to forego a solid marketing plan.
“You just have to get creative,” says JoAnna Korkos, corporate and group sales manager. “Kids are being bombarded with messages during the holidays. You have to make your message stand out and give them a reason to see you.”
For her, getting creative meant bringing in a friend from the North Pole to help raise awareness of her facility: There’s no one like Santa Claus to garner some extra press, and attract guests.
FECs Instead of the Mall
Shopping malls serve as a primary location for children to meet Santa and rattle off a few gifts they want. Parents, though, usually wince at the thought of standing in a long, snaking queue, which is commonplace during the holidays, Korkos says. That’s why she felt having her own St. Nick would serve as a welcome reprieve to exasperated folks. “Moms don’t have to pay for it, and they don’t have to wait in line,” she says. “Plus, you’re not going to come here and not let your kids play something.”
Swaders does its best to make the experience worth it for their guests. The FEC goes all out with the Christmas decorations (including a mailbox for letters) and hires a professional Santa for every Saturday in December at a cost of a couple hundred dollars. “It’s totally worth it,” Korkos says of the added expense. “The kids absolutely love it.”
Parents can take as many photos as they want, and to help solidify the memory the FEC provides a Christmas-themed activity book for children. The back of the book features coupons for a return trip to the facility.
 Market Santa Creatively
Since 2009 Santa has wriggled down the chimney at Coolde- sac in Miami, Florida, as well. His first appearance made customers happy but didn’t generate much extra revenue, says Amy Madson, director of operations. An upgraded marketing plan helped make 2010 more successful.
Cool-de-sac promoted Santa via e-mails, Facebook, and one print ad. The FEC also tied the visit in with a special toy drive and art event, which benefited foster children. This move allowed them to market to both the artist’s and the charity’s e-mail lists, earning even more exposure, she says.
In addition, Cool-de-sac “split” its Santa time: 90 minutes on site one day and one hour at the local children’s hospital later the same week. Operators sent a team with T-shirts and gift bags to visit the children with Santa.
“Families got to take pictures with Santa, we did something good for our community, and we made money,” Madson says.
Madson offers some additional tips for FEC considering Santa:
- Interview Santas in person, and schedule the favorite one early. Good Santas book up for the prime December days as early as August.
- The event date is important. Plan Santa’s visit for about three weeks before Christmas.
- Market on the cheap with e-blasts, social networking, and in-store signage. The campaign should start 45 days out from the event and constantly repeat the message.
- Plan to take pictures and post them on Facebook or find a local photographer who will take photos and sell his own packages. “Don’t try to make money on it,” Madson advises. “Just provide that value-added service to the guests.”
Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.
Mixed Santa Success
Santa Claus doesn’t fly at all FECs during the Christmas season. For example, Palace Entertainment, with numerous locations across the U.S., has tried many unsuccessful attempts to host breakfast with Santa as well as regular weekend trips by St. Nick. “It is very difficult to compete with higher-end mall productions for theme sets and Santa talent,” explains Gregg Borman, senior vice president of Palace’s FEC division.
While finding success with the standard Santa visit, Swaders Sports Park also struggled with the breakfast, says JoAnna Korkos, who canceled her FEC’s event. “The price we needed to charge in order to break even on the food, Santa’s time, and playtime in the park made it a little too expensive for our market,” she details.
Jason Bock, owner of Madd Matt’s Entertainment in Williamsville, New York, finds Santa promotions problematic. “I’m not sure if it makes much sense,” he says. “The kids are going to be focused on Santa, not spending money at your FEC.” Bock thinks a better approach is to have the jolly guy actually participate in the attractions, like a “play laser tag with Santa” event. This way, guests will definitely plunk down at least a few bucks if they want to see him.
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