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With “back to school” season in full swing, it is time for family entertainment centers (FECs) to hit the books, as well. Hard work will help attract school groups, which can be a lucrative guest segment. Creativity plays a large role: From educational activities to games and attractions, FECs have numerous angles to reach the school-age set. Here are some ways to meet them before the final bell rings.
Laying the Groundwork
As late summer rolls around each year, Dorothy Lewis sends a hefty packet to area schools. “I let them know every single thing I can do for them,” says the president of Maxx Fun LLC in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. After a few weeks of school have passed and teachers are settled, she invites them to her facility for a light dinner and networking session. She only asks for 15 minutes to show a PowerPoint presentation designed to further highlight her venue’s value to their schools. The PowerPoint features fundraisers, proms, after-proms, social events, and educational programs.
The pitch helps, but it is not the only reason Lewis, a member of IAAPA’s FEC Committee, has found success with school groups over the years. She works closely with the school systems in other ways. For example, Lewis counsels high school students on interviewing skills, and through a school program helps special needs students prepare for the workforce. Possible positions might involve work in restaurants like filling salt and pepper shakers or clearing tables. In addition, she lets schools use her meeting space for free.
This important interaction allows her to slowly introduce herself and lay the groundwork for a long-lasting relationship, Lewis says. Schools appreciate the fact that you can offer them something without a dollar sign attached to it.
The ABCs of FECs
For FECs looking to include an educational component in their programs, Lewis suggests reaching out to local teachers to develop a curriculum. Teachers are able to best understand the needs of the district.
However, these sample ideas may need to be adapted based on the schools’ requirements:
- Kitchen Chemistry. In the food prep area, elementary children discuss temperature, middle school students perform pH tests, and high schoolers cover saturated solutions. All students learn how to cook and get to eat their creations.
- Animal Stuffing Class.While stuffing teddy bears, students learn about bears from around the world: their food, habitats, and how much they weigh. Older kids discuss manufacturing and assembly lines based on the stuffing process.
- The ABCs and 123s of FECs. This program covers what it takes to build an FEC and is more suitable for middle and high school students. Students learn about design, marketing, math, and legal issues. They are also able to do mock ride inspections.
Fun, Fun, Fun!
While Kart Kountry in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, does offer limited educational programs (finding averages with minigolf scores, or using a stopwatch to time go-kart rides), the FEC garners more business with reward-type trips. This past spring, Kart Kountry had roughly 50 school groups come in—not one for educational purposes, says Katrina James Jackson, director of sales and marketing. They ranged in size from a private school fifth-grade class of 20, to a high school senior day of about 300.
School business is, perhaps surprisingly, better now than several years ago, she notes. With families taking fewer vacations because of the down economy, “schools are really picking up the slack.” As a result, Kart Kountry becomes a popular staycation spot.
But that is not to say she does not have to work to earn their business. “They want everything and very cheap,” Jackson says with a laugh. She features an exclusive group rate for school trips with 200-plus people: $15 per student for three hours. All groups of 100 or more, including schools, get wristbands at $18 each for two hours. She dubs both packages “tremendous deals” but does not believe the discounts hurt the FEC so much that they are not worth offering. The school group rate helps to catch people at a traditionally slow time— weekdays while class is in session.
“A group of students are just going to sit on a picnic table and talk the whole time,” Jackson adds. “They won’t ride a single go-kart or play a round of mini-golf. This counteracts the students who will ride and play nonstop, getting much more than their money’s worth.”
Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.
Monitoring Student Behavior
A mob of 200 teenagers roaming your facility can be a scary thought, admits Katrina James Jackson of Kart Kountry. She strongly recommends that school groups come with an appropriate number of chaperones, including an authority figure like a principal or assistant principal. “Otherwise you’re going to have people writing on the walls and stealing everything that’s not nailed down,” Jackson says.
When schools book trips, Jackson lays down the law. Her staff will contact the police if the chaperones cannot or do not handle a situation appropriately. “The safety of all our customers must be the most important factor,” she says. “Most school groups understand this, and we have not had any trouble in the last few years.” |
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