5 Automated Conversations You Should Be Having with Your Park and FEC Event Guests

Whether you’ve booked a waterpark, amusement park or FEC event, don’t let a budding relationship fail by missing out on these essential touchpoints.

The birthday party or event is booked and you’re well on your way to making memories with a whole new group of prospective guests. Take this opportunity to further lay the groundwork for a world-class guest experience. Your event sales staff might be busy, but that doesn’t mean you need to skimp on communication. Let your party software help you set and manage guests’ expectations from beginning to end, so you can focus on delivering wow-worthy events and turning one-time party guests into return customers.

In addition to your pre-event prep-work and personal checkpoints, read on for five automated email conversations that will help you deepen your relationships with birthday and group event guests.

1. The Confirmation Email

Immediately after a park of FEC event is booked by phone or over the web, it’s obvious that you should send a confirmation of the deposit paid and the event details. What may not be as obvious is this email should also express gratitude and excitement to your intended birthday child or event planner.

Also, be sure to include any terms and conditions; links to waivers, FAQs and electronic invitations; and a suggested upsell or two. Posed as questions about things hosts sometimes forget, these kinds of soft upsells are both helpful and surprisingly effective. Try:

“Have you planned your goody bags? We can help.”

“Have adults coming? We have party platters.”

“Want $25 in game play for $20? Ask your event planner today.”

2. The Last-minute Details Checklist

A good rule of thumb is to send an automatically generated last-minute checklist five to seven days prior to an event. Include some or all of your FAQs, information about what guests should expect, and if possible the name of their event host or managers on duty. You can include an updated invoice with add-on guests as well as an update on RSVPs, with a reminder to be sure that attendees complete their online waiver and RSVP for the event.

Consider using another upsell question that invites planners to think about a different add-on that can save them valuable time or wow their attendees. Remember to word your email text and upsell suggestions to tap into guest motivations. Over time, what have you learned that your guests are motivated by? In the week before an event, are you saving them time or offering them a more customized experience? Are you raising the bar to provide a one-of-a kind birthday party? Use the right language in your automated emails to help your guest see how your facility understands their needs, and that you’re well-equipped to meet and exceed them.

3. The Excitement Building Email

Why not go the extra mile by sending an email a couple of days in advance of an event, just to let your future guest of honor know that you’re excited for them to visit and share their special day with you?

You could even encourage them to think about their favorite super hero, princess, game or song so that you can learn it in advance to help create an even more personalized experience when they arrive. The key here is not to sell anything, but to show that you can’t wait to spend the day with your new guest, and that your facility is set up to make the park or FEC event special.

4. The Post-event Thank You and Feedback Request

Within 2-3 days of an event, it’s a good idea to send guests a thank you and request for feedback. It’s always a good idea to get feedback during the event in the form of a personal conversation or comment card, but you could also include a link to your favorite tool to compile additional feedback and track it over time.

Pro tip: The Lost Art of Thank You Cards – Sending a physical thank you card to birthday kids mentioning a funny or fun moment unique to that party is really exceeding expectations. One word of caution: The thank you must be timely, sincere and accurate. I once worked with a client whose party hosts were supposed to send thank you cards after birthday parties but, over time, the staff had taken to just filling them out without really giving thought to the individual parties. The result: They sent a note saying “we had so much fun at your party” to a child who had left the party in an ambulance.

5. The “When Can We See You Again?” Email

Depending on the type of event held, consider adding guests to your marketing email database for future event nurturing or regular marketing. At the very least, set an automatic email to send one to two months prior to the same date the following year to the event host. Include language that wishes a birthday child a Happy Birthday with a re-booking offer or invite that corporate team back for an exclusive peek at a new attraction.

And one more email to grow on. If you’ve collected email addresses for birthday party attendees or waivers, consider setting up an automatic email that thanks them for attending their friend’s party and includes an invitation to join your birthday club.

Whatever you do, don’t stop communicating at that one-time visit. Invite guests back to build brand loyalty. Using these types of emails can be a great way for you to create brand stickiness and keep your facility top of mind – all while saving you time!

Have questions about how to create automatic email templates or want to learn more about our birthday party booking software and make your Advantage Groups application work harder for you? Contact us at training@centeredgesoftware.com.