5 Things FEC Operators Wish They Had Known Before Opening their Doors

While preparing for the next Foundations Entertainment University event in Nashville in a couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about some of the conversations I’ve had over the years. If you’ve ever spent time at an industry event, you’ve probably heard some version of the same question:

“So…what do you wish you’d done differently?” It really doesn’t matter whether someone owns a traditional family entertainment center, bowling or skating-based facility, trampoline park, or any other type of attraction: Ask enough experienced operators, and you’ll start hearing a lot of the same answers over and over again. And spoiler alert, they’re about the day-to-day realities of running a business after the excitement of opening day wears off. Here are some of the lessons experienced operators wish someone had shared before they unlocked the doors for the first time.

No. 1: Don’t Build Your Operations Around Manual Work

When you’re planning a new facility, it’s easy to focus on the guest-facing experience. You spend months choosing attractions, designing the layout, selecting finishes, and thinking through the guest journey. What often gets overlooked are the dozens of operational processes that will happen behind the scenes every single day.

How will birthday parties be booked? What happens when someone wants to reschedule? How will you price for expected traffic patterns? How will operations change to accommodate different pricing programs and operational needs? How do waivers connect to reservations? Where are you setting your staff up to make multiple touches throughout a process?

None of those processes feels particularly overwhelming at first. But once you’re hosting multiple parties, selling memberships, managing school groups, answering phones, and serving hundreds of guests every day, small inefficiencies start stacking up.

The operators who seem to have everything under control find ways to eliminate repetitive work before it becomes a burden. Online party booking, integrated waivers, automated confirmations, pre-set pricing for peak and off-peak times, and connected reporting all reduce the number of manual steps your team has to complete.

When you’re thinking about how you will operate the many components of your business, consider how you will manage both back and front of the house operations. Take the time now to envision all the pieces your operation will put together and the systems that can support you now and in the future.

No. 2: Do Consider Adding More Storage

Having just built a house, I can attest that there could always be more storage space, and this is especially true when building out your entertainment venue.

You can almost never have enough room for redemption inventory, party supplies, paper products, seasonal decorations, marketing materials, replacement parts, cleaning supplies, food inventory, and everything else that quietly accumulates over the course of a year. Consider how supplies will be stored, where you’re likely to need quick access to items (such as near party rooms, in kitchens, etc.), and make a plan to maximize your space throughout.

Once you’re operational, make smarter decisions about what you’re keeping. Good inventory management helps you identify products that aren’t moving, prizes that should be reordered, kiten inventory that’s being wasted, and purchasing trends that help you order the right products at the right time. While that doesn’t exactly create more storage, it certainly helps you use the space you have much more effectively and manage costs at the same time.

No. 3: Your Best Marketing Tool Is the Guest Who Just Left Happy

Marketing is changing almost every day, and unfortunately, there is no magic wand you can wave to get it right 100% of the time. One of the best things you can do is to be crystal clear about how you want to reach the people who are automatically familiar with you.

The family and guests from last weekend’s amazing birthday party are already familiar with your business, and they just need a reason to come back. Be sure that in your marketing plan you’re putting as much energy into retention as acquisition. Birthday reminders, bounce-back offers, membership promotions, personalized emails, and targeted offers based on previous visits often generate stronger returns than constantly chasing brand-new guests.

No. 4: Managing Staff is Harder than It Looks

If you’ve ever led a team before, you already know that managing people is easier said than done. Every team member brings a different personality, communication style, work ethic, and level of experience, and what motivates one person may not work for another.

Building a strong team requires setting clear expectations, providing consistent training, giving regular feedback, and learning how to coach people as individuals rather than managing everyone the same way. The stronger your leadership and the more consistent your processes, the less time you’ll spend resolving issues and the more time your team can spend creating great guest experiences. That becomes even more valuable during busy seasons when you’re hiring and training large numbers of new team members in a short time.

No. 5: Guests Expect Convenience Everywhere

Guest expectations have changed dramatically over the past few years. People order virtually everything from their phones, check into hotels without visiting the front desk, and pay for coffee with a tap of their watch or phone. Naturally, this means that they expect that same level of convenience when they visit an entertainment venue.

Some families want to purchase tickets or packages online before they arrive, while others prefer to buy at a kiosk when they get there. Once they’re inside your facility, they may not want to stop having fun to order food. Giving guests the ability to order food and drinks from their phones while they continue playing keeps them engaged rather than standing in line and often leads to higher food and beverage sales, as ordering becomes part of the experience rather than an interruption.

But it’s important to note that technology shouldn’t come at the expense of guest service. Think carefully about how you’re using it and the potential pitfalls. For example, your admissions might benefit greatly from deploying card and wristband kiosks for guests to purchase and redeem for attractions and game play. But you will probably still need to have a few staff positioned strategically to engage warmly, answer questions and provide guidance, and of course, serve the guests who would rather work with a team member. The key is to use technology as a tool that can help you deliver a consistent, efficient process without sacrificing warmth.

No matter where you are in your journey, taking the time to think through these decisions now can save countless hours later. If you’re planning a new facility or looking for ways to simplify your operation, we’d love to show you how CenterEdge can help.