How to Appeal to New Audiences for your FEC

Clarity, data, and a clear path forward are necessary components of every reinvention.

Over the years, I have often heard operators share that the audience they expected to have for their entertainment venue wasn’t who ultimately made up the largest visitor base for the facility. And with new competition entering the market all the time, it makes sense to make adjustments now and again to appeal to a wider (or even different) segment of the market. Read on for seven steps to help you do just that.

No. 1: Know Your (Current) Audience. 

Knowing your current audience is the starting point for almost any endeavor you set to undertake. Before you can expand your reach, you need to know who you’re currently attracting and, more importantly, why. 

Use your facility management software’s reporting and analytics to get a handle on key guest information like zip codes, age ranges, purchase history, visit frequency, and your hourly traffic times so you can begin to understand who’s visiting, when, how often, for how long, and what attractions and offerings they’re investing in.

It’s no secret that facilities that attract multi-generational audiences tend to skew younger earlier in the day. But the more in tune with what’s happening in your facility, the easier it will be to effect your desired changes.

No. 2: Review Who’s Actually in the Market.

Next, delve into the demographics of your local market to see if your desire to change the demographic of your guests is even possible. Review your feasibility study information, contact a commercial real estate broker, and even review local labor or economic statistics to gain insights into the areas you’re trying to draw in from.

No. 3: Know Your Competitors.

Knowing your competitors is important so that you can understand their place in the market. What are they offering that draws in crowds? What makes them stand out? What’s their overall vibe? Understanding their experience and offerings can help you understand how guests perceive their business compared to yours. And, gaining some perspective into their strengths and weaknesses can help you identify areas where you can differentiate yourself and offer something unique if you’re trying to attract a new group of guests. Pro tip: I’ve said this before: know your competitors but don’t become obsessed with them. Use what you learn to help you identify your competitive advantage and craft new messaging.

No. 4: Reassess Your Attraction Mix.

With the data you learned about what attractions and experiences your guests purchase the most, you have what you need to know if it’s time to refresh your lineup of attractions. It’s no surprise that if your facility is full of attractions and games that appeal to younger kids, you’re naturally going to draw in younger families while ax throwing, tactical laser tag, and more social gaming experiences tend to draw in different age ranges. Consider whether your current attraction and game mix is a fit for the audience you’re trying to draw in and what, if anything, you can do to make an impact.

No. 5: Consider Your Overall Ambiance.

The ambiance of your FEC plays a significant role in your guest experience. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures all make a difference in your overall vibe. From layout and design to decor, lighting, scent, and music, every detail matters. Consider what kind of setting you’re creating and whether that’s right for the audience you wish to attract. In fact, design, lighting, and sound are so important that we have sessions dedicated to them at educational and start-up events like Foundations and Amusement 360. Reach out to Sherry Howell at showell@centeredgesoftware.com for a scholarship for an upcoming event if you’d like to learn more:

• Foundations – San Antonio, TX July 23-24, 2024
• Amusement 360 – Indianapolis, IN September 10-12, 2024
• Foundations – Ft Myers, FL October 8-9, 2024
• IAAPA Expo – Orlando, FL November 18-22, 2024

No. 6: Reimagine Your Food and Beverage.

Food and beverage continue to grow in importance in many entertainment experiences. Like with design, your food and beverage offering should appeal to the audience you wish to attract. But in order to do that, you have to be clear about who your audience really is and your facility’s place within the market. It all has to make sense. As an example, I once bartended in Tampa, Florida at an upscale billiards facility called Planet 9 Ball that featured a unique design, high-end drinks poured by showtenders, and upscale cocktail wait service. But what the owner wanted more than anything was to be known for having a top notch seafood restaurant. The result? Well, have you ever heard of a high-end pool hall featuring an award-winning seafood restaurant? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Bottom line: know yourself, know your audience, and develop your food and beverage operation accordingly.

No. 7: Reassess Your Marketing.

Once you’ve got the right products, ambiance, and the perfectly crafted experiences, what remains is to make sure you’ve got the right messaging. You’re probably producing content for various social media platforms, but are they the most impactful for your audience? Consider where to find your target audience (or the people who will drive them to your facility), and develop your content with them in mind. If you’re hoping to attract older audiences, don’t underestimate the power of user-generated content, either. There’s no influence quite like that of the influence of people in our ever-broadening social (media) circles.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many quality stock images for our industry, so it can be tricky to produce authentic marketing collateral and content. But it’s essential if you want to entice a new group of people. People want to feel like they belong, so your messaging should help your audience feel a connection at a glance. Consider hiring photographers and bringing in local models to pose for “candid” photos.

Two brands that come to mind easily to show the difference in marketing are the fashion brands Burberry and Kate Spade. Burberry’s offerings and marketing suggest that the target audience connects with words like quality, classic, timeless, and elegance. Kate Spade, on the other hand, invokes words like fun, fresh, playful, and whimsical and resonates most with people who identify with those ideas. So whatever you are promoting, your marketing should help your target audience see themselves as part of your experience.

With these ideas in mind, you should have what you need to attract an entirely new audience for your FEC or just refine the one you have, with maximum impact.