Let’s Get Social!
News and Notes
April showers bring May flowers. Across the brand, we continue to see strong demand for our playgrounds.
April into May however, we typically see a transition, with more kids in school, seasonal weather patterns usually means this is a lull in our playgrounds. This is an excellent opportunity to tune up your playgrounds.
As we head into the summer, the flip will happen, as our northern and eastern locations have a wind down and the western locations heat up.
This is the time to get your playground in shape. Ask how we can help tune you in!
The warehouse will be getting in much needed supplies based on your feedback soon, and we will set up times to discuss with you the next steps.
Price Adjustments
In December of 2021, we found a price increase was warranted due to the climate we are in. Today, after back to back months of 8% inflation, we see an additional need to adjust prices to account for this.
Admission prices, depending on your area, a $1 increase can be applied across the board. The only caveat is if you are in an area that is already inflated like California, where going above the $20 entry fee is not advised. Possible ways to increase revenue would be to eliminate the sibling rate, bump party prices by 10% and introduce mandatory 18% gratuity to all parties.
Need help looking this over? We can discuss this in our next conference call, or set up a new one using the calendar invite near the bottom of the newsletter.
Inside The Numbers
March 2022 Top 5 Revenue Streams
Parties:
- Dublin: $38,169
- Sutton: $28,707
- Stockton: $22,721
- Chino: $22,351
- Metairie: $22,209
Food/Beverage:
- Appleton: $36,550
- Grande Prairie: $30,722
- Stockton: $21,497
- Riverside: $15,549
- Norterra: $14,445
Entries:
- Appleton: $70,987
- Riverside: $52,207
- Grande Prairie: $49,253
- Stockton: $48,212
- San Jose: $47,952
*Arcade:
- Grande Prairie: $43,113
- Appleton: $22,467
- Sutton: $19,394
- Stockton: $17,091
- Norterra: $14,544
*Partial numbers, please see your own records for complete analysis
*Active Members:
- Norterra: 535
- Appleton: 372
- Surprise: 363
- Sutton: 358
- Chino: 353
*As of March 31, 2022
Our Corporate (Portal) Website is where you can place purchase orders, submit warranty requests, grab “to go” marketing graphics and mingle with your fellow franchisees.
Past Issues of Newsletter are now in the portal. Check them out by clicking the blog tab on the company portal.
Update: Socks are IN! We have the following sizes in stock and ready to ship.
- Toddler
- X-Small
- Small
- Medium
- Large
- X-Large
- XX-Large
Please use the company portal to place your order. In order to expedite these orders, we are requesting orders of 200 per size, which is 1 box per size.
Also, check out our Franchise Blog, it has timely information and updates on training and development. The blog showcases tips and tricks for increasing revenue and buy in.
Please check this regularly, as new content will be posted weekly to assist each of you succeed! Do you have your own tips and tricks? Please submit them and we can use it in a future issue.
Revenue Stream Spotlight
Arcades are on FIRE across the franchise brand. Grande Prairie continues to out perform and racking up sales. Rajiv and his team up in Canada have done a tremendous job of getting those kids and adults to engage and hit the jackpot.
On our next conference call, if you feel you need some help or have general questions on arcade revenue, let us know when you schedule. We will try to have High Score or ACS involved in the conversation.
From Sophia’s Desk
Monthly Checklist
HVAC Reminders
With the warm summer season just around the corner it’s important to remember to schedule maintenance on your HVAC systems. As temperatures begin to rise being proactive with properly maintaining your equipment can help you avoid costly breakdowns and ensure that your guests have an enjoyable time while visiting your facility this summer. Why stop there! Your HVAC system is not the only equipment that requires maintenance. Many times, operators forget that kitchen equipment also needs to be serviced on a regular basis to ensure that the equipment is working efficiently and lasts. If you have any questions regarding how to properly maintain your equipment in most cases the manual can be found online through a simple Google search. Please see sample monthly kitchen checklist included below to help you get this summer season started right!
Questions? Email me!
New Waiver
Please see the link below to update your waiver for entry. All locations will need to use this going forward. Please see yellow highlights, and enter your store information and state accordingly. Our recommendation is to save the document to your local drive, edit it to be specific to your location. If you have any questions, please reach out to me.
Marketing 101
It’s the count down to summer with only 5-8 weeks left. If you have not already started outreach and planning now is the time. Some key areas to consider are Summer hours, holidays, field trips, membership perks, camp, and possible daytime programs such as story time or crafts.
Summer Hours
With kids being out of school and the weather being warmer it is a great time to expand your hours to opening earlier and closing earlier. Please partner with me so we can update the website and make updates on SOCi so all listings are adjusted in a timely manner for this change.
Holidays & Events
Memorial Day, Independence Day, Christmas in July, Back to School Labor Day all fall during the summer. Decide now if you would like to do special hours, special offer for the day, a member perk, a party special, gift card sale. We will have options loaded into SOCi for these, but if you have an idea you would like to use I am happy to help you with creation and strategize on execution.
Field Trips
Field trips is a great additional source of revenue. Most preschools/camps have started the search for field trips, but it is not too late to do outreach. If you do not have a list of your local preschools/daycare/camps, I highly recommend spending time to create these as the will be beneficial for the future. Create a special mailing list, provide a special booking. If you need tips on where to start, begin with google maps. Type in your location and search nearby daycares. Create an excel sheet documenting the name, location, website, and phone. Then click into the website to find director name and emails. Emailing is a great start but follow up with a call. Please partner with me if you need a flyer for Field Trips. I can also assist with email templates.
Membership Perks
Summer is a great time for memberships, but you need to give your customers a compelling reason during the Summer to remain members after school starts back and part of that is building in the member benefit/perk program and be consistent. These perks could be daily, weekly, monthly. Offer something special just for members- a snack, drink, treat, gift, or game card. Create special events with Characters, Balloon Artists, Face Paint.
Camp
Make sure to know your local rules and regulations for camp. If you need assistance, please reach out to our corporate team. First things first, staffing. Make sure you have people in place, and they are first aid CPR certified. Then determine the other logistics such as dates, time (full day or half day), and offerings like snacks, drinks, food. Create a schedule for your camp and a theme. Complete a competitive analysis to determine pricing. Then create a theme and schedule helps with the flow for all. A typical schedule includes a good mix of supervised play, crafts/activities, and just overall fun. A few themes that can be fun with a ton of ideas that can be found on Pinterest are Pirates, Picasso, Superhero, Jungle/Safari, Rockstar, Under the Sea, STEM, Dinosaurs, Sports, etc. Once you have these items in place partner with me to add a section to your website and make adjustment to marketing material for in store and social.
Daytime Activities
If you are not hosting camps. summer is a great time to test new programs because you are likely to have an active audience to determine what helps drive business, but it also helps break up the day. A few fun easy to execute items are story times, crafts, and treasure hunts. Choose a story and search Pinterest for a craft. Hide pictures and or clues around the playground. Create a mommy and me book club. Whatever you decide, choose options that can be sustainable.
SOCi Reminder
As a reminder we are continuing to build out marketing materials on SOCi. This is a great resource to utilize for scheduling out social posts as we have a ton of graphics readily available, responding to reviews, and managing listings
Set Up a Time to Chat With Christina
As always please reach out if you have any questions or want assistance to build your program of offerings. Schedule a meeting here: https://calendly.com/luv2playmarketing/planning
Brand Colors
SOCI Reminder
You should have received an email with an invite from SOCi and you probably have already begun to see notifications. If you cannot find this email please let me know and I can have it resent. As a reminder it is very important to be responding to reviews and posting to Google often to help increase your SEO. Below are directions for self-guided resources on how to use the platform. You may also schedule a time with me to review if you have questions https://calendly.com/luv2playmarketing/planning.
For more information on SOCI and other marketing programs, email Christina. Use our marketing portal on the corporate website to submit requests. We highly recommend using the company portal for your communication with our marketing department. This will help us give you the tools you need in a way that has accountability on both sides of the coin.
Party Central
Tips and Tricks from the Field!
Here are some tips and tricks, do’s and don’ts from our Party Director, Lacey Meadows. Questions? Please email her at lacey@luv2play.com, we are here to help and assist.
Training and Development Corner
Ongoing Sales and Operation Training Available
Spent some time at Fairfax, and had an amazing time getting to know the staff, the guests and the playground near our nation’s capital. The key to a thriving playground is the synergy between your employees and your guests.
The tried and true method is the 8, 3 and 1!
Each employee, whether they are in the kitchen, the floor or up front, engage!
- Talk to 8 people a day
- Get 3 stories to share with your team
- Remember 1 persons name a day
If your team can consistently do this, you will see increased memberships, online reviews and revenue through your door.
Site Visits
Site visits will be conducted over the summer and into the fall. We typically do these each year. Due to Covid-19, these visits were suspended. The format will follow the same visits we did in 2019. These typically are 1-2 day visits and would prefer to have you present. With that in mind, be on the look out for an upcoming email as we get you scheduled.
With the seasonality of our playgrounds, one of the ways you can set a plan in. For questions, please email me at edward@luv2play.com and I will be happy to elaborate or offer one on one or group training.
Luv 2 Play Monthly Conference Call
Each month we want all Franchisees to take an hour out of their day to discuss the daily operations with us. We go over staffing, pricing, competition and MUCH MUCH more. It’s our way of keeping a pulse of each of you and to better help you succeed in your business. We would LUV to speak with you. The corporate team of Edward, Lacey, Christina and Sophia are eager to help.
To set up a time use the link below 👇👇👇