The "F" in FEC

The Lee Family

2016 Family Vacation

Family is an important part of our society... heck, it's an important part of us. There are 2,500+ Dating sites (in the US) where singles go to find the one person in the world they want to begin a family with. There are 62,000 Non-Profits, geared specifically towards families, that made up almost 30 billion dollars in charitable giving in 2016. And let's face it, no matter what our personal views are, a majority in America puts emphasis on 'FAMILY'.

So what does that mean for a Family Entertainment Center? Well, it means that we need to understand the dynamics of this group and be cautious in our decision making. To be clear, I don't believe we let the 'Family' completely dictate us... but they should influence our thinking.

Here are some things we do in our park to make sure families are happy with their experience as a whole...

1) We turn off the 'Flag Girls' on our racing games and Big Buck Hunter HD. No one even notices that the girls aren't there, but I promise a mother would notice if they were. (I know from experience in fact LOL)

2) We train our staff to know 2 or 3 games that are geared towards each age group. (Or, if we don't have games for that age, how we accommodate that as a park. Recently, we got rid of our 'Children's' games and used that space for more racing, and crane games. Now, when a mom comes in, I tell them that kids 0-3 usually don't need much money on a card to really enjoy the Arcade because they just love to see all the flashing lights. The moms are always thankful that they can actually bring the toddler in and we don't mind them sitting at the Cruisin Blast and watching the cars fly by... that same mom will continue to come as the child grows up and she will bring her older kids too... It's all about our response (Plan a response)

3) We find ways of drawing on 'Family' time like we draw on Corporate outings and groups! Use families to increase revenue in the slow season by offering them something that sounds great to them, but is also worth while for your company. Maybe a Family Pack with 4 Go-Karts, 4 Unlimited Putt-Putt Golf and $40 in arcade for $80. (That's just $20 per person for about 2 hours of fun!)

Don't get stuck, however, thinking only about the little kids... you have to do something to make teens and dads want to come too (because lets face it, they need to be included for it to be a FAMILY outing). So dim the lights in the arcade... have TVs playing sports, let dads putt-putt for free when the family plays (because that won't cost you anything, but it could mean the world to his kids...).

Make sure you are living up to your name as a FAMILY Entertainment Center... It could make all the difference...


Brian Lee
General Manager
Charleston Fun Park
GM@charlestonfunpark.com
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