Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1431926
USICERINKS.COM NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2021 / 39 Here is a birthday party planning checklist: • Plan the party offering. Place, people, promotion and price all play a role. Review all items at least every six months. • Plan contingencies for when something goes wrong. (Cake gets smashed, party room has a water leak, etc.) • Put up birthday party materials to build awareness at your point of sale. • Line up a consistent bakery for the cakes and cupcakes. Ask for a discount. • Decorate the room. • Ask for favorite colors and then decorate cakes in those colors, and have tablecloths and plates to match. • Since cupcakes are very popular, get a cupcake tree to display the treats during parties. • Consider asking learn-to-skate students for their birth dates. Send them a direct mail postcard a month ahead so they consider including the ice rink in their plans. • Check all items for usability and presentation. • Double-check how to spell names, since many names are spelled differently than they sound. Spelling a name wrong on a cake could ruin the whole party! • Keep small tubes of cake icing in case a name has to be changed, or added to a stock cake when things go wrong. • Promote birthday parties on your website and any bulk emails you may send out. • Appoint one staff person to coordinate the parties. A group sales person is perfect for this essential function. Commissions always help get more party bookings. Birthday parties do have many pieces that have to be combined seamlessly into a whole experience. From the rink guards who help with the skates, to the coach who teaches the ice-skating lesson, to the host, every part of the birthday program has to work perfectly. Good parties help market the facility and expose it to people who otherwise would not consider skating! J REGUPOL is an industry leader in producing high-performance rink flooring that stands up to the elements and high-traffic activity. As the inventor, we've driven the technology of indoor sports surfacing for decades. We've got it covered — from the compressor area, ice resurfacer room, to offices, locker-rooms, classrooms, walkways and weight rooms we have your flooring needs taken care of. www.regupol.us Thayer Academy • Brantree, MA