booknow software lockdown with returning from

RETURNING FROMLOCKDOWN WITH

BOOKNOW SOFTWARE

Office 19, Devonshire House, Basingstoke RG24 8PE 020 8167 8522 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Contents

Introduction - 4

Returning from lockdown - 5 things toconsider - 5

How a membership scheme can boostyour revenue - 11

Why revisitation rate will be key oncevenues you reopen - 7

5 tips for marketing your familyentertainment centre - 13

Office 19, Devonshire House, Basingstoke RG24 8PE 020 8167 8522 [email protected]

Get in touch - 15


Throughout the various lockdowns that have been introduced around the worldBookNow have been supporting our customers multiple ways, and one of which

has been the production of content which we hope allows our customers tobegin planning their reopening, with suggestions on which things to focus on.

The purpose of this e-book is to consolidate that content into one place and shareit with other businesses that will now be beginning to plan their reopening as theindustry is given some target dates following the UK Government announcement

yesterday.

If you'd like to find out more about how BookNow Software can help you withyour reopening plans, please contact [email protected].

Introduction

Office 19, Devonshire House, Basingstoke RG24 8PE 020 8167 8522 [email protected] 3



About BookNow SoftwareWe provide End to End software for leisure and entertainment businesses poweredby Salesforce.com, allowing you to manage all operational aspects of your businessfrom ticketing software, point of sale (POS), food and beverage stock management,

RFID tag, self service kiosks, gift card solution, automated marketing, the world’sbest CRM system and finally a report for pretty much every aspect of your business –

BookNow Software does it all.

Customer Testimonial"I have worked with various systems in the Trampoline Park and Leisure sector andcan confidently say that this one stands out as the leader against all others. I haveworked with BookNow whilst fully in place in one operator but also at the stage of

implementation in a new build park.

Not only is the system able to give you the information you need in a snapshot atyour dashboard, but allows you to work remotely with full access to all its elements

with next to no business impact.

The software is easy to understand and operate offering so much more thanbookings including First Aid reporting, stock management and more and i amexcited to see more down the line.Not only is the software key, but the service

offered for support, guidance and help desk solutions is incredible."- Ben Peach, Operations Director, Leisure Sector


https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N3A00000EJbtBUAT


Returning from lockdown - 5things to consider

Following the UK Government announcement on February 22nd, we now knowwhen the UK Soft Play & Indoor Entertainment can return. With that said, we

certainly think things may be slightly different to pre COVID-19 – at least in theimmediate future, as we wait for immunity levels grow as the vaccine has the

impact we expect it to.

Here are 5 ways we think your venue will need to adjust and consider as you reopen,and how your booking software can help with it.

No. 1 Capacity ManagementWe know from the last time venues were allowed to reopen that there will be an

initial need to control capacity at a certain level, with guests allowed in the venue fora set time period, so it’s worth considering if your current booking and

management system is able to offer that.

It’s important that the customer experience is flawless here, as customers may notbe spending the amount of time they’d ideally like in your venue, you’ve got to

make every minute they’re in there count!

No. 2 Customer Interaction ManagementEven with the venues back open and the vaccine rollout, customers will still expect

staff to abide, and ensure social distance measures are enforced where possible. Wewould encourage you to ensure all bookings must be made online or via a self

service kiosk at your venue to maintain social distancing between staff andcustomers.

If you have a cafe or restaurant, we would recommend that this is a table serviceoffering only to save customers unnecessarily queuing – even better, look to use QR

Code technology so your customers can place their orders from their mobile devices.


https://booknowsoftware.com/booknow-software-introduces-qr-code-ordering-functionality/


No. 3 Group BookingsOnce you’re ready to begin offering group bookings for things like birthday parties,you may need to consider adjusting the layout of your party room map to comply

with local social distancing rules.

You may also need to adjust the number of guests you permit in party bookings tokeep on top of social distancing compliance. Of course we’d recommend havinghand sanitiser throughout your venue anyway, but even more so in party areas

where some closer contact than desired may be inevitable.

No. 4 Monitor ReportingAs you reopen you’ll want to keep a close eye on your reporting to see how your

customers are reacting to the reopening of the entertainment and attractionindustries. Some key metrics you may want to keep an eye on from your booking

system as you reopen are:

• Are customers visiting in the same consistency?• Has the average number of people per booking dropped off at all?

• What are your peak times?• What’s the average spend per customer on food and beverages?

All of these things can contribute to a successful and profitable reopening, which ismore integral than ever after the impact COVID has had on indoor play venues,

trampoline parks and so on.

No. 5 MarketingYour first action when it comes to marketing is pretty obvious – let all of your

customers know you’re back open! To encourage repeat business, we’d also suggestintroducing a membership based offering or a loyalty program – we’ll take a look at

how revisitation is key to the survival of a trampoline park or indoor play venueshortly, but it goes without saying keeping repeat guests coming in is of upmost

importance.

If you’ve made any changes to your venue whilst you’ve been closed that willimprove the customer experience then make sure you shout about this in your

marketing messages.

Once your customers have left your venue now is a great time to hit them with anautomated email or text message offering them a reason to come back in the formof discounted entry within a month. Another thing to consider doing is sending out

a marketing message to anyone with birthday parties in the next 3 monthsadvertising your group bookings.

Finally, you could look to add an offering that you can charge at a higher cost butprovides your customer with entry, a food and beverage combo within that window– bringing in more guaranteed customer spending for your venue, easily set up and

managed by your booking system.



Why revisitation rate will be key oncevenues you reopen

With the global Coronavirus pandemic crippling the entertainment and leisureindustry over the past 10 months, owners are going to be desperate to make up as

much of the lost income as possible.

We’ve previously covered how food and drink can be a great way to boost themoney your venue brings in, but with this article we’re going to focus on something

called revisitation rate, why it’s key to your venue’s long term success and how toimprove it.

The lifecycle and initial growth of a Trampoline Park or FamilyEntertainment Centre

Over the last few years BookNow have been looking at visitation data from a varietyof trampoline parks and family entertainment centres (FECs) around the world.

What we have discovered is that there is a direct correlation between annual revisitrates and the success of a business when hitting maturity (circa 3 years).

KPIs from one of our recent clients revealed that 96% of customers visited less thanfour times per year whilst 81% came once. Our experience suggests that many parksoperate roughly a 3-year product cycle. With maturity and decline often beginningbetween years 2 and 3. Looking at Trampoline Parks specifically, the initial launch of

any Trampoline Park normally leads to overtrading which delivers often large andfast cash deposits.

The longer this lasts the more improved your cash flow will become for a significantre-investment when you hit the inevitable decline.

So, what is revisitation rate?Our experience suggests that whilst overtrading during this launch period remains

key, it is at this point that you should be exploring your revisitation rate as yourmajor key performance indicator.


https://booknowsoftware.com/how-food-and-drink-can-increase-the-profit-of-your-indoor-entertainment-centre%e2%80%8b/


Revisitation rate is defined as your total customer pool (live waivers on a rolling 12month basis) divided by your total annual ticket sales. As an example, should you

have an existing customer pool of say 300k and 600k annual sales, your rate wouldbe 2.0.

During your launch and growth phase, depending on location, you would expect toexperience steady growth of your customer pool before the market becomes

mature. Leaving your revisitation rate as the only key performance indicator thatcan now affect your outcome.

What is your your revisitation rateOver several months, you should be able to monitor this as a trend during your first3-year cycle. Seeing a revisitation rate in excess of 2 should signal a growth phase inthe business, and more importantly an increase in cash flow which should allow youto set aside capital for investment later. Once you begin to see a period of reduced

revisitation (1.4-1.5), our experience suggests it is time to re-invest.

Seeing your revisitation rate drop below 1.4 should be concerning, whilst anythingtowards 1.0 is potentially catastrophic, leaving your park with an inability to invest

enough capital during year 3 to increase the revisitation rate back above 1.4 orhigher. However, this remains the likely outcome during year 4 if your plans are not

in place and delivered at the right time during your cycle. Choosing the correctinvestment plan is largely dependent on your overall business strategy, but we

believe that a significant re-investment in the ballpark of 350k is what is required todrive the revisitation rate back towards 2.0.

Be prepared and the results will followNatural drop-off rates will occur during your 3-year cycle due to children maturingand finding alternative interests. This is where continually focussing your efforts onrecruiting the younger generation requires ongoing marketing and brand building.

Dive deeper into your KPI information and it will highlight the reason customersattended a Trampoline Park in the first place (i.e. birthday party, first time jumperfollowing initial launch, rainy day activity etc.) This vital information will determine

the likelihood of customers returning and should be monitored.

Remember your competition is still far wider than you thinkDo you regularly run a competitor analysis? The competition in the leisure industryis far wider than one might imagine. Your park may actually face stiff competition

against local theme parks, cinemas, soft plays, national parks, adventureplaygrounds and rival trampoline parks. Some of which can operate more effectively

throughout all seasons.

What can you do to stand out from the competition?Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is

perceived by the public. A strong brand will stand out from competitors. Researchalso shows that by adding additional facilities such as bowling, climbing walls, Bear

Grylls extreme climbing areas, ninja warrior or soft play or a revamp of thetrampolines then market leaders in this space tend to see a return on investment

(ROI) during the first 3-year cycle.



As previously mentioned, food and beverage areas can be the difference between acustomer returning or not. It can significantly increase your ROI as parents want to

grab a snack, lunch or coffee whilst their child is jumping.Family entertainmentcentres are a social environment for parents, which offers an opportunity to create a

welcoming environment for adults and potentially increase your revenue.

The small details are important and will have an impact on your revisitation rate. Ifstaffing levels are appropriately managed for on and off-peak periods to avoid

lengthy waiting times, tables are cleared and allow for table ordering then this willcreate a welcoming place that will contribute towards repeat business. In addition,

vending machines are a great earner for those customers on the go.

If you have multiple facilities with slightly varying equipment for all ages, you couldconsider a 3-year rotation on the kit to freshen things up. Providing clean and

modern equipment instils consumer confidence and is a trigger for repeat businessand recommendation.Loyalty schemes or memberships are another solution that

can be managed by our software.

In addition, rewarding loyalty or providing monthly or annual memberships are bothrelatively unexplored in this market. And, both strategies can provide you with

further insight into your customers that you wouldn’t usually get from casual usage.This will provide you with opportunities to tailor offers/discounts to a customer’s

specific needs and you will reap the rewards. Think big data.

Why stealing market share might not be the best long-term solutionSome parks opt for a short-term fix by essentially trying to increase their customerpool which involves lowering prices and doing better deals than their competitors.This may lead to some small fluctuation in your pool but is really only a temporary

solution that isn’t very sustainable. Resist the temptation to drive market share fromyour competitors by running offers such as discounted food and beverages, extra

jump time, buy 10 jumps, get one free and so forth.

This may yield some quick wins to generate cash for the business, but realistically inthe long-term with lack of brand loyalty in this industry, the results will remainshort-lived. Furthermore, this potentially leads to the customer pool becomingconditioned to only buy offers, thus effecting yield and more importantly your

revisitation.

Data remains keyWhatever your focus, the collection of data is still key. Regular audits of your

customer pool, revisit rate and net gain should make it into your monthly boardmeetings.Seasonal periods need to be considered in your data too. The summer

months will see a natural dip as outside activities take preference. Whilst the wintermonths will continue to be your bread and butter by filling the ‘rainy day’ void.

BookNow can stay on top of your figures with its custom reporting software. Due toboth our partnership with the world leading Salesforce software and our experience,

we can provide custom built KPIs and Dashboards pertinent to your TrampolinePark(s) which can be used to forecast your annual revisit rate to provide the insight

you need to make the relevant business decisions.


https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N3A00000EJbtBUAT&revId=a6H3u0000008X4yEAE


Ultimately understanding your revisitation rate allows you to be as customer-centricas possible, by adding real value and educating your customers. In turn, you inspire

brand loyalty and create brand ambassadors willing to showcase your productespecially through social media channels.



So far we have looked at some of the things adventure parks need to consider whenreopening as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, and one area we touched on was

having a membership offering.

We wanted to expand on that as it’s one area we see growing exponentially, andabsolutely something that a booking system needs to have in 2021. Here are just 6

things to consider when implementing, or revamping, a membership offering.

Increase in guaranteed revenueHaving someone commit to an upfront membership means you are guaranteed a

consistent amount from them per month, or however often you look to chargethem. Clearly this is important year round, but more so now when clawing back as

much customer spending after the past 10 months is more integral than ever.

Increase footfall of new customersIf someone is already a member of your trampoline park or entertainment venue,it’s likely they’ll suggest you as a place to visit as part of a larger group – why not if

payment for their visit is already covered with their membership? This then brings innew customers for you. You can further entice this by offering a discount for

member’s guests.

Provide your best food and beverage offers for your membersIt’s a good idea to reward your most loyal customers with your best rewards, so why

not offer them something like 10% off all food and drink inside your venue? Or arewards scheme where every three food purchases they make, they get a freebie

raising in value, e.g. free drink, free free and finally a free meal?

If you don’t want to commit to year round discounts, you could always use themarketing tool of the booking system to hit them with discounts at specific points

of the year.

How a membership scheme can boostyour revenue



Multiple location membershipIf you’re a business which has multiple locations, why not offer a membership that

allows entry at all of your venues? We find this is most successful if you have venuesin holiday hotspots, as people away from home will be looking for places to take

their children to keep them entertained – and grab a coffee!

Tiered membershipFinally you might want to consider a tiered membership scheme, where the higherthe tier the more bonuses a customer gets. So alluding to the point we made earlier

about receiving discounts on food and drink, why not increase the amountdependent on membership tier?

Gold – 15% discount on food and drinkSilver – 10% discount on food and drinkBronze – 5% discount on food and drink

An intelligent booking & management system and CRM to manage yourcustomers

It’s important that you can easily manage your membership database, both fromknowing when renewals are due, and getting reporting data on how often your

members are using their membership.

As mentioned above, you’ll also want to market to these customers so you ideallywant a booking system that lets you send out marketing correspondence. WithBookNow Software’s booking system being built on Salesforce, you get all of this

included in your solution.



As we’ve previously touched on, marketing your family entertainment centre as weease out various lockdowns around the world will be key in making sure your

business gets off to a great start.

To help you start preparing for this, we thought we’d look at a couple of ways youcan maximise the footfall to your family entertainment centre. Before developing

the BookNow Software booking system, we owned a trampoline park businessourselves, so we’ve got years of experience of marketing in the industry, and it is one

of the reasons we sought to make the marketing capabilities of our solution sopowerful.

Monetise your websiteObviously it goes without saying that potential customers should be able to make abooking via your website, but there are additional things you can do to increase thelikelihood of someone booking a visit when on your site. For all the criticisms theymay get, a well thought out pop-up can have a conversion rate of 9% which could

make a significant difference to your bottom line.

A popular style of pop-up utilisation we often see is an offer when a user shows exitintent (such as their cursor heading to the back button). This makes users think

twice and can be a great way to get them to reconsider making a booking for yourvenue.

5 tips for marketing your familyentertainment centre



Use your customers social media accounts

We know how much consumers love to share theirexperiences on social media these days, which iswhy having attractions or branded tools (like theexample here from Rush, Oslo) that make for a

great photo opportunity are excellent for gettingyour customers sharing their pictures on social

media, particularly Instagram and Facebook. We’drecommend utilising a particular hashtag, and

keeping an eye out on images you and yourlocation are tagged in.

This form of referral marketing can be so valuablein getting your brand out there – and it’s free foryou! A final point on this, make sure you have a

strong (and free) Wifi in your venue, particularly ifyour network signal is poor – this also helps keepcustomers in your venue longer, meaning they’re

likely to spend additionally on food and drink.

You’re marketing an experience, not a productThere has been a shift in recent years, particularly amongst younger consumers,

where there is more emphasis placed on experience over product. With themarketing messaging you put out, consider the story or experience you’re creating,not just focus on the deals and products – having a strong brand can help with this,

especially when it comes to storytelling.

It’s also likely some of your staff fall into ‘Generation Z’, an audience group that isconsidered particularly passionate about the brand experience so don’t be afraid to

get their input – it’ll also likely make them feel more valued as part of your teamwhich is obviously a big benefit!

The birthday party campaign

In your CRM you should aim to get your customers birth dates from when they’vepreviously booked, this will allow you to perform birthday drip marketing

campaigns in the build up to their birthday.

Because BookNow Software is built on Salesforce you’re easily able to build anautomated flow which will send emails to your customer database in the build upto their birthday on specific times, set up by you. You can take this a step further

and utilise one of the thousands of Appexchange integrations and set upautomated SMS marketing with the same messaging.

Consider time window based deals

If your entertainment centre is based in an area that tends to have a lot of touristfootfall, it can be a great idea to hit your guests with an offer of a discount if they

come back to your venue within the next 7 days, within hours of them exiting yourvenue. This gives them another thing to do with their children whilst away from

home, and the discount acts as an increased incentive.



We hope you've find this e-book useful in planning your re-openingin the coming months. If you're not already a customer, we'd love

to show you how BookNow Software can help you plan andmanage your reopening, ultimately increasing your revenue.

If you'd be interested in a free demo, or just have any initialquestions then please email us on [email protected] or

give us a call on 020 8167 8522.

Get in touch




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