10 Things I’d Do If I Needed to Increase Party Bookings at My Indoor Playground Business

10 Things I’d Do If I Needed to Increase Party Bookings at My Indoor Playground

If you’ve been listening to my content either here or on YouTube, you’ll already know that birthday parties are one of the most profitable and RELIABLE revenue streams in your indoor playground business. 

But if your party calendar isn’t as full as you’d like it to be as we hit peak busy season for many, don’t panic! I remember back in my ownership days that whenever February would hit and the days would start to get longer, I would start waking up with a cold sweat many nights wondering if we’d have enough parties booked to get us through slow season, which for us, started at the end of May/ early June.

Sure, our calendar had been PACKED since October, but by February, looking ahead a few months– the gaps would start to show. And YES- panic would set in.

So if you’re currently in that boat right now, looking ahead a few months and wondering what you can do NOW to make sure you’ll stay booked and busy, this episode is for you.

And instead of just rattling off a list of tips, I tried to organize this episode in then most actionable way possible. I organized it into:

• Things I’d to THIS week to get more bookings
• Things I’d do this MONTH
• Things I’d do this QUARTER to get more bookings

Of course ideally we would all have unlimited time and energy and we could tackle this entire list immediately, right? But that’s not reality. We’re business owners but we’re also parents, spouses, friends, daughters, sons, etc– and we are BUSY!

There are several high-impact changes you can make right now to drive more bookings and increase revenue. Here’s exactly what I would do if I needed to boost my party bookings ASAP:

Things I Would Do Right Now

1. Optimize My Website for Bookings

Now if you are a fan of this podcast you KNOW how much I love strategic google and social media ads to promote parties. BUT have you ever heard to NOT pour MORE water into a leaky bucket?

In THIS case, this means that before investing in paid traffic and wasting all of your money, it's crucial to optimize your website for conversions. 

If you go out of order here, running ads to a poorly designed site IS just like pouring water into a leaky bucket—you'll spend money driving traffic, but visitors may leave without booking if the experience is frustrating or unclear. A well-optimized site with a seamless booking process will increase your conversion rate, meaning a higher percentage of visitors will complete their reservations. This ensures you get the best return on investment from your advertising spend.

And if you want to learn more about conversion rates, how to calculate them, and how to improve- go back and listen to episode 19. And I want to tell you a story from that episode.

So I was consulting with an indoor playground owner recently and she said– I know my booking page is working, because I am booking parties– but I feel like it could be better. I just don’t know where to start.

So I figured this was the perfect time to give her that starting point.

We dug into her website analytics and – I am going to use whole numbers here just for examples sake– but lets say she had 1,000 page views to her booking page in the last 30 days. And let’s say she had 20 bookings over that same time period. Assuming all the bookings came through that page– and not over the phone or in-person, that means that her booking page conversion rate is 2%. All you do to arrive at that number is take the number of online booking and divide it by the monthly visitors and multiple by 100.

This is pretty in-line with industry standard, but I typically try and have my clients strive closer to 5 or 6%. 

Anyway– I told her– OK. There are 2 ways you can use this number to get 10 more bookings next month compared to this month.

The first, is you could simply send 500 more visitors to this page somehow. If you took out a paid facebook ad driving traffic to the page– it would cost about $1 a click. That’s $500 for about 10 more bookings, assuming your ad was targeted properly and the right people were finding the page. Because now we can do the calculation as, 2% of 1500 = 30.

Because she knew her average profit per party was around $300– spending $500 was worth it to her in that instance. However, I did give her some tips about how to better her SEO by tweaking her content and also by enhancing her blog strategy, so that over time, the extra views would be able to come to her without that spend. But in this instance, she was willing to pay to get the bookings ASAP.

The second option I gave her is to– all else being equal, so assuming she gets the exact same 1,000 views on the page the next month– make some tweaks to the copy and user experience to just increase that conversion rate from 2% to 3%-- which is entirely possible for most party based businesses. 

Because now lets do that calculation one more time. If we take 3% of that original 1,000 page views– we now arrive at that same 30 bookings, which was her ideal, without spending anything. 

The takeaway here is simple. If you want to make more sales, you need to know your numbers.

To review, this owner– in December– had 1,000 landing page views and 20 bookings. Her goal for january was to get 30 bookings.

I gave her 2 options– 

• get 500 more views on the page
• Make some tweaks to increase your conversion rate by just 1%

Imagine if she did both?

-500 more views

-3% conversion rate

-1500 x 3% = 45 bookings

When people come to me afraid to spend money to drive traffic to their offers, they either do not know their conversion rate, or it is under 2%-- maybe even 0– at which time we would definitely want to look at the offer, the copy and the UX.

So to sum this ALL up– your website should make it incredibly easy for customers to book a party. 

I’d ensure that my party packages are clearly outlined, my pricing is transparent, and my booking process is seamless. I’d also add strong calls-to-action (CTAs) on every page, like “Book Your Party Now” buttons that stand out.

In addition to optimizing the desktop experience, I’d make sure my website is fully responsive and mobile-friendly. Many parents browse and book parties from their phones, so the booking process must be just as smooth on a mobile device as it is on a computer. I’d test my website on various devices to confirm that navigation, load times, and checkout processes work flawlessly.

I’d also ensure that my website includes plenty of high-quality images of real parties hosted at my facility. Photos of happy kids, decorated party rooms, and smiling parents can help potential customers visualize their own event at my playground. If possible, I’d even add a short video tour showcasing the party experience.

Finally, I’d go through the entire booking process myself—as if I were a customer—to identify any bottlenecks, confusing steps, or unnecessary friction points. If I found anything that slowed me down or made me hesitate, I’d address it immediately to create the smoothest possible booking experience.

I know that was a long one because it is THAT important and because it is THAT overlooked, but don’t worry, we are going to speed it up from here on out.

2. Invest in a Robust Booking System

A clunky or confusing booking process will lose you sales. I’d make sure I have a reliable, user-friendly online booking system that allows customers to check availability, customize their package, and pay their deposit without needing to call or email.

You know my favorites are WellnessLiving and Aluvii depending on your business needs- but just make sure you have a system that works for YOU and allows EASE of booking. Again, I’d go through the entire booking process myself—as if I were a customer—to identify any potential issues. And I’d have my staff, friends, family, neighbors, whoever go through it as well. If I found commonalities or common friction points, I’d figure it out before moving forward.

If bookings are slow, it might also be time to reassess my offerings. I’d analyze my current party packages to determine if they are priced appropriately for my market and if they truly provide value compared to competitors. A slight price adjustment—either offering a budget-friendly option to attract more customers or bundling in premium features to justify a higher price—could make a significant impact. I’d also consider adding new themed packages that align with trending interests, such as character appearances, sensory-friendly options, or unique activity-based experiences. For example, people loved adding slime-making or tea party activities to our parties depending on the age and interest of the birthday child. 

Ask your staff for suggestions here because they are on the front-lines talking with potential and customers daily– and they may have some great ideas to streamline the booking process and overcome some objections people commonly have during the booking process.

3. Leverage Social Proof and Reviews

People trust other people. I’d immediately gather all my customer testimonials, high-quality photos of past parties, and positive Google and Facebook reviews and feature them prominently on my website and social media pages.

And if you don’t have professional photos- now is the time to invest. Barter with a local mom photographer for a membership or a party if you can’t afford a photographer otherwise– but low quality photos WILL hold back your sales. Choose an upcoming party that will be very well decorated or do a mock party. And there do NOT need to be kids playing or celebrating in the photos to create a high-impact shoot. Oftentimes, seeing parties set up without guests helps prospective clients envision THEIR event and THEIR guests in the space even more clearly– making them more likely to hit the “book now” button.

And the point here with posting these photos and social proof is to stay top of mind and to be CONSISTENT. Because if my child’s birthday is in November I’m probably not thinking about booking in February. So just because people are viewing your posts or stories and not immediately booking– does NOT mean yet that your strategy isn’t working. You never know when the mood is going to strike them to choose a date and make that deposit. So start planting those social proof seeds and showing people they can trust you for their child’s milestone–

Because, sure, you will likely get some immediate bookings– but it will also mean an increased likelihood of improving your overall flow of bookings moving forward.

4. Run a Limited-Time Promotion

To create urgency, I’d offer a short-term deal like a free add-on (a balloon garland, extra guests, free coffee bar) for parties booked within the next 48 hours, for example. 

Another great strategy is announcing a slight price increase coming, if you really do plan to raise prices on a specific date. This encourages potential customers to book now and lock in the current rates before prices go up. I’d make this offer clear on my website, email campaigns, and social media posts with a countdown timer to emphasize urgency.

Simple 15% or so discounts on party packages don’t usually move the needle well, so get creative here.

And if you do a summer-specific discount, for example, if that's your slow season, you will likely upset people who have booked that same package in other months. As someone who has all winter birthday kids, I do have to admit I get super jealous seeing how cheap some places will go for summer parties. 

What I would recommend instead is to create a scaled-down summer specific package that maybe includes less guests or less add ons, to help encourage customers who would normally forego an indoor rental in the summer to go ahead and book. Summer birthdays celebrated in the backyard are often cheaper than indoor winter parties– so putting together a scaled down package will entice slow season bookings while NOT ruffling the feathers of anyone who booked a regularly priced package– since it just isn’t an apples to apples comparison.

5. Engage My Email List

Email marketing is SO highly underutilized by many of my clients that it keeps me up at night. Most spend all their time posting on social media algorithms where maybe 1-2% of their followers will see their content – when they could instead reach up to 50% of their engaged list (depending on how good the subject line is and therefore what the open rate ends up being)nby sending a quick email.

So whatever I come up with regarding a limited time promotion- I’d email 5-10 times over the course of the next month, starting TODAY. And if you’ve invested in a robust booking system, you likely have children' s birthdays. So you can personalize your strategy even more by sending birthday content to only those families who are likely to book soon. So if you’re afraid about over emailing or annoying your list– first of all, DON'T BE, more emails ALWAYS equals more sales, but if you DO still have a mindset block, targeted campaigns using birth months are a great way to reduce your anxiety. 

In addition to info about any promotions, I’d send an email campaign specifically focusing on what makes our parties so great, highlighting why our parties are unique, and featuring those glowing reviews and phots we’d just gathered. I’d also set up automated email sequences TODAY to nurture potential leads who have inquired but haven’t yet booked or who have joined your email list but haven’t booked a party yet. It’s easier than you think with any email service provider and a GOOD automated sequence can increase your revenue generated from email marketing by 89% which I talked more in detail about in episode 2 of this podcast. With ChatGPT and other AI tools to help kickstart your email writing, there’s really no excuse to not do this before your head hits the pillow tonight. You just need to set it up ONCE and then allow it to consistently increase your stream of bookings for months or even years to come.

Things I Would Do Next Month

If you’ve ever tried any of these things and NOT gotten the results you wanted, perhaps you just did your list out of order! So be sure to do steps 1-5 before moving on to these longer term strategies.

6. Boost My Organic Social Media Marketing

After I felt completely confident in my packages, website, and booking system and AFTER I already grabbed all the low-hanging fruit bookings by emailing my list– since my email list has ALWAYS given me the biggest boost in sales when I use it strategically–

I’d then start to post more frequent engaging content showcasing real parties, behind-the-scenes setup, and customer testimonials. Plus, I’d make it a priority for myself or a team member to go live on Facebook or Instagram to do a Q&A about my party packages and answer common questions in real time.

I’d also optimize all of my social media profiles for SALES– not just follows, by making sure I had all my tags, locations, links, pinned posts, profile highlights– ALL that in place so that when I attract followers with my content, it results in REAL bookings and not just social media vanity metrics like likes and comments. We need REAL dollars to pay our very real bills, right? So get that all in order incase one of your reels or posts DOES go viral, so that you are poised to take advantage of that increased traffic and so that it’s not just a massive lost opportunity for you.

7. Open Up New Slots And Event Types

If weekends are booking up quickly but you still have gaps in your schedule, I’d open up additional slots during weekdays or evenings. Many families have busy weekend schedules, ESPECIALLY in the spring and summer due to sports and vacations, so offering weekday or weeknight party options could be the perfect solution for those who can’t make weekend dates work.

Beyond birthday parties, I’d also think outside the box and offer my space for other types of events. Baby showers, family reunions, school gatherings, and even corporate employee appreciation events could be excellent additions to your normal party offerings. I’d create dedicated packages for these events and market them separately to attract a broader customer base and reach out to anyone I think might be interested to get the ball rolling. 

I’d also collaborate with local party planners, bakeries, or kid-friendly businesses to cross-promote each other especially if I am adding something new to our offerings like baby showers. This would also be a great time to invite a local influencer or blogger to host a party at your space and share their experience with their audience like I talk about in Profitable Play Episode 185.

8.  Retarget Website Visitors With Social Media Ads

If I had a marketing budget, I’d run retargeting ads on Facebook and Instagram to re-engage people who have visited my website’s party booking page but didn’t complete their reservation. Retargeting works by displaying ads specifically to those who have shown interest, keeping my business top-of-mind and increasing the likelihood they’ll come back to book.

I’d create highly targeted ads that address potential objections or encourage immediate action. For example, I could run a "Still Thinking About Your Child’s Party?" ad with a limited-time discount or bonus offer to give them a compelling reason to book now. I’d also experiment with carousel ads showing different party themes or customer testimonials to reinforce social proof.

Now to be clear, I would NOT be casting my net super wide here and trying to attract NEW customers- I would utilize a small budget to just recover some of the bounced visitors who have already expressed interest in my packages, since again, those are low hanging fruit.

Things I Would Put on My Quarterly Goal List

9.  Run Google Ads and Social Media Ads

Instagram and Meta (Facebook) video ads can be an incredibly effective way to reach local parents and drive more party bookings. But again, I wouldn’t run any ads to a COLD audience until I have done everything else on this list– streamlined my booking process and optimized my website, reworked my packages and pricing if needed, and gotten all of the lower-hanging-fruit bookings. Those bookings can help generate the cash needed for more widespread advertising like COLD audience targeting– which just means you’re now wanting to reach customers who have not yet been to your website or engaged with your social media, meaning it will be a bit more expensive. So again, I like to utilize my warm audience to generate revenue to fund this advertising to reduce my risk.

I love using video-tour ads for parties– because they are scroll-stopping and can get parents really excited to learn more.

One of the best parts about using video ads on Meta and Instagram is that they can reach a highly targeted audience at a relatively low cost– we’re talking fractions of a penny per video view. By setting up location-based targeting, you can ensure your ads are only shown to parents within your service area, maximizing your ad spend. Additionally, using call-to-action buttons like "Book Now" or "Learn More" can drive direct traffic to your booking page, moving your customers along the booking process. 

Google Ads can also be a powerful tool for attracting parents actively searching for birthday party venues in your area. Unlike social media ads, which target users based on interests and behaviors, Google Ads allow you to appear at the top of search results when someone types in keywords like “kids’ birthday party places near me.” This means your ad is shown to people who are already looking for what you offer, making them more likely to book.

To run an effective Google Ads campaign, I’d start by choosing the right keywords that parents are likely to search for, such as “indoor playground birthday party” or “kids party packages.” I’d then create compelling ad copy that highlights what makes my parties unique—whether it's all-inclusive packages, themed decorations, or hassle-free planning. Using location targeting, I’d ensure my ads are only shown to people in my service area, maximizing my budget efficiency. Finally, I’d set up conversion tracking to measure how many website visitors actually complete a booking, allowing me to fine-tune my ads for better results over time.

10. Launch a Referral Program

A referral program can be a great way to drive more party bookings by leveraging word-of-mouth marketing. I’d create an easy-to-understand referral program where past party clients can receive a reward—such as a discount on their next party, free café credits, or play passes—for referring a friend who books a party. To make it even more enticing, I’d also reward the new customer with a small discount or bonus add on to encourage them to follow through with their booking. That way it’s a win-win for both the referral and the referring party.

By promoting this referral program through email campaigns and post-party follow-up to my current party clients, I’d tap into my existing happy customers and turn them into brand advocates who actively help grow my business.

With the right strategies in place (done in the right order!), you can turn slow booking periods into a steady stream of reservations and create memorable celebrations for families in your community.