Running the Venue.
Ten years of running an arcade: staffing, parties, pricing, the slow months and the things nobody tells you before you open.
Posts about Running the Venue
Your online presence has to match what people walk into
Customers decide what your venue is before they arrive. If the building does not match the pictures, the review they leave is about the disappointment, not the visit.
May 10, 2024 · 3 min readThree reasons entertainment businesses fail
The failures are not random and they are not bad luck. Three things kill entertainment venues, and all three are decided before the doors open.
May 10, 2024 · 3 min readYour hours have to match your audience
Staffing is the biggest line item in most venues, and a lot of it gets spent on hours when the customers are at work. Open when they are free, not when you are.
May 10, 2024 · 2 min readYour staff are your branding
The person behind the counter delivers more of your brand than every ad you will ever run. Hiring the cheapest available human undoes the rest of the work.
May 7, 2024 · 3 min readPrice as a luxury, not as the cheapest option in town
Your customers are spending limited free time as much as limited money. People treating themselves do not shop for the cheapest option, and pricing like they do costs you the customers you want.
Mar 13, 2024 · 2 min readFour things to do before launching your entertainment business
The digital checklist for opening a venue is four items long, not forty. Here is the minimum that makes you findable and bookable on day one.
Mar 11, 2024 · 3 min readFind out what's broken. Free.
I run the same diagnostic on every new venue, and I'll send you the report whether or not you ever hire me.
Same day · Run by me, not a bot · Sarnia, Ontario