7 Ways To Avoid No Shows At Events

1. TAKE A DEPOSIT

Requesting an event deposit is common among Battlefield Operators, ensuring the customer has some "skin in the game." The deposit can range from 50% of the booking to the full payment up front.

The practice of taking a deposit is common among many event businesses.

Tim Breugelmans from Springbeest in Belgium says the best way to ensure no-shows is to ask for a deposit: “We do more or less the same; we invoice 50% [of the booking] up-front.

That way, your customer has some "skin in the game."

"What is my best tip to prevent no-shows? 1. Deposit. 2. See Number 1,†said Jonathon Simonetis from Tas Laser Skirmish, in Tasmania Australia.

2. USE AUTOMATED CONFIRMATIONS & REMINDERS

Many laser tag businesses send a confirmation email out the day a customer makes a booking. 

The Battlefield HQ software system enables operators to send out a batch of confirmation emails that takes exactly what is recorded in our database and sends it to them to double-check that all their booking details are correct.

3. ANALYZE THE CUSTOMER SEGMENT THAT IS NOT SHOWING UP

Have you noticed that there is a particular type of customer who often does not show up? 

Ask yourself, "Who's not showing up? Is there a pattern?

Many of our bookings come from Moms of 10-year-old or 11-year-old boys, this type of customer almost always attends the event they have organized. (Apart from the rare occasion that little Jonny broke his leg the day before his birthday party!)

Teenagers who are organizing their own parties or someone who is organizing a Buck's Party or Stag Do can be more unreliable. 

Knowing which customer groups will likely offer the best return on investment will impact your marketing plans.

4. USE A PRE-PAYMENT SYSTEM

"At our local battlefield operations, in Laser Skirmish, we offer a discount for pre-paid tickets," said Nicole Lander. 

A walk-in ticket is $50pp for a 2-hour session. But if the customer pre-pays (at least 2 business days in advance) for the same public session ticket the price drops to only $43pp. Incentives are also given to customers in large groups. Pre-pay for 10 to 19 gamers, and the ticket is $40pp. Pre-pay for 20 to 29 gamers, and the ticket price drops to $38pp.

Likewise, if an organizer books a group of 30 or more players, the ticket price drops to $35pp.

Dennis Bidlake from Mango Hill Skirmish in Brisbane, Australia says, "We ask our customers to pay in advance. Either credit card on the phone, EFT, or cash here. This covers everyone's bases."

5. USE A BOOKINGS DATABASE

Online booking systems and shopping carts are convenient for customers and can help reduce the number of no-shows.

"I use bookeo. It sets rules and guidelines for cancellations and no-shows that customers agree to when they book," said Steve Calabro.

Bookeo is a cloud-based app that offers a reservation system. Popular with Escape Room operators, the booking system enables customers to book group (public session) games, private games, and corporate team-building activities.

Create a standby list or an Expressions of Interest list.

If, for example, you need a minimum of 6 gamers to open a public session and someone has enquired about booking only 2 players, you can record their contact details and put them on standby. That way, if the event does open up, you can call them back and book them in.

6. PROMOTE YOUR EVENT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

As social media has become ubiquitous, its power as a marketing channel has exploded.

Many people check their Facebook or Instagram accounts every day.

The latest research from GWI shows how much time people spend on social media. GWI found that while social media engagement has plateaued, people still spend loads of time on it. In North America, it is 2 hours and 2 minutes on average per day. In Australia/Asia-Pacific, it is 2 hours and 19 minutes each day. But this is surpassed by those in Latin America, who spend, on average, 3 hours and 29 minutes on social media in a typical day! 

We have four Facebook profiles for our four venues at our local battlefields in South East Queensland. This means that gamers can check in when they are on-site, and we can publish a Facebook event for our weekly sessions.

"This is particularly useful if we are running a special event like our FORTNITE-live Battle Royale games or our events for Veteran Gamers," said Nicole Lander from Laser Skirmish in Australia. 

7. OFFER A FANTASTIC LIVE-ACTION GAMING EXPERIENCE

While implementing administrative systems for deposits, confirmations, and follow-ups is helpful, the fundamental way to ensure no-shows is to offer your games a fabulous gaming experience.

Hans Louwerse from the Sport & Survival Team in Ede, the Netherlands, says, "No shows... not happening. Make sure that your play area is that good... that they want to play on it. Also, play games with good instructions and ensure good guidance... that's important.

Whatever other ways you employ to help avoid no-shows, the ultimate safeguard is to offer a thrilling and memorable experience for your games. That way, they will want to keep coming back.

IN SUMMARY

Providing excellent customer service can help reduce no-shows. Responding promptly to inquiries and providing personalized recommendations can make customers more likely to attend.

Non-attendance of customers can be a colossal pain in the butt. Not to mention it can be a pain in your hip pocket. 

Unfortunately, sometimes they are unavoidable. 

But knowing how to reduce their impact on your business is a priority.

The issue of no-shows is not a simple one. 

There is a myriad of reasons why someone does not turn up, especially if they have already paid for their ticket! 

But putting these seven tips into action can certainly be a good start to reducing the number of no-shows at your Battlefield Business.

In conclusion, no-shows can be detrimental to laser tag businesses, but implementing these tips can significantly reduce the occurrence of no-shows.  By providing excellent customer service and personalized recommendations, offering incentives for pre-payment, and implementing a cancellation policy, customers will be more likely to attend laser tag events.