Picture a busy Saturday night during haunt season. It’s almost closing time and your staff is exhausted after a long night of scaring. But there’s still a line of victims guests an hour long. What should you do? Turn guests away, or make your staff work late?
Being popular is a great problem to have, but it can also create frustrating challenges both for you and your guests. The scariest part of your haunt shouldn’t be the wait time!
What if you could move guests through your line faster and eliminate those frustrations? We’ve got some scary simple tips on how to accomplish that. Your customers will be happier and you’ll be able to bring in more revenue.
1. Meet Them Half Way
If you have separate lines for ticket sales and admission, send a staff member down the ticket line with a smartphone and a HaunPay credit card swiper. They can accept payments on the spot, and allow guests to head directly to the admission line! You could even offer upgrades like a front-of-line pass or VIP admission, which brings us to our next point…
2. Add A VIP Line
VIP or front-of-line passes don’t just make your guests feel special, they can help you increase your revenue, too. Many guests will happily pay a little extra to skip the wait in the general admission queue.
VIP passes will work for almost any type of haunt experience, whether you have a traditional house, a corn maze, or multiple attractions bundled under one ticket.
3. Sell Online
This one might seem obvious, but you might be surprised by the number of haunts that still rely on cash sales at the door. Even if you’re running a popular haunt, you’re leaving money on the table if you only sell tickets at the door.
Customers spend significantly more on average when they’re purchasing tickets in advance versus at the door. That means they’re more likely to add on a T-shirt or a ticket upgrade if you offer them.
Online sales can help make your job easier, too! When you know in advance how many guests purchased tickets to your event or venue, you can better plan your staffing needs, concessions, merchandise and other resources.
4. Try Timed Ticketing
One way to move guests through your line faster is to allow them to book the specific time they want to visit your haunt. Timed tickets help manage your traffic flow.
You can also use timed ticketing to incentivise guests to visit during less busy times. If you usually see a rush of guests between 8-9 p.m., offer a discounted rate for time slots before 7 p.m. or after 10 p.m. Or increase the rates for weekends and offer a lower rate on Thursday nights.
Happy Haunting!
What do you do to manage your haunt’s lines and guest flow? Share your best tips and tricks with us in the comments!