CenterEdge Software Blog

Today’s blog was written by CenterEdge Trainer, Alex Buenrostro, with input from two FEC industry veterans from our training team, Andy Rye and Matthew Mayer. 

By Alex Buenrostro

There has been a recent influx of onboarding new FEC and amusement team members and that includes a lot of new supervisors and managers. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about onboarding new managers and the skills they need to be able to run effective shifts and oversee operations. So we put together this getting started guide to help new managers build a strong foundation. And as always, we’re here to help.

Topics: FEC, Trampoline Parks, Amusement Parks, Reporting & Analytics, CenterEdge Advantage POS, Employee Management, Facility Operations, Online Sales & Ticketing

Transparency, consistency, and creativity might help in the days of doing more with less. 

The labor shortage has been a hot topic in retail and hospitality for employers and consumers alike. Lately, I have seen a few frontline team members expressing how difficult it is to work some days given the increased traffic and reduced staff. 

I have also noticed a few unique ways that establishments have handled the crisis that I thought might be worth sharing. Read on for a few tips and attention-grabbing ideas that might help you manage the situation in ways that keep your team and your guests happy.

Topics: FEC, Trampoline Parks, Waterparks, Customer Loyalty, Amusement Parks, Employee Management

The game has changed, but the fact that you need a strategy for booking group events hasn’t. These tips can help. 

Recently, I was chatting with an operator about the right time, approach, and message to take to local organizations regarding booking group events once again. If you haven't already been selling group events, this topic is likely something on your mind these days as well. We thought it would be a good time to share a few ideas for getting started booking group events back into your facility.

Topics: FEC, Waterparks, Marketing, Amusement Parks, Reporting & Analytics, Sales, Birthday Party & Groups

We're sharing new tools to help your facility recover and thrive. 

We were recently asked to partner with the AttractionPros and other industry suppliers to offer messages and advice for amusement facilities during these challenging times. We are proud to say that nearly 30 companies have come together to share how they have navigated these times, continued to support our industry, and to offer unique messages to help build motivation. In addition, you also have free access to a new guide: Suppliers Speak: Attractions Industry Providers Share their Messages, full of articles to help your business thrive now and in the future. Read on for more information and to download your free guide today. 

Topics: FEC, Point of Sale, Trampoline Parks, Museums, Waterparks, Zoos & Aquariums, Amusement Parks, Memberships, CenterEdge News, CenterEdge Advantage POS, Facility Operations

We're sharing new data to help you drive marketing email response.  

I had the recent opportunity to attend Inbound 2020, a marketing conference that joined the many others in going virtual.  I was excited to see that Jay Schwedelson, founder of Worldata, had returned to speak. Worldata is responsible for sending and tracking the effectiveness of 40,000 email campaigns and over 6 billion individual emails every year. For much of this year, Worldata has been tracking the email marketing trends as they’ve changed during COVID. Read on for some of their latest data-driven tactics that you can implement today to improve your marketing email results.

Topics: FEC, Waterparks, Zoos & Aquariums, Marketing, Amusement Parks, Reporting & Analytics, Sales, Facility Operations

Follow this formula for the best ROI³ (Return on Investment In Information) 

Guest experience feedback is one of the best tools your team has to help create a winning culture for guests and staff. We asked guest experience innovator, Scot Carson, founder and CEO of Amusement Advantage, Inc., to share his top tips for making the most of both negative and postive feedback. Read on as Scot shares his tried and true steps to making the most of critical guest feedback.  

Topics: FEC, Waterparks, Zoos & Aquariums, Amusement Parks, Employee Management, Facility Operations

What’s holding you back from inspiration – and what you can do about it.

At the most recent Amusement 360 event, held virtually in June, we had the opportunity to attend the keynote session delivered by Jason Barnaby, author of Igniting the Fire Starter Within, and owner of Fire Starters, Inc. We’re excited that he agreed to share some of his philosophy about finding your passion and busting through the one thing that holds most people back. Enjoy!

Topics: FEC, Waterparks, Amusement Parks, Employee Management, Facility Operations, Goal Setting

It’s unlikely that you will have a bottomless marketing budget to dip into when you are in the early stages of welcoming guests back. 

What is likley, however, is that you'll need to rethink your marketing plan in light of phased opening approaches and ever-changing guidelines. It will be important for your facility to create a strategic communication and marketing approach that will drive key guest behavior. That’s why we’ve put together these five steps to help you get started. 

Topics: FEC, Point of Sale, Zoos & Aquariums, Customer Loyalty, Marketing, Amusement Parks, Reporting & Analytics

With the economy struggling, soon entertainment businesses will once again be positioned to offer guests a safe place to escape and play. But consumers will likely be more careful of where and how they spend their entertainment dollar, at least in the early phases of the recovery.

The facilities that will rebound the best will most likely be those with well-planned programs and packages. It will be important to deliver value and excitement to the consumer while building a strong revenue stream for your business. We’ve put together five things you need to know when building recurring revenue programs in your park or FEC.

Topics: FEC, Point of Sale, Zoos & Aquariums, Customer Loyalty, Marketing, Amusement Parks, Memberships, Facility Operations

You have been inundated with articles, webinars, and letters from CEOs regarding business approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As you prepare to reopen, you’re going to have so much more on your plate than just welcoming guests and ensuring your team members are creating memorable experiences. It’s a good idea to take time now to outline some of the most important processes you’ll need to implement or revise, and then automate where you can. Read on for a few quick tips that can help lighten your burden. 

Topics: FEC, Point of Sale, Zoos & Aquariums, Marketing, Amusement Parks, Reporting & Analytics, Facility Operations, Food & Beverage