You’ve got your birthday party offerings in place, but are you booking as many as you could be? 🤔

The reality is that demand for birthday parties isn’t the problem; parents are actively looking for venues that can deliver unforgettable experiences for their kids. If you’re not getting enough bookings, the issue is likely how you promote your packages.

Birthday parties are one of the most profitable revenue streams for location-based entertainment venues. But just having a great party offering isn’t enough; you need to make sure families know about it and feel excited to book.

So far, in the Birthday Profit Formula series, we’ve talked about why birthday parties are a goldmine for venues like yours and how to design birthday party packages that sell out. Now, let’s focus on what really moves the needle: getting more customers to book.

In the next five minutes, you’ll discover easy, proven marketing strategies that will help you attract more birthday bookings at your venue.

Marketing birthday parties

1️⃣ Use social media promotion for marketing birthday parties

Parents love sharing photos and videos of their kids’ special days, and those posts spread fast. The question is - are you making it easy enough for them? 

Instead of relying solely on paid ads in marketing, you can encourage your guests to share their experiences from your venue in their own social media channels. After all, parents trust content from other parents far more than traditional advertising.

• Post birthday party highlights – Share photos and videos captured by your staff during events. Always make sure you have consent from parents before posting. Many operators include photo release consent as part of their party booking process or waivers. It’s worth checking how this works in your country and adjusting your booking process if needed. Keeping it clear from the start saves time later.

Focus on moments that feel genuine like kids celebrating, playing games, and enjoying themselves. Parents don’t want overly polished or stock-style images. What they’re looking for is the real atmosphere at your venue.

• Encourage sharing – Ask parents to tag your venue when they post. Make it easy by displaying your social handles and hashtags visibly in your party area. You can also include a friendly reminder in your follow-up emails, thank-you cards, or even at the check-in desk. A simple line like: “Share your party photos and tag us @YourVenueName—we love seeing your celebrations!” works well.

 Create a simple branded geotag (here’s a guide for Instagram). When new customers see kids enjoying their party at your venue, they’ll want the same for their own.

Use attractions that have built-in tools like Valo Motion’s video booth. Every Valo Motion attraction is a video booth for your venue that records gameplay clips. Your guests can instantly download and share them on their social media, and the best part is that the video contains your logo! Thus spreading the word about your venue.

2️⃣ Utilize User-Generated Content (UGC) for marketing birthday parties

User-Generated Content (UGC) = Authentic & Trustworthy

User-generated content (UGC)  has been shown to increase engagement and influence purchasing decisions effectively.

A recent Blooloop article highlighted how user-generated content (UGC) featuring Valo Motion games regularly goes viral, generating millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit.

Games like ValoArena's Groundfall are favorites for families, capturing fun moments that parents love sharing. That means every social media share can boost your venue’s visibility and credibility with new customers.

Tip: Engage directly by commenting, resharing, and interacting with guests who post content. It helps build a genuine community.

3️⃣ Create special offers to improve birthday party marketing

Weekends tend to sell out fast, but weekdays can be harder to book. You can offer special incentives that encourage parents to book less busy time slots at your venue.

The goal is to add value that makes parents feel like they’re getting more for their money. 

Once you set up these offers, you should promote them clearly across your website, booking platform, email newsletters, social media channels, and even in-venue screens. Consistency is key. Parents need to know these offers are reliable, not pop-up deals that change often.

•  Weekday discounts – Offer a small bonus or discount for parties booked on the days you know have lower traffic. For many venues, that might be Monday to Thursday but stick to the same days regularly, so parents aren’t waiting for a surprise sale. 

You can highlight these offers directly on your party packages page, and promote them during the booking flow so families are encouraged to choose weekday slots. 

Parents who are flexible on timing will see this as a great deal. Show parents that booking early or choosing a weekday party gets them more, rather than just saving money.

• Early-bird specials – Give families a reason to book ahead by including a free add-on, like extra playtime, exclusive attraction, or an upgraded party favor package, if they confirm early.

To keep it simple for your team, you can automate this through your booking system if possible. Add a clear cutoff date - ”book X weeks in advance, get Y bonus”, so it’s easy to manage and there’s no need for extra manual tracking.

• Loyalty rewards – Encourage repeat bookings by offering a returning customer discount or a special perk for families who book again next year. It could be a discount, a free add-on, or a priority booking slot for next year’s party.

You can promote this in your post-party thank-you emails, making it part of your follow-up communication. It’s a simple way to remind happy customers they’re welcome to return.

4️⃣ Collaborations with local businesses to expand your reach

Your ideal customers are also living nearby and spending time at other local businesses. You can easily reach more families by working together to cross-promote each other.

Think of bakeries, party supply stores, photographers, or nearby family-friendly restaurants. For example, a bakery might offer a discount on themed cakes when parents book a party at your venue. In return, you can feature their cakes as part of your party packages. It makes things easier for parents and gives both businesses more exposure.

You can start by listing three to five local businesses that attract the same customer base. Focus on businesses that offer services your venue doesn’t. 

If you already sell food or drinks, you probably don’t want to partner with another vendor offering the same inside your space. Instead, think about what parents need when planning a party like cakes, decorations, or photographers.

Once you have a shortlist, reach out directly and suggest simple cross-promotions. You can collaborate on printed flyers, online promotions, or even joint packages. The key is making sure the offer reaches parents before or during the time they’re planning the party, so its a win-win for all parties.

5️⃣ Use referral programs in marketing your birthday parties

Happy families who’ve had a great experience are your best ambassadors. You can encourage word-of-mouth marketing by offering simple incentives, like discounts on future bookings or free add-ons for every referral.

• To keep it easy to track, set up a referral code system. After each party, give the parents a unique referral code they can share with their friends. When a new customer uses that code while booking their own party, your system can automatically apply the reward.

You should also explain clearly that the reward doesn’t expire quickly. Families may not be planning the next party for another year, so keeping the code valid for at least 12 months helps. Mention this in your thank-you email or follow-up message.

• Another option is a "bring-a-friend" bonus. Offer something extra if a guest at the party books their own party later. Again, make sure your booking system allows you to connect the two bookings easily, using the referral code.

6️⃣ Promote birthday packages to walk-in guests with Valo Motion attractions

Here’s something many operators overlook: your regular walk-in guests are potential birthday party customers. 

Valo Motion attractions - ValoArena, ValoJump, and ValoClimb aren’t just high-repeat-play attractions but also double as powerful advertising tools for your venue when they’re in their idle state.

When you think about it, ValoArena has four large screens (two TVs upfront and two big screens inside) that can show your birthday packages, special events, or promotions when not actively used. 

ValoJump comes with large digital screen (55-inch and 86-inch options) that naturally grabs attention, perfect for advertising your packages to guests passing by. ValoClimb turns your bouldering wall into a giant promotional display.

The best part is that it’s really simple to manage these ads through the Valo Motion Operations Hub. It gives you a clear online overview of all your devices. You can update or schedule ads anytime, even during quieter hours. You don’t need to rely on extra staff or technical skills.

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And if you’d like advice on setting this up, our Customer Success Team is ready to help. They available every day, weekends and holidays included. Just reach out at support@valomotion.com.

These attractions are crowd pullers, and families often return again and again because there’s always something new to play. Therefore, there is a potential in running ads that naturally convert regular visitors into birthday bookings without extra effort or staffing costs.

And if you’re wondering just how effective Valo Motion attractions are for birthday parties, here’s what Samantha Urmston, General Manager at Laser Quest (Trafford Centre, UK), says:

ValoClimb is great for birthday parties! It’ll play Happy Birthday at the end of a game, and you can put the birthday person’s name up on the screen. Kids and adults, everyone loves that.

Laser Quest Trafford Centre hosts about 30 birthday parties every week. Since replacing their old climbing attraction with ValoClimb, birthday parties have become their most profitable attraction, driving consistent foot traffic every day.

Last but not least…

If you run an FEC and are looking for practical tips to build a stronger brand, check out this detailed guide on FEC brand marketing that we’ve prepared to help you out.

What’s next? Make your birthday parties run smoothly and profitably!

Now you have practical strategies to get more birthday party bookings through smart marketing. But selling the parties is just one part. To truly boost your profits, you also need to run those parties smoothly and efficiently.

In the final post of this series, we'll talk about exactly that. You’ll see how easy it can be to run high-quality, profitable birthday parties using Valo Motion attractions. We'll also discuss simple ways to track and measure your success using our cloud solutions.

📢 Stay tuned for the final post in the series: Running a Smooth, Profitable Birthday Party Operation.