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How To: Market & Run Successful Birthday Events - Bill Wakefield

  

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How we market every student birthday:

1. We send out letters to parents six weeks prior to their children’s birthdays, telling them we host birthday parties.
2. Two weeks prior to each birthday, we send the birthday student a card and a lollipop in the mail.
3. We have a poster in our Dojo saying we host birthday parties.
4. We put the pictures of previous birthday parties on our student board.
5. We advertise on our web page and in the Yellow Pages about our birthday parties.
6. Finally, we talk about birthday parties in our classes.

Note: It’s very important to continuously market birthday parties within your organization. The best way to do this is by having all assistant instructors, and staff, talk about birthday parties as often as they talk about your other programs.

Tips to run a successful birthday party:

1. Have high-energy staff members conduct the party.
2. The Dojo must be neat and tidy and decorated.
3. Have everything organized for the birthday party (balloons, music,  games, all planned out)
4. Give away gift vouchers as prizes. (We once gave chocolate bars or lollipops. Now we give away gift vouchers to the birthday boy’s or girl’s friends, inviting them to our Martial Arts program.)
5. Have the birthday boy or girl cut the birthday cake with a sword.
6. Break a board.
7. Have the birthday students wear their Black Belt at their parties and have the students’ photo taken with every friend. This is a good way to collect new lead information as you can send this picture to the friends.
8. The party should not be longer than two hours.
9. We limit the numbers of attendees to a maximum of 15 and have two staff members conduct the party.
10. When you present a gift to the birthday boy or girl (the gift can be a t-shirt, pullover, cap, etc.), make sure it’s an item with your club logo on it.

We charge a flat fee of $220.00 per birthday party and do not supply any food or drinks. We do, however, serve the food and drinks if they are supplied by the parents.

Answer provided by, Bill Wakefield