FEC Holiday Preparation: 5 Tips on How to Train Your Staff

Preparing for holidays can be exciting. But, it can also feel daunting—especially for FEC owners and/or operators!

The holiday rush brings stress along with it. What’s exciting for others might feel like a whole lot of pressure on you.

To help alleviate some of the pressure associated with preparing for the holidays at your family entertainment center or events facility, one of your key focuses should be on training your staff so that each and every event runs smoothly.

FEC Holiday Preparation: 5 Tips on How to Train Your Staff

When you first opened your family entertainment center or began managing one, your main goal was to serve customers by creating incredible guest experiences.

And while that dream is beautiful and noble in every way, the truth is: that you can’t do it alone. You need a team to accomplish this goal. You need a dream team.

The thing is, a dream team doesn’t just happen. As wonderful as it would be for folks to simply get hired and fall into work naturally without skipping a beat, this rarely occurs. Employees need the training to be successful, especially at a family entertainment center.

Employees also need a plan. They need vision, guidance, mentoring, and focus. Below are 5 tips to help you effectively train your staff and begin preparing for the holidays.

(Note: these tips are relevant all year round, not just during the holiday season!)

Staff-Training Tip #1: Share a Centralized Playbook

Your staff needs guidance all the time, not just when they’re first hired. That’s why we recommend creating a centralized Playbook for your team.

To clarify: a Playbook is not the same as a manual that’s created once and never updated again. (Or, updated once every 5-10 years.).

A Playbook is a living, breathing document. Make it digital and encourage staff to update it regularly!

The goal here is to share processes, best practices, and strategies your team will use year-round. And, when those processes need some tweaking, it can be done immediately (and easily) since it’s digital.

Of course, don't forget to have a "preparing for the holidays" section!

Staff-Training Tip #2: Hire Slowly, Fire Quickly

You may have heard the motto “Hire slowly, fire quickly.” That’s because it’s all about having the right people on board. 

As you’re preparing for the holidays and getting plans in order, consider your current team:

• Is everyone on the team a good fit?
• Are all team members executing their role(s) effectively?
• Is there a particular role you feel you're missing? Do you need new hires for the busy season?

Now is the perfect time to make sure you have a dream team. Remember: your employees are a reflection of your vision for your business. If you have folks with bad attitudes or who don’t enjoy the work they do, it’s time to cut them loose!

Need help hiring? Our friends over at TrainerTainment are experts on this topic! They’re consultants in the family entertainment center industry and have years of experience working with thousands of facilities to recruit and hire the best staff!

Staff-Training Tip #3: Never Stop Training!

As redundant as this sounds: train, train, then train some more!

Never assume that because someone was taught something once,  they’ll remember it time and time again. This is why a digital Playbook is so important. It allows your staff access to processes and checklists at all times.

Create an onboarding checklist and ramp-up plan for each position. This will allow for a smooth transition on both ends—for the person training or managing, and for the new employee.

Then, put a continued training plan in place. On a weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly basis, remind your team members about specific areas of training. Have a plan for staff members who are responsible for sales and marketing, a plan for your managers, and a plan for staff working parties and events.

Schedule regular check-ins to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Staff-Training Tip #4: Huddle with Your Team

It’s important to stay connected to your employees on a daily or weekly basis, depending on the cadence of their schedules. This is especially important during the busy season!

Having a daily huddle at the beginning of every day or at the beginning of shifts will ensure everyone is up-to-date on everything going on and provide an opportunity to build morale.

Structure your daily huddle so employees know what to expect and everyone stays on task. Consider reviewing what the flow of the day will look like, what parties and events are coming in, and review training topics like cleanliness, and friendliness, and asking for customer feedback and reviews.

Staff-Training Tip #5: Recognize Good Work

If making customers feel special keeps them coming back to your facility, then making your staff feel special will keep them coming to work! 

Recognize employees who go above and beyond. Give special acknowledgment to team members who “wow” customers or those who are always extra cheerful or positive. Reward kindness and joy and your facility will become a place people look forward to working for.

If you don’t already have an “employee of the month” program set up, now is a great time to start. You might also consider using your daily morning huddle to recognize employees from the day before for specific actions they took. “Mary went above and beyond to make the guest of honor feel special at her party—kudos to Mary!” goes a long way.

Did You Enjoy This Post? Leave a Comment Below!

Leave a comment below if you liked this article. We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Constructing a FEC Business Pivot Plan

As an owner or operator of a family entertainment center, you’re all too familiar with how important it is to adapt and make changes quickly when faced with an obstacle.

That’s why your facility should be prepared to pivot.

If you'd like to learn more about how to pivot your business, be sure to download Constructing a FEC Business Pivot Plan eBook today!