The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for family entertainment centers. Between school breaks, corporate holiday parties, and families looking for festive activities, Q4 is a golden opportunity to fill your calendar and boost revenue.

Social vs. Search Ads: What to Run This Holiday Season for Your Family Entertainment Center

Meta Ads: Drive Awareness for Events and Promotions

Meta Ads are your best friend when it comes to creating excitement and getting on your community’s radar. Whether you’re hosting a Breakfast with Santa, running a New Year’s Eve family celebration, or offering a limited-time holiday special, Facebook and Instagram give you the visual tools to stop people from scrolling and start planning their visit.

Why Meta Ads Work for FEC Holiday Awareness:

• Perfect for Showcasing Fun: Share photos and videos of attractions decked out in holiday décor.
  
  
• Pinpoint Audience Targeting: Reach local parents, grandparents, and corporate planners.
  
  
• Event Tools: Facebook Events let people RSVP, share, and get reminders—helping your event go viral locally.
  
  
• Great for Early Buzz: Ideal for starting campaigns 2–6 weeks before your event.

Best For: Holiday events, corporate holiday parties, themed attraction nights, seasonal packages, and gift card promotions.

Google Ads: Capture High-Intent Guests Ready to Book

While Meta gets the word out, Google Ads help you connect with guests actively searching for something to do. Search ads position your FEC at the top of Google results when people type in “kids holiday activities near me” or “company holiday party venue.”

Why Google Ads Work for FEC Conversions:

• Targeted to Searchers in Booking Mode: Reach families, companies, and groups searching for a venue.
  
  
• Location-Based Targeting: Perfect for drawing guests from surrounding towns and suburbs.
  
  
• Last-Minute Visibility: Capture guests booking holiday fun during school breaks.
  
  
• Control Over Spend: Bid strategically for the busiest weekends.

Best For: Last-minute bookings, private party rentals, gift card sales, and local holiday activity searches.

The Winning Holiday Ad Strategy for FECs

Many FECs see the best results by running both  Meta and Google Ads in tandem:

• Awareness Stage: Use Meta Ads to showcase your seasonal attractions, promotions, and events.
  
  
• Booking Stage: Use Google Ads to reach guests when they’re ready to buy or reserve.

Retargeting: Serve ads on both platforms to people who visited your site or engaged with your content but didn’t book.

Holiday Campaign Timeline for Your FEC

October–November:

• Launch Meta Ads to promote holiday events and specials.
  
  
• Share behind-the-scenes attraction setups to build anticipation.

Late November–December:

• Run Google Search Ads targeting “holiday activities,” “kids holiday parties,” and “corporate holiday events” in your city.
  
  
• Retarget your Meta audience with last-minute offers and reminders.

Final Tip: The holiday ad space gets crowded fast. Plan your campaign creative now so you can launch early, stay top-of-mind, and turn seasonal excitement into ticket sales, party bookings, and repeat visits well into the new year.

Ready to take your holiday advertising to the next level?

Use  Party Center Software for all of your digital ad needs and let our experts handle everything from strategy to design to optimization.

Schedule a consultation with us today and make this your most successful Q4 yet.