Back in September we wrote an article on preparing your escape room for Halloween, and all of a sudden ‘tis the season… For corporate party enquiries, last minute gift card panic buying, and a suspiciously full December calendar.

For many escape rooms, Christmas is the biggest earner of the year - even bigger than Halloween. From office parties, to families getting together over the holidays, to folks looking for a gift that’s a little better than socks, to friends all back in town and having a festive night together - there are so many reasons your booking calendar might be full.

But Santa isn’t the only one who should be making a list and checking it twice. We’ve made another checklist for things you should be thinking about at your escape room in the run-up to the festive season.

Phase One: Prepping Throughout November

□ Get your gift cards live - or give them a new (and festive!) look

Everything in the next few weeks depends on having a good gift card system set up! Making sure you’re selling vouchers that make sense for your price point (say, $25, $50, $75, and $100 to cover escape room bookings of various sizes), and that they’re delivered automatically. In Buzzshot Bookings, gift cards are a standard product in your booking widget but you can also set up a direct link to the gift card page, meaning you can have a handy “Buy a Gift Card Now” button on your homepage where anyone browsing can find it.

□ Set your last-order dates

…And if you’re selling physical gift cards, decide when the cut off time is for deliveries and in-person pick-ups. It’s a great opportunity to put some time pressure on your players too. There’s nothing like the FOMO of “order before the 18th to deliver by Christmas!” to remind people they really need to get on it.

□ Block out your holiday hours

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Eve might mean different hours or being closed entirely. Override scheduling can help block these out around key holidays so nobody accidentally books a slot you don’t have the team in to run.

□ Sort your team’s leave and cover

December is a busy period because people typically travel and see friends and family- but this means your staff will be doing this too! Make sure you get your staff leave requests in early and decide who is on the roster and who is on standby over the festive season.

□ Give corporate bookers somewhere to go

Office organisers want answers very quickly, so make sure it’s easy to find information on your website like maximum group sizes, pricing, deposits, and add-ons like drinks. Consider using a feature like “Booking Requests” to take a deposit on bookings and be approved manually by a member of your management once you’ve confirmed cover.

□ Brief the team on party groups

Party groups bring mixed enthusiasm, often a gaggle of first-timers, and possibly all after a glass or two of fizz. A warm intro and a generous hint policy can help the whole group have a good time, and not just the keen one or two who suggested it. On a similar note, this is a good time to decide on your late arrival policy in advance. Do players need to be exactly on time, or can you factor in a few minutes wiggle room into your schedule?

Phase Two: Black Friday to Cyber Monday

□ Discount your gift cards, not the rooms themselves

A sale on an escape room can undercut your own December prices (which you may want to increase with custom pricing rules due to demand - but more on that later). A gift card on the other hand, doesn’t! You can sell your gift cards with a bonus discount, such as a $50 gift card on sale for $40, so players get the benefit when they redeem it. Try using the “valid from” feature, to boost your quieter months and run campaigns like “Buy a gift card in December for 20% off when you use it in January”

□ Email your completers first

Players who have played every single room at your escape room company are the best gift buyers. They’re already fans of you and your company, and you know their recommendation to their friends will be trusted. Why not try writing a personalised campaign such as, “You’ve played everything… Know someone else who should?”

□ Schedule everything now, so you can relax over Christmas

Use email automation to set up the last few weeks. After your Black Friday offer, you’ll want some mid-December reminders, and a “last order” date for physical gift cards. This December you’ll have enough on your mind without needing to remember to hit send.

Phase Three: The Group Rush in Early December

□ Increase the spend-per-head with bundles

Being busy is almost certainly guaranteed, but there are some other clever ways to increase the spend-per-head and Christmas is a great time to bundle things together. Prosecco after the room, hot chocolate, mince pies, printed team photos… You name it!

□ Price the peak times properly

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are among the most in-demand slots throughout the whole year, and December is no different. Set temporary peak prices, and with Buzzshot Bookings you can let custom pricing rules take care of that for you automatically. Make a weekday afternoons more affordable, but that sought-after Saturday slot more competitive.

□ Check capacity before you promise it

A large group can outgrow your rooms and your reception, so make sure you’ve got your individual rooms, and the entire venue’s capacity sorted in advance. If you use shared resources, check your settings that booking one room will block the other appropriately.

Phase Four: The Last-Minute Scramble in Mid-December

□ Add one-off slots where the demand is

Weekday lunchtimes and early evenings throughout December will be popular with offices and last-minute families. Especially if you’re in an area with a high-footfall where people might be out Christmas shopping. Custom and one-off slots let you add them without touching your regular schedule.

□ Turn on Abandoned Cart Recovery

December bookers are high-intent but easily distracted, and plenty will pause their booking to check a group chat. Make sure your Abandoned Cart Recovery is on, and send a “last slot before Christmas” email to nudge the rest.

□ Sell digital gift cards to last minute panic buyers

For anyone who missed the posting deadline, digital gift cards can arrive instantly on a date of the buyer’s choice. Lead with “delivered by email in time for Christmas morning” in your communications with potential buyers.

Phase Five: Boxing Day to New Year

□ Relax!

Seriously - you’ve done a great job, and it's your time to relax too. In fact, why not book an escape room to play with your own friends and family this festive season?

Phase Six: Don’t Go Quiet in January

□ Be ready for the gift card wave

Lucky folk who received escape room vouchers for Christmas (wink wink at my own friends and family) will start redeeming them come January, and on average people spend more than the card’s value, so make sure you have your add-ons and a second room easy to spot and book in the checkout.

□ Send the thank-yous and the review requests

Just because January is a little quieter doesn’t mean you can’t use that time wisely. Now’s a great time to request reviews from all the people who booked in December. Why not pair it with a nudge towards getting them to return in January, especially if they were an escape room newbie.

□ Look at the numbers whilst they’re fresh

Which rooms sold out? Which rooms had the highest number of players? How many last minute bookings did you get? Note it all down now, because it’ll shape next year’s plan.

One Last Safety Sweep

With a new festive season means out with the Halloween decorations and in with the festive decorations. But as you prepare for Christmas, keep fairy lights, tinsel and candles away from electrics and have a clear policy for guests who have had too much to drink. Wet coats and icy steps also need a plan, and there’s no time like the present to review your waiver and see if it’s still up to scratch.

Whatever you do this December, make it a good one!

The escape rooms with the best Decembers aren’t the ones working the hardest in the last week, they’re the ones who got the foundations in place early.

If you’re a Buzzshot Bookings user, everything we’ve mentioned in this list is already available to you, from gift cards with scheduled delivery to Request to Book rules, abandoned cart recovery and email automation.

If you’re not yet using Buzzshot Bookings, you can start a free trial today and get your festive season set up in good time.