Photo Credit: Gaston Larios
Over the past few years, interest in ice skating has declined. In response, the San Diego Ice Arena has taken steps to increase its customer flow.
Owners of the private company knew there was more to changing the focus of the facility than just opening the doors and making a good sheet of ice. So they focused on creating specialized public programs; the intent was to separate experienced figure skaters from first-time skaters, and to hold different birthday parties for young children and teenagers. Although each public session has a specific age group in mind, the main focus is the same--to have fun and learn.
Amid the strategy to increase attendance, a remarkable product emerged--an all-inclusive birthday party package. It not only personalizes the experience for a child so that he or she is the center of attention, but also forces others to come to the party and skate--some for the very first time. And the birthday party program markets itself because it relies on word-of-mouth--it takes one family to decide to celebrate a birthday at the ice rink, and it opens the facility to an average of ten more families.