1. Use peak and off-peak pricing
Most activity venues are full on Friday and Saturday evenings and quiet on weekday afternoons, but charge the same price for both. That means you undercharge when you’re busy and don’t give anyone a reason to come when you’re quiet.
How to do it
- 1Look at a month of bookings and mark each hour as full, busy or quiet.
- 2Raise peak prices slightly before cutting anything else. Groups booking a Saturday night rarely notice a few pounds per head.
- 3Make off-peak noticeably cheaper, and tell the people most likely to use it, like students, shift workers and parents.
Example. A lane at £20 an hour all week becomes £24 on peak evenings and £15 on weekday afternoons. If peak times were already selling out, those hours now earn more.
In the software: Peak and off-peak pricing
2. Offer a second activity when people book
Groups that do two activities stay longer and spend more. But very few people go back to add a second activity once they’ve paid for the first.
How to do it
- 1Let customers add a second activity to the same basket before they pay.
- 2Offer a small discount for booking two activities.
- 3Pair things that sequence naturally: an escape room then karaoke, axe throwing then darts.
In the software: Multi-activity baskets
3. Sell extras at checkout
If you already ask groups what the occasion is, checkout is a good time to offer a birthday upgrade or food package.
How to do it
- 1Make a list of the things people most often ask for on the night, and put a price on them.
- 2Offer food and drink with quantities, so a group of eight orders for eight.
- 3Keep the free questions too. Experience level, access needs and the occasion help your team run a better session.
Example. If one booking in five adds a £14 sharing board, that adds up over a year, and the kitchen knows what’s coming.
In the software: Checkout questions and add-ons
4. Sell parties as packages
Birthdays, stag and hen dos and work events make up a lot of most venues’ income, and a lot of their emails. A package with a clear price and a list of what’s included answers most questions up front.
How to do it
- 1Create two or three packages at different prices.
- 2Show a photo and a plain list of what is included: time, activities, food, a reserved area.
- 3Let customers pick a headcount and pay a deposit or the full amount online.
In the software: Party and group packages
5. Take deposits and waivers in advance
No-shows and late cancellations leave you with an empty slot you could have sold. Waivers signed at the door also cut into session time.
How to do it
- 1Take full payment, or at least a deposit, at the time of booking.
- 2Write a cancellation policy you are comfortable enforcing and show it at checkout.
- 3Get terms accepted at checkout and waivers signed by email before arrival.
In the software: Waivers and terms
6. Sell gift cards, especially before Christmas
Experiences are popular presents. Gift cards bring money in early, and many are spent in the quieter weeks after Christmas.
How to do it
- 1Sell gift cards on your booking page all year, and push them hard from November.
- 2Offer bonus credit on bigger amounts, for example £60 of play for £50.
- 3Put a gift card link on your receipts, confirmations and social profiles.
In the software: Gift cards
7. Encourage repeat visits
It costs much less to bring back a customer than to find a new one. Leagues, memberships and loyalty schemes give people a reason to return.
How to do it
- 1Run a league night with one ticket for the whole series.
- 2Offer an off-peak membership that only works at the times you need to fill.
- 3Start a simple stamp card, like every sixth visit free.
In the software: Memberships, loyalty and events
8. Follow up on abandoned bookings
Someone who got to the payment step had already chosen a day, time and activity. A short reminder email often brings them back.
How to do it
- 1Send a friendly reminder an hour or so after they leave checkout.
- 2Only offer a discount if a plain reminder is not working.
- 3Invite lapsed customers back after a few weeks, and stop the moment they book.
In the software: Abandoned basket and win-back emails
9. Track which ads bring in bookings
If you spend money on Google or Meta ads, what matters is how many paid bookings each ad brings in, not how many clicks it gets.
How to do it
- 1Send confirmed bookings, with their value, back to your ad platforms as conversions.
- 2Compare cost per booking, not cost per click, and move budget accordingly.
- 3Check your booking reports by source each month: online, phone and walk-in.
In the software: Ad conversion tracking
Where to start
Pick two ideas that suit your venue and try those first. For most venues that means pricing (1) and selling extras at checkout (3), because both earn more from bookings you already get.
If you’d like to see how these work in our booking software, book a call with our team.