Tips to Run a Successful Dance Workshop
Running dance workshops during school holidays can be an exhilarating adventure for both the kids and your dance business! It's a fantastic way to diversify your cash flow while offering parents exciting options to keep their children entertained during breaks.
Holiday workshops are not just about fun; they can significantly boost your business's profitability! As a savvy dance school owner, you're likely looking for ways to maximise this opportunity. Let's explore how to run successful dance workshops and turn workshop attendees into long-term, committed customers!
Enhance the Workshop Booking Experience
Offer Flexibility
If you want to make booking your workshops a breeze for parents, [.pink__text]an online booking system[.pink__text] will be your best ally! This tool will allow parents to book and pay hassle-free. With an online system, you’ll be able to offer parents optional extras like extended hours or early drop-off and late pick-up during the booking process too. The more personalized the experience, the happier your customers will be.
Stay Organised
Organisation is key to running a successful dance workshop. With a reliable online system like ClassForKids, you’ll be able to access registrations, medical info, and emergency contacts instantly. This ensures you're well-prepared and that your coaches have all the necessary information at their fingertips. Automate confirmation emails and reminders closer to the workshop start date to ease pre-workshop jitters and ensure parents answers to any potential questions.
Payments Made Easy
Smooth payment processing is vital. Have parents pay upfront during booking to streamline operations and eliminate the hassle of chasing payments later. Simplify the payment experience to ensure parents have a positive booking journey.
Fun Activities
So, [.green__text]what activities do the kids want to do at a dance workshop?[.green__text] Let’s look at some popular activities to include in your workshops.
Your Activity in focus
Make your dance workshop all about dance! Focus on teaching specific skills, bring in industry experts for masterclasses, or organise friendly dance-offs and performances. This is what kids and parents are looking forward to when signing up for a dance workshop.
Ice-Breakers
Start your workshop with engaging ice-breaker games. Encourage interaction and friendship-building with activities like [.orange__text]“A Book About Me,” “The Cube,” or “Meeting Bingo.”[.orange__text] Building connections from the start enhances the overall workshop experience.
The Classics
While your workshops will center around dance, you can still throw in some classic camp fun. Water fights, scavenger hunts, themed quizzes and movie nights are just some of the super fun activities you could include.
Involve Parents
Hosting a parent's open day or showcase at the end of the workshop can be a fantastic way to engage parents and show off what their children have learned. Encourage them to participate in mini-dance workshops or friendly dance-offs with their kids. This strengthens relationships and creates memorable experiences for both kids and parents!
[.pink__text]Top Tip: There are easy ways to incorporate dance into classic camp activities if you wish to: feature dance movies, feature dance shows and competitions on the big screen, or put on a dance-themed quiz![.pink__text]
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Retaining Your Workshop attendees
Of course, the goal isn’t simply to see your workshop dancers once – it's to keep them coming back for termly classes too! [.blue__text]So how do you retain your workshop attendees and turn them into regulars?[.blue__text]
1. Market your regular classes to the workshop attendees
A great way to increase the numbers in your termly classes is to market those classes to the workshop attendees. If parents had a positive booking experience and their children enjoyed the workshop, they'll likely consider enrolling in ongoing classes too. You can even build a community forum for the parents whose children attended your workshop. This gives you a designated space to promote community, invite parents back with personalised offers and entice class bookings by sharing workshop highlights and upcoming dance events.
2. Entice with a special offer
Beyond offering great workshops or dance events, focus on nurturing relationships with your customers to convert them into long-term supporters. Offer workshop attendees a special deal for upcoming sessions—discounts, free trials, or a 'bring a friend' offers all work a treat. Sweeten the deal, make the audience feel special, and watch your numbers grow!
3. Communicate when the experience is still fresh
Reach out while the workshop experience is fresh in parents' minds: marketing works best when you strike when the iron is still hot. Try offering incentives on the last day of the workshop or send follow-up emails shortly after it ends to prompt return bookings.
Running a successful holiday club is all about creating memorable experiences for kids and their families. With the right approach to booking, engaging activities, and customer retention strategies, your holiday club can become a staple in your community. Embrace the journey, stay flexible, and always keep the fun in focus!
Running engaging dance workshops during school holidays is about creating memorable experiences for kids and families. With efficient booking processes, exciting activities, and effective customer retention strategies, your dance school can become a staple in your community. Embrace the journey, stay adaptable, and always keep the joy of dance at the forefront!
[.green__text]Ready to automate your camps system and take more bookings than ever? See how ClassForKids can help![.green__text]
Felicia Bugge
Felicia is our resident Content Specialist. She is the mastermind behind most of our blogs, emails and Tiktoks! When she isn’t planning the next big email campaign or chasing participants for Tiktoks, she can be found travelling to new exotic places, reading the latest booktok book, or converting friends to using iPads for notes and calendars!
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