G T H E IU L T I M A TEG UID O RUNNN - Wholesale - Grotto E-book.pdfBe sure to make use of social media and email lists to promote your event too. Make use of email lists and create

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RUNNING

www.ashwoodgifts.com

2 Call Ashwood on +44 (0)117 3009919 or email [email protected]

This eBook has been designed to give you an overview of how to run a Christmas grotto event efficiently, safely and profitably. It includes a detailed checklist of all the things you’ll require, the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them, advice on present selection, plus hints and tips of all kinds to help you ensure your grotto event is truly successful and memorable for all those who experience it.

Ashwood exists to make your life as a buyer of toys and gifts easier! Having worked closely with thousands of retailers and buyers for more than two decades, we’ve really got to understand a lot about our customers’ businesses, their needs and their challenges; and especially their Christmas grotto events. The supply of grotto presents is a significant, fast-growing element of our business, with Ashwood supplying more than 250,000 grotto presents each year to all kinds of customers; including railways, garden centres, shopping centres, schools, caves and other visitor attractions.

Whether it’s your first time running a grotto, or whether you’re an experienced grotto organiser, we’re sure you’ll find some useful tips in this eBook, so please read on! And if you have any questions relating to your grotto event or if you need to source grotto presents, then please do get in touch and we’ll gladly assist you.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTMAS GROTTO

3For our full range of products visit our website www.ashwoodgifts.com

DBS checks

If your Santa is a volunteer, you will need to get them DBS checked before they are able to help. You will need to find a company that is able to do the check for you; we suggest going to Gov.uk to find a suitable company. Once the DBS has been cleared they will receive a certificate. If you’re hiring a Santa, they should have this sorted already – just ask to see their certificate.

Staff, elves, and volunteers that help out regularly with events, or even just help out every year at your grotto, may also need to undertake a DBS check, depending on how often they help out. If they’re a one off volunteer, they won’t need DBS clearance (but it’s best for them to undergo a check just in case). DBS checks are free for volunteers.

Promotional activity

Create eye-catching posters to advertise locally about your event, you can use design sites like Canva to easily mock up promotional assets. Make sure your posters and leaflets are distributed well in advance of your event. You can seek the help of friends and family to pass some around, and you can also post them out to local schools and businesses for them to display.

Be sure to make use of social media and email lists to promote your event too. Make use of email lists and create an email marketing campaign to encourage customers to come to your event, and use social media platforms to shout about it too. You could even look into running Facebook and Instagram ads targeting parents in your area.

Santa & Elves

One of the most important elements of a successful grotto is finding a great Santa. You may well find that you have someone you already know who is willing to volunteer. However, if you’re finding it difficult to find someone then ask your local Rotary, Lions, Scouts or sports club to appeal to dads, granddads and uncles that may be willing to help. This is also appealing if you’re working to a tight budget. Alternatively if your budget permits, you could hire a professional Santa and even a Mrs Claus too!

Santa would not be able to make his appearance without the help of his elves! The elves will play an important role in keeping the children entertained whilst they wait to see Santa.

Once you have agreed on a date and timings for the event you can begin searching for your little helpers. Put advertisements out in your local community to see if anyone is willing to come and help out. It may also be a good idea to ask local churches and community groups if they have anyone who would be willing to volunteer. Alternatively, you can hire some helpers alongside your Santa, or even use your staff or shop assistants.

It may feel a little overwhelming when planning a grotto for the first time, with a lot to sort and get ready for the big day. So here’s a list of the essentials you’ll need for your event:

THE ESSENTIALS FOR RUNNING A GROTTO


GROTTO SHOPPING LIST

SCAN QR CODE TO DOWNLOAD OUR PRINTABLE SHOPPING LIST

SANTA COSTUME (if you’re not hiring a Santa)

ELF COSTUMES

PRESENTS

DECORATIONS

A CHAIR FOR SANTA

ROPE BARRIERS TO CREATE A PLACE TO QUEUE

MINCE PIES, MULLED WINE AND OTHER FOOD AND DRINK OPTIONS

CAMERA AND ALLOCATED PHOTOGRAPHER - if you are offering a ‘photo with Santa’ opportunity

TICKETS - THESE CAN BE DESIGNED ON CANVA ALSO

SPEAKERS AND MUSIC

LIGHTING


Risk assessments will need to be completed before your event can go ahead, and this is to help determine any risks or hazards that may arise whilst the public are visiting your grotto, or whilst staff are working at your grotto. Don’t panic! They don’t need to be complicated or difficult.

You will need to think carefully about ways harm could occur during your event, and then look and see how you can reduce these risks from happening. Conducting a risk assessment ensures that those organising the event have paid attention to reducing any risks.

RISK ASSESSMENTS

1. ACTIVITY/AREA OF CONCERN

I.e. what is taking place as part of the event?

2. HAZARDS IDENTIFIEDI.e. what can cause harm?

3. PERSONS AT RISKI.e. who could be harmed by

the hazard?

4. CURRENT RISK FACTOR(HIGH, MEDIUM OR LOW)

I.e. determine the level of risk

5. ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN TO MINIMISE EACH RISKI.e. what action can you take

to lower to level of risk

6. NEW RISK FACTOR(HIGH, MEDIUM OR LOW)

I.e. risk factor after action taken to minimise the risk

NAME OF PERSON COMPLETING RISK ASSESSMENT: (PRINTED):

SIGNATURE: DATE:

EVENT NAME: DATE: VENUE:


EFFECTIVE BUDGETING FOR YOUR GROTTO

Whilst a grotto is a great way to make the most of the busy Christmas season and to boost sales, it’s important to outline a budget and plan costs to make sure your event is profitable. Here’s our top tips on how to make your grotto fit your budget, no matter what size it is.

Prepare in advance

Start looking for what you may need to purchase for your grotto in advance, this will mean you can spread the costs throughout the year.

Buy in bulk

Buying items in larger quantities, such as food and drink supplies, decorations, or even gifts, can often give you discounted prices.

Create your own decorations

You can’t buy Christmas decorations all year, but you can make them all year! Making your own decorations may be time consuming, but it can help to save money.

Present wrapping

Wrapping presents can be time-consuming and expensive if you do it yourself – a typical cost would be 40-50p per present. So when buying presents for your grotto, why not get your supplier to wrap the presents for you; saving you time, money and hassle? (Psst. Our elves offer this service to all Ashwood customers!)

Leftover presents

It’s hard to know exactly how many people will turn up to your event, so over-buying is the safest bet. But, this then means you run the risk of having left over presents. If you’re not sure if you’ll be running a grotto the following year, or don’t have anywhere to store leftover gifts, order from a supplier that offers a buy-back guarantee. (At Ashwood, we will buy back up to 10% of unsold gifts, so the only leftovers you’ll have to worry about will be from your roast dinner!)

Local support

You may be able to team up with local businesses to offer their products or services at your grotto, such as food suppliers like bakeries for Christmas biscuits.

Hire a costume

Instead of purchasing a costume for your Santa, hiring can be a cheaper alternative. But make sure you book this early, as there will be a high demand. (Alternatively, you could hire a Santa that already has a costume.)

Sponsorship

To maximise profits, or even help out with funding, find a sponsor for your event! This might be a local business, or even a food or drinks company.


TROUBLESHOOTING

Just like with any event, you’ll need to be prepared for things out of your control or any other extenuating circumstances that may arise. You can’t stop these from happening; but you can be prepared for them if they do!

Inclement weather

Thanks to the great British weather, it’s hard to predict what the circumstances will be like on the day. If it’s snowing or icy, visitors will need to be able to park and access your event safely. So make sure you’ve stocked up on salt and spades or snow shovels. This may also have an effect on the public being able to reach your event on the day due to unsafe road conditions, so where possible, clear roads close to your event, or alert attendees about safer routes. If it’s predicted to be raining or colder than usual, have a ready stock of umbrellas, ponchos, and blankets (and warm mulled wine for mums and dads)!

Staff absences

Staff are most likely to be ill during the winter season, and if there are extreme weather conditions, they may struggle to get to work (or they might just regret agreeing to the extra hours)! The chances are; if staff are struggling to get to the event, then customers are too, therefore less staff may be needed. But it’s always best to have a plan in place, either by having staff on standby to come in if needed, or hiring more staff than you think you’ll need, and sending them home if needs be.

Power cuts

If there are extreme weather conditions during your event, power cuts may occur. These can happen at anytime, anywhere, and it is important to have a backup just in case. A backup generator might be handy to have on hand.

Oversold tickets/not enough presents

It’s great that you have so many people wanting to attend your grotto with their children, but this may mean you then don’t have enough presents for them all. Sometimes it can be difficult to predict just how many presents to buy; that’s why Ashwood offers a last minute delivery service right up until Christmas Eve - we can provide top-ups in just two working days, so there’s room for everyone on Santa’s list!

Kids unhappy with their toys

We recommend you are open to exchanging presents if a child/parent is not happy with the present they have received. It might be handy to keep a few toys unwrapped just in case this situation arises. Having kids and parents leave happy is key for making your next grotto a big success.

Father Christmas can’t make it

There’s no grotto without a Santa! If your Santa can’t make it due to weather, or calls in sick, make sure you have a backup on call, or a spare costume so one of your staff can step in if needs be.


FAQS FROM SANTA’S HELPERS

How old are children that visit a grotto?

The bulk of the children who come are up to 10 years old. Above that, they only tend to come if they have younger siblings.

How to best decorate a grotto?

The grotto itself should be made to look as cosy and homely as possible – to give a real Lapland effect! Consider having a fire with mock glowing coals, fake candles, a photo of Mrs Claus and pictures of Christmas scenes. You can use soft lighting creatively and play appropriate music in the background to create a magical atmosphere for visitors.

How would you create the best experience for the children visiting a grotto?

The experience begins when the children enter the building of the grotto - it’s important to create the right atmosphere right from the very entrance. The time with Santa mustn’t feel rushed - allow at least 5 minutes dedicated time per family with Santa.

1. Consider what else you can offer to give your experience a perceived high value. How about offering free mince

pies and mulled wine? Make a range of hot drinks and snack food available to

purchase and include a complimentary ‘Photo with Santa’ in the package.

2. Your experience must feel long enough so that it feels good value for money. Consider adding in an extra stage/room to the experience if you feel it needs lengthening.

3. Ensure that any waits in the experience (i.e. when groups are waiting for groups ahead of them to move through the experience) are kept to an absolute minimum, and that the children are kept fully engaged and occupied during any such waits by interactive and engaging ‘elves’ or similar. You could also consider hiring a juggler, or a magician or a balloon modelling artist.

How do you know when the next child can see Santa?

Have a simple way of knowing when Santa is ready for the next family - e.g. a green/red light signal which is only visible to the usher.

When should you start taking bookings for a grotto?

Go live with online booking as early as June, and monitor bookings carefully. Use social media channels to advertise your grotto event widely.

What will make a family visit one grotto over another?

What can you offer visitors to encourage them to choose your grotto? Often the more unusual the setting, the more compelling the event (e.g. a cave, a canal or a mine)! Use the unique characteristics of your site/facility to blend in with and enhance the traditional Santa’s Grotto experience. For example, if you were running the event at a football stadium, your elves could wear football tops and talk to the children about this being the place where they work making presents for Santa, and also where they train and keep fit! The more unique and different you can make your experience, the better, so purposely adapt the story to your surroundings.

How do you get the right Santa?

Your Santa should ideally be of fairly large build – or dressed up accordingly to be of quite a good build. He should also have a warm personality; he will need to be able to put all sorts of children at ease quickly, so needs to be someone who gets along really well with children. In fact, he should love children! If he loves what he’s doing, he will truly captivate the imagination of the children – and impress the parents. If you can find a Santa who has a real beard, that is a bonus! And can he sing nicely to the children? A lovely touch if so.

What qualities should elves/helpers/entertainers have?

Santa’s assistants must be bubbly and fun! They need to interact with the children in order to create an engaging and memorable experience. Santa and his helpers need to appear believable and able to capture the imagination of the children.

What potential problems could occur?

1. Have a back stop Santa lined up, just in case your Santa falls ill.

2. Mechanical breakdown possibilities - check and maintain all equipment very carefully daily (e.g. the sleigh).

3. Choose a reliable grotto presents supplier who you can count on to deliver additional presents very rapidly should you start to run low on presents for a particular age group.

4. Consider hiring a snow plough to keep on site if snow is expected in order to keep your site and car park usable.

5. Purposely allow a spare day or two in your agenda in case emergency rebookings have to be made. So if you have to cancel a whole day due to weather, for example, you can still host all those families that were booked for that day on a later date instead.

6. Have a plan of what you can offer to any customers who cannot make it


FAQS FROM SANTA’S HELPERS

on the day they booked, for example due to illness or transport problems. This might be a free ticket to visit in the Spring (and still receive the presents then instead).

7. Also have a plan of what you can offer to any family or parent who have a complaint to make after their experience. It is better to pacify an upset customer quickly and properly than to run the risk of negative reviews.

Wrapped or unwrapped gifts?

The majority of grottos tend to use wrapped presents. However, there are still a good number of grottos where the unwrapped toys are laid out for the children to choose what they want. This latter option does mean that you are very much less likely to receive complaints about the relevance of the present. However, if you are trying to create a very traditional experience, it may be more appropriate to have your presents wrapped.If wrapped, choose a supplier who can not only wrap all the presents for you and clearly label each present with the intended age and gender, but can also label each carton of presents with this information too. Make sure you choose toys that have a perceived high retail value and are suitable for the age of the child you intend to give them to.

How would you organise a grotto for the first time?

1. Speak to and network with others who run grottos in a different area of the country – i.e. who wouldn’t regard you as competition.

2. Consider using a grotto event firm who will run everything for you. Once you have run the event this way for the first time, you will then have learnt so much about what to do and what not to do next year, and you will be more comfortable with running the whole event (or elements of it) yourself in future.

3. Create a detailed budget which covers every cost of the event. Once you have this, you can think about how much you want to charge for the experience entry fee. You can then calculate how many paying visitors you would need in order to cover the costs. This will help you to decide how many days to run the event on. Consider whether you will charge one fixed fee for the entire experience, or whether you will charge extra for drinks, snacks, photo with Santa etc.

4. Create a marketing plan which will allow you to organise how and when and using what channels you will advertise your event. Social media is a must!

5. Make sure you have a feedback form or a simple way of capturing reviews/feedback from visitors. Consider offering a small incentive for visitors who give you a Google review or a Trustpilot review.

6. Make sure you charge enough to cover all of your costs and make a profit, but not so much that it is too expensive otherwise people will not want to come.


SELECTING AND PROCURING GROTTO PRESENTS

Grotto gift guide

Before you decide on what gifts to order for your grotto, it’s a good idea to work out your maximum capacity for your event. You can then use the below as a guide of what percentages of different age groups you will likely have attending your event:

When customers begin to think about organising their Grotto, one of the main questions we get asked is, “Which toys should we buy?”. If you’re unsure about how many girls or boys will be attending your grotto event, we suggest you choose a selection of unisex toys for the different age categories, to ensure that no boys or girls will be left out. Below we have outlined a guide of grotto toys to fit every budget and age range. You can find our full range of gifts on our website!

AGE/GENDER: APPROXIMATE % OF PRESENTS: POPULAR PRESENTS:

0-3 Unisex 15-20% soft toys, books, puppets

3-5 Boys 20-25% puzzles, vehicles, games, dough kits, soft toys, snap watches, Colour Your Own Calendar, kinetic sand sets, puppets, marbles, Walk-A-Pets

3-5 Girls 20-25% dolls, puzzles, games, soft toys, dough kits, snap watches, Colour Your Own Calendar, kinetic sand sets, puppets, Walk-A-Pets,

6-8 Boys 15-20%snap watches, board games, hatching eggs, dough kits, Colour Your Own Calendar, kinetic sand sets, make & do kits, ScrapeArt, Walk-A-Pets, Lego type block sets

6-8 Girls 15-20%hatching eggs, art & craft kits, board games and soft toys, sequin toys, dough kits, Colour Your Own Calendar, kinetic sand sets, beauty sets, bottle sand art, bead set, ScrapeArt, Walk-A-Pets

9 + Boys 10-15% experiment kits, board games, ScrapeArt, Lego type block sets

9 + Girls 10-15% art & craft kits, notebooks Scrape Art, sequin toys, board games, bottle sand art, bead set


WHY ASHWOOD FOR GROTTO PRESENTS?

Find it challenging to source new and different ideas for grotto presents at the right price?

Each year we completely refresh our selection of grotto toys and gifts, so that we can always offer you a fresh, different and exciting variety of options for all ages that will fit your budget.

Worried that you might end up with surplus grotto gifts and toys after your event?

Then you haven’t heard of the Ashwood Grotto Guarantee! If you end up with surplus grotto presents, we promise to collect up to 10% of the total number of presents ordered and credit or refund you for them, even if they’re wrapped. No quibble! (Please note, returned presents must be full, unopened cartons of presents - part/mixed cartons of presents cannot be returned. We will arrange the uplift of such presents at our cost, but a complete list of the presents to be collected (product code/description/quantity of each item) must be emailed to us in advance by 31st January - returns will not be accepted after this date.)

Might need a last minute top-up delivery?

If you suddenly find that you actually need more grotto gifts urgently during your event, we can supply top-up orders within two working days!

Stuck for space?

We can reserve all the stock for you in our warehouse, and deliver your quality grotto presents just when you need them (and invoice on delivery). You can even split your order up into multiple deliveries if you prefer.

Would you like grotto toys and gifts wrapped?

We offer a wrapping service! This could potentially save you hours of time and costly staff resource.

Want your customers to come back to your grotto next year?

We understand that you want your customers to keep coming back to your grotto event every year. We appreciate that in order to ensure they keep coming back, your grotto

presents must always represent excellent value – the higher the perceived value in the eyes of the customer the better. Rest assured that all the options that we will offer you, will definitely reflect this.

Looking for bespoke or branded grotto presents?

Some of our clients want quality grotto gifts which are bespoke to their organisation – often a toy which has their logo printed on it for example. This is an area we specialise in and our tremendous sourcing ability has often surprised and delighted our clients. Simply send us your wish list of ideas and we’ll be glad to assist you! Please note, typically the minimum order quantity for a bespoke/branded toy is 300pcs.

We hope this guide helps your current grotto be even more successful, or has inspired you to start your own!

AcknowledgementsWe would like to acknowledge Tracy Smith from Brecon Mountain Railway and Joanne Clark from Croke Park for their useful insights which helped to create this e-book!

Ashwood Gift LtdChapel Street,St Philips, Bristol, UK, BS2 0ULT: +44 (0)117 3009919E: [email protected]

Documents

G T H E IU L T I M A TEG UID O RUNNN - Wholesale - Grotto E-book.pdfBe sure to make use of social media and email lists to promote your event too. Make use of email lists and create