Objective
For Halloween, our clients were looking for engaging, cost-effective activities to keep the family entertained over half term. The goal was to design memorable workshops and interactive experiences, that allowed families to enjoy hands-on Halloween-themed activities without straining their budgets and that would benefit the businesses of each destination.
Method
We hosted a diverse line up of Halloween events for our clients, each designed to engage families and enhance the spooky spirit.
Below are insights into just a few of the fang-tastic events we hosted to celebrate the season:
- At The Harvey Centre, we hosted The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where children could take part in a potion-making workshop to become fully fledged witches and wizards. There was a range of mega Halloween themed props on display, for families to capture lots of memorable photos. Additionally, we created lots of fun content with Stanley the Skeleton via socials to keep followers entertained over the spooky season. Click here to learn about Stanley the Skeleton’s success.
- The Darwin delighted visitors with a series of thrilling creepy-crawly shows to introduce families and animal lovers to some amazing creatures. Additionally, we organised an exciting skeleton-themed trail to aid footfall circulation, challenging visitors to follow clues and discover hidden skeleton crew members scattered throughout the centre.
- Vicar Lane held a day full of pumpkins and potions, which included their annual pumpkin patch which is always a crowd pleaser, plus potion making and face painting.
- The Atrium leant into the upcoming Wicked film release at the Vue cinema, through hosting The Wiz School. Children had the chance to make their very own wands and take part in a spellcasting workshop.
- Visitors at Broad Street Mall, enjoyed an interactive trail around the centre to find an array of magical potion ingredients. After collecting their treasures, they returned to the potion station to brew up a range of concoctions to take home!
- At Castle Quay, a magical day of entertainment featured skilled magicians enchanting visitors with mesmerising tricks and illusions. Guests also had the chance to get their very own glitter tattoos and meet a wicked witch inspired by the soon to release Wicked film at The Light for spooky fun.
Results
Across all our destinations, the variety of Halloween events provided families with a fantastic lineup of free, fun-filled days out for kids over half term. The events boosted dwell time and supported driving footfall across the board, as well as providing a great engagement piece for brand partners.
Vicar Lane’s pumpkin patch was a hit with locals with all 350 pumpkins quickly being taken home, with footfall rising by around 10% from the week before and 9% up from a similar event in 2022.
Broad Street Mall’s potion workshop was close to reaching full capacity, with the members of the team mentioning that they hadn’t seen the scheme that busy for a long while.
The Darwin skeleton trail impressively saw participation increase by 207% compared to the previous year.
All the schemes received strong social engagement and reach. The Harvey Centre’s Halloween promotions generated over 16,000 impressions on Facebook and Instagram. Castle Quay’s Halloween competition, which ran organically on social media, attracted nearly 900 entries and achieved a total of 8,000 impressions on Facebook and Instagram.
