I have absolutely no idea where the bulk of this year has gone, nor do I fully understand how we are now planning our sixth Santa Special at Steamworks, which this year will take place on the evenings of the 5th and 12th of December. It doesn’t seem like five minutes since I was writing about last year’s event. In fact, it doesn’t seem like five minutes since we did the first one, but it’s evolved quite a bit since then.
What continues to be gratifying is the popularity of this event and the number of repeat visits we get- at least one family has visited every year since we started, and this year I took our first booking in June- from a family who visited us last year and were anxious to book in again. It’s flattering, but I’m glad that the rush doesn’t start quite that early!
We’ve always done what we’ve always done with these events- they evolved out of our own on-site circumstances- but what has been interesting is seeing how families respond and how we compare to other Visiting Santa’s Grotto- type events. Due to the limited capacity of the BVLR in the early days, we settled on a system of booked times, so that each family got the train- and therefore the visit to Father Christmas- entirely to themselves. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but this meant that we cut out the queues- and perhaps sometimes the feeling of being on a conveyor-belt- that can characterise some of the more commercial Santa experiences.
This does of course limit the number of families who can book to come and see Santa at Steamworks, but overall it tends to average out at about thirteen or fourteen families a night, which is a great number for us, and a comfortable level of ‘busy’ for our visitors. It’s enough to be convivial, without anyone feeling harrassed or crowded, be they in the cafe or anywhere else on site. Outside of their timeslot for the train ride, families can take in everything else in their own time and at their own pace, without feeling like they’re impairing the enjoyment of others; and each year we try to increase the breadth and value of the experience. Initially just the cafe and the train ride to the Grotto, we have since added a toy train display, traditional roasted chestnuts, crafts for the children in the Cafe where Mum and Dad can enjoy their coffee or mulled wine whilst still keeping an eye on their children- whom Jackie (the Christmas fairy) helps cover themselves, their siblings and every available surface in glitter. (Or possibly she tries to prevent them, but either way, the outcome is much the same.) Our Railway Shop is of course open, last year we had a display of stationary engines, and hope to see them again- and this year we are expanding our Craft Market, with a group of local crafters and artists offering their wares. We started this last year, by wedging a few rather chilly stalwarts in the tram, but this year we hope to have expanded into a marquee to give everyone a bit more space and make everything a little more accessible.
One of the important features that we’ve stuck with is the necessity to pre-book- since our capacity is restricted, we had little choice, but this too has had some unexpected dividends. One of my personal favourites, as I’m usually on the end of the ‘phone handling the bookings- is that we get to recognise names and families from one year to another, and by now there are a healthy sprinkling of regulars. By pre-booking, we can also personalise the experience much more- Father Christmas knows the children’s names (because of course he does- he is magic, after all..) and each child gets a hand-written Christmas card addressed to them by name. We can also take into account any allergies that people might have, as something to eat and drink is included for everyone in the ticket price, and we wouldn’t want anyone to feel left out.
Talking about the ticket price- as if you hadn’t heard enough of me blowing our own collective trumpet- we have so far managed to keep this at the original price of £10.00 for children and £7.00 for adults. (If this sounds a little topsy-turvy, it’s because the adults don’t get a gift or a card, but they do get a train ride and something to eat.) I can’t think of many things that haven’t gone up significantly in the last six years, but even so, if you have two children, two parents, and Nanny and Grandpa want to come too, it can still add up- and we would hate to think anybody was priced out, especially these days. No doubt one day we will have to put it up slightly, and we are often told that we don’t charge enough- but at the moment we can make it work without compromising quality, which we think is an important element. Father Christmas tells us it’s important to try and give out presents which will last and give joy, and who are we to disagree with him? He’s been in the game long enough now, so we try to make sure the children who come to see him go home with nice presents. Although those parents who brought their offspring in the year he gave out some very loud Christmas Swannee Whistles might not necessarily agree..
