How Can I Fill Quieter Weekday Sessions Without Constant Discounts?

An empty Tuesday morning can make a discount feel like the obvious answer. But a cheaper ticket will not help a parent who is at work, or a school-age child who is in class.

Before changing the price, work out who can realistically visit at that time and why they would choose to come. That gives you a much stronger starting point for weekday marketing.

Identify the availability you actually need to sell

Look at recent weeks by day, time and activity. Separate normal term-time trading from school holidays and special events. A quiet 10am session and a quiet 3pm session may need entirely different audiences.

Record available capacity, attendance and the staffing needed to run each session. Decide whether you want more people in an existing session or are considering opening an additional one. Extra opening hours bring costs that an already staffed session may not.

Choose one slot to improve first. You will learn more from a focused test than from advertising every quiet period at once.

Match the session to a practical need

For a suitable indoor venue, a toddler morning could give parents a clear age range, predictable timing and information about facilities. A different operator might develop a supervised after-school activity, a group booking or an adult session that fits its facilities.

Speak to the people who would use it. Ask current visitors which weekdays work, how far ahead they plan and what would make a visit easier. A popular suggestion still needs testing against actual bookings.

Avoid presenting a session as sensory-friendly or accessible unless the environment and arrangements genuinely support that description. Explain the practical features customers can expect.

Add value customers can understand

A clearly defined experience may be more persuasive than a general percentage discount. Consider whether a shorter session, a structured activity or a relevant food option helps the intended customer.

Check the cost of anything included. A refreshment, instructor or extra activity still needs to be funded. Explain the offer precisely: applicable dates, duration, admission categories and what is included.

Keep the standard experience attractive too. Customers should not have to wait for your next sale to understand why a visit is worthwhile.

Work out whether the extra bookings help

Imagine an illustrative €12 ticket with €3 of additional cost per visitor. Ten genuinely additional visitors would contribute €90 before campaign costs and other overheads. If the campaign costs €30, that leaves €60 towards those remaining costs. These are example figures, not expected results.

Now consider whether regular full-price customers simply moved into the promoted slot. That can still have an operational benefit, but it is different from creating new demand. Review both the promoted session and overall trading.

A busy session with weak margins is not automatically an improvement. Set a clear budget and decide what success needs to look like before advertising.

Promote a specific visit

Build a page that answers who the session suits, when it runs, where it is, what it costs and how to reserve a place. Send campaign visitors directly there rather than to a general homepage.

Use genuine images and a clear reason to attend. Where customers have agreed to receive relevant marketing, email can help introduce the session. Local paid social can support discovery. MBM Ireland’s Meta advertising service is one route for planning and measuring that activity.

Test before making it permanent

Run a defined pilot, perhaps across four comparable weeks, and record attendance, revenue, additional costs and staff feedback. Ask visitors what brought them in. Note whether they return after the introductory campaign.

For the Christmas period, distinguish term-time demand from holiday demand. Do not assume a session that works in early November will attract the same audience during Christmas week.

Thank you for reading Ask the Expert with Myk Baxter. Choose one quiet slot this week and identify the customer who could realistically use it.