Recipe: Ditch the Kids!

# Recipes for success

# Marketing

Makes: Inspiration for first-time attendees to return for date night

With research showing the importance of first-time audiences, the experts at Indigo-Ltd recommend creating opportunities for first-timers to return and treat someone special.

One way to achieve this is by reaching out to parents who visited with children and inviting them back for a well-deserved night out as a couple. It’s about shifting from family fun to grown-up relaxation.

What you need

Access to customer segmentation and child-ticket data

Ability to build content blocks and email templates

A webpage tailored to adult audiences

Time required

2 hours

What will this help me achieve?

Encourage repeat attendance from first-time family audiences

Strengthen relationships with adult visitors who value time away from parenting

Promote new experiences for a different audience segment within your existing data

Concepts we’ll be using

Family show attendance: Customers who booked child tickets or attended family programming

Occasion-based marketing: Tailoring outreach to life stages and lifestyle needs

Customer segmentation: Using child-ticket data or event history to build targeted lists

Testimonial-driven messaging: Leveraging real parent feedback to enhance your outreach

Prep

Select or create photos of adults enjoying your venue — think drinks at the bar, relaxed smiles, or couples in the audience. Avoid production stills.

Create a web page for adults attending as a couple. Include practical info like food and drink, transport links, and a filtered “What’s On” list if needed.

Write a content block for email and web focused on how easy the experience is — short booking paths, no booking fees, parking links, and so on.

Gather testimonials from parents who’ve enjoyed visiting without their children.

Activate

Write a compelling email that highlights how easy and enjoyable a night out can be. Use images of happy couples at your venue.

Send this email as a one-off to a customer list of people who attended a family event in the last six months. Optionally, test timing based on gaps between previous attendance and booking.

Track results: monitor how many recipients click through and book.

Set up an automated campaign for anyone who books a family ticket, timed to reach them after their visit.

Review your audience survey data (e.g. Indigo Share: Subscription) to better understand motivations and refine future campaigns.

Try this twist

Try segmenting based on family-bookers who haven’t returned in over a year. Offer them an incentive to revisit for a relaxing night away from the kids.

More to explore

↗️ Understanding Audience Loyalty

Get step-by-step guidance on measuring first-time bookings, audience retention, and reattendance. Includes how-tos for Customer Lists, loyalty percentages, and strategic follow-up suggestions to re-engage first-time attendees.

↗️ Priority Booking

Learn how to offer early access to specific customer groups, such as members or returning attendees. Ideal for creating a sense of exclusivity in your follow-up campaigns to first-time audiences.