Marketing tips for your FEC that don’t burn your budget

Your family entertainment center (FEC) could be packed this weekend. But first, families need to know you exist.

Marketing in 2026 means showing up in the places your audience actually looks: Google searches, AI chat results, social media feeds, and friend recommendations. The operators filling their calendars aren't spending more. They're being more strategic about where they show up and how they stay visible.

This is Part 2 of our Operator Productivity Series. In Part 1, we covered automated scheduling systems that free up hours every week for FEC operators. Now we're tackling marketing systems that keep your venue discoverable without constant manual effort.

The good news is that smart marketing requires the right systems and a few intentional habits, not necessarily a big budget.

We've written extensively about marketing strategies that work for LBE operators. If you want to go deep on specific tactics, start with these guides:

• 6 simple steps to help AI recommend your family entertainment centre - Families increasingly ask ChatGPT and Gemini where to take their kids. This guide shows you how to appear in AI-generated answers.
• How user-generated content drives revenue for your venue - When guests share their experience, their friends see authentic fun, not a sales pitch. Learn how to turn visitors into content creators.
• Marketing strategies to sell more birthday parties - Birthday parties are one of your most profitable revenue streams. This playbook shows you how to fill your calendar without constant discounting.
• Guide: How to build a successful FEC brand marketing - Strong brands command higher prices and generate loyal fans. This comprehensive guide covers everything from local SEO to community engagement.

In this post, we're focusing on something more immediate: the marketing tools already built into your digital attractions. If you operate ValoJump, ValoClimb, or ValoArena, your marketing toolkit is waiting in the Operations Hub.

Let's get specific.

Market smarter, not louder

If you run Valo Motion attractions, you already have the marketing infrastructure that most venues pay separately to build. The Operations Hub gives you direct control over how your brand appears on-site, online, and in every piece of content your guests share.

1. 📍 Keep your location details current for search discoverability

Your venue's listing on the Valo Motion map drives discovery from potential guests searching for activities in your area. Parents looking for "mixed reality attractions near me" or "interactive climbing walls in Chicago" find venues through this directory.

Here's why this matters more than you might think. Valo Motion games regularly go viral. ValoArena’s Groundfall game alone has generated over 100 million views across TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit. When people watch these videos, they ask in the comments: "Where can I try this?"

If your location details are current and accurate, they find you. The Valo Motion map is accessible directly from the mobile app and discoverable through web searches. Update your venue description when you add new attractions, change operating hours, or run seasonal promotions. Accurate information means fewer confused phone calls and more confident bookings from guests who found you through viral content.

Learn more about how viral content drives bookings: How user-generated content drives revenue for your venue

2. 🎨 Design your branding for multiple touchpoints

Valo Motion attractions offer multiple visibility touchpoints for your brand. Your logo appears on unit touchscreens, in gameplay backgrounds, on shared videos, and in automated emails. Each touchpoint is an opportunity to reinforce your brand or dilute it with inconsistent, low-quality assets.

The Operations Hub lets you upload three versions of your logo: primary branding, in-game watermark, and video email signature. These appear everywhere your guests interact with your attractions.

Why this matters: When a guest shares their ValoArena gameplay video on Instagram, your watermark is visible. When that video gets 50,000 views, your brand reaches 50,000 potential customers. That's exposure you can't buy with traditional advertising.

But low-resolution logos look pixelated on 55-inch screens and in viral social media posts. What looks sharp on your laptop needs testing on actual units. Walk the floor after uploading. Check how your logos render on touchscreens, in gameplay, and in the video emails guests receive.

Keep watermarks simple and recognizable. Overly complex watermarks don't render well at small sizes and distract from gameplay. Think of it as a tasteful signature, not a billboard. Your logo should be instantly identifiable even when the video is viewed on a phone screen.

Use high-resolution files for all three logo uploads. Your brand appears in every gameplay video your guests share. Make sure it looks professional.

3. ✉️ Personalize video emails by venue type

Every Valo Motion attraction includes a built-in video booth feature. After each game session, guests receive a short gameplay clip via email. This works as an emotional souvenir for your guests and another marketing touchpoint you control.

Generic email copy gets ignored. The Operations Hub lets you customize the message guests receive with their videos. Use this to reinforce your brand voice and drive repeat visits.

Examples:

• FECs: "Hope the kids had a blast! Come back next week for our summer camp special."
• Climbing Gyms: "Great workout! Share your video and tag us for a chance to win a free session."
• Trampoline parks: "Thanks for the epic game! Now head to [partner restaurant name] and fuel up to play again."

The template stays the same, but the personality makes it yours. Update this based on current promotions or seasonal events. A well-timed message in a video email might drive more repeat bookings than a Facebook ad that most guests will scroll past.

4. 📅 Plan ad campaigns with a calendar

The Operations Hub advertisement feature displays promotions directly on your attraction screens when units are idle. Walk-in guests see these ads while browsing your venue or waiting for their turn.

This is prime advertising real estate. The screens are already there. Your guests are already looking at them. Use them strategically.

Ads work best when they're timely and relevant. Create a simple calendar, for example:

• Week 1-2 of the month: Promote monthly specials
• Week 3: Highlight upcoming events or new games
• Week 4: Cross-sell other offerings or birthday packages

Parents booking a birthday party see your ad promoting birthday parties. Regular guests during idle afternoon hours see your weekend tournament announcement. Context makes ads effective.

5. 🔄 Refresh ads every 2-4 weeks

Guests who visit frequently will see the same ads multiple times. Update your advertisements regularly to maintain attention and keep content fresh.

Seasonal promotions, limited-time offers, and event announcements work best. Standing ads about your "amazing attractions" lose impact after the third visit. Dynamic content about "this weekend's glow-in-the-dark session" drives action.

Set a recurring reminder to refresh your ads. Once you have your design files ready, uploading new ads takes five minutes in the Operations Hub. The preparation matters more than the execution.

📺 Real operators using ads to drive upsells

Skakaonica, one of the largest trampoline parks in Serbia, uses its Valo Motion attractions to promote other offerings throughout their venue. The idle screen ads drive traffic to their café, special events, and birthday party packages. Their ValoJump and ValoArena units double as marketing billboards.

Valo Motion products and services are top-notch. My only feedback for them is to keep doing what you are doing." - Bojan Cvilak, Owner, Skakaonica

6. ✅ Test before going live

After uploading logos, watermarks, or ads, visit your venue and check how they appear on actual units. What looks perfect on your computer screen might need adjustments when displayed on the attraction's interface.

Walk the floor. Look at the screens. Make sure everything renders cleanly. This simple quality check prevents embarrassing mistakes and ensures your brand looks professional.

📹 Here's how to manage all of this in the Operations Hub:

Smart marketing tips that work

Smart venue marketing follows a consistent pattern: meet families where they already are, make it easy for them to discover and share your venue, and give them genuine reasons to come back.

The Operations Hub handles the on-site and technical marketing through location listings, branded video content, personalized emails, and screen advertisements. Your job is showing up consistently in the places your guests look for entertainment.

Combine Operations Hub features with the broader marketing strategies we've covered in our guides, and you build a system that keeps your venue discoverable without constant manual effort.

In Part 3 of this series, we'll cover operational settings that turn your attractions into competitive advantages. You'll learn how to adapt your venue for different guest types, maximize unit flexibility, and reduce staff training time through smart configuration.

Coming in this Operator Productivity Series:

• Part 1: How automated scheduling reduces workload for FEC operators
• Part 2: Marketing tips for your FEC that don’t burn your budget  (you are here)
• Part 3: How to turn operations into your competitive advantage 
• Part 4: How to use data and guest experience to drive repeat visits 

Marketing systems work when they run without you. Build them once, monitor them periodically, and focus your time on guests.