It’s birthday day, and the sweat is already starting to form on your palms — even though the party is hours away. As any parent, you want the day to go off without a hitch. You want all of your guests to arrive on time and everyone to have fun and at the end of the day, you want to fall into your couch and breathe a sigh of relief, content with a day well lived.
Good luck with that.
The day of your child’s birthday may not run perfectly, but like with any event, pre-planning is key to ensure that every guest, no matter what age, has a ball.
“Parents really need to find out as much as they can about the party schedule and what to expect the day of their party,” explains Nicole Dalessandro, group sales manager at Make-A-Messterpiece. “It helps to know when activities will happen, how much time they will have for food and cake and activities and even how many parents can comfortably fit in the facility.
Taking the suggestions offered by the staff during the booking process and considering what will work best for your party can really alleviate some stress or confusion the day of the party.”
In today’s world, chances are that the birthday party will attract people of all ages from grandparents to younger siblings. With this is mind, a destination birthday party might just be your cup of tea since so many venues right here in Chicagoland have plenty of ways to keep every single one of your guests happy.
Take, for example, the Schaumburg Boomers, which has turned America’s favorite pastime into a popular birthday party destination.
“Minor league baseball does an excellent job of recognizing that not everyone who attends a game is there to watch baseball,” explains Sara Romano, community relations manager and account executive at the Schaumburg Boomers. “The kids get a kick out of the chance to get some autographs after the game.
Adults enjoy it because they can grab a beer, sit back and relax, and enjoy an evening at the ballpark. We also have between inning entertainment, from tossing T-shirts to Finish the Lyric contests to trivia and movie clips. When in doubt, we suggest attending one of our 19 games with post-game fireworks.”
The Schaumburg Boomers offer a range of Home Run and Grand Slam Birthday Packages that include everything from special birthday T-shirts to special trips down onto the field with the Boomers’ mascot. “All guests receive a hot dog meal, a wristband for the playground, a turn at the Speed Pitch, and a souvenir hat to bring home,” adds Romano. “Our goal for every Boomers Baseball game of the season is to have our fans leave happy.”
The ability to cater to a wider age range during birthday parties has long been a goal for many birthday party venues, including Odyssey Fun World. The recent upgrades the popular birthday party destination has made to its Gamers Lounge, for example, allows parents to be confident that there will be a little something for everyone.
“We have always catered to both the older and the younger crowds,” explains Ryan Jacobs, marketing director of Odyssey Fun World. It also recently added a zipline for ages 8 and up. “We recently upgraded our Gamers Lounge in Tinley Park to include popular systems such as Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and carry games from LEGO to Call of Duty. We have even changed our birthday packages to allow for more attractions during the day or evening of the party so everyone is sure to have a good time.”
Of course, the true sign of an all-inclusive birthday party is one in which virtually everyone can’t help but get involved or in the case of Make-A-Messterpiece get their hands dirty. Parents can even offer the birthday child many options to swap or add additional activities such as an experiment making slime or tie-dying T-shirts based on what they know and love about their guests.
“We can entertain guests of all ages because we focus on an open ended creative process,” says Dalessandro, whose venue typically host 90-minute parties for boys and girls ages 2-10. “Kids of all ages and stages are able to participate in the activities we offer. The neat thing to see is the way the project is finished by the individual child. Our projects and activities really allow their creative juices to flow. We ignite wonder and curiosity as we strive to bring the next generation of innovators to the world.”
Part of Celebrations, a special advertising birthday party guide.
