The Hidden Truth on Indoor Playground Exposed
If you reside in a place such as we do in Western New York (we're in Rochester!) With superbly hot summers and cold snowy winters, you'll know your options for your child's birthday party are largely determined by the weather.
As an August baby, we constantly had little family parties out at my house. But, together with sons born in November and March, we are always left to reserve an indoor place for their parties, if we decided to have them that season. While those with kids with summer birthdays might appear blessed to have numerous options at their disposal, it can also often feel overwhelming.
While in Climbing Vines Cafe and Play we might be biased because we host indoor celebrations, I wanted to share with all the 5 most common reasons we hear from previous celebration clients to book indoor summer evenings with us. To these, the stress-free temperament of the indoor summertime celebration is a no-brainer, and they are not looking back! Following their first indoor summer party, they keep hosting with us year after year.
The most common cause for a customer to book a summer indoor party with us is so they don't need to stem the weather forecast for updates in the weeks leading up to the celebration. Nothing can derail a fun celebration quicker than having to cram all your guests inside your home, waiting for a storm to pass. And if you've ever needed to cancel or postpone your child's birthday due to weather, you know how heartbreaking that could be.
We receive dozens of calls each summer a few days before somebody's outdoor party is supposed to take place to find out if we've got an open slot for them within our indoor celebration venue because of weather woes. We can usually pull off this if the spot is open, but hosts will unfortunately have to scramble and allow all of their guests are aware of the change in venue and likely change in time, and also change all their catering orders to accommodate their new party program.
While of course rain is probably the biggest obstacle you might face, intense heat, unseasonably cool weather, and end may also pose problems for your decorations, food, along with your guests' belongings. You will likely end up investing in a kayak another weather barrier just to ease your mind somewhat, which can be costly and require lots of precious time to prepare and take down. I will not even tell the story of the time my Dad set up a tent for a party in a windstorm and ended up with a insurance claim for 4 ruined cars when it withdrew (weights and anchors and all!) ...
Besides the obvious weather worries you can avoid with an indoor party, there may also just be something really straightforward and lovely about an indoor summer celebration. Guests won't need to be worried about bringing towels and sunscreen and towels and swimsuits and changes of clothes and insect spray... you understand.
Sometimes it's nice to take a short break in the outside, sip coffee in an air-conditioned cafe, and have a real conversation with other adults while the children play, instead of chasing children around trying to receive their fur on them keeping them away from your in-ground pool. I am not sure about you, but I could never quite relax at an outdoor summer birthday celebration with a 2 and a 4 year-old. While they sure do have a good time running around, we typically leave in a daze or with a tantrum, unsure whether we even had the time to talk or check in with everybody.
While I absolutely love a fantastic barbecue or summer grilling extravaganza, I find it refreshing when we can take a break from the same-old backyard bash and spend a few hours in a relaxing, cool, and most significantly -- included! -- atmosphere.
It's also freeing as a guest to have the remainder of the day to do as we wish as a family and not have to be concerned about getting the kids into a bath right after the party or stopping home to cool off and change clothing.
I promise that in the event you book an indoor celebration for your son or daughter, guests (particularly family) may seem a bit confused at first (why not take advantage of the summer weather while we can, right?) But after hosting countless indoor parties I will tell you for certain that on the day-of, you and your guests will realize how nice it is to reunite within an air-conditioned private party for a few hours.
Speaking of how relaxing a indoor, air-conditioned celebration can be, can we discuss food for a moment? Not only are food choices limited with an outside party because of heat, but it can be hard to keep food covered and keep the bugs, bees, and other debris away.
Right now, my sweet 4 year old boy is terrified of bees, and also the quickest way to send him into a tailspin would be for him to sit down to eat a cupcake or his meal and have bees swarming around. Therefore, for our loved ones, the meals factor alone would be sufficient to justify an indoor party.
Eating in peace without needing to find shade or a seat or a place away from pests is just one of those things you do not realize can be so magnificent until you attend your fourth or fifth outdoor summer gathering and THEN get a rest from them. Among the most common things we hear is how nice it's to just sit and eat and see the kiddos play with no any other venue-related cares or worries. This will be especially important when you are going to be needing older family members attend who can struggle with being portable in the grass or mud and finding seating at outside parties.
4) DECOR OPTIONS GALORE
While party aesthetic might not be a determining factor for every family, it sure is much easier to create a themed extravaganza that lighting a child's face up when the party's inside. The decorations demanded tend to be less because the place is smaller and contained contained, and you won't need to worry about balloons and streamers blowing all about or securing table covers down.
Because we do host cellular events outdoors in Climbing Vines Cafe and Play, I will also speak from experience when I say the time that it takes to install (and take down!) Decorations for an outdoor party compared to a indoor celebration generally ends up being at least double. Finding great places to hang banners, requiring two people to maintain and secure everything, and locating weights or other restraints for everything may be a true hassle on celebration.
And you'll have enough to worry about this day, right?
Furthermore, if your pinterest planks are filled with cute centerpieces, a candy bar, or anything that could possibly be affected by wind (or attract bees!) You will likely have to restrategize for an outdoor soiree.
And of course decor typically can only be utilized once if used outdoors, but repurposed again and if used for an indoor event. Our guests that sponsor indoor occasions, especially those who spent significant money into decoration or labored hard to create their very own, are pleased to find they could usually create a huge chunk of the cash back by reselling their supplies on something such as Facebook Marketplace.
Speaking of money, probably the greatest misconception I hear from clients is that they wish to sponsor a party in their home to save the leasing fee of an indoor space. I generally laugh at this because it makes perfect sense, that is, if you've never hosted an outside celebration.
With all the"extras" such as tents, chair rentals, extra decorations, weather reinforcements, cleanup supplies, games and activities for the children (which you won't have to supply at a play area!) It is very possible you are going to end up spending MUCH more hosting a party at your home or an outside place than you'd indoors.
I am not sure how other indoor spaces handle their supplies, but we only charge guests for additional beverages and provides and such on the day of the celebration if they wind up needing themand we also allow parties to attract in their OWN meals, dessert, www.iconsarcade.com and decor if they choose!
Money aside, spending countless hours cleaning before, during, and after the party may also take a toll. Would not it be nice to walk into a sparkling clean area and leave with your guests once the party's over, not needing to be concerned about the clean-up, garbage removal, tent teardown, etc?
It's possible to just go home and unwind with your family (yes, possibly outside!) In a nice clean home that was not just trampled by party guests and all of their sand, grass, and sunscreen.
Along with the time spent cleaning before and after the party, would not it ALSO be wonderful to not need to play"server" during the event? Even for clients that make their own food and decoration, our dedicated party assistants set everything up, refill and fix food and beverages as necessary, clear dishes, cut and serve the cake, and pack up all of the leftovers in the end of the party!
After all, it is your child's special day and you want to spend those valuable hours making memories and visiting along with your guests-- not running around chasing your decorations or refilling the fruit bowl countless times.
So save everybody (and especially your own family!) We would be honored to offer you an easy, enjoyable experience which will leave your whole guest list feeling refreshed, thankful, and full of love after spending a relaxing (yet fun-filled!) day together.
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