Tips to come out ahead on Halloween.

Sure, Halloween is often about the fun special events, the creative costumes, and more candy than you know what to do with, but have you thought about how you can use the spookiest time of year to help your Aquatics operations? These tips save you money, enhance your training, and connect with your team. Read on to learn more about Halloween for Aquatics!

Buy All the Candy

Buy ALL the Candy

As an Aquatic manager, candy is the biggest (and cheapest) staff incentive that we can provide our staff. It’s what draws students over to you while recruiting staff at schools, it’s what fills up your good job box so you can reward your staff, and it’s what gets stapled to learn-to-swim skill cards at the end of a session. The use of candy goes on and on! However, when you are buying candy at $10-12 per bag, that candy really starts to add up! I previously operated two seasonal facilities, and between December and September, I spent nearly $1,200 on candy alone. Until…..I happened to be at Walmart the day after Halloween. I noticed that all candy was 50-75% off. Duh! Why had I never considered that before? So, I grabbed a cart and filled it to the brim. The candy stays good well through the summer season, and my staff never once cared that their candy was Halloween-themed. They just loved getting candy. Shopping for my candy for the season the day after Halloween helped me save nearly $600 dollars over a budget season, freeing up funds for other staff incentives throughout the summer. So, make a date on November 1st and head on over to your nearest store with a shopping cart ready to fill. You’ll save lots of money, and your team will be thankful for the candy!

 

Lifeguard Costume people dressed up as lifeguards for Halloween

Help your Team with their Costume Idea

Stay connected with your seasonal staff by giving them a rad costume idea: aka “The Lifeguard.”

Post a picture of your staff in uniform detailing the pieces required to be a Lifeguard, aka swimsuit, whistle, hat, sunglasses, and encourage staff or viewers of your social media account to dress up as a Lifeguard (or Swim Instructor, etc.). This is a great way to stay engaged with your staff and guests online while encouraging "being" a Lifeguard to be “cool” again. Then come application time, you’ll have teenagers lining up at your office saying they want to be the real thing. Well…. we can at least hope! 😊

Check out this post from NRH2O Family Waterpark if you need some inspiration!

Moulage Kits

Stock up on Moulage Kits

Speaking of Halloween for Aquatics, take advantage of another product that is on massive sale after Halloween, moulage kits! They are great for gory costumes and take your first aid training to the next level by creating realistic scenarios for your staff. If you aren’t familiar with moulage, it is the art of making injuries look real even though an injury does not exist. Providing this kind of training to your staff brings them closer to what a real scenario might look like and better prepares them to manage an emergency situation with knowledge and confidence. Plus, for the art fanatics, it’s just fun to bring these injuries to life in a safe and controlled environment. Just like the candy, moulage kits run 50-75% off on November 1st and come with all the basics you need to create a gruesome injury.

Check out this resource on how to create bruises, abrasions, lacerations, and burns.

Here’s a look at how this injury came to life! Check out this Moulage Application video!

Save the date for November 1st and capitalize on these opportunities to recruit staff, save money, and improve your training this year!
I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!

November 1st on Shopping Cart Sign

Looking for more holiday-related reads? Check out some of our previous blog posts focused on programming, revenue generation, and more!
Three Classic Halloween Event Ideas

Six In-Service Resources to Find At Your Local Halloween Store

Eight Black Friday Aquatics Deals to Offer