As parents, we generally do things when we need to do them.
It’s not that we’re lazy, or procrastinators, it’s just that the to-do list is usually so long we find ourselves putting out fires most days rather than looking ahead at what we can do today to make tomorrow easier.
When it comes to planning your child’s birthday party, it always turns out to be more work than we first envisioned.
It’s not unusual to be running to three different stores the morning of the party to grab just “one more thing” to make our little angel’s party perfect.
After all, who wants to be saddled with the guilt of having let your child down on her birthday party?
If you’ll follow our Kids Party Characters party planning checklist, you should find yourself better prepared and organized than usual, but it’s best to just accept that the morning of the party will be reserved for last minute requests, changes, and forgotten items.
One piece of your child’s party that you do want to make top priority is booking her favorite character at KidsPartyCharacters.com as soon as you can get your child to commit to the character she wants.
In some cases, your child will have a clear favorite and who to book will be a no-brainer. If this is the case, give us a call at Kids Party Characters a good eight weeks in advance and we’ll secure that costume and book one of our top level entertainers to represent that character.
What often happens however, is you’ll browse the Kids Party Characters website and your child will have a hard time deciding which special guest she wants to invite.
One day Spiderman may be the definitive pick. Then the Pirates of the Caribbean might come on TV and he may decide he’d rather have a pirate entertain him and his guests.
This is certainly the nature of children, but it’s to his advantage that he decide early and understand he’ll need to stick with that decision.
If there is a lot of back and forth, pick a day six to eight weeks before the party and declare it character deadline day.
Explain to him that finality at this time is essential to having the best party ever.
From your perspective as a parent, let’s look at the advantages of early booking, and disadvantages of trying to do this crucial piece at the last minute.
Advantages of Booking Your Party Character Early
1. You’ll Get the Character and the Time You Really Want
Obviously, booking early reduces the chances that your child’s first choice will already be taken and the disappointment that goes along with that.
At Kids Party Characters we host over 100 parties every week, so the popular characters tend to go fast.
Another consideration is timing.
Yes, Spiderman can do a party at noon and fly across town to appear again at 3:00. But there may be good reasons having to do with your schedule, the availability of your child’s friends, and even nap times to work around that make a noon party much better than a 3:00 party.
Booking your character in advance ensures not only that your child’s favorite will be available, but that it will be available at the time that’s ideal for your party.
2. Helps in Securing Your Party Location
One of the things your character will need to know is where to show up.
Securing the venue for your party can be another time consuming activity, requiring a lot of phone calls and comparisons to find what’s available and best suits your needs and budget.
If you’ll take the step of getting your character booked in, that will force you to also get on the location issue and reserve that early too, avoiding more disappointments or inconveniences, and ultimately saving you time.
3. Allows You Plenty of Time to Get Necessary Insurance in Place
Some venues will require insurance, which can get expensive.
Even if it’s not a requirement, you’ll want to look into insurance options and see if spending a little money on this safeguard isn’t worth the peace of mind it will give you during your child’s party.
When talking to the insurance provider, they’ll need to know the details of your party.
With your character booked in and venue confirmed, securing any needed insurance will be a much easier task and give you the flexibility to shop around a little and find the best price and coverage.
4. Guarantees that Your Child Will Get the Best Entertainers
At Kids Party Characters we don’t hire high schools students to dress up and stand in the corner at your child’s party.
Our characters are represented by trained entertainers who actually put on a show for your child and her guests.
While all of our entertainers are guaranteed to please, as with everything, we do have a top tier of the “best of the best” entertainers.
Naturally, these entertainers get booked first.
Booking your character early ensures not only that you get your child’s first choice in characters, but also that the character is represented by one of our elite entertainers.
Disadvantages of Booking Your Character at the Last Minute
At Kids Party Characters, we work hard to accommodate last minute requests.
And we’ll never take your money if we can’t provide a magical experience at your child’s party.
But, in contrast to the great, hassle-free experience of booking your character early, let’s look at the disadvantages you’ll find if you do end up waiting until the last minute to call us.
1. The Company Has to Scramble to Cover Your Requests
We know how important your child’s party is to you, and especially to him.
So yes, we will go the extra mile and try to pull it off for you, but as with most things done last minute, the chances of getting exactly what you want are greatly reduced.
Our party packages include extras like cotton candy, popcorn, and vending machines, but in order to accommodate those requests we have to have the equipment available to send along with the character.
This won’t be a problem when you book in advance, but could be an issue if you wait until the week before when we’re heavily booked.
2. Your Preferred Time and Character May Not Be Available
We’ve already talked about this, but let’s give it some thought as a real disadvantage for your party.
If your child has spent hours agonizing over the decision, or you’ve spent hours juggling schedules to get the perfect party time for everyone, imagine the disappointment/inconvenience that will come if your perfect character isn’t available at the perfect time.
Simply booking early allows you to avoid all the potential drama here.
3. Second String of Entertainers May be Covering
As stated, we’ll never send you an entertainer who won’t do a good job, but if you had your choice, wouldn’t you want the best of the best to show up at your child’s party?
We can only make that guarantee if you book early so we can lock one of our A-listers into your date and time.
4. Your Ideal Location May Already be Booked
Because booking your character really forces you to get the location booked too, waiting until the last minute might result in a less than perfect venue for the party, and may require that you book the party at a time other than what you really wanted.
Another consideration here is cost. When you don’t have a lot of options, you may be forced to go with a higher-priced venue than what you could have secured at an earlier date.
5. You May Find Yourself Stuck With Whatever’s Left
To sum it all up, as you can see, waiting until the last minute to book your character will likely have at least some negative repercussions.
No, life isn’t perfect and no, we can’t always get what we want.
But shouldn’t your child’s birthday party be perfect and give her exactly what she wants on that special day?
The good news is, it can be with just a little advanced planning.
Avoid the possibility of her favorite character being booked at your ideal time, of having to settle for a second string entertainer, of getting stuck with an inconvenient and expensive venue at a time that doesn’t work best for you, and of all the hassles that come with scrambling around at the last minute to make something perfect.
Go to KidsPartyCharacters.com today and secure the peace of mind and happiness that comes with booking your character early. We can’t wait to hear from you!
We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, where we share party pictures, party planning tips, and strategies for raising happy and healthy children.
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