- Client
- Alpine Ice Christchurch
- Sector
- Leisure and attractions Ice rink and events
- Disciplines
- Digital marketing Google Ads · Meta Ads · GA4
- Engagement
- 2024–2025 Ongoing client
The challenge
Interest in birthday parties was there, but the bookings behind it were hidden.
Alpine Ice has a steady flow of public skaters, school groups and events. In 2024 they set out to grow one part of the business: kids' birthday parties.
Parents were already enquiring, but the website recorded contact forms, not completed bookings or their value. The path from an ad or a search to a party wasn’t visible, so there was no clear way to decide where to put the next marketing dollar.
Before we could grow birthday bookings, we needed to see them.
What we did
We made every booking visible, then gave birthday parties their own campaigns on Google and Facebook.
- Every booking counted (February 2024). We connected GA4, Google Tag Manager and the booking platform, so party bookings and their value are recorded by source. That gave us a baseline and a fair way to judge each campaign.
- Birthday parties as their own campaigns. We split birthday parties from general skating on both Google and Facebook.
- Google Search ads for parents already looking. Searches like “kids birthday party places” and “birthday ideas Christchurch”. The most-clicked search of the year was simply “birthday ideas”, from parents who hadn’t chosen a venue yet.
- Facebook ads before the search starts. Party ideas in front of local parents, mainly in their 30s and 40s. Facebook introduces the idea early; Google is there when parents are ready to book.
RETURNING VISITORS
62%
of birthday bookings came from returning visitors
Parents came back to book
Share of 2024 birthday bookings by returning vs new visitors
The results
Birthday bookings became measurable, then grew into the winter season.
88%
Growth in monthly birthday bookings, February to May 2024
The first months with tracking and separate party campaigns, heading into winter.
62%
Of birthday bookings came from returning visitors
Parents came back to book after an earlier visit.
3.4×
More likely to book: Google Ads visitors vs organic search visitors
Search ads reached parents already planning a party, so they booked at over three times the rate of other search visitors.
Let us know how we can assist your business today.
Start a conversationSource and period go here — e.g. Google Analytics, twelve months post-launch vs the twelve prior. Unsourced numbers invite doubt from exactly the buyer you're trying to convince.
[Client quote. The best ones name the problem and the specific thing that fixed it — not "great to work with".]
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